Olympic fever continues to register at an intense level in our house. A week after I wrote my first blog post of thoughts and notes on the 2024 Summer Olympics, we are still cheering hard on a daily basis for the USA while admiring the competitive spirit of all the Olympic athletes. Fresh off a weekend of exhilarating competition, here are 10 more of my tidbits…

The three of us huddled on the couch watching the Olympics over the weekend.

– World Class Production. It doesn’t matter if you are watching table tennis, the high jump, gymnastics, or one of the many other sports, the NBC family of networks is stringing together superb broadcasts of each event. From the angles to the replays to the technology used, the coverage is gold medal-worthy. It has been a lot of fun to watch.

– Ages. NBC has made it a point to document the age of pretty much every athlete that makes it on a broadcast. I have found it fascinating (and encouraging) that many of these athletic specimens are in their thirties. Perhaps there is still hope for me to become an Olympic athlete? Not so fast, when the next Summer Olympics arrive in 2028 I will have aged out of that specific decade demographic.

– Men’s 100M. What fun this was to watch live with Sloan and Beau. To be honest, I didn’t know if Noah Lyles was going to have any energy left to compete after his very animated entrance to the track. Then once the race started it looked like my assumption was going to be correct as the Jamaican athlete seemed to have the advantage the whole way and (to me) it looked like he held Lyles off at the finish line. But what a pleasant surprise it was when they flashed the times and an American had one a gold medal in the men’s 100M for the first time in 20 years. Our household went nuts!

– Women’s 100M. I have enjoyed all the lead-up coverage of Sha’Carri Richardson prior-to-and-during the Games. My hope was that she would take home the gold but it took just a nanosecond to know that wasn’t going to happen once the gun went off. Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia seemed to leave Richardson in the dust out of the blocks and cruised to the top of the podium. Although I wish Richardson won, I know she will be back in 2028 and I am happy that the country of Saint Lucia won an Olympic medal.

– Stephen Nedoroscik. It took one look at “Steve” for me to know he would be a darling of the Olympics. When I saw him at the very beginning of the games sporting his trademark glasses, I immediately wanted to know more about the pommel horse specialist. Thanks to the approximately 50 TikToks my sister sent me about Nedoroscik over the past week, my desire for info was fulfilled. What a cool moment it was to see him capture the bronze.

– Medal Count. An objective, easy-to-follow aspect of the Games is the medal count. This has been such a great learning tool for Sloan as she keeps track of what is going on in Paris. She constantly asks me to pull it up as she obsesses over the neck and neck race between the United States and China for most golds. At least she doesn’t have to worry too much about the overall medal count—the U.S. is making us proud with a massive lead over all the other countries.

– Triathlon. On Saturday, I gave Sloan the option to choose any event she desired for us to watch. She chose the women’s triathlon and I am glad she did. Although I know the Seine River has been the source of much controversy, it was interesting and quirky how the athletes had to swim three laps in the river while getting out at the conclusion of each one only to dive back in. Also, watching the competitors swim at a freakishly fast speed because of the current was very entertaining. Thanks, Sloan, for getting me out of my Olympic “comfort zone.”

– Take a Shot. As someone who threw the shot put all four years in high school, I always watch the event during the Olympics. I am consistently blown away at the power and footwork these massive, strong athletes bring to the ring. Of course, the intrigue this year was whether Ryan Crouser could win his third straight gold medal, and, spoiler alert, he did. However, I will always remember the Paris competition because of the rain that caused the ring to be dangerously slick. Multiple competitors took falls while executing their spins as I held my breath. Thankfully, no one was hurt, which is a testament to how gracefully these dudes landed.

– Fatigue. I totally get it that beach volleyball is a signature Summer Olympics event and that it brings in big ratings, but I think I have seen my fill this year. And this is coming from a guy who actually really likes the sport. However, pool play lasts so long and it seems like the sport is featured every single night during primetime. I am glad we still have U.S. athletes competing and I will watch the gold medal match but it has lost some luster for me.

– Entrances. Okay, I want to end with something fun. All events now offer elaborate entrances which I can appreciate because if you deserve it if you are an Olympic athlete. However, sometimes they take a long time. I will admit that on more than one occasion when I was watching late night events that I fell asleep in the middle of the introductions.

——————–

Although the home stretch of the 2024 Summer Olympics is almost here, there are still lots of medals to be won. You better believe we will continue to watch. Don’t Blink.