My thoughts: 1st week of London Olympics 2012

Even before the first event of the 2012 London Olympic swim meet was swum, the US Olympic swim team was capturing the world as their audience.  I, along with millions of others, viewed their "Call Me Maybe" Youtube video.  As I watched it with a big smile on my face, I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I realize this is not a normal reaction to a silly, fun loving skit put on by some of the best swimmers in the world, but to me it represented more than just that.

This video took me back to a place in time when I was an age group swimmer.  My teammates and I would make up dances to popular songs and perform them between our events at swim meets on the pool deck.  As individual of a sport as swimming is, it's not nearly as fun without the company of your teammates.  As an age group swimmer, it was easy to not take myself too seriously, but it is understandable that as one ages, and takes the sport more seriously, that element of fun can dwindle.  The US Swim team's Youtube video demonstrates that athletes of the highest level can still have fun. The video was the idea of the extremely lovable 17 year old Missy Franklin, but even the veteran late 20 and early 30-somethings on the team played along.

As the 2012 London Olympics Swim Meet progressed, multiple US team members stated during interviews "This is the most fun team I have ever been a part of!"  Their words were validated not only by the Youtube video, but by the smiles on their faces throughout the entire meet, and the way they cheered for one another, every event.  To see that made me so happy for each and every one of them, and for myself having been a part of something like that once as well. 

The 2012 London Olympics Swim Meet will, no doubt, be remembered as the year that Michael Phelps exited his Olympic career, and Missy Franklin entered hers.  Michael Phelps presences in the pool will surely be missed by all but his competition.  Several of the NBC commentators refused to accept that this was Michael's last Olympics, asking him multiple times and ways if this was really the end.  Lucky for the commentators, and the rest of us needing a US swimmer to obsess over now that Phelps is done, we were introduced to Missy Franklin.  From what I've observed of Missy, I'm convinced there has never been a cooler, more down to earth 17 year old, ever. 

Many things have impressed me about the athletes in this Olympic Games thus far:  the world records broken, the sprint to the finish at the end of the Women's Triathlon, the gratefulness some of the athletes have shown for the opportunity to simply compete in the Olympics, but perhaps most of all, the restraint the athletes have shown by not punching the NBC reported Andrea Kremer during their post-event interviews.  Here are the synopsis of just a few of her interviews:

After Ryan Locthe's (who went into London planning to medal, if not get gold in all his events) disappointing  4th place in the 200 Free:
Andrea:  "Ryan, you just placed 4th in the 200 Free.  How do you feel about that?" 
Ryan: "Uh, I'm disappointed..." (duh, Andrea)

After the first head-to-head showdown between Phelps and Locthe where Locthe upset Phelps:
Andrea:  "Michael, Ryan just beat you in the 400 IM (Michael's first event of the meet).  What does that say about the kind of meet you are having?"
Michael: "Well, I swam how I trained, and I didn't train hard enough for that event.  I'm going to put that behind me and focus on my upcoming events.  Taking it one event at a time."

After Kathleen Hersey's Personal Best swim in the 200 fly:
Andrea:  "Kathleen, I know your mom died earlier this year.  How does that play into a moment like this?"
I don't even remember what Kathleen said, I was in such a state of shock Andrea had just brought that up.

After the men's 400 Medley Relay:
Andrea:  After asking Matt Grevers (backstroker) and Tyler McGill (butterflier) about their individual legs of the relay, and their London Olympic meet overall, she asked Brendon Hanson (breaststroker, team captain, veteran Olympic swimmer in his last Olympics)  something to the effect of "Brendon, isn't Michael Phelps great? What does it mean to you to swim on a relay with him"
To which Brendon (who probably thought she was going to ask him something about himself and was prepared for a question of that nature) fumbled over his words to come up with a response and noticeably felt like a fool after he finished speaking to a question that caught him off guard. 

What the hell is Andrea, and NBC (who lets her continue to conduct these interviews) thinking?  Rubbing salt in the wounds of the best swimmers in our country after their events, bringing up sore subjects, and blatantly ignoring some athletes to praise others.  It's a really good thimg these Olympic swimmers have (along with strong bodies) strong psyches, because the questions Andrea asked could really cause damage to the average athlete. 

I need to get back to watching the Olympics now, but just wanted to praise the US. Olympic Swim Team for their awesomeness, and chastise a reporter who could use some lessons in sensitivity.