The 14 year old lad is competing individually at the end of the week so it will beinteresting to see how he does then

It's not so much 'how many more medals can he win' as 'how many more sycophantic trailers do we have to watch'?

I watched more of this than I thought I would because on the weekend they showed a variety of sports - focusing almost exclusively on US performers of course, so some sports don't get on - but still the variety is nice. Rowing, cycling, sand volleyball, water polo, basketball, swimming, fencing*, gymnastics. I think they even showed one rowing heat where there was no American boat.

Maybe it's not so bad that they focus on the US team now that NBC seems to have backed of the jingoism a bit. I was in Des Moines visiting my brother the last few days and got to see how worked up that are is for Sean Johnson, the 16-year-old gymnast from West Des Moines. She's a local hero. A sculpture of her made out of butter is on display at the Iowa State Fair (they always do one of a cow and one of a famous Iowan). She's not only from West Des Moines, but she lives and trains there and goes to a regular public high school (albeit on a schedule that gives her enough time to train 25 hours a week).

So I guess I can't blame NBC for focusing on the US because every olympian is from somewhere, and every US olympian is from somewhere in the US, and no doubt their family and hometown are really fired up for them and wants to see them compete on the tube if they can't be there. Some call it provincialism, but I think we could use a bit more of it in this country - spirit of community, neighbors and all of that.

That's what the olympics should be about. Individual athletes shouldn't represent their country, which always makes it more political and nationalist and potentially ugly. They should represent their home town or region.



*Fencing is really hard to follow on tv and I don't understand the rules to sabre. It's a fucking rich kids' sport anyway.

Togo is tropical rainforest in the south and the further you go inland the more elevated the terrain (as well as drier).
West Africa is criss-crossed with rivers (hence the lack of drought) not that you would want to go canoeing in them.
But then going thorugh the tricky gates must be childsplay compared to going down his local river on a hollowed out tree, whilst avoiding crocodiles, Hippo's and migrating wilderbeast.
no 5 second penalties if you get it wrong there i can tell ya!

Erm, not necessarily.

The Harlem-based Peter Westbrook Foundation has taught fencing to thousands of inner city kids; a half dozen of them have gone on to represent the US in the Olympics.

Fencing is stabbing for rich people.

Back in the day "Borer" was well known for his handiness with the blade (hence the name).

He would have had all those guys in the olympics but he instead got 5 years in scrubs for Attempted murder.

A great talent, sorely wasted.

Who are you picking for the sprints TG?

Can Bolt do the double?

QUOTE:
The Harlem-based Peter Westbrook Foundation has taught fencing to thousands of inner city kids; a half dozen of them have gone on to represent the US in the Olympics.

Ok, except them.

But that's a notable exception.
The three US girls who won medals in sabre were definitely not from the wrong side of the tracks. It's very expensive, I have been told by a friend of mine who finished 6th or thereabouts in the world junior olympics, but then got out of it before she could go for the real olympics because she was tired of the expense, the travel, the snotty younger girls, and wanted to get on with her urban planning career. She went to Yale and her parents somehow paid for her to go all over creation to compete.

The Sprints is a Tough one.

Powell although the most consistently fastest has questionable big event temprement as the last two world Championships showed.

Tyson Gay has been nursing a thigh injury, but if fit only has the 100m to concentrate on.

Bolt has the best form coming into this but how quick will he be after 4 rounds of heats is yes to be determined.

With no Gay in the 200m, it Should be an easy win for Bolt.

On a hunch i would have:

1. Gay
2. Bolt
3. one other

But if the Grand prix Powell turns up instead of the competition one, he will win.

What i am saying is i havn't a clue.

nd got to see how worked up that are is for Sean Johnson, the 16-year-old gymnast from West Des Moines. She's a local hero.

do her paretns know they've given her a boys name? There's something so....so...... er..... about a sculpture made out of butter.

My mistake. It's spelled Shawn, but pronounced like Sean. It's not such an uncommon girl's name over here.

Two years ago, the sculpture was of Brandon Routh as Superman, because he's from Iowa (Routh is, not Superman. Superman is from Krypton).

Wildebeest in Togo?

QUOTE:
It's spelled Shawn, but pronounced like Sean.

Would you pronounce those differently?

You could pronounce it Show'n, rhyming with the way some Baltimoreans say "on." Some people pronounce Sean that way too.

Sean looks more like Seen than Shawn.

See, I'd have guessed that most Americans would pronounce both kind of like "Shaan". But I could well be wrong.

Sorry, everyone. I'm more interested in this kind of thing than in the Olympics, I think.