We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
We are one week out from the Winter Olympics in Milano - Cortina, which is a bit of a strange place to have the Winter Olympics, since Milan isn't exactly a winter city. However, Cortina is in the Alps, so I am guessing that most of the outdoor events would have to be scheduled there, rather than the Milano Duomo Square.
We honeymooned in Milan.
Regardless of where the Olympics are though, I am always happy to watch as it brings the chance to see the best in the world do what they do, at sports that I don't normally get to watch. The winter Olympics is even more "exotic" for me since I don't come from a winter country, even though with the weather sitting at -22°C (-8°F) tonight, I definitely live in a winter country now. Not a mountainous winter country though, more like rolling, spruce covered hills.
Not that I watch, but there is plenty of televised ski jumping, biathlon and cross-country here, and lots of my friends are avid skiers and several are ex-professional hockey players, now too old to play. But the winter Olympics gives me a chance to get intimate with everything from aerial skiing to curling, bobsledding and the skeleton to the moguls. And over the years I have picked up bits and pieces of the various sports so that I can pretend to know what I am looking at with a discerning eye. Much like a hockey fan screaming at the players on the ice for being blind, though never actually having played a game themselves.
I am not a winter sport expert at anything.
Unless you count drinking gin as a winter sport.
But I play that game in the summer too.
Whatever the sport though, it is always great to hear some of the stories behind the athletes, which is a bit of a challenge as I will likely be watching it in Finnish, and they will concentrate on the challenges of the Finnish team. You know the thing....
"My dad is my main motivation. He was a depressive alcoholic who pushed me into the sport. I didn't like it, but it was somewhat of an escape from the misery at home and it meant that I was beaten less often, if I did well.... and eventually, I was good enough to compete with the world's best."
Many Finns will watch the sports like ice hockey, hoping that they will get a medal, but I am more interested in the sports that put on a good show. But of course, while I want Australia to get some medals and do well generally, I wish Finland did much better than it does.
With all this snow and motivating dads, you'd think they'd perform well.
But they don't.
What I also like about winter games is due to the conditions, there is often a lot more variability in the results. Of course, there is the classic Stephen Bradbury who had given up and stopped skating in the short track already, when everyone in front of him tumbled and he skated through for the gold. But there are lots and lots of opportunities for surprise outcomes, because on ice, even the best in the world will slip.
Most of the world doesn't seem to care much for the winter games in the same way they might for the summer version. But I think it is often worth watching a few events and acknowledging all the training and sacrifice that went into getting there to compete. It isn't just the athlete, but the parents and family, the coaches, the early sponsors and all the other supporting factors so that some can land a quad axle and glide away smoothly.
Will you be watching?
Thought: Maybe if I enjoy gin a lot more often, I could be a motivating father too....
Taraz
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