As most of the television viewing world, I have spent the last week watching the Summer Olympics. I find myself getting deeply involved in sports that I did not even know existed.
Women's handball, for one. I knew of handball and I knew of women (a little), but I had never thought of combining the two. Certainly not into a very physical and slightly vicious team contest. But they have and it sucked me in like a human sized Hoover.
During my Olympic couching sessions, I found myself watching synchronized diving and I thought to my self, "This is a sport?" I am impressed by diving, I am. But not by two people doing it together, I am not.
In some way, I can trace every sport back to where it can relate to an every day situation. Swimming - not just a sport, but a way of not drowning. Track - not just a sport, but a way to run away from something in a superior fashion when needed. Even regular, singles Diving - an art form yes, but also, say someone is chasing you and you reach a cliff. What to do??? A regular person would fall to their death in the waters below or be killed by the pursuer on the edge of the cliff, most likely still falling off the cliff, dying on the way down, or again, on impact. But a professional diver stands a chance of surviving the jump and the would be assassin, who probably isn't a professional diver, would not dare follow and everyone lives. Yay!
Most of the Olympic sports can be traced back in this fashion, but I cannot think of any situation, whether realistic of fantastical, that two people would have to jump off something and do the exact same thing on the way down. I have racked my brain and my imagination and come up with even less than a Chinese splash.
Speaking of Chinese...the Chinese synchronized diving women have taken their synchronicity (thanks Sting) to a new level. They even sport the exact same terrible hair cuts. Kind of freaky looking. Kudos on your commitment, but never forget the world is watching.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment