Okay, the Games are a good two days in, but I'm still making some calls on people I'm so excited about - Teams Edition! I'm just gonna say it, I don't usually love women's sports. And I can say that, because I'm a woman (double standard!). But the Olympics always changes that for me. Case in point: most of these picks of mine are women. Not all, but most. Maybe it appeals to the part of me that always wanted to be in the Olympics, so I relate to the women, because I could've been one of them. Scratch that, I still could be them. Archery team, 2016, here I come. That's a sport that I can grow old with. Or maybe fencing. I might still have a few years in me for that.
Anyway, here are my teams for 2012:
Beach Volleyball
Misty May and Kerri Walsh are Olympic staples, it seems like. This is their 3rd Games, but I feel like they've been in every Olympics I can remember - their names are synonymous with Summer Games. And their Olympic resume is so impressive. Two Games, two gold medals, and they've never even lost a set. Then after Beijing, they started families and did other things, beyond the sand. Kerri decided she was ready to get started in the sport again, but Misty had said she was retired. So Kerri, after confirming that Misty was retired, called up a new partner. But Misty realized she wasn't ready to end it all yet, so she flew to meet Kerri in CA and they got back together - sounds like an intense relationship story, right? And in a sport where you have to have such good chemistry and be so in sync with each other, it should sound like that. They are just so good together. I love watching them. They haven't played with each other too much before these Games, so I think they're still working on their rhythm, but even so, in their first match-up, they won both sets, so I can only see them getting stronger. In 2004, they were the first American female duo to win gold in Beach Volleyball, and in 2008 they became the first duo ever to win back-to-back gold. So of course, if they win again, it will be unprecedented. I'm really hoping they do it. They're legends, as far as I'm concerned - and, I think, as far as a lot of beach volleyball players are concerned, as well.
Beach Volleyball
I guess I'm just thinking back to past Olympics, so my nostalgia is taking me to these partners I know. I didn't watch as much men's beach volleyball as I did women's - there's something about picturing myself out there that draws me to women's more...anyway. I do remember seeing Todd and Phil out there last Games, and seeing them win gold was so great. To be able to just dominate the beach last games was so cool. Admittedly, Todd and Phil's road to gold was quite a bit bumpier than Misty and Kerri's, but the drama is fun, too, right? Phil is a giant (literally - 6'7!) and a monster to play against, and he's considered to be one of the best (if not the best) in the game right now. I'm hoping they can repeat this year, though it will be a tough battle. But these guys have shown in previous matches and years, if there's any duo who knows how to come from behind, how to battle back, and how to play miraculously, it's these guys.
So I just really love volleyball, if you haven't caught onto that yet. And I love women's volleyball, because I like to imagine myself playing with them (I'm of course also imagining my pretty decent volleyball skills being about 20 times better in this daydream, but whatever), and I also like the sweet volleys that go back and forth. The women are pretty hard-hitting, but I feel like the volleys are longer and more exciting with women, and you don't get as many hits going out - sometimes I feel like the guys are too strong for their own good, maybe? The women serves inbounds a little more often, et al. They're just so fun to watch. It's such purposeful chaos, with 6 people on a court, switching places, running back and forth, rushing to the ball, getting some distance from the ball - the players are all over the place, but they all know their purpose, when they should be hitting the ball and when they need to make space for someone else. If you need to work on your communication skills - get on a volleyball court. Those girls know how to communicate, so everyone's where they need to be at any moment. It's awesome. I wish I was amazing like them. And this year, the women's team is being coached by last Olympic's men's coach for the U.S. - the coach for the team that won gold (unexpectedly) last go-round. So we'll see if he can direct the women to gold this year. They're favorites to medal at least, but I hope they make it all the way to the top.
So our men's team didn't even make it to the Olympics, which was a little sad, but let's get real here - our hopes for Olympic gold in Soccer has always rested in the women's team anyway. They just barely missed out on it 4 years ago in Beijing, and that silver was great, but it wasn't gold. They've got their sights set on the highest podium this year, and by golly, they can get there. It's just a great team full of women with tremendous talent. I'm so impressed with soccer players - I just don't have the endurance for that sport. But our team is full of women who are so good at what they do, and who know that there just aren't enough fans for the sport in America yet. So not only are they great athletes, but they're also full of personality and acting as wonderful ambassadors of the sport for the U.S. I've watched a video or two of their exploits in the U.K., before the Games began, and they just seem like fun, funny women. I just like them a lot. And I'm excited to watch soccer. How many Americans have said that in their lives? Not nearly as many as should.
I feel kind of weird calling this women's gymnastics when it's made up of girls who are all still in their teens. But you mature quickly on such a big stage as the Olympics, and these girls compete and perform with the maturity of women, so they deserve the title. These girls are all so spry and bouncy, and they're just so cute and excited during interviews and on the sidelines, so they're just fun to watch. I personally get really anxious and nervous anytime any of them perform on the beam, or the uneven bars, or the vault...or any of the events, let's just be honest here. Gymnastics gets me the most nervous to watch. Everything they do, I'm on the edge of my seat, almost covering my eyes, but unable to blink in case I miss something. And then the camera shows the mothers sitting in the audience, doing the exact same thing, and I think, "my children will never be gymnasts." My nerves can't handle it. Call me selfish, but I don't want to go through that all the time. It's too much. But our team has handled the pressure so well. Let's hope they can keep it up through the Games. Personally, I love Gabby Douglas (#4 in the picture). She's just a ball of energy and just bounces and jumps so high. I also like her the most because she doesn't look like she's about to throw up every time she performs, like so many other gymnasts do. I prefer watching girls who don't look like they're full of fear for what they're doing. It puts me a little more at ease.
Oh there are others, of course. Men's basketball (I'm more just excited to see the scores and recaps...I haven't been able to get into basketball lately...), Men's volleyball, Men's rowing, etc., but these teams above are the ones I really know and love. Though of course, any jersey that reads USA gets my cheers and bitten nails. I love being patriotic, it's so fulfilling.
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