It is Alex's opinion that the best thing about even number years is not elections but the Olympics. We have been thoroughly enjoying watching the Winter Olympics. Winter seems to drag by sometimes and if it must be cold and snowy at least the Olympics makes ice and snow exciting since we no longer get snow days. In the evenings we curl up in our basement under blankets and watch in wonderment as athletes across the world compete. The following are some of our thoughts on the Olympics:
- Competition is art. What these athletes accomplish; honing their skills and their bodies to stretch the limits of human potential, is beautiful to watch and equal in every way to the more "high brow" art we tend call more intellectual. If you can think of a competitive event as art, as winning or losing as something that brings context rather than an ultimate aim, watching becomes much more relaxed and allows you to appreciate the efforts of the team/person you aren't necessarily cheering for.
- Norway has quite the history at the winter Olympics. Alex first fell in love with the Olympics in 1994 when they were held in Lillehammer. She was very disappointed after the 2 weeks ended that they only show sports constantly for the Olympics every few years. Two years seemed like a lifetime to wait for the magic of the Olympics to return. Also, it is family lore that Alex has ancestors that were Norwegian vikings who got shipwrecked in Scotland or Ireland and just stayed there for several centuries until coming to the US. She has always cheered for Norway.
- Norway is crazy about cross country skiing which is becoming one of our favorite sports to watch. While this year they had some setbacks they are the top cross country skiing country. One interesting fact that especially appeals to Alex with her background in sports science is that 5 of the top 7 best VO2max values recorded have been in Norwegian men. (Background info: VO2max is the measurement of aerobic fitness. It is how well your body can take in and use oxygen. This is the test where the participant wears a mask and runs on a treadmill as the speed and incline increases until they can't go any longer-- pretty brutal.) Also of the top 15 values 8 compete in cross country skiing. This is compared to ultramarathoners and bikers. The highest value is a Norwegian cyclist at 97.5 ml/kg/min. My estimated VO2max is about 43 which is pretty good for my age group. To put it in perspective Lance Armstrong and Steve Prefontaine are both at 84 are 20, and 21 on this list, behind a boatful of Norwegians.
-Speaking of Scandinavian dominance, 3 of the top 5 countries in Olympic medals per capita are from the relatively sparsely populated peninsula. Finland, in first place, has one Olympic medal for every 17,904 citizens. While the United States has won the most total medals, it is 37th in per capita medals (one medal for every 130,521 citizens). The U.S, due to its population, could not possibly match that pace. It would take 17,503 medals and only 17,283 medals have ever been awarded. There are some really interesting thoughts to be had about what those statistics have to say about culture, but we'll save those for another day.
-Sochi is a subtropical beach resort town roughly the same latitude as Atlanta. If you want to read an interesting story about how they did that, click here. As good as the organizers did "winterizing" Sochi, the snow conditions have invariably been slushy and that has had an adverse effect on multiple competitions, and it is speculated that the conditions are a major reason Norway was not is usual dominant self in cross country skiing. As I currently understand it, the politics that led to Sochi being chosen is one of the few blemishes on these games.
-It is fascinating to me (Arthur) as an engineer to learn about the thought and effort that goes into the equipment these athletes use. BMW designed the United States' bobsleds, espionage is a major concern for different country's luge sleds, there is speculation that the suits designed by UnderArmor for the U.S. speed skating team are to blame for their poor showing, and the superiority of the Finnish and German skies have been credited for their strong showing in cross country skiing (the poor Norwegians designed their skies for more frozen conditions).
- At one time I (Alex) wasn't a huge figure skating fan. I thought it was a little wimpy compared to speed skating, especially short track. I have slowly gained more appreciation for what these athletes are capable of doing. In pairs skating we were impressed when one group did a throw where the guy threw the gal about 5 feet in front of him and several feet up. She did a quad toe loop in the air and landed it. How does he throw someone 5 feet? Arthur's a big guy but he didn't think he could toss me 5 feet (we didn't try this). Also he is on ice, how does he not go backwards? How does she spin 4 times without a push off? How in the world does she land on one blade? It is my experience that most people struggle to stand on one leg for more than a few seconds let alone a single blade. The spins figure skaters do is also some impressive physics. It is a great way to see physics concepts in real life with centrifugal force in the spins and how center of mass affects speed and acceleration.
- Also ice skating is the only sport in which throwing items on the playing surface is allowable. That would be major penalties and delays of game in any other sport.
- Who thought skeleton was a good idea? I understand the need for speed and thrill seeking. Isn't that what bobsled and luge are for? Is it smart or safe to go careening down a chute of ice at 80 mph experiencings 5 Gs of force with your chin inches from the ice and your head as the first thing that is going to hit anything in your path? These athletes have guts. It would be interesting to see if skeleton athletes grew up as "emergency room" children.
- The Super Bowl is known for its commercials but the Olympics has them beat hands down. Of course what could be better than a 30 seconds inspirational sports movie as a commercial? We will even admit that we got a little misty-eyed watching a few of them.
Maybe next week we will resume normal life but the we will eagerly await the next presidential election year since that means the Summer Olympics in Rio. Omnia Vincit Amor.
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