if i had access to tivo and bravo i would have selected for myself a very different olympic experience than what NBC programmed. but having had to make do with NBC’s selections, i have to admit that i got to watch a few events that i either didn’t know existed or didn’t have much regard for prior.
i didn’t know there was a sport called synchronized diving let alone that it was an olympic event. i watched the men’s and women’s springboard and 10 meter platform competitions and it’s quite a sport. it’s teams of two who dive in unison and are judged 5/9 for synchronicity and 4/9 for technical difficulty. doing the same thing is so paramount that no points are deducted if they both make the same mistake in the dive. the chinese men and women were awesome and took three of four available gold medals.
synchronized swimming was the sport that if it was my call would be banished from the olympics. this week was the first time i watched it since learning to dance, and i’m eating crow. i’m in awe having just watched the team competition routines by russia and the US. it blows away any salsa dance routine in memory. that stuff is hard. nine swimmers executing creative choreographies with lifts, spins, formation changes, and all with impeccable coordination.
i’m still unconvinced about rhythmic gymnastics. i think it would be better if synchronized gymnastics (ala synchronized diving) was introduced and replaced it.