Forsooth, It's Time for Shakespeare

     After two weeks of watching sports events and riding buses, tubes and trains, it was time to give the brain some exercise with a little Shakespeare.  And where else would one watch Shakespeare than at the Globe Theatre, where the Bard once played parts in his own plays.  The Globe has been rebuilt of course, but as true to original dimensions and construction as conceivable.  Be prepared for wooden bench seating (cushions may be rented) and the center of the more or less round structure is open in the middle so that the public may stand around the semi-circular stage.
     The play this day was Henry V, which is having a renaissance of sorts.  Executive training companies use Henry's speech to spur his army to victory as a model of management.  Here is a line you will recognize, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."  The greatly outnumbered army under Henry routed the French at Agincourt as Henry added most of France to his empire and proceeded to woo and marry the daughter of the French King.
     Watching Shakespeare on stage really brings life to the script as actors use visual and physical expression to engage the audience and play for laughs.  Shakespeare wanted humor in his plays, but it took the actors to bring it out.
     Shakespeare's contribution to the English language cannot be overestimated.  He picked up conversation in use from the London streets to put in more general use and he often invented words and phrases to try them out.  For a humorous piece on our use of Shakespeare go to http://voices.yahoo.com/you-might-quoting-shakespeare-without-realizing-345786.html

Staying On Top the Medal Table

      Before we congratulate ourselves for the U.S. Olympic team landing atop the medal count, it is time to reflect on how long we can continue to rely on Swimming (not including Diving) and Track and Field to keep us there.  Those two sports accounted for 25 of the 46 Gold Medals by U.S. athletes and 70 of the 104 total medals.  That cannot continue.  In swimming, nine other countries won medals.  Former powers Netherlands and Australia were stung by their poor showing and vow to improve.  Germany, once the dominant country in swimming, won nary a medal.  France’s victory in the 4 x 100 men’s relay may portend the future; as does the victory of a young South African in the 200 Butterfly.

     In Track and Field, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, and Ethiopia continue to turn out middle and long distance runners by the horde.  While U.S. men came up with surprising Silver in 10,000 meter race with Galen Rupp and just missed medaling in the 5000 with Bernard Legat (close 4^th), the middle distances are still dominated by North Africans.  Jamaica and Trinidad own the sprints.  The U.S. had to settle for Silver in both relay races, which has not happened very often.  The U.S. men contributed but three Golds.  The women doubled that with six.  Winning nine of the 34 total Gold Medal events more than any other country, but it has been a continuous decline for the U.S. in track and field.

     So, if the U.S. can no longer dominate Track and Field and Swimming, where will we turn to stay on top the medal table?  Here are some suggestions –- Rowing, Canoe Sprint, Track Cycling, and Fencing.  There are 46 possible Gold medals in those sports; the U.S. claimed only one Gold and two Silver.

     Sarasota, Florida, may have something to say about the 2016 Olympics with its new, international class rowing facility and two competitive rowing clubs.  It’s time to get serious and produce some Olympians for Rowing and Sprint Canoeing.  There are 26 Gold medals available in those two sports and a total of 78 medals.

      Other countries are not treading water.  Great Britain, flushed with exceptional success, already has committed the same level of funding for the next four years and the Rio Olympics.  Germany, stung by its poor showing in London, is committing more funding for its national sports program.  The U.S. may have to do likewise or fall off the top rung.  Here’s a thought.  Why not make competitive sports part of the healthy children program?  Eating correctly certainly is necessary, but so is exercise.  We seem to moving in the opposite direction with school boards forced to cut interscholastic sports programs.

Out of 14 events, U.S. rowers claimed one Gold and 2 Silver

In track cycle, the U.S. had 2 Silver in 10 events

A Gender Neutral Olympics

     This has been the greatest Olympics for women.  Women have been given much news coverage and fan support in sports other than swimming and gymnastics.  For the first time, every Olympic team had women athletes -- even Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other unlikely countries.  Also, for the first time, women competed in every sport, boxing being the latest male bastion to fall.  Indeed, women were some of the biggest stars of the Games.  The U.S. might not be at top of the medals table without the continuing success of our women track and field athletes.  Even women spectators gained some equality as the number of ladies' toilets outnumbered men by about 6 to 1, thereby eliminating typical queues.
     Women's free style wrestling gained an increase to four weight classes (seven for men) for 2012 and continues to gain a strong following.  As with men, there are single and double leg take downs, half nelsons, leg trips, whizzers and cradles and all the other moves you would expect to see at an NCAA wrestling championships.  Somewhat surprisingly, Japan - land of the Geisha - is a power at this sport, winning three of the four golds available.  Azerbaijan won medals in three events.  The U.S. managed a Bronze by Clarissa Kyoko Mei Ling Chun.
     One of the featured elements of women's wrestling is Japan's victory celebration which includes the jubilant wrestler body slamming her coach to the mat.  Name a sport that has such excitement for the spectators.

Ukraine's Tetyana Lazareva goes for a single-leg take down against Colombia's Jackeline Castillo.  Castillo won the bronze medal match.

Japan's Saori Yoshida, 55-kg gold medal winner, carries her coach around the mat in celebration.  This came after body slamming him to the mat.

Ole, Ole, Ole!!

     Mexico vs. Japan doesn't strike football (sorry, soccer) enthusiasts as a highly promising fixture, but this is the Olympics and this was a semi-final match to determine who would play for the Gold Medal.  Besides, Mexico has often been knocked out of the World Cup by the off and on American team that it was good to have an opportunity to root our neighbors on.  The cheers were not wasted as Mexico emerged with a well-played 3-1 victory, with the third goal coming in the closing seconds.  Mexico then went on to defeat highly-favored Brazil to claim the Gold.  It would be a true grouch to deny them the happiness of the moment.
      And yet, something was amiss.  Where was Germany?  Where was Spain?  France? England? Argentina?  And where were Messi, Renaldo and Rooney?  The eight teams qualifying for the Olympics included Senegal, Egypt and Honduras, hardly world powerhouses.  The game itself was one of the cleanest games you will ever see played in World football.  Only two yellow cards were shown and tackles were few, certainly not the crunching ones one normally sees even in the so-called "friendlies."
     Clearly football in the Olympics that we see in the World Cup or European Cup.  FIFA, the ruling body of football, keeps tight rein on the sport.  It is unlikely the best teams will ever appear in the Olympics.  FIFA has its own World Cup, which occurs in the even years between Olympic years (e.g. 2014).  During Olympic years, the Euro Cup is considered much more important.  Added to those factors, the professional teams in Europe are beginning the season and do not want their best players to risk injury in the Olympics.
      In all, good for Mexico.  Wear your medals with pride.

Japan on the attack in the game against Mexico

Mexico mid-fielder prepares to head the ball back

A Golden Night for America

     The U.S. is supposed to be losing its dominance in Track and Field, but Wednesday night in Olympic Stadium should put that to rest.  Of 12 medals up for grabs, U.S. athletes claimed 7, with 3 Gold out of four events.  In the Decathlon, Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee were 1-2 after five events, with Eaton scoring tops in 3 of the 5 events completed.  In qualifying events, there were 3 qualifying for  the Women's 800, 2 for the Women's 100, 3 in the Men's 5000, and 1 in the Men's 200.  Even the stadium announcer had to acknowledge it was a great night for Americans.
     It was an amazing night to be a sports enthusiast and be 17 rows from the stadium floor.  High jumping for the Decathlon, Long Jump final for the women, and Javelin qualifying went on throughout the evening.  Interspersed were the Men's 200 qualifying (3 races), Women's 400 Hurdle final, Women's 200 final, Men's 110 High Hurdles final, and Women's 1500 qualifying (2 races).  The last event was the 400 meter race in the Decathlon, in which Eaton and Hardee increased their overall lead.
      Medal winners:  
Men's 110 High Hurdles - Aries Merritt, Gold and Jason Richardson, Silver
Women's Long Jump - Brittney Reese, Gold and Janay DeLoach Bronze
Women's 400 Hurdles - Lashinda Demus, Silver (by .07 sec.)
Women's 200 Meter - Allyson Felix (a crowd favorite), Gold and Carmolita Jeter, Bronze
     There should be some kind of medal for doing your personal best (noted as PB in the results page on www.London2012.com) in an event.  To record your best even performance on THE day of your athletic career ought to mean something, particularly if  you finish out of the medals.  American Aries Merritt recorded a PB to win the 110 High Hurdles.  American Georganne Moline recorded a PB in the Women's 400 Hurdles while finishing fifth.  Russia's Natalya Antyukh recorded a personal best to just barely nick Demus in the same event.  Many athletes at the Olympics recorded national records for their country and still finished well behind the medal winners.
     The crowd (80,000 strong) provides amazing support for all the athletes.  Strongest cheers are for "Team GB", which is to be expected, but most of the athletes played to the crowd, asking for rhythmic applause at each attempt in field events.

The Olympic Flame

Start of Women's 1500 Qualifying Heat

Women's 1500 Qualifier

Did you know Europeans Like Beer?

Women's Long Jump Finalists

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Diving

     The new Aquatics Arena is better appreciated from the exterior than the interior.  The heat and humidity were so high during the swimming events that spectators (most likely, British) suffered and some had to leave the arena.  Certainly the conditions were satisfactory for the U.S. and British competitors with both teams doing quite well.  Qualifications for the Men's 3-Meter springboard diving promised to be another Chinese show, but Russian, Mexico and U.S. divers put up some good numbers.  U.S. diver Troy Dumais qualified fifth with consistent dives and maintained that position in the evening finals.  Sadly, Chris Colwill totally missed his fifth of six dives and fell out of what seemed a secure qualifying position.  Shame to see athletes lose out with an ill-timed slip-up.
     The Chinese pair of divers clearly expected to win gold and silver, but had to step down and give the top spot on the platform to Russian Illya Zakharov.  

Troy Dumais with a qualifying dive

Beautiful Aquatics Arena, but too humid for many

Allez Bleu! Allez Bleu!

     University of Michigan fans were right at home in the Handball arena Monday night as chants of "Allez Bleu" rang out.  That translates as "Go Blue" to those who forgot high school French.  Les Bleus, as French teams are known in the sporting world, responded with a hard-fought win over Sweden to secure a spot in the quarter finals.  This is one sport where the small nation of Iceland is very competitive. No U.S. team qualified, if we even have a team.  It is primarily a European sport played from grade school on.
     At first blush, the handball court looks like basketball with a goal on each end, a shooting arc and perhaps a little wider.  That's where the comparison ends.  In handball you can carry the ball, run with ball, dribble once in a while, engage in physical contact, shoot from outside the arc and face a big guy trying to block your shot.  Wait a minute!  That is basketball!  No, not really.  To say that basketball and handball both have contact is to say that ballroom dancing and wrestling both have contact.
     You have to imagine a game in which the shooter always ends up on the floor, where setting a screen is to grab as many defenders as possible and the shot is thrown as a line drive.  And, oh yes, the goal is at ground level (like a small soccer goal) and guarded by some fool willing to stand in front of strong throws without any equipment.  Like many of  Olympic team sports the emphasis is on continuous play.  Substitutions are on the fly, the ball is quickly retrieved at one end and started up to the other end.
     There is no "taking a charge" in this game.  No one cares if you get splattered to the floor.  The proper defensive technique is to simply grab the opponent.  To score, the preferred technique is to launch yourself from outside the ark horizontal to the floor and fling it past the goalie just before crashing.  Very entertaining and a great spectator sport with relatively few rules to require explanation.  It gives new meaning to the American sporting expression, "No harm, no foul."

     Les Bleus score against Sweden in the group game to gain the quarter finals.  Note how much physical contact is involved.

French Player Launches Himself with Ball at Ready

No Foul Called on Play, Just Good Defense

Long Range Shot by France