Olympics Junkie

I'll watch nearly any sport in the olympics.

Archery? Check. Air pistol? Check. Water polo? Mixed doubles badminton? Check. 50 meter 3 position rifle? Why not. Lightweight double sculls rowing? Slalom canoe? Yes. Gymnastics? Yes. Track and field steeplechase? Sure, it is entertaining. Men or women's 20K walk? I guess... they'll just broadcast a clip here and there anyway, if that. Group rhythmic gymnastics? Hmm.. okay. Men's synchronized 10 meter platform diving? Yes, but watching the women's competition is easier for me. ;)

Sports I actually participate are the ones I really want to watch: indoor volleyball, men or women's? Yes. Triathlon? Yes! Running events? Yes! This time around I'm excited about cycling and swimming as well. Although I don't really play beach volleyball, I will nevertheless search for any TV coverage, especially of the women's matches. ;)

The one exception is boxing, I just don't like it. That is probably because the idea of rendering your opponent unconcious through repeated blows to the head just doesn't appeal to me.

One sport I have never seen broadcast is team handball, a mix of basketball and soccer. I used to play that in high school during P.E. when it rained and we had to stay inside. The coach used to explain the rules and tell us, as we stared in disbelief there was such a sport, that team handball was in the olympics. Sure enough, it entered as an outdoor game in 1936 at Berlin, but has since moved indoors.

In addition to NBC coverage, I can also watch CBC coverage since I live near Canada. I flip between the NBC coverage and the CBC coverage constantly, and work my ReplayTV as well. Generally I'll tape certain afternoon broadcasts from NBC or CBC, then skim at 4X speed to find events I'm interested in or haven't seen.