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I’ve always loved watching the Olympics. Always. And this year, I enjoy them even more for three reasons:
- Flat-screen, hi-definition television
- The fact that Mary Ellen spent 16 days in China two years ago, and has GREAT memories of the Great Wall, Beijing and The Forbidden City
- Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh
I must admit, when I first heard of Beach Volleyball being an Olympic sport, I thought, Oh man! Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon in "Beach Blanket Bingo" Frollicking together under the California Sun! How cornball! I was more than a little shocked that the International Olympic Committee would actually allow eye candy to considered a sport worthy of Olympic status!
Then I discovered that the sport of volleyball was not invented in California, but in Massachusetts. Also Frankie and Annette, although they both looked great on mock surfboards and doing The Twist and The Watusi on Malibu beaches, couldn’t hold a candle to the athletic prowess of these volleyballers in Beijing!
I must admit, what first attracted me to the sport of Beach Volleyball were the uniforms, and not the athleticism of the women. I mean, let’s face it. That aspect of the sport has to figure in somewhere! Marketing must play a HUGE role in this!
Misty and Kerri are out there wearing less material than I have in my handkerchief! And they are exhibited in prime time almost EVERY single night!
(Did you know that there are also men’s beach volleyball teams competing in Beijing? Uh-huh! You know how many times I’ve seen them in prime time? Once. And they wear clothing from their ankles to their necks!)
Be that as it may, (You know something? I HATE that expression! "Be that as it may…" What does that mean? Couldn’t you just use the word "So" instead?) after I began watching the sport for the titillating aspects of it, I soon became wrapped up, in spite of myself, in the abilities of these incredible women and the competitive nature of the game. Fast-paced action! UNBELIEVABLE moves and saves! WONDERFUL strategies! FANTASTIC teamwork! It really is incredibly exciting to watch!
Mary Ellen and I are now true fans of the sport in general and in the team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh in particular.
Last night, as the USA was giving the prima donnas of the Brazilian team a sound and well-deserved trouncing (Because of actions that transpired off-court earlier in the day), I found myself shouting and thrusting my fist into air at some of the more spectacular moves! If my damned back was throbbing so badly, I would have even jumped to my feet on a couple of occasions.
So, do I watch the sport now for the uniforms? Uh-huh. That’s part of it. I’ll admit it (God knew what he was doing when he made me a man!) But now I would watch them if they were wearing bulky sweatshirts and sweatpants. The voyeurism that first attracted to the sport has, believe it or not, become the secondary attraction. The wedgies are cute. (Sorry. It’s true!) But the sport itself and the sheer talent, intelligence and strength of these two incredible young women is absolutely mesmerizing.
You go, girls!
