A lot of things bring me joy in this world. I’m pretty lucky. I have a great family, wonderful friends, Buddhism, a nice house, and a car. I’m grateful for all of this stuff. Also topping my grateful list is the sporting spectacle which only happens every two years. Yes, the Olympics! I fucking live for it.
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were extremely invested in the Olympic trials. My bestie was also all in, so basically all day I was talking to someone about the competitions. We watched swimming, diving, gymnastics, and track and field.
Overall, NBC did a good job with the coverage, but I sure do wish they would show more of the field events. I got little to no pole vaulting and that is a flat-out travesty.
Speaking of track, I was thrilled to learn the popular runner Yared Nuguse—known as “The Goose”—was from Louisville. As a Kentucky gal myself, this made me want to purchase one of the fun-loving geese hats his fans were wearing and chant, “Goose! Goose! Goose!” from my living room. My husband has begged me not to spend that money, but it still may happen.
In the pool, Katie Ledecky was on fire! She won one crazy long race by more than a pool length and I was exhausted just watching her. However, my bestie and I agreed that swimming needs Ryan Lochte. Is he the sharpest knife in the drawer? Nope. But, dammit, he is entertaining AF. We miss him.
Still on swimming, can we acknowledge what a fucking delight Rowdy Gaines is? Everyone should have a job talking about something they love as much as Rowdy loves swimming. He gets me so excited. Plus, is there a cooler name than Rowdy Gaines? I think not.
I absolutely love diving. I must confess, I will cheer for the British cutie-pie Tom Daley when he dives, but I love all diving. The woman who calls the diving wears me out a little because she is so judgmental, but I get it. That is the damn sport. Back to Tom, he is a knitter, like myself, and has an amazing sweater planned for Olympic poolside knitting. This brings me great joy.
One of my favorite parts of the trials was a hurdles race. The announcers were really playing up one athlete. Sorry, I can’t remember his name. Finally, as they took their mark, someone said, “This is not going to be a close race.” I laughed out loud, but they were correct. That dude smoked the others. It was like they were in different races.
The gymnastics was great! The women’s leotards were amazing. My friend and I feel the men need more sequins and some snappy music for the floor exercise. I also wish they would go back to the old scoring. The new system just isn’t as exciting as a perfect 10 on the vault from Mary Lou Retton.
The time and dedication these athletes put into their sport gives me life. I would do anything to be an Olympian. As soon as I qualified, I would have the rings tattooed on my forehead. I would never introduce myself without saying, “Hello, I’m Olympian Angela Traver.” People would get so tired of me. I would not care.
So, come tomorrow my totally unathletic self will be tied to the TV and cheering on the best athletes from around the world. I will laugh. I will cry. I will revel in the special kind of joy that only happens every two years.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
