The Games Begin!

The cheering, the excitement, the competition! Watching the Olympic Games is always a fascinating experience, although I do it from the comfort of a couch. It is truly amazing what feats the human body can accomplish. To me, the most beautiful and frightening sport in the Winter Games is figure skating. Even though I dance, I'm always dumbfounded when I see the skaters jump in the air, spin three times and land gracefully on one leg while grinning from ear to ear. Dancers also have the challenge of performing strenuous moves (sometimes on their toes) while looking completely at ease. Some folks might ask why we would want to do something like this. For me, it is my life. I always love the thrill of being under the stage lights, giving a performance to the audience that will hopefully be meaningful and memorable to them in some way, and talking and laughing with my friends after the show. Even though the process is sometimes stressful and I feel like I'll never get a certain move right, it is always worth it in the end when all the hard work pays off. Although the Olympic athletes are out there to win a gold medal, I like to think that many of them just hope to do their personal best, no matter what happens, and to leave an impression on someone watching.