Athens 2004 - will you be watching it?

[chris]

So who here will be watching the Olympics?

I probably will, although it is somewhat tarnished by the drug scandals.. :(

[VQ]

yeah it's appaling, but they still haven't finished a lot of the venues, I'm not watching, I don't watch channel 7 so the olympic will thankfully not affect me watching the few shows I do watch (The Simpons, Skit House, Comedy inc) so it's all good.

[lewi]

As soon as I heard Greece was hosting i thought "good luck, they wont be able to get it ready"........cos I'm 1/2 Greek and know the culture.

They are lucky they finished in time. 10 days b4 the start, in fact!

[DJC-Grafix]

i had forgotten about it :rolleyes: probably be working tho, so will miss it..

DJC
:racer:

[Wazza]

Most definately would be watching the games, however, the drugs stories from many countries, is giving it a bad reputation. :(

Every competitor should enter, on a basis they get drug tested at qualification for Olympics; at the start of the Olympics, and finally after the Olympics are over. That way we won't ever see cheats..
Not this random testing crap

[chris]

The best saga is the Australian cycling team.. It's almost soap-opera stuff. ;)

But it is a real shame because their actions tarnish our image as usually avoiding performance enhancing drugs and other such methods of cheating.

[Y2kGoofball]

I dunno, I dont usually "watch them" but with the coverage channel 7 has its kinda hard to miss.

I watch the opening / closing ceremonies definately, as to events well I usually end up watching a few now and then when I cant excape them ;)

[Mickcals]

well at work they will reservse a TV exclusively for the olympics so i wont miss much, especially on the quite days

[VQ]

I remeber a joke said by robin williams on his Live on Broadway DVD, he said something about drug scandels at the commenwelth games, and they just lert the snowboarders through.

[DJC-Grafix]

WOW! i just found out that a very old friend of mine is in Athens, representing Zimbabwe in the swimming events!

I'm like shocked and excited and happy all in one :) Will have to try and watch his events... if they get broadcasted.

I've attached a story he wrote for the Zim Olympic team, quite a nice read for me... touching none the less..

My full name is Brendan Mark Ashby. I was born in Gweru on the 30th June 1980. I started competitive swimming at the young age of six, representing Maple Leaf Swimming club in Gweru and my Junior School (Midlands Christian School) who were well known for their strong swimming team. By the time I was 10 had competed in my first Zimbabwe National Championships swimming for the Midlands team. The coaches at Maple Leaf swimming club, namely my mom Denise Ashby, Joan Van Schalkwyk and Janet Gavazzi gave me my basic foundation, teaching me techniques and strokes. I was never the best age group swimmer but had a dream to swim Backstroke in the Olympics. I remember sitting at the breakfast table one morning during the 1988 Seoul Olympics and telling my Mom that I was going to swim in the 2004 Olympics as part of the Zimbabwe Team.

It was not long before it was time for me to go to high school and in January 1993, I chose to attend Falcon College in Esigodini, even though swimming was not a dominant sport the school had an excellent reputation. Within my first week at Falcon, I heard that I had been selected to swim for the Zimbabwe National Age group team to compete at the South African Junior Championships in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It was an uphill battle to fit the training required into my new, very hectic (in fact overwhelming) form one schedule but with help from my high school coach, Pam Dooner and much persistence and dedication from my mother, I managed to get the training in and thoroughly enjoyed my first National Team experience. During my six years of high school I represented Zimbabwe on a further four occasions, in 1995 and 1998 at the South African Junior Championships and in 1995 and 1996 at the World Junior Championships in Luxembourg. During those six years I also grew to love other sports like Rugby and Waterpolo and represented the Zimbabwe U/19 Water-polo Team, which I was a member for two years.

After sitting my “A” Level examinations in 1998, I left Falcon College with the dream of attending a University in the United States to continue my education. I knew the only way I could do this was by attaining a sports scholarship, in either swimming or water-polo. As swimming had always been my passion I knew this was the way I wanted to go but what I needed was the correct training and a more competitive environment. I moved to Harare and joined - what I regarded to be the premier swimming club, Pirates. Charles and Carol Mathieson who are the head coaches at Pirates Swimming Club took me in and gave me a place to live, while I took on the huge and extremely commanding task of training. With the strict and loving coaching of the Mathieson's I soon started to show signs that I might actually get to the United States and it wasn’t long before I was selected to swim for Zimbabwe at the 1999 All African Games in Johannesburg South Africa. I did extremely well at the Games breaking Zimbabwe records in the 200m IM and re-breaking my own 100m Backstroke record. I started being recruited by a few College swimming coaches from the United States and chose to attend the University of Alabama.

In July 2000 I moved to Tuscaloosa Alabama to fulfil my dream of attending University and continuing swimming. The culture change was a huge shock at first and the training was even harder but I knew that if I just stuck with it I would continue to improve. I had an amazing college career and my swimming improved every year, I represented Zimbabwe at the Swimming World Championships in 2001 and 2003 and this year it occurred to me that with some extremely hard work I might be able to reach that life long goal of making the Zimbabwe’s Olympic team. I set my focus on this and trained extremely hard and diligently.

I will never forget the day it happened, the day I made the qualifying time to go the Olympics. I was swimming in Indiana USA at large meet and was seeded next to one of Americas top 100 meter backstroker’s. I decided to race him knowing that if I could hang with him, I would make my time. When I touched the wall and looked up at my time, a cold feeling overcame my body as I stared at the clock in disbelief. I had done it - I had reached my life long goal -I had made the Olympics. All the hard work had paid off.

I have had a great summer of training and am ready to represent my country at the upcoming Olympic Games in Greece.

DJC
:racer:

[WCOutlaw]

I won't be watching - they don't really interest me in anyway...

Neato DJC - hope he does well :D