I really enjoy watching the Olympic games, both summer and winter. Always have. I am so amazed at the level of performance and at the sheer audacity to go out there and say, literally, I'm going to be the best in the world.

I chatted tonight with a friend who said he didn't care for the American TV coverage of the games. He comes from close to the Canadian border and used to watch them on the Canadian national television channel, where, he said, there is little commentating, no stories, and all action. Now, I don't mind the short stories about the competitors cause I don't know that much about these athletes otherwise.

What does irritate the dickens out of me though is the commentating. You get lines like, "This performance isn't up to par, it isn't perfection tonight. They're really taking this tenatively." I get frustrated with that a lot. These athletes are the top competitors in the world at the highest level of athletic achievement. Period. I want to see commentators who make these sorts of comments get out there and show me perfection. Nothing less will do. Until they do that, shut up.

I also caught myself off guard tonight as I was moved to tears by the performance of Tatyana Totmiyanina and Maxim Marinin from Russia in the couples figure skating. Apparently, the last time this pair competed, she was dropped from a lift onto her head, sufferred a severe concussion and was obviously eliminated from the tournament. They came back though and won the gold tonight. At the end of the skate, he got down on one knee and kissed Tatyana's hand, thanking her for sticking with him and trusting him again. That's courage. That's loyalty. That's the indomitable spirit of the Olympics.

The next pair to skate was China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao. Early in the skate though, Zhang Dan hard on her knee after attempting an apparently near impossible spin move. After some time, she managed to go back out and finish the skate with her partner to win the Silver. That's courage. That's loyalty. That's the indomitable spirit of the Olympics. So, it is not perfection. They fell. But it's amazing and no one can say otherwise. I'd rather watch the whole show minus any commentary. Performances speak for themselves. Go get 'em Olympians!

-R