Labor Day Weekend : The Last Weekend of Summer

Shut your mouth!  Summer is over?  I avoided it completely as I darted from one air conditioned building to another in the past few months.  

Summer has never been my favorite time of the year.  My favorite time is the fall and ahhhhhh, that will soon be upon us.  

Leaves are slowing falling through the trees.  They are already changing colors as summer dries them to their final stage of life.  Soon we’ll be smelling those fallen leaves!

The last weekend of summer?  Maybe for most. But for me, I see Labor Day as opening the door to autumn

It’s Back to School

Kids are back in school in my area of the country and I wish for them a safe, harmonious and successful school year!

And a special shout out to teachers, administrators and staff wishing you a year that will smooooth by!

From Olympian to Movie Star

Athletes have been glorified since the beginning of time. Many athletes have gone into the movies after being champions in Olympic events. Why, the first two Tarzans - Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weissmuller - were Olympic swimmers. And, let’s not forget Esther Williams who made a fortune swimming in movies!   Go figure!

But I want to talk about The World’s Greatest Athlete in 1976 - Bruce Jenner who chose to star in television!  Yep, young people - the dad on The Kardashians was once admired for his amazing athletic abilities.

I am so old, I remember Bruce before plastic surgery when he was one fine specimen of a man! It’s too bad the decathlon superman botoxed himself into, yet another, unrecognizable Hollywood plastic face.  What a waste of a great athlete.

Check him out in his finest moments:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9CWFq2exlY

What is Your Favorite Olympic-themed Movie?

Hollywood has always looked for good stories of sheer determination and endurance which became the central focus in great athletes’ lives. 

My all time favorite Olympian movies are Chariots of Fire and Cool Runnings!

What is your favorite Olympic movie?

Girl Power – Female Athletes at the Olympics

How about Kim Rhode becoming the first athlete to medal in five (5) straight Olympics?  Oh, you’re saying, “Who is Kim Rhode?” 

She is a skeet shooter from CA who has set this new world’s record.  And, she plans to set another world record in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Talk about goal setting!  Congrats to Kim - a terrific role model for any young athlete dreaming of being in the Olympics in their near future.

What are in those Olympic Medals?

The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city's organizing committee. Each medal must be at least three millimeters thick and 60 millimeters in diameter. Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold.  The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912.

            According to CNN, gold medals aren't what they used to be – monetarily speaking. The             gold medals being awarded at the London Olympics, starting Friday, are made of 93             percent silver and just 1.34 percent gold. The rest is copper. That adds up to $650 in             meltdown value.

            The silver medals (93 percent silver, 7 percent copper) are worth about $335 and the bronze             (mostly copper) less than $5.
            Of course, the medals have a monetary value but what is price of the sense of honor,             accomplishment and knowing you did your best in London in 2012?          Priceless!

Olympic Facts

1. The first opening ceremonies were held during the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

2. The First Marathon happened in 490 BCE, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians. The distance was filled with hills and other obstacles; thus Pheidippides arrived in Athens exhausted and with bleeding feet. After telling the townspeople of the Greeks' success in the battle, Pheidippides fell to the ground dead. At the first modern games in 1896, a race of approximately the same length was held in commemoration of Pheidippides.

3. The first US Olympic Champion was James B. Connolly, winner of the hop, step, and jump at the first modern Olympic Games.

 4. Eric Liddell, the amazing *Chinese born athlete, won a gold and a bronze medal in the 1924 Olympics.  His stunning victory inspired the movie, Chariots of Fire. He later returned to China to serve as a missionary along with his wife and children.  Eric Liddell – a man who was pure gold through and through.  To watch his win go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwyltmUR3MU

* His parents were missionaries in China where he was born.

5.  When choosing locations for the Olympic Games, the IOC specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country.