Olympic Fever Rising

I love the Olympics. And by Olympics, I mean the real Olympics. You know, the one that takes place every fourth summer for 2.5 magical weeks.

In preparation for the London festival, set to begin on Friday, July 27, NBC has been airing the U.S. Olympic trials in prime time all week. Watching Michael Phelps cruise to the front has brought back the nostalgic feeling from four years ago, when I stayed up way too late every night for two weeks watching magic happen.

In honor of the upcoming Olympics, I thought I'd share the column I wrote about the last Olympic games during the summer of 2008!


For more than a week, a nation of bleary-eyed patriots got up and ground through their work schedules only to race home and gather by the TV late into the night.


There was no war launched or national catastrophe, but there was a rare, epic event to be embraced — the Olympics. And, undoubtedly, the star of these games was American swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps, who was awesome in Athens, stepped up his game, and viewers around the world were invited to witness history nightly.


Though few sporting events in my life will compare to the 4x100 men’s freestyle relay — where veteran swimmer Jason Lezak outswam the French to keep Phelps’ historic quest for eight gold medals in a single games alive, the truly inspirational figure was a boy from Baltimore who seemed capable of incredible feats of endurance. Phelps is truly a rare athlete whose exploits will be talked about for generations.


While Phelps’ quest for eight, which he achieved in eight glorious days of action, was the most memorable highlight, there was plenty for Americans to cheer about. In the pool, Lezak provided some incredible moments, while Aaron Piersol and Ryan Lochte provided additional golds for the men.


For the ladies, 41-year-old Dara Torres was an inspiration and young Rebecca Soni got her first taste of gold. Meanwhile, though it didn’t gain the notoriety of her male counterpart, Natalie Coughlin set the benchmark for medals by a female swimmer in a single Olympics with six.


Still it was Phelps, who registered eight gold medals in Bejing, a record for a single Olympics, and now has 14 golds for his career, also a record, that dominated in the pool and in the headlines. One can only hope Phelps is half as compelling four years from now in London.


Out of the pool there was also plenty for Americans to cheer about. In the gymnastics arena, American dynamos Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson were a constant presence, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor repeated as gold medalists, while Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers made it double gold in beach volleyball. In all, there was decathlete Brian Clay and of course, who can forget about the “Redeem Team,” which not only restored gold to America but restored a sense of dignity and patriotism to our national basketball program.


For two and a half crazy weeks, the best of American athletes were on display and everyone in this country should be proud. History was made and, best of all, there was plenty of entertainment for everyone.