USA! USA!
- Museum Geek Triathlete
- 1 minute ago
- 4 min read
So, who has been watching the Olympics?
The Winter Olympics don't seem to have as much panache as the Summer ones, but they are just as exciting.
And with almost any sporting event--it makes me excited to get out and be active.
Which has been hard to do, since it has been brutally cold here in the Northeast. Plus we have 2+ feet of snow on the ground, with another Blizzard on its way as I type.
So it's a good day to stay inside and watch the Olympics.
I have enjoyed watching the speed skating, curling, ski jumping, biathlon and cross-country skiing and bobsled. I admit I have not watched any figure skating.
And of course, hockey.
The thing I love about the Olympics is that you can actually envision yourself being an Olympian. At least I did when I was younger.
I knew I would never be a professional baseball player or basketball player (there were no professional women's' teams when I was younger), but I could envision racing down a hill on my skis, or swimming for gold.
Oh, and if they had skeleton back in 1980, I know my brother and I could have won that event!
That is what I love about the Olympics most.
That, and learning about different sports that are rarely televised here in the US. Like Curling!
This morning, the USA Hockey Team will play Canada for the Gold Medal.
It was 46 years ago to the day that the 1980 "Miracle" team beat the Russians.
I was almost 10 years old.
The other day, I watched the Netflix documentary about that 1980 team. I also learned more about some of the players on today's team.
I didn't realize that we had only won the gold medal twice. In 1960 and 1980...both times beating the Soviet Union.
Don't you find it funny that when talking about the Olympics (or almost any sport), the spectators / fans say "we" when talking about the team? As if "we" are out there competing.
"We" sure is convenient.
Anyway, I guess I hadn't realized the atmosphere surrounding those 1980 games.
The United States was in quite a funk.
The Iran hostage crisis was ongoing. The country was in a recession. The gas crisis was still going strong. The USSR had invaded Afghanistan.
And there was still a lot of animosity amongst neighbors.
There were protests; flag burning; even suggestions that "we" shouldn't be hosting an Olympics.
It was not a good time.
It kinda sounds similar to today--minus the USSR.
At the USA hockey team's first game of the 1980 Olympics, the arena was maybe half full.
Just a couple of days earlier, at Madison Square Garden, the team played the Russian squad in an exhibition--which they crushed us, 10-3.
Not a positive way to start the Olympics.
The Russians had a team made up almost entirely of "professional" players. For these men, hockey was their job. The US and other countries fielded teams made up of amateurs, as the International Olympic Committee rules stated.
The US team was made up of college players. It was the youngest team in the Olympics, with the average age just 21.
The Olympics that year had 12 teams--2 "pools" of 6, in which each team played the other 5. The top 2 teams from each pool would play for medals.
But you had to win to advance.
The Americans started off shaky in it's first game against Sweden, one of the favorites besides the USSR. But they ended up tying the Swedes which kept their medal hopes alive.
They won the rest, which put them in the medal round. And the crowds grew with each win.
Their first game would be against Russia--the favorite.
And as most of us know, we won 4-3.
But that didn't guarantee us a medal. The team had to beat Finland for that. Which they did.
Some of the things I didn't know about this team and the games in general:
Herb Brooks was almost a member of the 1960 Olympic Team. He was the last man cut.
ABC did not air the game live. It was tape delayed and aired in primetime. I swore it was live when I watched it.
Forward Dave Christian's father was on the 1960 Team. His nephew, Brock Nelson is a member of the 2026 team.
The Miracle team gave the county a new outlook. Chanting USA, USA was a thing. People seemed to be proud to be an American again.
In a few minutes, the 2026 team will compete for the Gold. It is an entirely different team--one made up of professionals.
It doesn't quite have "David vs Goliath" or "good vs evil" vibe of 1980, but it is definitely a game the US wants to win. The Canadians have become the new dragon we need to slay.
Fortunately, I did all my preparations for the soon to hit Blizzard yesterday. This morning, I'll be watching the Olympics and rooting for the USA Team.
I love the Olympics.
And in 2 years, it will come around again--this time in Los Angeles. The US will host the summer games in 2028.
Utah will host the Winter Games in 2034.
Gotta go...the game is starting. USA! USA!!!
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