I’m not much of a TV watcher. Most evenings, I come home from my day job, have dinner, then park myself in front of my computer to write the night away. That means I get a lot of my news and information from online sources, unless I happen to be eating dinner when the news (or something interesting) is on.
I used to be an Olympics junkie. Every four years, I was glued to the television, watching any event that came on. I guess age is creeping up on me because this year I barely even know they’re there. What has caught my attention when I skim the stories in the newspapers or online now is how young the athletes are. It’s not like I didn’t know it before, but now that I’m getting older I find myself looking at these athletes and wondering why all these young “whipper-snappers” aren’t in school–or something equally absurd.
When I was a teenager, I was amazed at Olympic athletes. After all, some of them were close to my age. Remember Olga Korbut? What about Nadia Comaneci? Or Mary Lou Retton? Yes, I was a gymnastics fanatic–for a while. It became a painful process to watch; holding my breath hoping they wouldn’t fall or wobble. What eventually turned me off was the realization that you had to be perfect to win a medal. I can only imagine the pressure someone so young must endure to be perfect.
So, curiosity won out and I did a few searches. It looks like the teens are still striving to be perfect.
The youngest athlete in Vancouver is Britteny Cox from Australia. She’s 15 and skis in the Mogul Freestyle event.
The next youngest, Scott James, is also from Australia. He is almost three months older than Britteny and is a half-pipe snowboarder.
I could stop here and feel satisfied I found the information I was looking for, but I happened to notice something unusual about the third youngest athlete.
Although born in the U.S., Allison Reed, who is almost a month older than Scott, is an ice skater for the Republic of Georgia.
Last, but not least (and I don’t know where she sits in the lineup of youngest to oldest), Ashley Caldwell, at 16, is the youngest athlete on the U.S. Olympic team. She is another freestyle skier.
I didn’t bother trying to discover who the oldest athletes are. I don’t think my poor ego could handle knowing someone near my age can still keep up with a teenager.
I have a lot of admiration for a 15-year-old who is able to compete on the international stage in something as amazing as the Olympics. I just wish they didn’t have to be perfect to do so.
Denise
www.denisepatrickauthor.com
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