What a great time watching the Olympics. I started off this winter as an Olympic snob saying that all the summer Olympics had to offer was gymnastics. Then I got into the art of training for a triathlon and developed a new understanding of swimming as I tried to drown myself in the pool. I decided to take a peek at the swimmers to see if I could get any better insight.

I am hooked.

What started with watching a quick meet to dark circles under my eyes as I’m up every night until midnight not wanting to miss a thing. I am obsessed, I’m not sleeping but I am eating as my butt sits in front of the TV. I can’t seem to get enough of the Olympics. I’m glad that the games run before my children are back to school because I’ve let the bedtime schedule go to hell so we can see who wins synchronized diving.

I’ve learned that I am a horrible swimmer. I’ll never have the speed of Michael Phelps but I’ve been studying his form. Well actually I’ve been studying the form of all the athletes on the US Swim team…the male athletes. I cannot believe there isn’t any type of calendar of male US Swim Team. These guys put the Chippendales to shame. I’ve watched the swimmers warm up, and sigh. I’ve watched the swimmers swim, and sigh. I’ve seen them cheer each other and sigh. I’m hitting the pool dreaming about the Olympics as I try my first turn and run into the wall. I still go up and down my lane, the cheering echoing in my head.

After my love affair with swimming, I stay to watch synchronized diving. There’s a difference between the US Olympic swim team and the synchronized Diving Team. My son sums it up perfectly, “Mommy, why do they have underwear on?” I start to explain the legend of Speedos and the pool but figure a 4 year wouldn’t understand it. Most people wearing Speedos shouldn’t be wearing Speedos but these male divers pull it off perfectly. I move from staring at the Speedos to marveling how they can time the dive together and move like one into the water. Just like swimming it moves from eye candy to marveling at the technique of the athletes. I watch all the matches as my 4 year old tries to mimic the divers.