Another four years has passed and the winter Olympics are upon us. This brings quite a bit of excitement to me although my introduction to most of the U.S. athletes will be during the games. I don’t keep up with a lot of the sports like I used to. No longer do I lose my mind and appetite whenever the 49ers lose another game. I have come to realize they don’t pay me enough (or at all) to do so and it’s just a game.

The Olympics are different. The athletes are people like you and me. There is more of a possibility that you or I could have been one of them. They are sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers who had a dream and the passion, drive, and commitment necessary to follow through on honing a skill that would possibly bring world-wide recognition as being the best of the best. For many of these athletes, personal recognition is not as important as the fact that they are representing their country as the best in their sport. The Olympics is the one time where people from all countries come together and for a little over two weeks, their diverse backgrounds, country turmoil, and sometimes politics are able to be set aside while each athlete concentrates and works toward the same dream – to represent well and win a medal (gold preferred, but a silver or bronze isn’t too bad either) for their country.

When I started watching the Olympics in 1976, many of the athletes competing this year were not even born. I remember watching with my mother as Nadia Comaneci (who also married Bart Conner from the 1984 U.S. Men’s gold gymnastics team), a cute, 14-year-old Romanian who made every performance appear effortless and almost like an afterthought. She was the first woman (a mere child at the time) and Olympic gymnast to earn a perfect 10 (seven to be exact) for her show stopping performances and perfection. You think there is no such thing as perfect, well, Nadia was PERFECT! If you missed her performance and even if you got to see it live, it is worth watching her again here, here and here. Her rhythm of movement was absolutely beautiful. Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto also gave a command performance, that same year, through a broken kneecap injury that only confirmed the importance to these athletes of winning a medal for their country.

The year I most remember and still makes me smile is the 1984 Olympics when I watched as the U.S. Men’s gymnastic team took the gold for the first time in history. I believe I ate and slept in front of the television, which may have been partly due to my crush on Mitch Gaylord – first American gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics. That was definitely a nail biting competition.

If you saw her, then you will never forget Flo-Jo whose flashy, self-designed and self-made outfits didn’t manage to overshadow the talent and sportsmanship she possessed? She owned the Seoul Track & Field events, otherwise known as the “Games of Flo-Jo,” in 1988 winning three gold and one silver. I really enjoyed watching her run with her team mates in the 4 x 100m relay as she brought up as anchor. I also have some memorable moments from the winter sports held that same year (both winter and summer Olympics were held the same year until 1992). For those Cool Runnings fans, the 1988 winter games debuted the Jamaican Bobsled team depicted in the movie.

There is one athlete who will always hold my heart and if I could, then I would give her a gold medal just for her perseverance and character. I watched Michelle Kwan (a fellow Cali-girl) chase a gold medal for eight years. Despite winning many championships, injuries continued to plague her finally causing Michelle to withdraw from her last Olympics in 2006 ending any chance of her ever winning an individual Olympic gold medal.

A few people to keep an eye on this year are Jeremy Abbot who will be leading the men’s Olympic figure skating (ballet dancing on ice as Lily calls it) team in Vancouver. I watched him this past weekend and man did he show off at the National Championships. Speed skater Shani Davis is another person who continues to set records and also became the first black speed skater to earn a spot on an Olympic team, which he did in 2002.

Make memories with your children and don’t have to hear about the amazing feats of the athletes from someone else. You can also incorporate a study of the Olympics as part of school using the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games- A Unit Study & Lapbook Project.

Also, look out for a new sport called ski-cross. Think motocross with motorbikes only the athletes are the motorbikes. Hmm, that should be quite interesting. They promise no blood. I’m still waiting for the addition of Homeschool Mom where events include cooking, cleaning, teaching, carpooling, among others, while maintaining our sanity. That sport would be appropriate for either the winter or summer games. What do you think?

Official site of the 2010 Winter Olympic games. The opening ceremony is Friday, February 12. Let the games begin!

Is your family watching the Olympics this year? What special Olympic memories do you have?