A Summer of Dreams
by Kelly S. Croslis

The month of August was consumed by the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. We treated to the history of the country, it's amazing sites and even more amazing venues erected for the games ?C each with equally unique names; "The Water Cube," "The Birds Nest," to name a few. Within these venues came the real stories, the record breaking performances and unfortunate losses, with a dose of controversy; as is to be expected in any competition.

What are the names that will stay with us in the future? Anyone who watched the Olympic Games or the news knows the name Michael Phelps, the amazing swimmer with a goal of winning 8 gold medals. While there was plenty of speculation that he would accomplish this amazing feat, Phelps himself I'm sure was confident and determined. That determination paid off as he stood on the platform with his 8th gold medal, becoming the most decorated Olympic athlete in history.

The men's basketball team reclaimed their "star" status, once again winning the gold medal. One thing they can be commended for was not making excuses for their "poor" performance in the 2004 Olympics, but admitting they were not prepared and not playing as a team, the result of that was evident. It is refreshing to see anyone take responsibility and recognize what went wrong and the determination to turn things around.

A story we may see as strange is the discontinuation of Women's Softball and Men's Baseball as Olympic Sports. I am not sure we completely understand this decision, but stories say that the reason for removing Women's Softball is the domination of the USA women's team. As it would happen, with the decision made, the USA women's softball team lost their first game in 8 years, in the end receiving the Bronze medal.

For those who are not real sports fans, and do not see the point in sitting in front of the TV for hours on end, the Olympics seem to bring out the hidden sports fan in all of us. It is the one time we come together, wonder what we could have done if we had kept up with our gymnastics, softball, soccer, etc., playing when we were younger. We are in a way able to live through those who did follow their heart to become some of the best in the world.

As the flame was put out, our minds turn to the Winter Olympics in 2010 and the hopes these games will bring. Will we have a "miracle" hockey team? Will we see incredible young skaters on the ice? Only time will tell, we just have to wait two years to find out.

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