Faster, Higher, Stronger

Anyone who knows me knows that my attention span for athletic events– any athletic events– is pretty short (read: nonexistent), and my understanding of athletics, even less (read: negative existent). My uncle loves to tell the story of the time when I sat by him at a Hartford Whaler’s hockey game and earnestly asked why a player was sent to the penalty box for “stick holding”… aren’t they all holding sticks?  And it wasn’t but three or four years ago that I turned to my older sister while watching a Red Sox game from her couch to declare that the “back-catcher”‘s pants looked far too tight, and he should really loosen his belt.  Once she understood that I was referring to the umpire, it was a hot second before all other members of my immediate family caught wind of my idiotic remark (thank you, texting).  And, lest I forget… perhaps not just a testament to my lack of sports sense, but common sense too… the time, MANY YEARS AGO, when I asked how many quarters were in a football game.  Good one, Christine.

But, the Olympics I can get behind.  There’s something special about an event that can incite so much patriotism and camaraderie… even I have to jump on the bandwagon.  Politics and religion and Sox versus Yankees and everything that we feud about are set aside, and so long as we’re all tuned into NBC, we’re all on the same team. Team USA.  I always laugh at those guys who get so invested in their team that they won’t change their underwear or brush their teeth until the championship is through.  Honestly, do you really think that your ugly, patchy, grody whiskers are so divine that you’ll squander a Superbowl victory if you so much as give ’em a trim?  Yes, I do realize that this is often done in jest, but then I have to wonder: is it really?  Some part of them, I think, really believes it.

Well, this is a shout out to all you grody bearded fellas with the foul-smelling breath!  This is to say, that while I will continue to wash my underwear, I can kind of almost see where you’re coming from. Because when those Olympians stand up on that podium, the American flag triumphantly billowing behind them and the Star-Spangled Banner sounding out of my television set, a part of me truly believes that I have a claim to some of that gold hanging around their necks.  And when they’re blubbering into the reporter’s microphone that “this one’s for you, America!”, some part of me really does swell with pride.  You’re welcome, Michael Phelps!  You are welcome.

So, yesterday morning I suddenly got very excited for the big event, and was quickly disappointed to find that the Internet had failed me.  Alas, I’d been able to find next to zero coverage on YouTube so early in the morn, and no satisfactory streaming sites.  I’m going to keep hunting, but, as chance would have it, I did manage front row seats to Suphan’s own little version of the Olympics this past week.  And, while perhaps it was no London 2012 Opening Ceremony, the students at Sa-Nguan Ying did put on quite the impressive show!

Imagine the curiously Thai love-child of the Olympic Games and a U.S. Field Day, at a Lady Gaga concert, and that was the Sa’Nguan Ying Sport Festival.  Schools and universities all over the country shut down for this annual spectacle of color, choreography, competition, and camaraderie.  And it was awesome.

The students were divided into teams and assigned a color, around which the older kids led the littles in designing costumes, banners, chants, and cheers.  On the first day of the Sport Festival, the kids paraded from the market in the city-center to school, banging drums, twirling batons, and pushing home-fashioned floats down the street as cars, motorbikes, and tuk-tuks weaved in and out.  Yes, remember that this is Thailand, people… no streets were shut down in the making of this parade. Instead, the children and motorbikes shared the road peacefully as one.

They looked so grown up… It was hard to believe these are our kids!

Some of the older girls donned traditional Thai dress, poofy princess gowns, or Gaga-inspired warrior dresses, while the M1’s and 2’s charged into battle with cardboard swords and pompoms in hand.

Eyeballs and the Earths seemed to be reoccurring themes, but I’ll have to ask my kids for more on that on Monday.

After the parade, the students stood in groups behind their team banner while the National Anthem was played, opening remarks made, and the torch– yes, the torch– was lit.

Next came the cheerleading competition. But Thai cheerleading, I learned, is far more theatrical than any I’ve seen stateside.  In a word, it was a production. While the kids danced and cheered in funky and elaborate costumes, equipped with sets and props, their color teammates in the stands had their own choreography to perform, waving flags and fans and pompoms, while others chanted and amp-ed up the crowd with their drum beats.  Every kid in the school had a role to play, and each one carried out their duty with heaps of enthusiasm!

And, finally it was onto the football and basketball tourneys.  On Day 2 of the Sport Festival I watched my M4 boys face my M5 boys in a bball match.  Torn between my babies, I found myself cheering for both teams.

In the end, M4 was no match for Nai and his jump shot

Luckily, this won’t be a problem during the Olympics.  The US has my allegiance, of course, but still, it doesn’t feel right rooting against Thailand, which has been my home for nearly 10 months.  So, I’ve decided that since a Muay Thai gym here in town has welcomed the other farang and myself to work out with them for free, and because it is a super bad ass National Sport, Thailand can share my support in the Olympic boxing ring, and the U.S. can have the lot of it everywhere else.

And, of course, I’ll be cheering for Donn Cabral, the baby brother of an old high school friend, as he represents Team USA in the Steeplechase.  If Michael Phelps and his 12,000 calorie diet can win this anti-athlete’s attention, you better believe that I’ll be tuning in to see Donny kill it on the track.  Still, finding a place to watch the Games while I am weekending on the tropical island paradise of Ko Tao next Friday might prove difficult…

… I’m crying you a river as we speak. 🙂