Go Team USA!
Category Archives: Entertainment
Guest Post: Olympics Preview
Today we have a guest post from my friend Darci, a bonafide Olympics expert who blogs over at Swifter, Higher, Stronger! Enjoy!
USWNT goalie, Hope Solo
Hey there, Shades of Sarah readers! I’m Darci, your resident Olympics expert, here to tell you what you need to know about the London 2012 Olympic Games. Because if you’re not excited, you totally should be.
Women’s soccer kicks off the fun even before the cauldron is lit, with Team USA taking on France Wednesday afternoon. Missed it? No problem. The tournament runs through August 9th so you’ll have ample opportunity to see Hope Solo (my girl crush! – Sarah) and her rock star teammates go for the third straight American gold.
The games officially open on Friday night with the opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours fame. I spent the spring semester abroad in London and as a volunteer with London 2012 Ceremonies, so I can personally assure you that your jaw will hit the floor more than once. It’s full of British history, pop culture, and what’s rumored to be the biggest set change in history. Seriously. July 27th, 7:30 pm EST on NBC. Be there or miss out on all the water cooler topics for the next week.
American Swimmers Michael Phelps & Ryan Lochte
Swimming begins promptly on Saturday morning and is barely off the air for a moment until the Olympic flame is extinguished. Michael Phelps is looking to put on a repeat performance of his domination in Beijing, but you can bet that Ryan Lochte won’t go quietly into the night. On the women’s side of things, newcomer Missy Franklin is expected to make waves (pun most definitely intended).
On the track, Usain Bolt is on his own quest to hold onto the title of Fastest Man in the History of Ever, while hurdler Lolo Jones tries to put her heartbreaking stumble in Beijing behind her and take home the gold. Lolo was in the middle of a media storm recently when she revealed that she’s still a virgin – but more importantly, she’s an absolute riot! Follow her on Twitter, @lolojones.
Gymnast
Over in gymnastics, the Team USA ladies are without Beijing’s gold and silver medalists in the all-around competition, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson. It’ll be really interesting to see new stars like Jordyn Wieber try to live up to their legacy! And speaking of legacy, LeBron James has been talking some trash about the 1992 men’s basketball Dream Team, saying that 2012’s squad is better. Better than what is arguably the best basketball team in history? The hottest NBA stars now have a lot to live up to; anything other than an easy gold medal will be a disappointment. We’re watching you, King James!
I desperately wish I could preview every event because I know I’m leaving out hundreds of stellar American athletes, but I’ll wrap this up with a plug for the closing ceremony on August 12th. Directed by the brilliant Kim Gavin, it’s a street party full still more awesome British music. And missing the handoff of the Olympic flag to the organizing committee of the Rio 2016 games (and the ensuing Brazilian performance!) is just not an option.
For more information on TV schedules, athletes, and who to watch, visit nbcolympics.com. Happy Olympics! 
Thanks, Darci! And go Team USA!
Link Love
Still nursing your holiday hangover? Hopefully these links can help you through the first Monday of the year.
An oldie but a goodie: the lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts returns to the Bronx to tell his story, from The New York Times.
Fan favorite Jason Taylor retired this weekend, and even though I’m not a Miami Dolphins fan, he’s a stand up guy. I loved this piece on him from The Miami Herald.
The Refinery 29 guide to Miami. It all sound so glamorous, not that I’ve explored even one thing on the list.
This is kind of cool: Florida recently abolished its smallest city, Islandia. I hadn’t even heard of it before.
Here are some great tips on mixing patterns from a Clothed Much contributor.
Laughing With Broken Eyes recently had a series, One Week to Better Blogging. Click the link to read all the posts – great tips even if you’ve been blogging for awhile!
From CF, ten great DIY ideas – adding some of these to my to-do list.
Still looking for a calendar for the new year? The Huffington Post has some great (read: free and downloadable) options.
Which links are loving this week?
~ Sarah
So the Women’s World Cup is Happening…
I’m sure by now you have heard about this amazing group of athletes, the new comeback kids: the U.S. Women’s National Team. At least I hope so — after stunning victories against Brazil and France in the quarters and semis, the ladies landed a photograph on the front page of the New York Times. Take that, men’s side (and thanks for blowing it against Mexico in the Gold Cup — that was fun to watch).
Now everyone and their mother is on the USWNT bandwagon (except my roomie Christine, who is completely oblivious to sports, in a good way), and for once, I don’t mind. Keeper Hope Solo (and my newest girl crush) even tweeted: “Go ahead, jump on the bandwagon and let’s do this together.” And you should: moments like this are hard to come by.
I’ve been looking forward to this tournament since the men’s World Cup ended last summer, but I didn’t expect to get so caught up in it. I’ve even watched the replays of matches with my favorite teams on ESPN3, since I don’t have cable and all. And even though the Americans have stumbled along the way (2-1 loss to Sweden, what up), I’m excited (and nervous!!) beyond belief now that they’ve made it to the final.
Are you going to be watching the final? I’m heading to Times Square to watch it, and while it’s not the same as watching at home like I did in ’99, it’s still pretty epic. Go U.S.A.!
This American attitude of pulling everything together and bringing out the best performance in each other is contagious. ~ Coach Pia Sundhage
☆ Sarah
Play Ball
This week marks Opening Day – the beautiful beginning to baseball season. I love baseball – and that’s not an April Fools joke. I know baseball has a bad rep nowadays, even with it being “America’s pastime”.
Sometimes, I understand where people are coming from when they say baseball is boring. The truth is, it’s a very mental sport. That’s why it’s slow and laboring, but the payoff, the magic of October, is worth it. I think you pick up a certain type of intelligence from watching baseball – maybe that’s why baseball movies, like The Natural, The Sandlot and Bull Durham, make the best sports movies. Or maybe that’s why baseball reminds me of classic, old-school drinking lemonade on the porch America.
And that is also what makes Opening Day so special. Other sports have season openers, but Opening Day is a celebration. Nothing beats the optimism in baseball players when Opening Day rolls around. Mike Stanton and Josh Johnson actually make me believe that my Florida Marlins are going to the World Series. And that’s just the half of it – being a baseball fan in the Bronx, home of the New York Yankees, a franchise that epitomizes baseball, is something else.
Baseball, I’m glad you’re back. It’s going to be a great summer.
~ Sarah
