Some sports really know how to put on a show

Synchronized swimming is fun to watch. Similar to figure skating, it obviously takes tremendous athleticism and skill, but the athletes try to come up with choreography and artistry that goes well with their music and provides entertainment for the crowd. You get everything from Great Britain's Peter Pan theme to Australia's AC/DC routine. What really gets me is how much time they spend underwater. It seems like they're holding their breath for at least half of their performance (they probably are). It's too bad that the US isn't usually in contention for a medal.

Then there's rhythmic gymnastics, one of the strangest sports ever. It really seems like more of a dance competition to me. Ballet is not a sport (though it does require athleticism), so I'm kind of at a loss for why this would be considered differently... unless you look at it as the "sport form" of dance, emphasizing the athleticism and slightly reducing the artistry. The routines look like dance exercises with specifically required props--ribbons, rope, hoops, clubs, and bouncy balls. Maybe the props are the key--having to dance around while concentrating on a prop (that they have to keep in constant motion) requires expert hand-eye coordination, so it's kinda like table tennis in that sense... I dunno. It's definitely bizarre, but also fascinating. (The US doesn't have a full team competing.)

There was a devastating crash between South Africa and Kenya in the 4x400m relay prelim, preventing South African Oscar Pistorius from even getting a chance to run his leg. Needless to say, it dashed the hopes of Pistorius and his team... at first. Their country filed a formal protest because the Kenyan runner suddenly changed direction right in front of the South African, causing them both to fall. Well I'm definitely glad they did so, because the committee allowed them to compete in the final, making Pistorius the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic (non-Paralympic) final. So cool!

Quite a few crashes occurred in BMX racing, as well, but that's actually the norm. Because of all the falls, there's a point system with multiple races to determine who advances in the competition, so you're not automatically out of it if you crash once. The exciting, fast-paced races are so enthralling that once the bikers come out of the gate, it's impossible for me to pull my eyes from the screen. It's BMX-treme!

Professor and the Beast

That is... Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, who played for the gold in men's beach volleyball. 'Twas an exciting game, just about as down to the wire as it could be. The teams were almost evenly matched. We would tie it up, Brazil would break the tie. We won the first set, Brazil the second. And then in the last set our guys started getting fired up while the Brazilians ran out of gas. We got the gold!

No gold in softball, though! I didn't get to watch the game, but I read this article about Japan's major upset! This was going to be the last Olympics for softball, and the reason was that the US was unbeatable. Lame reason on its own, but now the IOC will have to come up with a better reason for chucking it. Our loss is shocking and a bit sad, but hey, if it ends up saving the sport's Olympic future, that might actually make up for it.

We swept the men's 400m, but the best part was bronze medalist David Neville diving across the finish line. You don't see that too often! But he really might not have medaled if he hadn't done it. Nice move!

Another interesting track moment: the Cuban who won the men's 110m hurdles wears glasses. They're strapped to his head, obviously, but still... not exactly common. I think it's cool. It certainly didn't impede him at all; he won by a landslide and didn't hit a single hurdle.

Both the men's and women's 4x100m relay teams dropped their batons! Terrible! The US in general has under performed in track, and Jamaica has taken up the slack. Just like China's domination in diving, Jamaica is dominating the running events this year.

Speaking of diving, the audience watching the 10m platform finals all stood up and cheered as Chinese 15-year-old Chen Ruolin entered the water after a nearly perfect dive to win the gold. That's how much China loves their divers. They're 7 for 7 on golds for all the diving events.

BMX racing reminds me of speed skating. They all going so fast so close together that if one person falters he can take out everyone else behind him. Short, sweet, and hard to beat.