Olympic Ideas

I've been loving the olympics. Obviously. But I had two ideas that I think might need to be added to the program. Organizers, take note.

First, I thought it would be fun to see the olympians compete in an event totally different from the one they've trained for. If not compete, then just try it out . . . and broadcast it so the rest of us can see. They're highly trained athletes, so I think they would be better than the average layman, and it would be interesting to see how much better. Wouldn't you like to see how far Ryan Lochte throws the shot put? He lifts 600-pound tires to warm up, for  heaven's sake. I also think gymnasts, who have to have a very trained eye, would be great at something like archery. That's the kind of reality TV I'd like to see.

Secondly, and speaking of laymen, I think at some point during an event, they need to have an ordinary person swim 100 meters or attempt some cartwheels on the balance beam. Sometimes it's hard to tell how truly exceptional the olympians are, when all the swimmers are amazing swimmers. Sometimes I find myself thinking things like, "4-minute mile? Meh." (Or some other recognizable record in meters.) But occasionally, when certain camera angles make the swimmers seem like they're flying through that water, I feel like I get a more accurate portrayal of how fast they truly are, and I remember that yeah, they're totally amazing. I know swimming 200 meters would probably give me a heart attack, but sometimes I need to see the comparison. I also think it would be a little bit funny to see Bob Johnson swimming in lane 9, finishing his last 50 meters while everyone else has been done for five minutes.

So Rio 2016? Anyone?