Random Olympic closing observations

In no particular order:

Whether you found the opening and closing ceremonies quirkily entertaining or insufferably pompous and my FBF's already know where I stand, the Brits did an amazingly good job.

Brit pop music rocks. It has from the '60's when I was a kid and still does. Continue to invade at will, lads and lasses.

I don't know how they did from a budgeting/profit/loss standpoint, but they pulled the games off without Chinese overkill and with no major delays, no scandals, NO TERRORISM and all in one of the world's largest, busiest, most diverse cities. Well done, London!

This (or something like it) is what Mitt Romney should have said, but we already know he's no statesman or spokesman for American anything. Whatever he was asked when he made his infamous comment, he should have realized that his job wasn't to consult as a former Olympic organizer, but as an American dignitary. The hubris of the man. Epic fail on his part. Mr. PM and Mr. Mayor of London--well-said sirs!

My word! The girls totally rocked! We've finally moved beyond the outdated mindset that girls can't do ____ (any sport under the sun). Any young lady who is told differently, merely needs to go to YouTube, find a heroine, then follow her dreams. The last 17 days should go a long way toward inoculating against self-image problems, teen pregnancies and kids wasting their talents by falling in with a bad crowd. Moms and dads need to forget the princess parties, beauty pageants and American Girl dolls. Whatever size or shape she is, get your daughter into a sport.

In America, we've seen professional sports and college sports beset by one scandal after another. The Olympics are far from perfect, but closer to exemplary, to the best and brightest hope that we can find international common ground on the field of play, then maybe, just maybe beyond. It's an elusive, maybe even naive dream, but woe to us all if we stop dreaming it.

While there were only one or two Olympians older than yours truly, we're seeing more "older athletes" than ever before. People in superb condition, training smart, giving it their all. It gives hope to the athlete in all of us "of a certain age."

Athletes have finely honed bodies that are "engineered" to their sports through the most advanced training, diet and sports technology available. It's interesting to watch what "body types" excel in various sports. To those of us who are working to modify our bodies through exercise and diet, again the Olympics provide inspiration. You don't have to be a world class competitor to think like one and to benefit from the hard work that training brings. There's a potential born-again athlete in all of us, even if you're just walking a couple miles a day.
  

Oscar Pistorius--what more is there to say? That young man is a global cultural treasure. Amen!

   

The ad agencies cleaned up bigtime, (oh the bill-manity!!!) but my favorite commercial, hands-down, was that understated Nike spot with morbidly obese teen, Nathan Sorrell pounding the pavement. Greatness is earned by sweat equity. Good luck son; I've been there. See above.
 

While I'm proud to count a couple IOC types as friends, this is the first Olympics that I can say I know an athlete. Miles Chamley Watson was eliminated early, but I can't imagine the pride of his parents for him representing us on the U.S. fencing team. I stayed up all night just to watch him. Go Miles! You're a very young man and Rio awaits.

Okay, it's a tich weird hearing public speakers address "Your Royal Highness" and "Your Majesties" but the Brit royals comported themselves as such unpretentious good sports as to make even the most rabid anti-monarchists take a bow and a second look. Any air of British cultural superiority is entirely well-deserved tonight. Good show, folks. Good show!