Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Faster. Higher. Stronger. It’s what all athletes hope to achieve and what a very select few actually accomplish. Being good at anything takes effort and practice, skill and perseverance. Being the best in the world takes a whole lot more. Just watching the Olympics is our glimpse into the incredible strength, stamina, talent, and drive of athletes who somehow, get their bodies to do seemingly impossible feats. We, the ordinary, are left to wonder how flying through the air while spinning like a top is even humanly possible? The collective question we have while watching the athletes compete, is, “How do they do that?”

Amid controversy and criticism over the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, one stand-out was Celine Dion. Suffering from a terrible and rare illness called Stiff Person Syndrome, she showed the strength and courage of an athlete, to make the comeback of a lifetime. A fitting way to usher in the Summer Olympics, with a practically heroic performance that embodied the spirit of, “Don’t give up, keep trying, believe you can do it.”

What can happen in 0.01 seconds? A hummingbird can flap its wings fifteen to twenty times. Light can travel approximately 1,800 miles. The human brain can process visual stimulation. And at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics American swimmer Torri Huske lost out on a bronze medal by 0.01 second. This year, Huske won gold for the 100- meter butterfly by 0.04 seconds, or the time it takes to blink an eye. Milliseconds are the margin of victory or defeat when it comes to capturing medals.

There was the question of whether the triathlon event would be cancelled, due to the pollution level of the Seine River. With high levels of E. coli and other nasty germs in the water, it appears some folks have been going oui oui in the river. Yes, swimming for 1.5 kilometers could be hazardous to your health if the water is teeming with bacteria! Yet, Paris spent about 1.5 Billion bucks to clean up the Seine for this Olympics. To show confidence in how clean the river has become, the mayor of Paris jumped into the Seine in a weird display of “support” for the swimmers. Hey, a dunk in and out of the Seine for a minute is different than having to swim in it for almost one mile! Finally, the athletes were cleared to swim.

Oh, pommel horse guy, how we love thee! Stephen Nedoroscik, part of the American men’s gymnastics team, competed in one event, the pommel horse. He is an engineering student, a nerd with thick black glasses. He took off his glasses and like Clark Kent of the ages, turned into Superman. Winning bronze. And for more superpowers, we got to thrill to Simone Biles breathtaking stunts that brought home gold.

The inspiring stories about the Olympic Games are woven into the fabric of the flags of participating nations. We admire the athletes for their determination, talent, hopes and dreams. Win or lose, we applaud their efforts. And we better watch the events closely, because winning or losing can happen in the blink of an eye.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit