I mean did you see the fella come from FIFTH place and win the gold medal in swimming? Bobby Finke blew everyone’s mind when he surged ahead in the 800m and won with the gold medal. One commentator said she looked away for 20 seconds and everything changed. Finke said he didn’t expect to win, according to USA Today.

I admit the commentators are annoying, so I mute is my music for many of the races. But even I was stunned at that race because I was watching and went “what the heck?”

I love watching the swimming races and hearing the stories of the athletes. I love that there are cameras on the bottom of the pool so that you can watch their form. These people obviously spend years perfecting their swimming form.

In these times of competition you get to see great moments.

This summer’s Olympics is filled with more drama than any high rated television drama. The year 2021 is living up to it’s little sister’s (2020) reputation. Everyday I wonder which athlete is going to be taken from the competition because of COVID-19. Each day the number grows. I hope my favorites don’t get caught in it.

Diving has been great this year also. I am in awe of those who go to great heights and jump off of it into deep water. I even saw people who looked like me. There is a lot of diversity, not only in the United States teams, but also internationally. One of my favorite divers is Canadian. And her hair did in the water what mine does in the water.

But that is okay, because that Japanese humidity was not a friend to black girl’s hair, regardless of the sport. It seemed to rustle everyone’s hair, not just the black girls.

My favorite event is track and field. I never get tired of track and field. It is so cool to see the power and grace these men and women run with. Even the untrained eye can tell who is new to the bunch by their gate.

The winners are fun to watch. It is that moment when they realize all the hard work and sacrifice paid off.

I am sad that Simone Biles did not get to compete, but I am proud she stood up for herself and her health. I am glad I got to experience the story of Suni Lee who won Gold in the Gymnastics all around competition. I am excited for her and can’t wait to hear more of her story.

I know Netflix and Hulu are breaking the bank putting out new stories for us to watch, but I want to experience these Olympic moments with these athletes. Very few people are called Olympians. Lets give them their moment. It is informative and inspiring.

We can always remember when the world came together despite a pandemic. We watched some of the strongest, healthiest of us compete in all types of sports from swimming to track, water polo to badminton, BMX riding to skateboarding. In chasing normal, we win on this one.

COVID-19 has made us think differently about a lot of things, but it has not defeated our spirit.