olympic ponderings

We've been watching the olympics every night and while it is mostly entertaining and impressive there are just a few things that are puzzling.

1- Why is the standard uniform for women's beach volleyball a binkini? I'm not expecting turtlenecks or anything but does a tank top and shorts really hinder the quality of playing? How about a one-piece? I bet a man made this decision.

2- What was with the gymnastic judging? If you've been watching you'll know what I mean. And really, did China think the entire world would fall for the "really, these girls are all 16" thing? Right.

3- BMX racing is an olympic sport now? When did that happen? And when do they plan on adding skateboarding, motor cross and hopscotch to the agenda?

4- What is with the water polo headgear? Are their "helmets" (and I use that term loosely) really worth wearing? I've actually been pondering this most recently and I've decided that their only purpose is so that you know who your team mates are in the crowd of bobbing heads. But the plastic ear pieces I still don't get.

5- Why does it say "Beijing 2008" all over the place in English? Aren't they in China? And while we're on the topic of olympic languages, why do they also announce everything in French? Why not Greek? That would atleast make more sense in an original olympic sort of way. But then I guess we'd all have to learn Greek....

6- Who was the first person to think of pole vaulting? Really, I'm curious. One day, some guy (I'm sure it wasn't a woman) goes, "Hey, I think I'll take this long stick and propel myself over something high....ooh, that was fun, I wonder if I can go higher?" Brilliant. And now we give people gold medals for something that was probably invented by stupidity. Not that I could ever pole vault - I'm just sayin'.

Aside from, and probably because of, all this we have been really enjoying the olympics. We are big Nastia and Shawn fans, even if the judges weren't. And way to go Micheal Phelps - he is amazing. And those huge testosterone-loaded women who can shot put - holy cow, scary. (No one tell any shot putting women I said that, could you imagine being beat up by one? Yikes.)

It's too bad we'll have to wait another 4 years to watch the olympics again. Maybe in the meantime I'll learn Greek.