AUGUST 20, 2008

       I’m not a sporty person. I’ll be the first to admit it. I like to stay active but I’m far from a sportster. But every time the Olympics rolls around I have a change of heart.

       No, the Games don’t make me want to become an athlete and win gold medals. They do, however, make me feel sport-ish.

       Last weekend I was glued to the TV during the Olympics. Yup, nothing like a wild Saturday night of watching power walking.

       Any other time of the year I probably would have pooh-poohed on people getting worldwide  attention for something I do several times per week as a form of transportation. But after a full day of hearing stories about Olympic athletes and listening to their viewpoints and experiencing their lives, I felt like I knew them.

       Somehow I was mesmerized and on the edge of my seat watching these people swing their arms back and forth travelling by foot through Chinese streets.

       Every four years I never plan to watch the Olympics, but halfway through I end up tuning in and finding myself rooting for people I’d never heard of and sometimes from countries I’d never heard of.

       Like many Canadians I get into the mindset that even the most boring of sports to watch is fascinating as event after event I can’t change the channel. Maybe my feelings weren’t so much sporty as they were patriotic.