Olympic Predictions

As my tribute week to the Olympics comes to a close, I've decided to send you off with some of my predictions for the Games, the athletes, and the Rio Games in 2016. Enjoy!

• The U.S. is going to finish on top of the medal race, with over 100 medals 
• The U.S. Women's Volleyball and the U.S. Men's Basketball team take gold
• Missy Franklin will return to Rio as the female version of Michael Phelps 
• Michael Phelps will be included in the next two Olympic Games (at least) in some sort of capacity or another
• Kerry Walsh will return to Rio, but I don't think she'll make it to the gold medal stand (sorry!) 
• Ryan Lochte will get a gold grill

What are your Olympic predictions?

The Face of Diving

Diving is one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. It seems as though it may be boring, but it captures my attention and leaves me at the edge of my seat. The judges are able to pick apart the smallest mistakes while I'm left wondering if I need to make an optometry appointment. This need for perfection forces athletes to focus on every movement their muscle makes and creates unfortunate facial expressions. Here are some of my favorite shots from the Olympic Aquatic Center (past and present)...

Do you watch diving in the Olympics? Now, try and watch it now without noticing their facial expressions throughout the dive. 

Olympic Fun Facts

Did you know that the first Winter Olympic Games were not held until 1924? I had no idea. Or that Norway is the country that has won the most medals at the Winter Games (263 in total)? As I did some digging, I found quite a few fun facts: 

• In the first modern Olympics, Athens 1896, first place winners were awarded silver medals and olive branches. Second place contestants were awarded bronze medals and third place finishers left empty handed.
• First place winners in the 1900 Paris Olympics received paintings instead of gold medals because they were considered to be more valuable.
• The first Olympic city to award Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals was St. Louis in 1904.
• A record 202 countries participated in the 2004 Olympic Summer Games in Athens.
• Three continents – Africa, South America, and Antarctica – have never hosted an Olympics.
• The United States has won more medals (2,189) at the Summer Games than any other country.
• China did not win a medal until 1984. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics alone, they received 100 medals including 51 gold.

Would you rather receive a painting or a gold medal for your first place finish?  

The Olympic Athlete's Village

As the best athletes in the world come together in one place, they all need places to stay. The villages are built to house the participating athletes, trainers, and officials, with each person getting a roommate. Family and friends are allowed the visit, but have to go through extensive security checks while the media is completely banned. There are crazy stories of wild parties as each event wraps up, but I don't want to soil my view of the Olympics. ;)

Here are some shots from the Olympic Athletes Village in London:

Have you ever seen the inside of an Olympic Athlete Village? I would love to stay with an athlete from a different country! You can view more of the pictures here.

Everything Olympic

As you may know, I absolutely LOVE the Olympics; I don't even want to admit how many hours I've dedicated to watching global competitions in the last week. My love for the Olympics, in addition to waiting for some of the pictures from my trip (ahem, Ian and Sarah... :) I've decided to dedicate my posts this week to the greatest sporting event that (only) happens once every four years. I'll be sharing some insights, theories, and anything Olympic related (I hope this doesn't drive anyone away).

I'm going to kick off the week with my top Olympic destinations after the jump...