Cupshe

Summer Olympics: Get Ready For Rio!

A little over a month until the Summer Olympics kicks off on August 5th and I am getting pretty excited as I prepare for the opening ceremonies watch party we are hosting.  Despite my Summer Olympics excitement, I can’t help but be a little concerned about the state of the location of the games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.  Mosquitoes, and sewage, and recession, oh my!  All these things are killing the vibe of what we should be feeling in anticipation for the games.  With a little less than 45 days until the opening ceremonies let’s hope Rio can pull it together because I have a party to plan after all!  Here’s a quick list of what to watch out for with the Summer Olympics to help you get ready for Rio!

Sideline Socialite Road To Rio

1. Michael Phelps…He’s Baaaaaaaaaaack!

Sideline Socialite Michael Phelps

Despite announcing his retirement after the 2012 games, Michael Phelps just couldn’t resist the chance of getting a little more gold in his life.  After charges of DUI, 45 days in rehab, and a 6 month USA swimming suspension, aqua man is back and supposedly better than ever. IMO I think Michael should have quit while he was ahead, but none the less I can’t wait to see how he competes this Summer!

2. Usain Bolt of Jamaica’s Last Olympics

4181508-3x2-940x627

The fastest man in the world is hanging up his spikes after the 2016 Olympics and what an awesome showing he has given during the past 3 Olympics!  This Summer Olympics he will be competing in the 100, 200, and 4 x 100 meter relay.  Bolt turns 30 the day of the closing ceremonies which I guess is the lifespan of a sprinter.  Can I also draw attention to the fact that his last name is bolt and he runs really fast?! Cray!

3. Rio Time Zone Is In Our Favor

Rio

It’s frustrating when the Summer Olympics are in a far away place and the events that you want to watch happen when you are sleeping.  Then, before you have time to watch it on your DVR, you have already seen the results all over the internet and FB!  SPOILERS ARE ANNOYING!!! Well, good news!  This summer we will be able to catch the games real time without looking like a sleep deprived crazy person the next day at work.  Rio is only one hour ahead of EST and 2 if you are like me in CDT.  That’s not bad at all my friends!

4. Simone Freaking Biles

635737920871128394-AP-30745506978

 

If you don’t know about Simone Biles, you need to!  She is the most decorated gymnast in history and she is my homegirl! Literally, we live in the same town.  She is the true epitome of “started from the bottom, now I’m here” from seeing her mother battle with drugs, being adopted by her grandparents, and discovering her love for gymnastics at a young age and sticking to it.  I get chills just thinking about it!  Simone is already being revered as the greatest gymnast of all time and I know she is going to have a huge showing in Rio!  Also a bonus: she doesn’t have that squeaky little voice a lot of gymnasts have that gets on my nerves when I hear them being interviewed.

Simone010-10f1f950a4ec8b54c003fc686aee9310

5. Golf Returns To The Summer Olympics

Golf-Course-at-the-Olympics-1024x576

I’m not going to lie.  I honestly couldn’t care less about golf and if it is or isn’t in the Olympics.  But after a 112 year absence, I figured one or two of you might care?  Anyway…now you know.

6. Accessorizing While You Compete

landscape-1464793543-1464647282-gettyimages-519536050

Team USA fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad, is making headlines for being the first athlete to compete in a hijab.  I kind of don’t know why that’s such a big deal because she wears a protective helmet that covers her face and head while she’s fencing so no one even really sees that she has a hijab on under there, but whatev.  More power to ya’ Ibtihaj!

7. Zika

la-fg-zika-olympics-20160209

The Zika virus (carried by mosquitoes) originated in Brazil which really puts a damper on things when you are expecting guests by the thousands!  Pregnant athletes or athletes planning on getting pregnant in the near future have been advised to skip the games this year.  Can you imagine, training that hard with the plan of possibly getting pregnant after the games to resume a life of normalcy, only to find out that the country hosting the games can put you and your merely thought of child in danger!  I can’t!  Brazil is in a state of “global health emergency” and many athletes both male and female, slated to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics have bowed out to steer clear of the Zika virus.

8. Bob Costa’s Last Rodeo

101014_costas-bob_600

I’ve been watching Bob Costa host the Olympics since way back and boy has he stood the test of time.  Remember this back in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics?!  Bobby is a trooper, and to hear the news that this is his last time to host the Olympics at the age of 64 makes my heart sad.

9. The Oldest Female Gymnast Ever

gynmast-ag-reuters-m

Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan will compete in her 7th Summer Olympics (competing since 1992) in gymnastics at age 41.  Her specialty is the vault and I can’t wait to see this mommy of a 15 year old (let’s stop to consider the fact that the girls she is competing against are pretty much her son’s age) hike herself up over that vault!  I am a 32 year old fairly new mom and I feel like I still have some pick-up and go left to chase around a 1 year old.  But the thought of bouncing off a springy ramp and flipping over a vault makes me cringe just thinking about it (I don’t think I can even do a cartwheel any more!) From what I read, it doesn’t look like Oksana plans on stopping any time soon either.  As long as she keeps qualifying for the Summer Olympics, she will keep competing in the the Summer Olympics!  You go girl!

0

17 comments

  1. Yes, I am so excited for Oksana Chusovitina this year. I can't wait to see her shatter the idea that you have to be young to compete as a Gymnast! I've seen numerous athletes fall out of the games this year because of Zika, to the point I'm a little surprised they haven't uprooted the games to somewhere else. I'm loving all your Olympic themed posts, please keep them coming!
    1. I was just talking to my my husband about that the other day! Why didn't they just move the games to a place that has already had the olympics because of zika! Ain't nobody got time for zika, haha!
    1. Thanks for reading Taryn! I can't wait for Rio! They had qualifiers on this weekend and it got me even more pumped!
  2. Yes!!! I'm so excited for the Olympics! As a former cheerleader/gymnast I am super pumped about gymnastics and duh Simone Biles! I'm glad I'm not the only crazy Olympics fan out there. We're going to host a party too!
    1. Awesome Amy! You will have to share pics with me of your party! Stay tuned for the my olympics themed drinks, food, and DIY decor in the next few weeks, you may see something you want to incorporate at your party!
    1. I agree 100% Bob IS the Olympics! Simone is a beast! Did you see her this weekend at the qualifiers? I mean she is unreal!
    1. How exciting to be able to share the Olympics with your kids this time around! My daughter is 1 so I think we will have to wait until 2020 for her to get what's going on, haha! Thanks for reading!
    1. I'm glad your are following along! I love the Olympics! It was great meeting you too! Hopefully I will get to see you at the next one! I love those meet ups :)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.