Not a bad way to spend a week

By Jamie Rieger
I will never be a professional athlete, that’s for sure and any dreams of ever becoming one were dashed many years ago when I discovered I was a klutz.
It’s not that I did not like sports. The opposite is true, in fact. But, I was never really good at them. In other words, I sucked.
So, I became really, really good at become a spectator and fan. And, I gave it my all last week when I had a few days off to cheer on the Canadian athletes at the Rio Olympics.
I have always loved watching the Olympics, watching the sporting events that I typically would not tune in to when I do my best channel-surfing performances.
I found it interesting when the commentators talked about the team handball event, as if it is a sport nobody in North America is familiar with. I remember a gym teacher in junior high at Parkside who had has playing team handball on one of the outside fields. It really was a lot of fun and I always kind of wished there was more interest in it. I may have even put my accident-prone nature aside and joined a team.
Nonetheless, I watched a fair bit of the Olympics, putting aside even my viewing of my Red Sox games (believe it or not!). I figured I can watch the Sox highlights another time, but only get the opportunity to watch the Summer Olympics every four years.
As the athletes sweated it out on the field, the track, and in the arena, I was being the most dedicated fan from the comforts of my couch and loving every minute of it.
If you ask me, it wasn’t a bad staycation, but I think I’m good for sports watching (except baseball) for now.

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