As a little girl, I remember gathering with my family in our living room and tuning into the Olympic Games. We sat down together and marveled at the athleticism of the people participating in the games. We watched as some soared to glory while others collapsed in defeat. I couldn’t get over the excitement I felt as I sat in my little house, in a small midwestern town, and witnessed individuals representing our country and many other countries in the world coming together in the highest level of sport and competition. The games inspired dreams in my siblings and I. We’d watch gymnastics and then put on a floor routine (which consisted of somersaults and our finest cartwheels), or we’d lace up our roller skates and unsuccessfully attempt the gravity-defying twirls we saw in the figure skating competition. We loved the games. It brought us together as a family and allowed us to dream big dreams.
The Olympic Games also brought us together as a nation. We followed the storylines and cheered on Team USA. The coverage was everywhere, on the news, in the papers. It seemed like you couldn’t walk out the door without someone talking about an Olympic event. It truly felt like a unifying experience. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to command our attention like they once did. I don’t know if we have too many streaming options (I basically had five channels growing up and a few VHS titles), or we are too busy due to our jam-packed schedules, but whatever the reason, we just aren’t tuning in like we used to.
I’m hoping to change that in my home this year. I want my kids to share in the wonder and awe of the Olympics. I want them to feel the excitement of cheering for our nation’s athletes. The winter games officially start on February 4th and run through February 20th. You can find a schedule of events on the NBC website and watch it on your local station. My family and I will probably opt to watch the replays on Peacock as our practice schedules may prove too much for us to catch the live action. One of my favorite parts of the games is the Opening Ceremony which has evolved over the years and is now an intricate performance full of music, color, and showmanship. It’s a time for the host country to highlight its history, achievements, and local customs. You can watch the primetime version of the Opening Ceremony at 5:00 pm on Friday, February 4th.
As Oregonians, we’re also very fortunate to have some local heroes we can watch and rally behind during the 2022 Olympics. Be sure to tune in to the Alpine Skiing (slalom) events and cheer on Luke Winters of Gresham as he makes his Olympic debut. He started his career on the slopes of our very own Mt. Hood! Be sure to check out Sean FitzSimons of Hood River as he too makes his Olympic debut. He’ll be participating in one of my favorite events to watch, which is snowboarding. Another local to keep an eye on is Jackie Wiles. She was born in Portland and attended Canby High School. She’ll be participating in alpine skiing (downhill) events. You can find a more comprehensive list of local athletes on the KGW website.
One neat thing I came across and immediately downloaded to my computer is the Kids Guide to the Winter Olympics. It contains many different activities to help navigate our kids through the experience. They can participate in activities such as designing a new Olympic torch or designing new Olympic medals and then post them online (if they’d like to). There are also word scrambles, mazes, crosswords, and other worksheets for the kids to fill out. The guide covers the history of the games (the official origin of which is unknown; however, the first recorded mention of the Olympics dates back to 776 BCE), contains fun facts about participating countries, and much more. I think it’s an excellent way for the kids to learn about the games and how they came to be, as well as generate excitement for this year’s events.
Be sure to take some time to tune in and cheer on all of the athletes who work so hard for their shot at Olympic glory.
Angela lives in SE Portland with her husband, four kids and their dog. She views parenting as one of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of her life. Her kids range in age from six to fourteen and each one shines in their own unique way. She enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as staying active! She likes attending local events and exploring the culinary scene in Portland. She’s a self proclaimed foodie who admittedly needs help mastering proteins but claims to make a mean chocolate chip cookie. Some of her favorite activities include spending time in nature, playing soccer, reading, camping, hiking and just hanging with the fam! She sees each day as an opportunity to start fresh and learn something new.
