Wednesday, August 20, 2008

My Olympic Rant... The Anthem

Ok so I have turned into an absolute Olympic junkie. I can't even comprehend howI continue going without much sleep right now! UGH! But I LOVE the Olympic Games. There have been so many awesome experiences this time that just give me a real patriotism boost. However, (I feel a rant coming on) I have noticed that not many American athletes know the words to the national Anthem. Sure they start to mouth them but what on earth are the words they are singing? :) I'm watching their mouths and it is NOT the Anthem that I know :) I swear one guy was just saying the word watermelon over and over!
I have watched other countries athletes win and sing their own national anthems with such pride. It is an awesome site. We need to make it a prerequisite for athletes to memorize the anthem before they are allowed to compete. Perhaps they get a little quiz right before the step up the diving board ladder or before they are even allowed to mount a gymnastics aparatus!!!!!
Now I need to close by saying how truly impressed I was with the USA Women's rowing team that took the GOLD. They all stood on the podium and everyone of them sang the USA Anthem so loud that the camera picked them up! It almost brought a little tear to my eye! They didn't care if they could sing well or not. They cared about winning a Gold for them AND their country and showing that with their Anthem show. It was beautiful.
So I call on all parents to teach your children your country's national anthem. ( I make mine sing along each time our coutry wins a gold medal). They are getting good practice thanks to all those talented athletes.

4 comments:

Shannon said...

while i do not feel as strongly about this as you do, i have wondered before why they don't sing. and i love when the huge scary smack-talkin french guy gets up there and belts out his anthem! so awesome!

The Price's Wife said...

You never call. You never write. I'm starting to think you're not interested!

Shannon said...

did you see the men's volleyball team on the gold medal platform? it took them a minute to warm up--but by they end they were singing and swaying! just when i thought i couldn't love them more....

Kelly Keating-Caraway said...

I couldn’t agree more, the number of athletes who do not know the words to our national anthem is very disheartening. Something else that gets me going is people not standing and taking the hats off while the anthem is playing, for the love of God, show some respect, after all this is the land of the free because of the brave the least we can do is stand up and salute them.