The Daily Brew (06.0301)

Wednesday's Brew
Flavor du Jour: Olympic Irony

Olympic Gold is God
by Special Corresblogdent The Bloke

When five times world champion, nine time national champion Michelle Kwan pulled out of the Olympic figure skating competition before it started, they jeered, complained and questioned her motives. They cast doubts on her achievements because she would go down in history as having failed to achieve what they deemed to be the ultimate: the Olympic figure skating gold.

Kwan's composure and sportsmanship demonstrated at her interview when she announced her withdrawal did not seem enough for the critics. At the interview, Michelle declared: "I've learned it's not about the gold, it's about the spirit of it and about the sport itself.''

On that spirit, Kwan decided that her injury would have prevented her from giving it a really good go at the Games. So, she withdrew in time to allow someone else to take her place. Someone else who would have gone in any case, had Kwan not petitioned for a place because she did not participate at the qualifying competition due to her injury.

"Taking myself off the team is the most difficult decision I've ever had to make," Kwan said in a release, "but it's the right decision. This injury prevents me from skating my best, and I've said all along that if I couldn't skate to the level that I expected from myself I'd withdraw from the team.

"The Olympics is the greatest sporting event in the world and what's most important is that the United States fields the strongest team possible. As much as I'd love to represent the United States in Torino, I would never stand in the way of that."

The same injury that prevented her from giving her best at the Games. Yet it wasn't enough for the nay-sayers. They brushed aside all the accolades that Kwan had won, and brushed aside all the achievements she accomplished and even brushed aside that big heart of hers, that saw that it's not about the gold, but about the spirit of the Olympics.

They were not satisfied. It was as if Michelle had done the unforgiveable: for she has robbed them of the opportunity to revel in another Olympic gold.

They came back at another victim over this past weekend.

This time it was Sasha Cohen. You see, she ought to have won that gold. If only she hadn't fallen on the ice. But she fell, and along with that fall, came the knives and the chide remarks. Apparently, Cohen did not want to be there. That's why she lost. Some even went as far as to suggest that had Michelle Kwan been healthy, she would have won that coveted gold.

But instead we lost. It was as if America was robbed of their gold medal. Kwan didn't even try. Cohen didn't want to try. Oh, the nerve of these two! How dare they! Didn't they realize that we have waited four long years to claim what is all along rightfully ours?

We are America! We deserve the gold! And they failed to deliver! Damn them!