on an Olympic roll...on an Olympic roll

Synchronized diving...have you seen this stuff?

Where has this been my whole Olympic viewing life? I've never seen it before this year and it's not a new event. It apparently is the first year the U.S. had a team good enough to participate, which may explain the lack of television coverage in this country, but my God! This just had me mesmerised, both Sunday and last night, and I think it's on again tonight, so if you haven't seen it and might be interested, here's your shot.

I remember growing up. I was always the tall skinny kid....all arms and legs. Just getting all the appendages into a tuck and doing a flip off the diving board was a major achievement in the Lumberyard. I was never going to do two and a half's in a pike position, or anything involving the word "twist". I envied those who could...and did. I'd watch diving in the Olympics and be amazed at what these people could do.

This synchronized stuff though...daymn....that just takes it all to a different level. Not only are they twisting and somersaulting and all that, and landing vertical in the water. They're doing it at (almost) the exact same time as someone else, right next to them. You watch them in slow motion, and arms outstretch at the same time. Legs fold into a pike, and all the body lines move in unison. They even hit the water together...in a vertical. The Chinese do all this best, but they all do it very well...and I'm still amazed.