13 February 2006

while watching the Olympics...

Okay, I don't understand why the luge is hard.

You're going down a slide. Where is the skill in this?

These were the kids whose parents wanted them to be great at something but they couldn't swim or ice skate very well, so then one day while watching them zip down the slide at McDonald's Playland, an idea was born.

Uh-oh, a woman just fell off of her little sled. She looks kind of hurt and she's holding her wrist, but I'd say it's really a cover for embarrassment---she's in the Olympics for goodness sake...she can't even make it down a slide!

I've done a little luging myself and it was no sweat. Without a sled mind you, but the same basic principle. Over Christmas, Jeremy's mom took us to this ice sculpture exhibit in Orlando where we saw nativity scenes and gingerbread houses carved from ice. At the end of the tour was a room with three big ice slides (very similar to the ones on the Olympics but a little bit shorter in length.) We each took turns going down them wearing a big blue parka that served as a slick surface to increase our speed (same concept as the luging sleds). It was exhilarating for sure, but it certainly wasn't difficult. Seven year olds were doing it. And without helmets!

Maybe we should’ve gotten a gold medal too. Instead, there were cups of hot chocolate.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You know, I thought the very same thing. Until I heard that they are going around those corners at 80+ mph. If you are going to put me on a piece of medal with colored tights and force me down a tube at that speed...there better be more than hot chocolate at the end.