Wasif's World

Sitting here watching curling for the tenth day in a row, I feel now is a good time to bring up a few thoughts on what I've seen thus far:

*** I am beginning to grasp the intricacies of curling. Like for instance, chimney sweeps would make ideal curlers. Aside from that, I feel that I could start training today and be ready for the Russian Olympics in 2014 with no problem. I just need a good broom.

I think that's why curling has earned such praise these weeks, because spectators can relate. I myself have spent many hours on a bocce court working on my toss; the pallino, my instrument of grace. In fact, why isn't bocce ball a summer Olympic sport? Or shuffleboard? How does curling rank higher than either of those? Throw some snow on a shuffleboard court and you've got curling, right?

*** So the Canadian Women's Hockey Team beat Team USA, but they celebrated in an "improper" way, by drinking and smoking OUT ON THE ICE. (Gasp!)

The United States called it "embarrassing." How about losing to a country you could invade at a moment's notice and as Jon Stewart has said before, is only safe until we run out of natural resources? Isn't that embarrassing? I've got a feeling, if you'd won and celebrated the way they, you wouldn't have a problem with it? (I'm a Canadian and an American so I don't have an axe to grind with either country. I call 'em like I see 'em.)

Haley Irwin poured champagne into the mouth of Tessa Bonhomme. In America, that's called "marketing. If that's what women's hockey is about, sign me up!

I didn't have a problem with Brandi Chastain taking her shirt off and I don't have a problem now. In fact, it should be a prerequisite.

And forget about Marie-Philip Poulin, an 18-year-old that can legally drink in Quebec, but not in British Columbia, getting caught downing a little bit 'o the bubbly. The real crime there is that her parents put "Philip" in her name.

*** Luge is an interesting sport. I once rode my sled down the hill of my backyard backwards.. I hit my house, breaking my ankle. I imagine luge is the same feeling, only sometimes earning a more favorable ending.

*** I'm impressed with ski jumpers. But tell me, how do they practice? First day, work on your form with feet on the ground. Graduate to a practice jump from five feet. Once you've got that down, plummet off the ramp at ninety miles an hour and hope for the best.

There's really no middle ground from skis on the earth to skis skipping along the backs of pigeons in mid-air.

I used to watch people run off a wall and flip over landing on their feet. It looked easy. But to get from running toward a wall and flipping off it without slamming head first into it was a world apart.

*** Every year, an Olympian loses a loved one shortly before they are set to compete. Such was the case this year for Joannie Rochette, a Canadian figure skater. My question - which NBC executive is ordering this done in the interest of having a better story?

*** With half-pipe and full-pipe and all the sizes of pipe now being included in the Winter Games, it's more an exhibition for a Cirque du Soleil show than an Olympiad.

*** Figure skating and ice dancing? Is that really necessary? That's like having synchronized swimming and water dancing.

*** I was told that around 100,000 condoms were supplied to the Olympic Village this year. All the more reason for me to start my curling training.

Enjoy the remaining days of the games. Go Bahamas! Daddy's got a bundle riding on you for a gold!