Brian's Olympic Challenge

This idea hit me this morning and it has me excited.

I love sports, all sports! I love watching them and I love playing them. I read about them and I talk about them all the time. As a kid I played Gaelic Football, I boxed for a few years, I cycle and I still play football (that's soccer if you are from America or rural Ireland).

I can’t wait for the Olympics in London this summer; I end up watching all sorts of events during the Olympics. Archery or Athletics, Diving or Weightlifting, bring it on!

BUT here’s the problem; I’ve only ever actually tried out a couple of the events myself ...so how can I truly appreciate them?

How can I really know how difficult it is nail that Triple Jump or to keep balance on the Beam if all I have ever done is watched it from the comfort of my couch?

The reality for me is I’m no longer a kid; I’m a 28 year old with average fitness and average sporting ability. I’ve never been exceptional at any sport yet and am not going to fulfill an Olympic dream on the track at this stage.

So, the idea: Between now and the opening ceremony of the London Olympics on 27th July 2012 I am going to try out as many Olympic sports as possible. I’ll blog about my experience of each one and educate myself (and any readers) a little on that sport

That’s the plan. That’s Brian’s Olympic Challenge. 

...One other thing on my mind is how did some of these Olympic athletes get a start in their sport? Sure, kids will play football on their road, a game of chasing shows you who runs fast, P.E will introduce you to a couple of random sports ...but how did the kid who was a natural Javelin thrower figure that out??

I was in clubs and grew up in a family that encouraged sports ...but I never got near a Javelin! or a Row Boat or Fencing equipment or any number of sports.

I don't know if it’s a class thing or the result of schooling / geography / climate / a million other things - I’m sure they are all factors. I do know it’s something as a society we need to do better. Maybe I could have been a world-class Fencer!

I have realistic outcomes here; my aim isn’t to discover a sport where I will be at Olympic qualifying standard or to become an expert in every aspect of a sport. I do expect to get a new appreciation for sport and a better understanding of each event.

By reading this blog maybe you can do the same …or just get a laugh at my attempts to conquer the Parallel Bars.

So, what’s first up? What Olympic event should I start off my challenge with???

The list of possibilities is here:  http://www.london2012.com/sport