the olympics

Peeve of the day: the Olympics.

OK people, the Olympics is indeed awesome, but it's not the be-all and end-all of every sport. I find it so incredibly annoying that the first thing that people ask me when they find out I do Taekwondo competitively is "are you going to the Olympics???"

NO I'm not going to the Olympics. In fact, the Olympics just passed so don't bother asking me for another 4 years because even if I was a contender I wouldn't have a chance at knowing for at least another 3 years. There are many people who are good at Taekwondo - far many more who are better than I - who are not and probably will not ever be Olympians. It's not like other sports where there are multiple events and multiple spots - the way they've made it, the chances of going are extremely slim. For those who have made it (yay Chinny!) it's a tremendous accomplishment - but the competition world extends so far beyond.

It's extremely annoying to be met with starry eyes at the prospect of being an Olympian and then to say no and have people go, "oh" and then lose interest. Frankly, I'd be more ecstatic about making it to the World Championships. At this rate, I'd have to jump through just as many hoops.

It's kind of like when people come up to me and think I'm Chinese. Because clearly all oriental people must be Chinese.

Anyways, this rant was spurred by my dad, with whom I had a conversation about Nationals today.

"Well, so you're the strongest person to win"

"No, actually, I'm not. There's the girl who beat me last year. I'm #2."

"Oh. I thought you were the best. So she beat you?"

"Yes"

"It's OK, it's not like it was for the Olympics or anything"

Mmph.