I’ve been DVRing some of the track and field Olympic trials as well as the swimming trials. This afternoon I got to watch some track trials, which are taking place just two hours away in Eugene. The men’s 800 meter finals came up and as they introduced each runner we learned there were three Oregonians in the race…Nick Symmonds, Andrew Wheatey (U of O sophomore who just took up track a couple years ago) and Christian Smith. Throughout the first lap, the whole group of 8 finalists stayed kinda bunched up, but the Oregon men were basically at the back. It looked like Symmonds was getting a bit boxed in and might get stuck back there if he couldn’t find a hole to jump through and get around the group. Just in time, with about 150 meters left, he found that hole and began to uncoil with a kick to the finish that put him way out front. Wheating seemed to feed off of Symmonds’ energy and the feedback from the crowd (which was going wild) and put his 6’5″ frame to good use and pulled up into second. The battle was on for third place as the top three qualify for the Olympic team. Not only do you have to finish in the top three, the men must run a qualifying standard time of 1:46.00 at some point in the season, including this race. Smith was neck and neck with last year’s national champion and they both literally dove for the finish line! I mean, face plants on the track! Smith ended up in third place and beat out fourth place by .06 of a second. He had not met the qualifying time yet, so he needed it to happen in this race, or his third place wouldn’t matter. He ran a 1:45.47. He made it by .53 of a second! Three Oregonians, who also happen to live and train in Eugene, will be our men’s 800 meter team in Beijing. I’m tellin’ ya…that was some exciting stuff to see!!!! That Eugene crowd really knows how to energize their runners. I can’t wait for the Olympics to start!!!
*****
So You Think You Can Dance…
Wow. Two dances from each team tonight. And some pretty passionate ones! Fourteen performances are a lot to rank, so I think I’ll just mention my favorite numbers and then rank the couples.
Joshua and Katee – Mia Michaels routine (Katee with the tall hair)
Mark and Chelsie – Mandy Moore routine (purple and gloves)
Twitch and Kherington – Mia Michaels routine (the bed)
Will and Jessica – Mandy Moore routine (the shirt)
Joshua and Katee – Benji Schwimmer routine (hot pink)
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Joshua and Katee – This couple just seems to get whatever is thrown at them. They’re not over the top. They seem real and they balance each other.
Mark and Chelsie – This couple has really surprised me. They work so well together and maybe they’ve just been lucky with choreographers, but they seem to really connect with the movement and with each other so very well.
Twitch and Kherington – This is a great duo. Great chemistry and storytelling ability. Very versatile. Very beautiful.
Will and Jessica – He is phenomenal and is a great partner for her. She is really good but is missing the extra special something for me. They’re both beautiful people.
Gev and Courtney – They’re cute and solid and have given very nice performances. They just don’t draw me in as strongly as some of the others.
Matt and Kourtni – I think they’re both really talented, and tall, and I wonder if I might not like them better as solo dancers than together. I want to like them more, but their storytelling is not as strong as some of the others.
Thayne and Comfort – I enjoy them, but for some reason, they just don’t stick in my head like some of the others. They’re at a disadvantage because they’re a new pairing. Again, I may like them better as solo dancers.
I think Thayne and Kourtni are in the most trouble. But can you imagine Matt dancing with Comfort? She would look like a tiny little feather next to him!
