Wow, Day 10!

   If you had argued that the ninth day of this Summer Olympiad could be considered the best, it would have been easy to agree.  Bolt blazed through the final 50 meters of the dash, there was both indoor and beach volleyball, the Brits were beginning to take real advantage of home court.....
    But then, there was Monday.  Day Ten was, as the kids say, killer.  Jenn Suhr lined up for what may be her last shot at her rival, Isinbayeva. The men's hoop team had another challenge coming.  The women's 400 was on tap, and there was a serious semi-final in women's soccer between the United States and Canada.  This day started, for me, on the way to work, listening to Summer Games radio on Sirius.  The now omnipresent Missy Franklin gave a bubbly interview where she remained humble and impressive.
   I try to grab some results at work, but there are always events I want to see, whether that means on the web or on one of the NBC outlets.  The DVR has been working overtime.  Monday I watched while Buffalo News columnist Jerry Sullivan blogged and tweeted from Olympic Stadium during the women's pole vault.  Yes, The local angle drove the story, but the competition itself was compelling.  Each vaulter has a specific plan in mind to follow, to conserve energy, to conserve misses, to keep the pressure on the other vaulters.  As the misses add up and the bar itself goes up, the best laid plans get blown up.  All the while, the vaulters wait.  And wait.  And wait.  During the qualifying round on Saturday, the vaulters actually complained of a cross-wind, which, in a one hundred fifty foot tall, 80000 seat stadium sounds absurd, but was true.  The vaulters got serious at 4.50 meters, then the bar went to 4.70, 4.75 and so on.  Try doing the conversion in your head, to feet and inches.  google is no help, by the way, it converts to feet and decimal fractions.  Wanna tell me what .634 of a foot is, in inches?
    Ultimately, Suhr won the Gold on fewer misses, in a war of attrition.  Her plan worked, she beat Isinbayeva and every other competitor, and richly deserves the win.
    What made this even more fun was that while the vault was going on, Abby, Carli and the girls of USA Soccer were doing their best to getto the Gold Medal game by beating Canada.  After Seventy minutes or so, the game was tied at 1.  In the twenty minutes it took me to drive home,  Canada scored, the US equalized, Canada scored again, and then the craziness ensued.  In the second of two fifteen minute overtimes The UnitedvStates earned a free kick when, I think, theCanada keeper held the ball for longer than the allowed six seconds, or for delay of game.  Regardless, the Canadians set up the requisite wall of defense in front of their own goal.  The free kick glanced off the elbow of a defender and then hit a Canadian player squarely in her hands.  And in soccer, you just can't do that.  The Americans were awarded a penalty kick, and won the game.  One Tweeter called it the "Tim Horton's - Dunkin Donuts" game.
   I ramble on.  It was a really full day, a really fun day.  And there are still six more to go.