2008 OPENING CEREMONIES WERE BEYOND GREAT

2008 OPENING CEREMONIES WERE BEYOND GREAT

Roger A. Davis

Beijing’s Bird Nest was the stage
2008 Drummers in unison, what a rage
Lighted Olympic Rings rising from the floor
A giant, unrolling scroll and so much more

Singing, dancing and fireworks displays
Costumes, history and symbolic arrays
The moving printing blocks, an unbelievable feat
For me, the drummers; and to this, all else took a back seat

The people dressed in lights were awesome to see
Patterns, precision combined to a tee
Especially the gymnastic bird nest
Art, dance and technology at its best

A circle of 2008 masters of Tai Chi Chuan
Moving together like one man
Waving school children, center seated
Symbols of the new and the old will not be defeated

The parade of athletes, host country goes last
Something special happened as their flag passed
Yao Ming, the flag bearer at seven foot six
Beside him, a small second grader thrown into the mix

Lin Hao, a recent earthquake survivor and hero
Captured my heart and the show
He crawled out of the rubble, then twice back in again
Saving two classmates; the Games’ exclamation point was Lin

BIRD'S NEST: THE BEST

BIRD’S NEST: THE BEST

Roger A. Davis

National Stadium, one of its two names
Home for track & field of the 2008 Beijing Games
Saw a show about the making of this venue
The most artistic stadium, I agree; would you?

National Aquatic Center: The Cube is its nickname
Home of Michael Phelps’ fame
Eight Golds earned, one for each race
Most World Records won in one place

Olympic Basketball Gymnasium in Beijing
Sand covered colored waves; a beautiful thing
One World, One Dream
Home of the USA Gold Redeem Team

China’s showcase, untold millions spent
A+ for the Olympics overall event
TV coverage showed the ancient and the new
My vote: in the future, an encore is due

TRAMPOLINE WATCHING IN BEIJING

TRAMPOLINE WATCHING IN BEIJING

Roger A. Davis

Yes, I got my 42 inch HD TV and DVR machine
Watched 16 hours a day, including Trampoline
Swimming and Track Races, many world records set
Phelps set 7, yet longed to get home to his bulldog pet

Weightlifting, Table Tennis and Badminton
With these events, I was quite smitten
Beach Volleyball, Kerri and Misty won Gold
Medal winner, Dana Torres, 41 years, not too old

Team wins, only one added to overall count
Why not one for each member to the podium they mount?
Subjective judging, another pet peeve
Each judge doing his best, I’d like to believe

Equestrian, Walking, Shooting and Archery
Handball, BMX, Soccer and Field Hockey
Rowing, Wrestling, Boxing and Tae Kwon Do
Gymnastics, Diving and Water Polo

A partial list of watched sports
Not included many bio reports
I’d like to thank NBC for so much pleasure
Beijing's 2008 Olympiad, I’ll always treasure

OLYMPIC RINGS

OLYMPIC RINGS

Roger A. Davis

Five interconnected rings symbolizing Unity
A five-continent sports peace treaty
The torch and the flag on display
Burning and flapping until the final day

Summer and Winter Games are every four years
Athletes testing themselves against their peers
Gold, Silver and Bronze awards to the first three
Yet, all those who compete should be looked upon highly

Sportsmanship is a paramount thing
This was true for 2008 in Beijing
The Chinese were a gracious host
Humble even after winning Gold the most

Athletes are now back in their native lands
London in four years, the torch will pass hands
May the unity, beauty and grace of Beijing 2008
Last until 2012 when the nations reunite to participate

CLOSING CEREMONIES SUMMARY

CLOSING CEREMONIES SUMMARY

Roger A. Davis

Competition in Beijing those final days
There was hardly any smoggy haze
Just the fireworks’ smoky residue
From the Closing Ceremonies that blew

Again, drummers and ladies gorgeously arrayed
Many concentric circles displayed
Musicians, singers and dance acts
With TV analysts giving us amazing facts

The lighted circle cycles were a tough act to follow
Also, the people dangling gravity-free like in Apollo
Athletes marched in as a mixed lot
Some wearing the medals they got

The Olympic Flag Exchange was done without much fuss
To represent the change, out came a double-deckered bus
After a dance skit, it transformed into a stage
Featuring pop star, Ms. Lewis, and Led Zeppelin legend, Jimmy Page

Next, the extinguishing of the Flame Tower
Then, the Memory Tower extravaganza, exuding power
A frenzy of song, dance, color and Olympic memories
Top spot for ceremonies to the Chinese


Dedicated to those who participated and did not medal.