How Do Past Medal Winning Olympic Athletes Measure Up?

Below are a few more photographs of past Olympic medal winning athletes standing along side my children.

Nastia Liukin

Nadia Comaneci (in high heels) and Bart Conner

Kerri Strug

Just to give you an idea of scale, my daughters are close to 5'3"/1.3m and my son 6'5"/1.9m in height. I think the medal winners stand head and shoulders above us ordinary people. Even without the help of high heels.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Autographed Swim Caps Traded for Event Tickets

I got the whole story of how my children got the tickets to the swimming finals on Friday. They didn't win a raffle for the tickets at the Visa lounge, they won two swim caps signed by Michael Phelps. Not really what they wanted to win. They wanted tickets to an olympic event. The person that won the tickets didn't want their prize. They were/are related to an olympic swimmer and already had tickets to the swimming finals. I am not sure who approached whom but the autographed swim caps were traded for the two tickets. That is how they got to attend the historic swimming final events on Friday.

So, here are the youngest two holding the stars and strips at the top of the aquatic center before the events.

Here are photographs of each individually holding the national symbol. I think this is for each FB page. 

It's a good thing that flag isn't much wider than 5'3"(1.6m).



I don't think either of them will ever forget the events on that evening.

Not Missy Franklin's gold medal swim

nor Michael Phelps' historic 17th individual Olympic Gold Medal.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

London 2012 Olympic American Snapshots

Snapshots of interesting London 2012 Olympic paraphernalia captured by American tourists under 30 yrs old.

This is a filmstar Wenlock. A Wenlock is the mascot of London 2012 Olympics. Before the 2012 Olympics, Wenlock was a place in Shropshire, England or a geological term for rock. 

This type of Wenlock is silver and carries balls in its hands.

This snapshot and the one below are walk upon billboards with Olympic trivia 

If only President Reagan weren't so jingoistically stubborn we would measure metrically.

This floating barge looks better at night when it is lighted and the water doesn't seem as dirty

Structure that mounts Olympic rings to London Bridge. Each time the draw bridge opens the rings are tucked up flush with the mounts.

Traffic jams blocked some of the main routes into the city as the wildly unpopular "Games Lanes" took effect. The 30 miles (48 kilometers) of lanes are to operate from 6 a.m. to midnight throughout the games, and cars or taxi cabs that stray into them face a 130-pound ($200) fine.

The private firm responsible for Olympic security fell short of hired personnel. The military stepped in to help.

Courtesy of Leabank Square Neighbors' Assoc

This is just across the river from my daughter's apartment. The bike path was closed to the public and is being patrolled constantly by the military.

Urinals on the way to Hackney Wick Overground station. I understand they are a European thing.

Opening ceremony fireworks as seen from by daughter's apartment complex. It was also my son's-in-law birthday.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved