Bringing the Olympics home

I love the Olympics.  I always have.  I love the Summer Games and the Winter Games.  For the next two weeks, you will find me glued to the tv every night.   I may even give up sleep to watch the late-night coverage and then get up early to check internet coverage.  Either way, I will probably be sporting my latest jewelry-making project, my very own set of Olympic rings.

via Remarkably Domestic

I vividly remember watching the '84 Games in Los Angeles when Mary Lou Retton took the women's gymnastics all-around title with her two perfect 10.0s on the vault.  I decided then that I was going to be a gymnast and started practicing on my own.  Yeah, that dream fell by the wayside one day when I realized I was too tall to be a gymnast, so I was going to turn to rhythmic gymnastics since you could be taller there.  Unfortunately, my practice sessions didn't work out so well, and somehow not one coach or recruiter ever happened to be driving by to see my feeble attempts natural talent with a ribbon or hoop.
Anyway, a recent issue of Family Fun magazine had an article about adopting a country to cheer for during the Games.  The family in the article rewarded each family member for the medals earned by their adopted countries.  A gold medal equaled a quarter, a silver would earn a dime and each bronze medal would get a penny.

After drawing countries out of a hat, we are going to be cheering for France, Finland, Russia, Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Australia and China. (Germany and Italy are also in the top 10 for highest medal count, historically.)
I made up a tracking sheet with our country's flag, so we can keep our own medal tally.  (I'm thinking the youngest kids are going to clean house with Australia and China!)  We may hang on to the same countries for the Winter Games in two years.  I'll have a much better chance of scoring with Finland there, I think.  I also made a USA tally sheet.  We'll track our medals and put the funds toward a fun family outing.
Do you have any fun Olympic traditions?  I'd love to hear about them. :)