If you could be a Summer Olympic athlete, what sport/event?

Indoor volleyball. Love watching volleyball.

As a child, I would have picked gymnastics thanks to Olga Korbut and her high flying bars routing from 1972.

But now, I like the classic look of the older sports so I would choose archery, javelin, or the insanity of the pole vault.

For me, there is no doubt about it. 100 metres dash. I always want to know what it feels like to run that fast.

@MotherOfDragons Badminton is actually quite a dangerous sport. A lot of serious ligament and tendon damage occurred at that level. They are literally doing splits when they are stretching for the shuttlecock. I remember the Chinese woman playing for the bronze medal in London was injured during the match, and I have never seen her play again.

@Canuckguy I had no idea. I remember playing it as a kid and my brother and I would hit the shuttlecocks as high into the air as we could and watch the bats attack it (we’d play until it got dark). It was one of the least-dangerous sports I played as a kid-our only worry was rabies, lol.

I guess I’ll stick with dressage :slight_smile:

Rowing. I did it with a community rowing group years ago, but had to give it up because of time constraints (at least that was my excuse). It requires endurance and strength and has a rhythm of its own.

I take yoga with a man who was an Olympic rower a million years ago (1960). He’s in great shape. Still rowing, but now uses a rowing machine.

@MotherOfDragons - I’m not sure any Olympic activity is injury free. While dressage seems like the most benign of the equestrian sports, when you are working with 1200+ lb animals, there is an inherent risk of injury.

http://eventingnation.com/courtney-king-dye-silva-martin-press-on-after-brain-injuries/

Although you could always own a dressage horse and have someone else ride for you. :wink:

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/06/18/155300766/a-horse-is-a-horse-unless-of-course-its-ann-romneys-dressage-champ

Why don’t they have Olympic bowling?

That would be my top choice.

Other choices include shooting, soccer, and volleyball.

For those who love gymnastics, don’t give up hope:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/olympics/2016/live-updates/rio-games/scores-and-latest-news/a-41-year-old-gymnast-41-just-may-make-the-vault-finals/

“Stop and think about this: Chusovitina, a 41-year-old woman in a sport dominated by girls, is competing in her seventh Olympics and had already won an Olympic gold, her only gold medal in the Games, by the time Simone Biles of the U.S. team was born in 1997. When Gabby Douglas appeared in her first Olympics in 2012, Chusovitina was competing in the Games for the sixth time. Her son, Alisher, is older than the youngest gymnast in Rio.”

@Marian -There was a proposal to add bowling to the 2020 Games but it did not make the final cut. Maybe someday.

Fun little quiz. I got 12/16 correct.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/09/sports/olympics/olympic-bodies-can-you-guess-their-sport.html?_r=0&utm_source=designernews

I only got 7!

100 meters. Like kelsmom, I was a middle school/high school sprinter. Chariots of Fire is one of my favorite movies :slight_smile: If not that, then gymnastics (I’m a gym mom.) Or archery–because it looks cool.

I only got 5!

I got 6, ha! Hard for me to peg a body type to a sport-I mostly guessed by height and weight.

I got 11. Guessed with a couple too, process of elimination.

@PrimeMeridian I want to start Men’s Synchronized Swimming

Is this you?

http://wpdh.com/the-greatest-snl-skit-of-all-time-video/

I might actually be cut out for this if I was a guy :smiley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PlrNLhyFCI

I cannot do a damn thing any of the sports folk can do. Not near, not close, not ever. So I guess I would have to pick announcer. I could do that!