The constant cloudy and rainy weather is playing havoc on my golf game and my mental health. Here is hoping it will be behind us soon.
Remember the name of Gabrielle “Gabby” Thomas. My guess is that she will be a household name after the upcoming Olympics. Only one woman in history has run 200 meters faster than Gabby Thomas, and that’s the legendary Florence Griffith Joyner. Thomas posted an eye-popping time of 21.61 seconds in winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field on Saturday. Flo Jo clocked 21.34 seconds to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games Seoul 1988 after going 21.56 in the semifinals. And now there’s Gabby, right below Griffith Joyner in the record books. Thomas even crossed the finish line with her arms in the air — reminiscent of FloJo in her heyday – which begged the question of how much faster she could have gone if she had powered through. The 24-year-old Harvard graduate knocked an astounding .33 seconds off her personal best – which she ran the day before – in recording the fastest time in 33 years. She also jumped ahead of 25 of the fastest women ever, including a Who’s Who of American world and Olympic champions such as Marion Jones (21.62), Allyson Felix (21.69), Gwen Torrence (21.72) and Evelyn Ashford (21.83).
Even a week later, I am having trouble comprehending the devastation of the collapse of the high-rise condo in Florida. Watching nearly an entire building collapse in which families were living is gut wrenching. I feel so bad for the people who lost their lives and have been seriously injured. The thought of people being trapped in the rubble for days causes a rotten feeling in my stomach.
It got ugly at the college world series during game one of the finals as a fan was spouting racial slurs toward the Vanderbilt fans. Fortunately, the person spouting the racial slurs left the stadium half way through the game before anything worse happened. It is a shame an ignorant idiot can take away what should be a shining moment for all the parents, players, coaches and officials. Hopefully, the idiot will be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I was shocked to learn that only one third of the homes in the Seattle, Portland, Vancouver area are equipped with air conditioning. Facing record heat for multiple days without access to air conditioning is a major health challenge for people. Hopefully, there will be cooler days ahead.
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Social Distance. Wear your mask properly. Schedule your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: Gabrielle “Gabby” Johnson. See above story.
Onion of the Day: The idiot at the college world series who decided to spout racial slurs toward the Vanderbilt fans.
Quote of the Day: “Keep the districts simple and square.” Nolan Finley in his blog today about Michigan’s redistricting effort.
Tonight I’m with my younger daughter and her husband. They are enthusiastic bicyclists and high/middle school mountain bike coaches. They were glued to replay of this morning’s Tour de France Stage 4. I learned so much from them this is one competition I’ll watch and continue to learn about.