Friday, July 19, 2024

The Games Are About To Begin

Another week has gone by. Another summer weekend is here.

As it turns out, the first athletic event of the 2024-25 season for Princeton will not be five weeks from today. It'll be five weeks from tomorrow, as the women's soccer team will be hosting Miami on Saturday, Aug. 24.

In the meantime ...

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The Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Olympic Games are one week from today. As TigerBlog said a week ago, they begin at 8:24 pm in France. That's 20:24, which is the point of being so specific.

In case you're planning to watch the Games, there is a six-hour time difference between Paris and the Eastern Time Zone in the United States. 

Princeton will be represented by 26 athletes at these Games, of which 25 are current or former Tiger athletes and one of whom is a staff member who will run the marathon for Jordan. That's a record for a single Olympiad for Princeton.

The sport with the most Tigers will be rowing, which is also the sport all-time that has produced the most Princeton Olympians. This year, there will be nine Princeton rowers. 

Next up is fencing, which will have seven Tigers represented. There will be four in track and field, two in water polo and one each in field hockey, 3x3 basketball and swimming.

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TigerBlog wrote a feature story this week about Lizzie Bird, who will be running the 3,000-meter steeplechase for Great Britain for the second straight Games. Bird finished ninth in the event in Tokyo three summers ago.

Bird is way more than just a track athlete. For one thing, she graduated from law school at the University of Colorado in 2.5 years, between the Tokyo Games and the ones about to start. On top of that, she has already passed the bar exam.

Bird graduated from Princeton in 2017 after winning two Ivy steeplechase titles and one Ivy cross country title. She has made a huge jump from her college career to her international success, which includes a second-place finish in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the U.K. record in the event. 

TigerBlog tweeted out the link to the story (which you can read HERE). Bird then responded with this:

Probably the only article you'll read that features the Battle of Trafalgar, steeplechase, and my 3-year-old niece.

If that doesn't get you to want to read it, then TB doesn't know what will. 

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Bob Newhart died yesterday at the age of 94. 

If you're in TB's age range, then you grew up watching "The Bob Newhart Show" as part of CBS's Saturday night lineup that included "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." You also probably watched "Newhart," his next sitcom, the one that had the most extraordinary ending of any series in TV history.

Don't believe TB? Watch every episode of both shows and then you'll get it.

Newhart was known for his deadpan delivery and perfect comedic timing. He's up there with the greatest of his time (and all time) — Newhart, Rodney, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and not too many others.

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TigerBlog saw almost everything that Bob Newhart was in, and he at one point probably listened to all of his comedy records (those were things you put on a turntable; look it up).

At the opposite end of the entertainment scale is Flavor Flav, someone whose work TB knows little about, other than his trademark giant clock necklaces. Some research yesterday reveals that Mr. Flav can play 15 different instruments and was a founding member of the rap group Public Enemy.

Oh, and apparently, he's good at water polo. Or at least he's tried water polo.

There are two Princetonians in that spot, by the way. Ashleigh Johnson is the goalie, and TB feels like she didn't give her best effort on that shot. Jovana Seculic will also be on the U.S. team in Paris. 

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Have yourselves a great weekend. 

And remember — the first women's soccer game is now moved back a day.

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