Today is Friday, August 8, 2008 –08-08-08. Are you feeling lucky? The Chinese consider the number 8 lucky and I’m sure many athletes are hoping the number will bring them luck, too, as today hosts the opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympic Games.
Being an Olympic athletic is something many people, including yours truly, at some point have dreamed off. As a kid I so wanted to be an Olympic gymnast; but that dream of mine was just that—a dream—and it’s only for a few people that such a dream comes true. Bear with me as I’m about to stray away from glass, but I’ll make my way back in the end …
The other night I was watching Project Runway (if you’re not familiar, think American Idol for fashion designers) and the contestants were given the challenge to design a uniform for women Olympians to be worn during the opening ceremonies (if you’re interested in knowing, this year’s uniforms were actually designed by Ralph Lauren. Just something to think about as you watch the ceremonies tonight).
Getting to the point … one of the designers created this shiny blue cocktail dress with red trim, which the judges criticized for not being very representative of the Olympics; the contestant said everything else he came up with reminded him of Wonder Woman. To which Michael Kors, one of the show’s judges and a famous designer responded (I’m paraphrasing), “The closest thing to a super hero this country has is an Olympic athlete!” And I just could not have agreed more.
Olympians strive to be the best at what they do—running, gymnastics, swimming, diving—and then they are given the honor to represent their countries at these games. This opportunity allows them to truly show their hard work, dedication and determination.
This year the games are in Beijing, a city that has recently seen major construction activity, upgrades and renovations in preparation for the swarms of people there this month. You can read more about some of the construction projects on www.usgnn.com today. Here’s a couple others that also showcase great glass displays.
The Water Cube is the Olympic Aquatics Center. It’s covered with translucent blue panels to provide an under-water feeling.
There’s also the new terminal at the Beijing Capital Airport (http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-26-2733226559_x.htm), which features a huge display of glass and steel.
I am excited to see what other new construction works will unfold for future Olympics; I know for a fact there will be some pretty top-notch jobs showing up in Vancouver for 2010.
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2 comments:
Ellen, I think you are on the right track. There should also be a catagory in the olympics for best designed building, quickest built building and the "can you guess what it is supposed to be" building.
The Olympics are obviously a great catch for any Country, there should definately be winners in a Design Field, financial field and don't forget ... green field.
Jim F
Thanks for your post! What a good idea ... maybe the Olympics planning committee would consider it for 2012!
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