Beijing: Bronze never looked so good

Eric was a high level gymnast back in high school and there are even a few shots of him on the podium with Paul and Morgan Hamm at regional meets. (Third against those two is definitely something to brag about, no matter how distant.)

So, when we heard that both Paul and Morgan had to withdraw due to injuries, we dropped our expectations of the American team a few notches. We knew the Chinese team was unbelievably good, and that without the Hamms, a medal of any sort was unlikely.




We had great seats, and I'm happy to report the stadium was much fuller than the weightlifting venue. My shots of the event didn't do it justice, so here are a few I found with google image search. (Can I just say that sports photography is incredibly tough? Those great pictures are not easy to make my friends.)



During the course of the meet, I developed a massive crush on Jonathan Horton after watching him give rousing pep talks to his teammates, nail routine after routine and then jump for joy when his fellas did likewise. It was truly inspiring.



You've probably already heard that the Americans managed to win bronze medals despite their underdog status. If they'd had a stronger pommel horse team, they might have been able to hold onto silver. But their beaming faces said it all. We were so thrilled to be there watching.