The big "O"

Not orgasm, not opera....

The Olympics... now over but in watching quite a few events, I had a few thoughts about the "olympic spirit," American values and even parallels to opera...

First off, I guess it is sad that the last bits of 'amateur' are gone. The constant barrage of endorsements, the behaviour of our two speed skaters and a clown on skis, just seemed to be too much. The behaviour of many of the American athletes really did not put us in the best light.

But one thing that I observed made me wonder about how the approach would work in the opera world. As I watched the final evening of the women's figure skating, I noted that so many seemed to be attempting moves and elements that were beyond them. While their faces betrayed disappointment and the announcers appeared to predict that they'd struggle with those spins/turns, it did not deter them from attempting them. The failure rate in these performances would never fly in the world of opera. Few singers would ever attempt to sing arias or roles knowing full well that they could not at least meet the minimum requirements...to me not falling down is a requirement.

And while I have always looked at operatic singing as a sport in many ways, it is a a sport that has some of the highest bars to reach. Hey, .333 is a great batting average (1 out of 3) in baseball. A 50% completion rate as a quaterback is a good ratio. A figure skater can fall twice and still receive a gold medal. Woe to the opera singer that cracks on a high note!

Oh, what a life, huh?