Gymnastics and swimming are the two sports I’ve watched the most in these Paris Olympics.

It probably has something to do with participating in both sports as a kid.

Kae, age 11, competing in butterfly for the Concord Swim Club.

I wasn’t very good at gymnastics. I remember doing a somersault on the balance beam. That was the highest level of difficulty I achieved. I can’t imagine doing the maneuvers the women do today even at a non-Olympic level.

When it comes to the floor I’m not sure I can do a cartwheel anymore; certainly not with straight legs. Once upon a time I could do handsprings—front and back. We always did them with our hands touching, not the multiple flips these athletes accomplish.

It’s remarkable how the routines on all the apparatuses for women and men evolve every four years. These athletes keep pushing themselves and their competitors. That is another fascinating thing—to see how sports evolve.

To this day I still like to swim laps, but I don’t have the opportunity that often. Even so, I try to swim one lap of butterfly each time just to prove to myself that I still can.

Breaststroke was actually my worst stroke. Not sure what that was about. To see how far out of the water the racers come as they use their arms and rise to breath is phenomenal. I’ve tried it and my body just doesn’t do that. I’m totally old school.

I watch the swimmers today and it’s like a whole different sport. A good dive in my day was shallow, where you skimmed the top of the water and immediately started your strokes. Now it’s about going deeper on the dives, kicking more underwater and conserving the number of strokes to save your strength.

Same goes with turns and what they do underwater. It’s not what I was taught.

Kae swims the old-style breaststroke in 2021. (Image: Sue Wood)

Back in the day we couldn’t do the dolphin kick underwater before popping up. Now it’s the norm.

I might be able to teach someone how to swim, but I would not be able to teach them the strokes they’d need to compete. It’s just so hard to believe there could be so many changes in my lifetime to swimming.

And what about table tennis and badminton? They look nothing like what I’ve played with friends.

All the athletes are amazing. I love this every four-year spectacle. I can’t wait for LA when I’m sure I’ll be awe-struck my something else.