by Charlie Hitchins
I'm 33 years old. I've lived through 18 Olympic games between summer and winter. I've always loved watching the Olympics. I even got to be a part of them when I worked for NBC Sports at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.
But, these 2012 games might be the best I've ever experienced. It's not because of the opening ceremony, though Arctic Monkeys killed their cover of "Come Together." It's not the events themselves or the drama surrounding badminton.
It is watching my 3 year old daughter experience the Olympics for the first time. Watching her and my wife get excited to see the gymnasts. and watching the awe on my daughters face when divers flip through the air and as she screams: "They went under! Yeah!".
Hearing my wife explain the difference between Beach and Indoor volleyball, and telling her that no it's not boys and girls, some girls just have short hair and some boys have long hair. It's her asking me if Micheal Phelps is a diver. It's the innocence in her eyes. It all reminds me what these games are supposed to be about.
The game are not my country versus yours, it's about striving for a goal. These games have been described as passing the torch to the next generation, and when I look at my daughter I see that torch already burning brightly in her eyes. So thank you to all the Olympians from every country for putting that fire into my daughter.