The US Women's Gymnastics team is trying to kill me...

Ok, so, I love gymnastics. I can cartwheel, roundoff, and do splits like every other childhood gymnastics fan. Since the Olympics have been on, I've been glued to the television, staying up well past my bedtime to catch all of the gymnastic goodness. It's been making me cranky of a morning.

My favorite part of the Summer Olympics has always been the gymnastic competition. Swimming? Bah. Fencing? Mais non, imbecile! Water polo? Surely, you jest. It's been the tumbling and twirling that has set my senses aflame for the last 30-odd years. The combination of balance, strength, and flexibility, so difficult to master, is just a joy to watch. And our women's team? Formidable, they are.

I had the opportunity to go to the Women's Gymnastics Finals in Philadelphia this year, where the team was chosen. Because of that, I feel like I have some kind of tie with those girls - like I know them better than the average Jane TV Viewer. I saw that Chellsie Memmel's ankle was giving her trouble at the Finals. I saw Alicia Sacramone perform a perfect floor exercise routine, and scratch with a laugh on uneven bars. I saw that Shawn Johnson could work a balance beam like it was made of metal and her feet were magnets. And I saw that Nastia Liukin moves like a dancer and springs like a coil on floor exercise.

While I've been thrilled to watch these ladies during this Olympics, I'm now just as thrilled that they're done competing. Now, I'll be able to get some sleep!