A different kind of Olympics

I had a 3 hour trip earlier this week, to West Sussex for a filming shoot and, as often is the case, I killed the time by reading some of my National Geographic Magazines. It felt fitting to browse my 500+ magazines for articles on past Olympic Games. The October 1964 article offered information regarding the 'modern games' and the July 1996 article celebrated 100 years of the modern Olympic sports. May 2008 focused on the Beijing Olympics whilst the August 2000 issue provided a glimpse at the Sydney Games.

The May 1984 issue, however, I brought with me by accident. It did not contain an article which reviewed past, present or future games, nor did it offer any sport-related article. My database was right in selecting this magazine to go with me on my travels, as I soon realised when I started searching the journal. It featured an article on The Olympic Peninsula.

Excited about the prospect of having a break from sport related reading, I continued to explore the article. I must say although I will be about 40 miles East of the National Park later this year (when I   enter Seattle) I have to admit my lack of knowledge for this landmass. From reading the 80s article, I got the first impression that despite it being geographically close to a highly developed and sophisticated culture,  the Olympic Peninsula is strictly in-keeping with its old cultural traditions. It's inhabitants follow nature's calendar, living to the rhythms of flora and fauna, as if animal-like themselves.

Geologically, the World Heritage Site was born as part of an offshore oceanic ridge, "swivelled to its present position during a massive tectonic shift". There's no doubt about its tectonic dynamics; it's "jagged peaks" that form Mount Olympus demonstrate the power of Physical Geography, and the inability of human control. The glaciers carve channels and cut off the migrationary path of snakes, bears, and wolves; all of which are common in parts of Alaska and Canada. (Don't remind me!)

It was through reading this article that I realised there were a lot of interconnections between the sport related Olympics and the National Park; it's not a coincidence that the park is named the 'Olympic' Peninsula. The Olympic Peninsula contains the "pounding surf of Pacific beaches to lush rainforests" for which there is "profound respect for nature's reign". Only this last week, billions have looked up and respected the reign of Bolt in the 100m Sprint, Murray in the Tennis, Hoy in the Cycling. The public, as ever, are proud to be part of their own country and respect the sports-men and sports-women who make life long sacrifices to win gold, just as the small communities of the Olympic Peninsula respect and are proud to be part of such an untouched wilderness.

We're only halfway through the 2012 Games, and already it is clear from watching the TV coverage and scanning the newspapers, that the younger generation are becoming more and more inspired by the efforts of the athletes, the swimmers, the rowers, the jumpers; the sportspeople. They will fuel themselves with motivation and determination by watching this older generation aspire for excellence, much like how the moss and the saplings feed off the nourishment from centuries old wind toppled trees in the Olympic Peninsula.

In all aspects of life, we can make interconnections between the physical and human environment; it's what Geography is all about. The Olympic Peninsula was never named after the Olympic Games, to my knowledge, nor vice versa, but the fact still remains; there are many similarities between the two; the person who can identify this, I think, is a true geographer.

The Games might be classed as the 'Greatest Show on Earth', but I would be hard pressed to make a decision between a seat at the 100m final and a seat on the summit of Mount Olympus.