Seed Eating Finals---Mixed Pairs

There were several false starts due to the dive bombing nuthatch (upper right) which resulted in Frida Finch (lower right) being left behind on the starting line. There was an audible gasp as Freddy Finch saved the day, demonstrating  his agressive flying style and giving Frida a moment to compose herself. The offending nuthatch disappeared into the trees, but extra points were awarded to Frida for scoring a perch at a filled seed dispenser, giving Team Finch an early advantage. Persistent distractions from Adam Acorn woodpecker caused Team Finch to falter momentarily but they relied on their years of training to get back on track without giving up their prime perches.  They were playing to a mostly empty pavilion but Team Dog and their trainers were on hand to watch the exciting finish and the awarding of the Gold to this unflappable team.

Reporting from the 'real' Olympics, I have been musing on the effect that technology has had on scoring. On the one hand, the ability to register the touch of a hand at the end of a pool or the crossing of a finish line on the track is certainly much more precise and objective than the eye of a judge who is, after all, only human. On the other hand, after four (five this time) years of training in a single competition fraught with possibilities for injury or illness, when five swimmers finish within hundredths of a second of each other, is one of them really that much better? 

Watching the fencing last night who could fail to notice the space suit-like helmets of the contestants that not only made it impossible for the opponents (or us) to see each other's faces, but lit up garishly when someone made a touch. I thought it was downright weird, and somebody contested almost every touch anyway. I fenced briefly in my lost youth and one of the things that appealed to me was the aura of chivalry and valor which was completely eclipsed by weirdly lit helmets and faceless contestants.