I'm an Olympic junkie. I was sooo happy when they decided to have Olympics every two years because waiting four years was too much for me. Now I can more easily jump from being a women's soccer fan to a women's hockey fan in less than 24 months. I can be amazed at the gymnasts and the skiers on a more regular basis. And yes, I even watch the cheesy videos they make in order for us to love the athletes more. That's why last night as I held Ella while she slept, I almost stood up and dropped her.

Last night's "Olympic Moment" focused on the women of downhill skiing and the many crashes that have occurred this year. The two lines that got my blood boiling were:

So far in 5 days a lot has gone wrong for more than a few people, but none so much as the women of downhill. Last year they petitioned skiing's governing body to make the Olympic course and *inaudible* air more difficult, maybe they had no idea what they were asking for.

[watch video]

I'm sure that the intent of the video was to show another come from behind story based on Lindsey Kildow's crash while skiing 50mph during Monday's training run and then her return to the slope and finishing in 8th place. Not bad for someone who was badly injured and was no doubt very, very, very sore and bruised. But in my head the commentary sounded more like "women aren't tough enough" or "women overestimate what they can do." Specifically the line that I transcribed from the video about the women skiers asking for the tough course and thus shouldn't complain when they wipe out.

I'm not an Olympic historian, but my I swear that I've seen the men in one sport take just as bad a beating and never been faulted for wanting to push themselves and the sport to a new height. The bottom line is that the commentary puts doubt into girls heads. Doubts about what is expected of them and of their role models.

"Let's make the track less touch little ladies."

Instead the commentary should have taken the high road.

"Last year the skiers asked for the new course to be more difficult. They wanted to test their bodies, their skills, and push the sport to a new level. As with any new endeavor, there will be falls and set backs, but in due time, the athletes will rise to the occasion and we will look back at the Salt Lake course with the same quaintness as we look back at figure skating in the 1950s."

Every athlete at the Olympic games pushes their bodies and pushes the sport in a new direction. They should be applauded for that. Not mocked for wanting more.