New York, Nu York: Olympics Daydreaming

By ELLEN LEVITT
Updated: AUGUST 9, 2016 02:41
Ahh, the Summer Olympic Games. The excitement, tensions, frustrations and surprises of many different sports activities. I enjoy watching some events on television, but more often I just read about them in the news and try to play catch up. Whenever the Olympics are held, I hope for the very best for both the United States and for Israel; I want both countries to win medals and wow the crowds. I especially hope that Israel's athletes shine in their sporting events, and whenever there are Jewish competitors from the United States (and elsewhere, for that matter) I hope that they succeed and make us all proud.
Like many people, I have occasionally daydreamed or wondered what it be like to participate in the Olympics. Alas, I never really had any special particular athletic talents, so these are completely pipe dreams. (Could they hold non-fiction marathons? Blogging relays? Those I could participate in!) The closest I ever got to Olympic greatness was taking photos of fencer Katie Thibodeau when we were both students at Barnard College. She was on the fencing team at school, I was a yearbook photographer assigned to snap shots of her and her team, and sometime later she did participate in the Games.
I have also dreamed about going to the Olympics as a spectator, but the closest I got to that was in 1996, when I wandered into a food shop near where I taught at the time (Murry Bergtraum High School, near City Hall in lower Manhattan) and found a stack of Atlanta 1996 Games ticket brochures. I looked over the booklet I took, and thought about getting tickets to women's softball or some other event. Alas, by the time I put in an order they were sold out.
So here I am with Olympic Daydreams. And here is mine: I wish the Summer Olympics would come to New York City. I would love to see them spread out throughout the Big Apple, the five boroughs of my lifelong hometown. It would be wonderful to see swimming and diving meets, martial arts matches, track and field events. Heck, I would even got to a javelin competition. Anything!
And what about a Summer Olympics held in Israel? Could this ever, ever happen? Would it be so controversial and mired in red tape, or could it actually occur? Imagine all types of sports in the Holy Land! Pole vaulting in Tel Aviv. Gymnastics in Haifa. Weight lifting and wrestling in Jerusalem. And so much more. Jews 'n sports. It's a match made in heaven. Nu?