The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” which is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” Every time I watch the Olympics, I am amazed at just how much faster, higher and stronger Olympic athletes are performing. When it seems that a limit has been reached in a particular sport, inevitably someone comes along and sets a new record. It’s as if the word “limit” simply doesn’t exist in the rarified air of Olympic competition. If the cast and crew from “Blazing Saddles” suddenly showed up in Pyeongchang, South Korea, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if someone yelled out, “Limits? We don’t need no stinking limits.” Booyah.
The closing ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics take place Feb. 25, so we still have quite a few days of competition left. But when the Olympic flame is extinguished a week from today, it’s possible some of us will feel a little blue — kind of like that feeling you’d get as a kid when it was the last day of summer vacation, and as the day progressed you could feel all the joy leaving your soul. So, here’s what you need to do: Avoid those post-Olympics blues by reading and/or viewing material related to the Winter Games. In the reading list that follows, you’ll find sports-related titles naturally, but I’ve also thrown in a couple of books to help give some perspective about South Korea and Korean culture.
Oh, and for anyone who has experienced too much of the Winter Games and is hoping to ward off an Olympic hangover, please remember that the library has a diverse collection of materials, and we are happy to help you find as much non-sports-related information as you desire. A helpful tip when browsing the shelves: Books about sports reside in the 796 Dewey area of the collection, so dash right past that section if you aren’t a fan of such terms as “slalom” and “camel spin.” And my apologies for that sports-heavy sentence. GOOAALL!
• “The Crash Reel,” DVD directed by Lucy Walker: A documentary about the world of extreme snowboarding. Think Shaun White.
