Dear Kid,

Thank you for not competing in the decathlon.

Not only are these incredible athletes (understatement of the day), and not only do they compete all day for two days in a row (stamina for athletes and spectators alike!), but they need to have an enormous supply of batteries.

Huh? Batteries?

Yes, batteries.

Because figuring out where you are the standings requires crazy calculations, lookup tables, advanced calculus, and three or four commentators.

“Well if Athlete A throws the javelin as far as he’s capable of and then Athlete B leaps over tall buildings in a single bound then Athlete C can win if he is wearing purple on Thursday.”

I can hold my own with most of the math taught in junior high, but this starts to get a little crazy.

Fortunately, the Olympics come with plenty of computing power and plenty of commentators to muddy the waters.

(Or is that just algae in the water? #RioSnark)

Hope you’re finding some time to enjoy The Games before classes start.

Love, Mom