Page 58 - Demo

58 || MOST FITNESS || FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016MFM: We%u2019re hoping for an epic Opening Ceremony. Can you share an opening ceremony highlight from years past? LM: I%u2019ve been around some pretty amazing moments in sports history and have witnessed some inches from my face, but not many compare to the 1996 lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta by Muhammad Ali. I remember watching this moment with my family on TV and hearing Bob Costas%u2019 words, which summed up the moment perfectly %u2013 %u201cAnd the response [Ali] evokes is part affection, part excitement, but especially respect. What a moment.%u201d I don%u2019t think there was a dry eye anywhere around the world.MFM: Tell us about one of your Olympic memories.LM: During those same 1996 Olympic games, I did not leave my TV for even a snack break when the Magnificent Seven were competing. The personality of Dominique Moceanu in her %u201cDevil Went Down to Georgia%u201d floor routine, and that famous vault by Kerri Strug was simply perfection. And after they won the first ever team gold medal in gymnastics, I had to go out and buy the Wheaties box and every memorabilia they had. MFM: What%u2019s your favorite Olympic sport to watch? LM: I%u2019m a sucker for a beautiful, long program figure skating routine, so during the Winter Olympics it%u2019s figure skating. Especially now that Tara Lipinkski is one of the commentators on NBC. And gymnastics is a can%u2019t-miss for me during the Summer Olympics.