The old year is over. Long live the new year.
It’s worth looking back at the end of the year to choose the superlatives, such as they are. Here are a few from my highly-biased perspective:
Best Athletic Event: I signed up for the Richmond Marathon this November at the last second, after New York had canceled. Six thousand runners stepped off. It started cold but then turned into a beautiful fall day in Virginia. Great course and fans along the way. Mile 26 down the hill to Brown’s Island made me so happy I could cry. And I did.
Best Book Read: I read a lot of good ones, but I’ll stick with “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas. An uplifting tale of a revolutionary theologian who had the guts to stand against the greatest evil of his time.
Best Virginia History Book: Let’s go with “The Burning of Washington” by Anthony Pitch. A highly engaging tale of the District’s 1813 sacking by a small British army, who rolled through the Maryland militia at Bladensburg, then burned every public building in D.C. (side note: the British navy also sailed up the Potomac and caused Alexandria to promptly surrender. Not our best moment).
Best Movie: Believe it or not, I thought Skyfall was a sensational movie. It took James Bond to the next level in a lot of ways, with a history and context.
Best Athletic Moment (Professional): Yes, I was there when RG3 ran for 76 yards against the Vikings to seal an early win before a frenzied crowd at FedEX. Apologies to Jason Werth’s Game Six homer against the Cardinals.
Best Athletic Moment (Amateur): The USA women swept the podium at the 2012 Olympics, behind the leadership of Gabby Douglas, a young woman from Virginia Beach.
Best Musical Moment: I’ll resist the obvious choice of “Gangnam Style” and, instead, pair up Carly Rae Jepson and the Harvard baseball team. That was going to win going away until, shockingly, it was upstaged by the YALE MUSIC DEPARTMENT in their rendition of the same catchy pop song. Oh, those wacky Ivy Leaguers.
Anyway, those are a few of my favorite memories from 2012. Feel free to add yours below .