if the ioc ruled the world...

it's possible that world peace could exist. i said possible, not probable. but just think about it. engage opposing countries in the healthy spirit of competition, and provide awards (or oil contracts) based on merit, not money. look, if the north and south korea can march together in the parade of nations, anything is possible.

yes, that's right. the olympic fever has begun, and i will be restructuring my entire social schedule to accommodate the events. this is my favorite two weeks every four years (i don't really follow the summer olympics). it is an amazing amazing time. the best of the best in just about every category you can think of; athletes, media, caterers, drivers, florists. you name it.

i thought overall, they did a nice job with the opening ceremonies, although there were some strange moments; the car, the creepy spider people, the disco music, susan sarandon marching in the olympic flag. but strange moments are part of the opening ceremonies tradition.

in the category of things i did not know... there are some old athletes! there are two 52 year old lugers. werner hoeger (incidentally, a mormon, from boise, id), and anne abernathy; "it's not uncommon to see 52-year-olds lying down. but you figure they'd be on something comfortable. maybe a couch. probably not a sled. and certainly not a sled moving at speeds higher than their age. but that's what 52-year-old anne abernathy will be doing in torino. the florida-born abernathy, affectionately known as "grandma luge," is a classically trained singer and citizen of the u.s. virgin islands who this february will compete at her sixth winter games." wow.

i'm sure i will have mucho commentary in the following two weeks. but for now, i will leave you with some interesting tidbits from my 'olympic alerts':

12 cross country skiers have been suspended: "there is no proof that the athletes did anything wrong: elevated hemoglobin can be caused by simple dehydration or the body's acclimation to mountain air. but the test result raises the possibility of blood doping with synthetic hemoglobin or transfusions to increase the oxygen in the muscles."

dude. that sucks.


u.s. slider lund banned from torino: "the court of arbitration for sport decided friday that the american team's top slider should serve a one-year suspension because he ingested a common hair-restoration product that can also be used to mask steroids."

ha ha ha. hair-restoration product.


yang to break gender barrier for chinese team: "i am very excited,'' she said friday. "it is the first time it's a woman carrying the flag for china. it's a big step. it's not that in china there is no equality between men and women, but they think men are stronger and taller and that they can do it better.'"

what year is it again?


nyman, kroell earn downhill berths in second training: "steve nyman 's 11th place earned him the nod..."

nyman's from orem, y'all.


hedrick odds-on favorite for 5000m gold: "considering speed skater chad hedrick 's route to the winter olympics began while playing blackjack in las vegas, it's only fitting that he came to torino trying to hit the jackpot."

oh chad. *giggle giggle*


pairs skater reveals bout with lung cancer: "rena inoue needed to find more inner strength than she'd ever summoned up on the ice. a year and a half after her father died of lung cancer, inoue was diagnosed in 1998 with the same disease."

gotta love the sob story.


in watching the opening ceremonies, i realized that i hadn't heard anything about the torchbearers carrying the flame across the world. i missed that. i missed hearing about the people who had overcome challenges or created a better world just by being a part of it. and i look forward to learning more about this years' olympians. i find their stories inspirational and often moving. if you are starting to think that my 'coverage' of the olympics will be sentimental and nostalgic, you are absolutely 110% correct.

but before it goes that far, some of the athletes i'm watching this year are:

anne abernathy - luge
shannon bahrke - freestyle skiing
eric bergoust - freestyle skiing
gretchen bleiler - snowboarding
jeremy bloom - freestyle skiing
kc boutiette - speed skating
chad hedrick - speed skating
werner hoeger - luge
danny kass - snowboarding
michelle kwan - figure skating
steve nyman - alpine skiing
apolo anton ohno - short track
derek parra - speed skating
shaun white (a.k.a. the flying tomato) - snowboarding
chris witty - speed skating

and don't you fret, i just saved the best for last. the oh so bode miller. cause every girl loves a bad boy.

in addition to this fabulous intro to the 2006 olympics, i just have three words to end on for tonight: ross the intern. you can check out his interview here. i'll post his tonight show segments as they become available on youtube or elsewhere.