No Scrubs for 2.5 weeks ?!?!

In just a few short hours, the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics will air in the United States, and I must say, I’m excited for the games to begin. At the opening ceremonies, we will be able to see what kind of ridiculous outfits the Americans will wear (I seem to remember cowboy hats and berets being donned by our nation’s best in the past) and we can softly giggle at the tiny nation who offers up only one Olympian.

BUT, when I see that lone Olympian from a tiny nation I always imagine how incredible that man or woman must feel. This year, keep an eye on Andrei Drygin, downhill skier from Tajikistan, Dachhiri Sherpa, cross country skier from Nepal, and Mathieu Razanakolona, downhill skier from Madagascar. (A skier from Madagascar? I was under the impression that, in Madagascar, there was jungle, lemurs, sloths, and civil war. Who has time to ski? Is there snow in Madagascar?) These Olympians, among others, will walk alone tonight representing their entire nation, and I will be rooting for them the next couple of weeks.

I usually am a Summer Olympics guy, but this year I’m pumped for the Winter Games. Among the events I’m most excited to see are speed skating, and all of the ice tube type sports, one person luge, two person luge, two person bobsled, four person bobsled, and the skeleton. Skeleton, if you don’t know, is basically face fist luge. That is pretty rad if you ask me. And is “skeleton” the best name for a sport ever? I say yes. Oh, and the ski jump and that event where the skiers shoot guns at targets (reminds me of James Bond). I’m not really into the X-treme sports, and I don’t know why. I tend to dislike anything characterized as “extreme,” I think enduring more than 10 years of the X Games on ESPN2 (remember when it was The Deuce) did me in on the extreme sports. But perhaps this year will be the year I get extreme. I’m going to make an effort to open my mind up to the more novel, extreme sports events. I DO like that Shaun White, the red headed phenom (pictured above right) snowboarder. Maybe I’ll check him out.

While I’m not a very patriotic or nationalistic person, I root for the Americans whenever possible. I also like to find a few non-Americans to follow through the games, just to mix it up. I can’t wait to find out who they are…

Also keep a watch for this year’s hottest Olympians, Sasha Cohen (Figure Skating USA (pictured left)), Gretchen Bleiler (Snowboarding USA), Torah Bright (Snowboarding Australia), Anni Friessinger (Speed Skating Austria), and Lindsey Kildow (Skiing USA).

So get ready for some Wintery fun. It is cold in St. Louis, it is cold in Chicago, and it is cold in Torino. I don’t mind the weather, I’ve got scarves and caps and sweaters….