Everybody knows that I pretend to play basketball, but I must admit that my passion is spending every bit of free time lounging on my couch watching the Olympics. I’d have to say that so far it has been a rather entertaining Olympics after Week One. Here are my highlights:

First of all, we’ll start with long track speedskating. The men’s 5,000 meter was on Sunday, and I am always amazed at how fast these guys can fly. Chad Hedrick churned out 5,000 meters in 6:14. That is absolutely insane. He is carrying speeds upwards of 30 mph around that track.

Hedrick, the all-universe inline skater, won the gold despite his funky skating style, a style that looked exactly the same as every other skater racing that day, despite how much the color-commentator was trying to convince me differently.

“You see how he gets that double push off the ice, that is pure inline skating.”

Sorry boss, all I saw was a guy with tree trunks for legs propelling his body at lighting speeds.

Number two on the highlight list would have to be Shawn White. That fellow – and by the way he doesn’t like the name “Flying Tomato” causing me to laugh out loud every one of the 50 times they called him that – is sick nasty.

Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of browsing ESPN.com a couple hundred times a day, and I read about White winning the gold long before I got to watch it. Needless to say, I wasn’t nearly as flabbergasted as the commentators when White fell in his first run of the prelims. White’s gold-medal-winning run had to have been one of the most flawless runs I have ever seen though, as that man nailed all his tricks. Brava “Flying Tomato.”

Third on the list is Bode Miller. Before Miller landed in the media a few weeks ago after admitting to having raced while intoxicated, I knew absolutely nothing about him, aside from the fact that he could get down a mountain faster than a fried chicken down a fat man’s gullet.

Now, though, I must say I am a fan. No, he is not your typical Olympian, a guy who goes by the book.

He is a fearless athlete who is not afraid to admit he has loads of natural talent and manages to be 100 percent prepared for every event he skies despite his social habits.

I have even more respect for him after how professionally he handled his disqualification in the Nordic combined event, which he was leading handily.

Next was the men’s curling match between the United States and Finland. Yeah, I said it, curling! I watched an entire men’s curling match Monday afternoon and it was great (except for the fact that I was trying to write a feature article at the same time. Oh boy are the Olympics detrimental to my academic career).

Peter Fenson, the U.S. skipper can really push those rocks. The man had a 95-percent accuracy rating for the match, which is good. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Unfortunately the Finns, led by a math-wiz whose last name has way too many vowels in it to be printed in The Daily Illini, matched Fenson shot-for-shot and the Finns pulled out a 4-3 victory with a score in the ninth end.

Finally, men’s hockey began yesterday. After spending four days having to watch women’s hockey, I was stoked.

Don’t get me wrong, this was the first time I actually took the time to watch women’s hockey, and it isn’t bad. It is just a little frustrating when the players can’t hit each other, and you spend the whole competition waiting for the time when the U.S. finally gets to play Canada.

So my friends, though this weekend I may be playing basketball, (at IMPE actually, come out and show some support,) in my heart I’ll be on my couch watching the Olympics. Adieu.

Josh George is a senior in Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].