As many of you know, I haven’t exactly hid my excitement for this year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Ever since Rio ended, I have been eagerly awaiting the return of the world’s greatest athletes to my television screen. The Summer Games in 2016 were thrilling to say the least—but there is very little that stands in the way of my love for the winter games. There is an extra sense of adventure and danger that comes with the Winter Olympics. Whether that is hurling your body down an icy track at insane speeds or tossing your partner through the air while on skates, it doesn’t get much more enjoyable than watching these athletes make their dreams come true.
For these games, I have my heart set on Figure Skating. I cannot wait to watch Nathan Chen dominate in men’s figure skating, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Adam Rippon. Chen is a technical genius, nailing quad after quad with perfection. Rippon skates with such fervent emotion that he exposes his heart to world and lays it all on the ice in that moment. I would love to see both men medal for their gracefulness and tenacity on the ice. I am also eager to see how Bradie Tennell will fair in her first Olympic games after she burst onto the figure skating scene only within the last two months. She is certainly a power player and I think has potential to surpass Russia’s Evegenia Medvedeva if she can remain consistent. Medvedeva suffered a broken ankle throughout the season, but has skated flawlessly over the couple months of competition leading up to the Olympics, so only time will tell.
I am heartbroken that I will not get to see Charlie White and Meryl Davis grace us with their presence one last time, as they retired after the Sochi games, but I am happy that the Shibutani siblings will have their chance in the spotlight. They are a joy to watch and they know PyeongChang is their time to shine.
But to me the Olympics are so much more than the figure skating. For a little over two weeks in the summer or winter, in even numbered years, the whole world comes together. Though were are often glued to the television with family and friends cheering for our home country, I can sense that across the globe their are friends and family who are doing the same. For two weeks, the Olympics bring a different culture into my home. It makes the world a little smaller and welcomes me with open arms. It brings people together in a way that not many things do anymore. In a world that is no longer graced with family dinner, game nights, and wholesome family vacations—I get two weeks to sit with my loved ones and talk about the world’s greatest athletes as they embark on this amazing journey.
So yes, I am beyond excited. I am beyond thrilled. I am beyond happy.
I am feverish with joy because I cannot wait to partake in the festivities! Two weeks from now I will have been a part of the world’s greatest party. In the process, I will have made millions of new friends and learned a bit more about a country I have never been to, because that’s what the Olympics do. It opens doors and creates connections.
I am truly grateful I am invited, because I cannot wait to celebrate!
