The Winter Olympics are in full swing in Sochi. Everyone is excited to see the winter sports and the crappy accommodations Sochi has to offer.

Sochi has garnered a lot of attention lately for their accommodations for journalists and athletes. They had an issue with one of the Olympic rings in the Opening Ceremony. People have toxic water, and athletes are crashing through bathroom doors to get out. I doubt this was a part of Putin's Olympic dreams. The crappy accommodations add humor to these Olympics. The sports in the Olympics will temproraily distract us from how poorly prepared Sochi was for the massive influx of people. The sport that is capturing everyone's attention right now in Sochi is figure skating. 

Most of my friends are excited about the figure skating competition of the Olympics. The grace, the beauty, and the skill of each skater amazes the audience. This is the only sport I care about in the winter olympics because this is one of the sports I grew up doing. Every little kid dreams of going to the Olympics and having their face on a Wheaties box. MY dream was to go to the Olympics and win and have MY face on the Wheaties box. My coaches were Olympians and their daughter was projected to make it to the Sochi Olympics, but she was a few spots shy. I was supposed to have my chance, but I formed that dream when I was eight years old. I was too young to realize that not all dreams come true. Not everyone has their Olympic dreams come true. Why? Because injuries happen and/or life gets in the way. For example, Heidi Kloser (moguls skiing) was injured during a training run right before the Opening Ceremony. She tore her ACL and MCL, and she fractured her femur. She won't be competing in the Olympics, but at least she was able to walk in the Opening Ceremony. Dreams change because of different reasons. Mine didn't happen because life got in my way. Well, golf got in my way. I started golfing two years after I started skating. Trying to do both sports was a challenge, and I finally chose golf. And don't tell me that golf is not a sport. 

Watching the Sochi Olympics brings up bittersweet nostalgia. I miss the days of going on the ice, practicing a program for my next competition, and bruising my butt after every fall. I refused to wear the butt pads because I refused to have a lumpy butt. I'm glad I don't have to wake up at 5 AM for practices. I don't really miss the dresses or the tights either. I definitely don't miss any of the male skaters. I do miss the artistry and freedom that skating allows a person.

I may not be competing anymore, but I'll be cheering on those who still are. We have to give a lot of credit to those athletes who are able to live out their dreams. It's a lot of pressure on them both mentally and physically, as the whole world is watching.

So who should you look out for in the figure skating competition? Julia Lipnitskaia is my favorite and I'm rooting for her even though she's on the Russian team. She's amazing. She's fifteen years old and accomplished a lot more than I ever will. I'll be able to redeem my disloyalty to USA for rooting for Russia, as my favorites for ice dancing are Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White. 

So I'll be here, watching the figure skating competitions, and all of the beauty that they entail. I'll also have my eye on Nick Goepper in the Slopestyle Skiing competitions. Ladies, if you don't know who he is, I suggest you google him. He's a beautiful man.