goodbye vancouver

Though I haven't written about the Olympics over the last two weeks, that doesn't mean I wasn't glued to every second. Every Cris Collinsworth emotional back story, every unlikely (and otherwise unimportant) rivalry, every victory and every devastating loss that I suddenly found myself caring about.

The Olympics are great. If for no other reason than to remind us of the ridiculous talent on this planet. So, here are a few closing thoughts on Vancouver 2010:

Vancouver 2010 was the year of pretty athletes. Between Vonn, Mancuso, Lysacek, Rochette, Virtue, Moir, Ohno, Miller, and just about every bobsled brakeman I could see, it was just a ridiculous pile of pretty.

There's a lot of Lycra involved in just about every winter Olympic sport. Hey, it keeps them warm.

I could do without Mary Carillo's "learn about Canada" segments. More Collinsworth.

He's absolutely amazing, but I'm worried Shawn White isn't as nice anymore.

What are the chances Apolo Ohno has Bob Costas' job in 2010? (first, lose the soul patch)

The US athletes were not only the most decorated, but the best dressed in the games. Although, I'm not sure if I approve of the faux-denim snow boarding pants.

Favorite NBC commentators: Scott Hamilton (figure skating), Dick Button (figure skating), Jonny Moseley (skiing), Ted Robinson and Andy Gabel (short track), Dan Jansen (speed skating). Obviously, I'm a fan of the former athletes.

Question: Are you supposed to put your hand over your heart during the US National Anthem? Or is that just the pledge of allegiance? Someone needs to make a ruling and share it with all future Olympic gold medalists.

Least favorite commentators: Sandra Bezic (figure skating) who's always bitchy, and whichever bobsled commentator kept using the phrase "cat fight" to describe a disagreement between a female German bobsled driver and her former brakeman.

Favorite couple: You gotta love the Olympic love stories. My favorite this year was the Chinese couple that took gold in pair skating - Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo.

Best gold medal presentation: Ice dancing couple Virtue and Moir. They looked like they were having so much fun up there busting out "Oh Cananda"!

The closing ceremonies were such a hoot! I always think of them as so boring and somber. What a fun way to close it out by displaying all that is funny and talented about Canada. Gotta love any country that will make fun of itself on an international stage.

Looking ahead to Sochi 2014, the Georgian Olympic team has very a good point here.