Okay, sports fans it’s time to get ready to hear the phrase that will ring through your brain each and every night. It goes something like this, “We must warn you that if you don’t want to know the Olympic results from today, you have two minutes to hit the mute button or leave the room.”

The 29th Olympiad is set to kick off in smog-chocked Beijing tomorrow. For those looking for a real adventure, the mind-numbing opening ceremonies have been pushed back one-half hour so we can enjoy watching each and every country walk into the bird’s nest main stadium. I know this is important for the athletes as part of their Olympic experience, but for the people at home, it’s akin to watching grass grow. The International Olympic Committee could do us all a big favor and let us watch the cultural opening ceremonies, then let the athletes parade in while we go to bed. Food for thought, guys.

I actually like watching the Olympics ... and hate it when they ruin it for all of us each day as they post winners on the internet and at the top of each news hour. Wait a day until everyone has had a chance to sit on the edge of his or her sofas, futons and La-Z-Boys as the drama unfolds. And unfold it will. This Olympics already has had the high drama of the Olympic trials, which have already quashed the dreams of some, while some of the oldest athletes will compete.

The water sports already have some of the most anticipated drama after 41-year-old mother of a two-year old, Dara Torres, qualified for her fifth Olympics. Torres made her big splash in the pool 24 years ago as a barely teenager. On the 10m diving platform, another veteran, Laura Wilkinson, won the gold in Sydney and is entering her third Olympics and is twice the age of most of her competitors. Her U.S. teammate and roommate is still a child at 15.

The viewers at home have not been forgotten all together, as technology and ratings have driven the IOC and media to come up with new and unique views that include the archery venue, that will have shooters aiming straight out at our sofas.

I have straddled the shooting line with one of our hopefuls, Butch Johnson, at national tournaments throughout the years. And, although the only people likely to see any of the archery events are the night owls still awake at 3 a.m., hopefully the network will at least give everyone a chance to see just how small that bullseye ring is at 70 meters, sitting inside it in fact. The swimming races also will feature a new underwater view that is supposedly unlike anything we have seen in past Olympics.
Aside from poolside, our best medal shots in China are in gymnastics, soccer and presumably, men’s basketball. This year’s team is supposed to erase the bitter taste left in the 2004 Athens games, where the U.S. men’s team struggled badly.

Perhaps the most nerve-wracked athletes are the equestrians. Forget lost luggage; try waiting to make sure your horses arrive safely on terra firma. Most horses began training in Europe months ago to try to eliminate stress placed on them by their long flight. Quarantine regulations in Beijing proved too problematic, so those athletes may breathe some cleaner air as they compete at the world class equestrian center in Hong Kong, which features top-notch veterinarians and air conditioned practice and competition arenas.

Opening ceremonies start at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening. Some won’t tune in, but more will to watch the drama unfold. Our athletes have worked four long years to have their Olympic moments. So, let’s take a moment to cheer them on.

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