You know how some people got really, really tired of the Olympics?

    That wasn’t my household. We watched at least some of every event. I personally did not see any biathlon action, but I heard some in the background as others watched.

    Nordic skiing? Slaloms? OK, but in small amounts.

    Halfpipe? Oh, yeah. Glued to the tube.

    Snowboard cross? Combining a downhill course with incidental contact? Definitely the most exciting new Olympic sport.

    Competition by tiny contingents? Heartwarming. Nineteen of the 80 teams were parties of one, some hailing from places such as Liechtenstein and Ethiopia, and one of my favorites was the skier who was thrilled to cross the line not last, but next to last.

    And Izy? Goes without saying.

    We even watched parts of the closing ceremonies. I can’t say we helped NBC’s ratings any, though –- virtually all of our viewing was in real time on the Canadian channel.

    Being a hockey family, the men’s gold medal game was the highlight. I’m one-quarter Finnish, so we were rooting for Koivu and company, but the Swedes offered several fine moments:

    • Zetterberg and Forsberg working together;

    • all three goals scored by Red Wings;

    • a commentator who remarked on “a finesse move by Holmstrom,” which made me laugh out loud;

    • beaming teammates singing along to their national anthem. Sure, I’d rather have heard “Finlandia,” but silver is a fine color.

    Until Vancouver, of course.

    This post originally appeared on ourMidland.com, the online home of the Midland (MI) Daily News. Republished with permission.