Before leaving for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, I wrote a blog expressing how I felt about the opportunity to cover the summer Games. Growing up, I was a gymnast, a catcher/short stop and a sprinter. And like most kids who compete in Olympic sports, I had visions of competing in red, white and blue. But as I got older, reality set in and I realized I was a much better writer than athlete. So, as they say, those who can do. (Or, in my case, did.) And those who couldn’t quite … write.

I arrived in Vancouver today thinking about that blog. While I didn’t grow up participating in winter sports, I have grown to love them as much, and probably more, than the sports of my youth. I would snowboard 365 days a year if I could, and over the past several years, I have gotten to know many of the athletes competing here in Vancouver and can’t wait to tell even more of their stories over the next few weeks.

So, as excited as the former me was to cover the Summer Games, the current me is equally as excited about being here in Vancouver for the Winter Games. And that’s not just because Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with some of the best restaurants in North America. (Too bad there isn’t any snow! Today’s temp: 55 and sunny.)

And it’s certainly not because of this … (Uh oh! Here we go again!)