What I Will (and Won't) Miss About the Olympics

As the Sochi Winter Olympic Games come to a close tonight with the Closing Ceremonies, it's amazing to think that these highly-hyped competitions are already completed. Here are some things I'll miss (and won't miss) as the Games come to a close:

Things I'll Miss
1. Sliding sports (bobsled, luge, skeleton)- I've always enjoyed watching these events. The Olympics are one of the few times when you can find these events televised. Plus, outside of possibly curling, being on a bobsled push crew is my best opportunity to make an Olympic team: run and push a sled for 4 seconds and jump in for the ride. Pretty good gig if you can get it.

2. Curling- I don't understand the intricacies of the sport but watching how seriously people take sliding "stones" down the ice and then "sweeping" them into place makes for interesting TV.

3. Hockey- International hockey, with country vs. country competition and larger ice rinks is much more interesting than NHL hockey, while benefiting from the talents of the world's best, NHL players.

4. Athletes' stories- NBC's production of 3-5 minute biographical documentaries help viewers connect with the stories of interesting, sometimes inspiring, athletes. This Olympics, the stories of Canadian moguls athlete Alex Bilodeau and US skeleton athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace were particularly touching.

Things I Won't Miss
1. Doubles luge- Whoever came up with this idea? The only person I would participate in doubles luge with would be my wife.

2. Men's figure skating- Too many sequins. On men.

3. Daily updates on Vladimir Putin- NBC gave him the Where's Waldo treatment as they followed his every whereabouts around Sochi.

4. The time difference- Avoiding spoiler alerts or the ESPN ticker so I could watch a competition without knowing the event's outcome took some effort.

5. Staying up late- With nightly televised events, I found myself staying up unnecessarily late. Really, sleep would have been a better choice than ice dancing.

6. Bob Costas' eye- I felt sorry for the man. Could NBC have not brought in a physician to help the anchor of their world-class Olympic coverage?