Olympics bring out best in sports

There is something about hearing the national anthem at a sporting event, especially when it's the Olympic Games.

Today starts a two-plus week adventure. Many will be watch the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The first opportunity to watch the games is tonight, featuring figure skating and freestyle skiing.

The opening ceremonies will be broadcast Friday night on NBC. It starts at 6:30 p.m.

The winter Olympic Games include alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, nordic combined, short track, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard and speedskating.

Many of the competitions are not sports we regularly watch. (How often do you watch the luge?) But that is part of the thrill. We have an opportunity to watch some of the world's best athletes compete in unique competitions. There's an art to these sports that is equally as important as athletic ability.

Safety has been talked about regularly, and we pray the athletes and others attending remain safe.

Enjoy the games.