As the historic quest for honor and glory in Vancouver, British Columbia, comes to a close at the 21st Olympic Winter Games, some students said they haven’t invested much time in the two-week long competition.Though many students watched the Winter Games, some tuned in only casually. Many said they had difficulty finding time to watch with schoolwork or prefer the Summer Games.”I’ve been watching skiing and curling,” said geology senior Jeff Fabre. “Not as much as I want — school usually gets in the way.”Though unable to watch regularly, some students still recognize the importance of the Winter Games.”It’s the highest level of competition in the world,” said mechanical engineering senior Bryan Nichols. “The Olympics represent inspiration, determination and hard work.”The Winter Games began Feb. 12 with the first indoor opening ceremonies in history. The celebration also marked the debut of the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Ghana, Montenegro and Pakistan as Olympic competitors.Eighty-three countries and approximately 2,500 athletes competed in 15 sports and more than 86 separate medal events.The United States leads the games with 32 medals — 8 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze. American speed skater Apolo Ohno was recently declared the most decorated Winter Olympian in history. Ohno has seven career medals from the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.The sport of curling gained popularity during recent games, even without American men or women making it to medal rounds. To play, athletes slide stones across the ice onto a target. “I’ve mainly been watching curling; that’s all I can ever catch on TV,” said biological sciences senior Hoa Bui.The Vancouver games are also being called the “Social Games” due to a high amount of Internet coverage and advertising sponsorships.Social networks like Facebook and Twitter are covering the games with fan pages and updates on progress.The first modern Olympic Games took place in summer 1896. The games featured ice skating, but officials decided to create a separate event for winter sports.The Olympic Winter Games were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France.Sixteen nations participated in the first Olympic Winter Games; 258 athletes, 247 men and 11 women, competed in 16 events.Though the Olympics bring prestige and honor to host cities, the games can be a financial burden.”Many of the Olympic cities lose money, and the taxpayers are left with public debt for many years, according to some economic reports,” said James Honeycutt, communication studies professor.Some officials project the city of Vancouver could be left with more than $1 billion in debt.The University also has ties to the Olympic Games.Fourteen current and former University students competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.University alumnus Richard Thompson placed second in the 100 meter dash at the games in Beijing.”We’re all athletes, and I have just as much respect for them as I do for the guys who compete in the Summer Olympics,” Thompson said. “Everyone is out there working hard in the weight room, working hard at their events in order to be the best in the world.”Thompson said he’s taking things one step at a time and hopes to win a gold medal in 2012.Women’s basketball head coach Van Chancellor coached during the 2004 Olympic Summer Games.”When you’re chosen to represent your country, it’s unbelievable,” Chancellor said. “That makes a world of difference.” Athletic director Skip Bertman served twice as an assistant coach and once as head coach to the U.S. Olympic baseball team.”It was nice to be in an Olympic Village with all the participants — there were about 15,000 people there,” Bertman said.Facilities were all on-site for the games.Dining halls contained foods from all over the world and had game rooms and activity centers for down time between events, Bertman said.”The competition was good. Athletes and Americans of other nationalities got along well,” Bertman said.The U.S. is one of the few countries that does not pay its athletes, Bertman said.Athletes might get funding from a private sponsor or from friends, but usually they are regular people with regular jobs, Bertman said.”In other countries, athletes may be given something like a $25,000 to $50,000 apartment to rent. It gives athletes more motivation economically,” Bertman said.- – – -Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]