Comment: Sleepless nights to come

I’m never going to get any sleep at this rate.

The London 2012 Summer Olympics haven’t even started yet, and to say I’m already hooked would be a gross understatement.

For the past two weeks, my television has been bouncing back and forth between swimming, gymnastics and track and field, as I, along with the rest of the country, anxiously waited to see whose Olympic dreams will be fulfilled.

And while I can’t ever remember the U.S. Olympic Trials airing in primetime, I, for one, couldn’t have been happier. I mean who wouldn’t want to see Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte go head-to-head in primetime?

Not only did I get to watch some of the nation’s elite set new American records and post some of the fastest times in the world this year, I also was able to catch one of my former teammates and handful of hometown heroes in action.

My Olympic trials coverage began with Sarasota native Lacy Janson finishing third in the pole vault event to earn a spot on the Olympic team for the first time in three attempts.

From there, I watched a swimmer from my hometown, who won a gold medal in the 400-meter medley relay in Athens, Greece fall short of his quest to make his third consecutive Olympic team; and one of my former track teammates attempt to make her first U.S. Olympic Team.

This past Sunday, I watched Lakewood Ranch High and Sarasota Sharks swimmer Danielle Valley advance to the final of the 800 freestyle after dropping eight seconds of her best time in the preliminaries. Valley ultimately fell short of her Olympic bid, finishing eighth in the event; but the Class 2A state champion has plenty to be proud of after becoming the lone local swimmer to advance to the finals.

With this much excitement and attention surrounding the U.S. Olympic Trials, I can only imagine the hype and attention the athletes are going to receive over the next three weeks.

And I can’t wait.