Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

We’re one week into the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and I am hooked. I’ve stayed up watching both the delayed telecasts and the live performances long after my usual bedtime. I’ve held my breath when skaters and skiers alike have wiped out. And I’ve become teary eyed when struggling athletes attain medal status.

I’ve also been aware of the glitches in Vancouver’s presentation of the quadrennial spectacle. There was the death of a luger in a practice run resulting in a shortening of the luge track, the malfunctioning of the Olympic torch, the uncooperative weather, the bickering among certain factions regarding disqualifications. And there has been a new approach to revealing competitors’ marks in sports where judges are involved. We no longer see individual judges’ marks; rather we see a compilation score. Personally, I don’t like it.

At the same time, I find these glitches in Vancouver’s planning and the changes in Olympic procedure to be a natural part of the fabric of an Olympics. No one ever said the presentation would be perfect. No one ever said the rules would never change. So I salute the half million plus people of Vancouver for their efforts. I hope the media will do the same.