The Olympics are very special because nowhere else can you see so many countries competing on so many levels at the same time.

I’m looking forward to the Olympics this year because a lot of my favorite athletes are competing. I like to root for my country when it teams up for sports. It’s sports and patriotism. What’s not to like?

Sometimes it even brings enemies together like North Korea and South Korea joining as a team.

Snowboarding legend Shaun White is coming back for his fourth Winter Olympics. As the king of snowboarding, Shaun will be competing for his third gold medal. He has gold from 2006 and 2010. Shaun also holds the record for the most X-Games gold medals. In 2010 Shaun hit the double McTwist on his victory lap to secure the gold; this was a thing of beauty to watch. Shaun had a disappointing year in Sochi, falling twice in his first run and staying safe on his second and third run to finish fourth.

Ghana native Maame Biney, the 17-year-old, will become the first woman to make the USA speed-skating team. I’m hoping Maame will go home with a gold medal, representing for all of teenage USA. I’m definitely going to watch this special person do her thing.

The Russians are always a force to be reckoned with in the Olympics, but since the recent doping scandal, only 169 Russian athletes will compete, but not under the Russian flag. They must compete as individuals under the Olympic flag. This is the smallest number that Russia has sent to the games in over a decade. A boatload of Russia’s top athletes will be banned like six time gold medalist, short track speed skater Viktor Ahn, who is being vetted for doping. Russian Paralympians also are banned from competing for Russia speculation in 2016 in Sochi that they were using anabolic steroids. Gotta say, cheaters never prosper.

The games this year are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The North Koreans and the South Koreans have decided to march in together in the opening ceremonies in a show of cooperation. I’m hoping they stay together because things can get really dicey with the Olympics being held so close to the North Korean border. It looks iffy this week after North Korea canceled a pre-Olympic event with South Korea, blaming the South Korean media for insults.

What the USA needs is another unifier like the Miracle on Ice of the 1980 when our young, amateur hockey team knocked the Soviet Unions professional five-time gold medal team out of the running.

These Olympics are going to have some great memories. Go USA!!