The Olympics are just days away and while the Winter Games are considerably less popular than the summer variety, it doesn’t mean there aren’t intriguing story lines.

Every two years the Olympics come around and inspiring stories of hard work and sacrifice capture this country and often the world’s attention.

This Olympiad will be no different.

In a variety of disciplines there are incredibly compelling story lines, not the least of which is American snowboard cross rider Lindsey Jacobellis’ bid for redemption after a shocking end to her bid for gold in Torino, Italy, in 2006.

Jacobellis, with gold clearly within reach, decided on a celebratory trick off the second to last jump of the course. This trick ended with her on her rear and the gold medal slipping away. With four years between her and her failed attempt at gold in Torino, Jacobellis hopes to bring home the gold that she should have had in 2006.

Shaun White, “the flying tomato,” arguably the world’s most recognizable action sports star, hopes to back up his 2006 gold in Torino and his four consecutive medals at the Winter X-Games with another gold in the sport he dominates: snowboarding.

The Americans have dominated Olympic snowboarding since it debuted in 1998 in Nagano, Japan, and the success is expected to continue with a team anchored by White and women’s halfpipe star Hannah Teter.

Internationally, Iran is sending its first woman to the 2010 Winter Games. Marjan Kalhor, 21, will compete in both the alpine slalom and the giant slalom events. Kalhor, who will head a four-member Iranian team leaving on Monday, the only one from the Middle East, will follow in the footsteps of countrywoman Homa Hosseini, a rower who was Iran’s flag bearer in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

This is an incredible achievement for a country with an extremely conservative government. Ultimately, no one knows how good her chances are of winning a medal, but her being able to compete is an inspiration to many in her country.

Lastly, there is always the battle for international pride in the medal count. The United States fell just four medals shy of Germany in 2006 after coming in second to the Germans in 2002 by just two medals. This year, the United States is looking to top the medal count for the first time since the 1932 games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Olympics display the best in the world at a variety of sports. Discipline, dedication, sacrifice and incredible achievements are all going to be on display in Vancouver, Canada, for just under a month.

The Hilltop Views’ column, ‘Bench Warming,’ appears every other week in the sports section and is written by Co-Editor-In-Chief Bryce Bencivengo.

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