What people are talking about in the Olympic world

1) Halfpipe Shakeout

	Mason Aguirre may be one of the U.S. halfpipe team's youngest talents, but he is quickly becoming one of its best. Brian Bahr/Getty Images
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Just one of the three U.S. men who swept the halfpipe medals in Salt Lake City -- second-place finisher Danny Kass -- was good enough to make the team that will go to the Turin Games. That 2002 gold medalist Ross Powers and bronze medalist J.J. Thomas didn't make the '06 U.S. squad (which includes four men's halfpipers) only underscores the astounding depth of American talent. Don't underestimate the two youngest members of this year's halfpipe team, Mason Aguirre, 18, and Elena Hight, 16. Aguirre has been rising fast, and Hight is a wunderkind: She was just 13 when she became the first woman ever to land a 900 (that's two-and-a-half spins) in competition.

2) Kwan's Checkup

This week, out of sight of the media and of Olympian-in-waiting Emily Hughes, a panel of U.S. judges will watch Michelle Kwan skate and then decide if she's healthy enough to compete in Turin. As The New York Times' George Vecsey rightfully argued in his column on Sunday, the secretive nature of the audition only breeds suspicion, and does Kwan no favors. There should be nothing to hide, or much doubt about the judges' decision: Unless Kwan arrives on a hospital gurney, the five-time world champion is in.

3) Joey Cheek

Overshadowed all season by long-track speedskating teammates Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick, Cheek, a bronze medalist at the '02 Olympics, picked a good time to elevate his game. With Turin less than three weeks away, the 26-year-old North Carolinian won the overall title at the World Sprint Championships in the Netherlands last weekend. Should he continue his success next month at the Palavela oval, Cheek would become the first Olympic gold medalist whose side interests include (according to the U.S. Speedskating website) "building and shooting potato guns."

4) Ole!

Four years ago, the most decorated athlete in Salt Lake City was Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndahlen. After lagging in the World Cup overall standings for most of this season, Bjoerndahlen -- showing the same sense of timing as Cheek -- won a 15-kilometer mass start World Cup event last weekend in Italy. It seems crazy to suggest that the five-time gold medalist (one in '98, four in '02) can earn three more golds in Turin, but if he does, he'll tie retired countryman Bjorn Daehlie, a cross-country skier, for the most in the history of the Winter Olympics.

5) Andy Newell

Rarely does an American cross-country skier medalist show up on the Hot List radar, but Newell's fourth-place showing in a 1.2-kilometer World Cup sprint on Sunday in Germany was the best ever for a U.S.cross-country sprinter. Newell, a 22-year-old Vermonter, has the spirit of an extreme-sports athlete. He can even perform tricks in a snowboarding halfpipe wearing cross-country skis. His most amazing trick would be to become the second American cross-country ever (the other being Bill Koch in '76) to win an Olympic medal.

6) No Olympic Terror Threats

Well, no specific threats, according to Italy's interior minister. His comment that Italian officials are "reasonably optimistic" that they can stop any attacks is not entirely reassuring, but since so many people (including quite a few in other parts of Italy) seem to be ignoring these Games, maybe the terrorists will too.