2012 Summer Olympics Begins Tonight, What Are You Looking Forward To?

For the next 17 days, all eyes will be on London.

Tonight marks the official start to the 2012 Summer Olympics, with the opening ceremonies kicking off on NBC at 6:30 our time. I always get excited every time the games come around, whether it's the Summer Games or the Winter Games. And I think that's because I know I'm gonna see some fantastic stories. Every Olympic games seems to carry that one history-making moment that the whole world gets to share in. And this year, it's looking like we have a lot of potential for some great moments.

One event I'll be paying particular attention to is swimming. This will be Michael Phelps's final Olympic Games, and after his explosive performance in the 2008 Beijing Games, he'll be getting plenty of attention this time around. But will it be a repeat of 2008? Well...I'm not sure. Last year, there was a lot of pressure on Phelps to win all those gold medals and make Olympic history, and I think that really impacted his performances and gave him the drive to grab all the gold. This year, the pressure, though it's still immense when compared to other sports, has lessened a little bit. I think Phelps will still do very well and do Team USA proud, but I don't expect a repeat performance.

Another event I'm really looking forward to is gymnastics. Ever since I watched the 1996 Women's team take home the gold in Atlanta, particularly Kerri Strug's heart-wrenching performance, it's been one of my favorite events in the games. No other event gets me more excited than watching somebody fly high into the air and pray that they land on point and don't break anything on the way back down. China may have been the big focus of the last games, (no surprise that the most attention would be paid to the host country...) I think the USA girls and guys are primed to step back into the spotlight.

Of course, the popular sports like swimming, gymnastics and the like will get the most attention. But just as a prediction, I think there might be a little more attention paid to archery. It probably won't be one the prime-time events. But given the popularity of movies like "Brave" and "The Hunger Games," both featuring bow-and-arrow wielding heroines, I wouldn't be surprised if this event gets a little more airtime.

Are you looking forward to the 2012 Summer Games? What events are you looking forward to the most?