Hey, does anyone remember that this is an Olympic year?

I think I remember hearing something about that. Maybe something about the Olympic games returning to Athens.

You know Athens, as in Greece. Not Georgia.

Greece, the ancient peninsula whose cultural contributions include a bunch of murdered philosophers, the alphabet upon which the fraternity language is based and the oldest known sports: the Olympic games.

The Olympics are going home to Greece, did you know?

Now, when I think 'Olympics' the first thing that comes to mind isn't Greco-Roman wrestling. It's not rhythmic gymnastics, although Will Ferrell's ribbon performance in Old School was definitely one of the greatest moments in the storied history of rhythmic gymnastics.

The Olympics mean track and field. It means Jesse Owens winning six gold medals in front of Adolph Hitler in 1936. It means an aging Carl Lewis winning the long jump in his last Olympics and crying on the medal stand. These moments are the Olympics; track and field is the game.

Is it possible to see any moments like these without spending thousands of dollars on a ticket to Athens?

Yes, but you might have missed the best opportunity.

Last weekend, Penn State played host to the best mid-season indoor track meet before the NCAA championships.

Granted, it's not exactly as grand an event as say the Olympics, but there were moments last weekend that epitomized track and field greatness.

Penn State senior Connie Moore took on the third- and fourth-fastest women in America in the 200-meters while battling a knee injury.

She did more than hold her own.

Moore posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 23.43. She's never done that in indoor competition before.

Fellow classmate Sara Dougherty vaulted her way into the Penn State record books while Moore took on the tough Tennessee sprint contingent.

The finals of the pole vault pitted Dougherty against Kira Sims of Akron.

Sims came into the meet as the top pole vaulter in collegiate ranks. She had the best mark in the country this year.

Dougherty still beat her.

In her third and final opportunity to clear 13-feet-5-inches, a mark Sims had previously missed all three times, Dougherty sprinted towards the bar accompanied by the claps of the audience. On the way over, Dougherty nicked the bar, but it didn't fall.

She jumped out of the landing pad almost higher than her actual vault. Penn State women' track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan ran across the track pumping her fists in the air, looking for someone to hug. Dougherty was already taken, hugging vault coach Jim Sullivan.

Sure, track meets drag on for hours, and there is way too much down time between events.

Then again, that sounds like the first quarter of the Super Bowl. You don't see anybody turning the game off after a scoreless 15 minutes of football.

The waiting is the hardest part. Just deal with it. Wait for Sara Dougherty to make that vault, wait for Connie Moore to race against the best sprinters in the land.

It's exciting, it's close to home and, best of all, it's free.