My mom can list the name and year of every city that has ever hosted the olympics. She watches religiously and unloads the years of Mennonite patriotism aversion into fearfully intense support. The Winter Olympics are the favorite because iceskating- pairs, singles, and dance. She was always disappointed that I would never watch with quite the level of passion she would but my brother filled that gap. He would stay up until midnight with her watching Sasha Cohen leap and twirl. "I just watch because I like seeing them fall," he has admitted to me. My mother's support is based not just on quality of performance but on what she observes as happiness. This year Javier Fernadez, ice skater, won her affection. His moves were good not great but he displayed unabashed joy about skating.

How to recognize an underdog
1. Possibly born on the "wrong side of the tracks"
2. They have created themselves through shear force of will
3. They are not lucky
4. They are passionate about what they do