An estimated 510,000 people in the Twin Cities tuned in to watch the 2010 Winter Olympics kick off Friday night in Vancouver.

According to KARE-TV, the NBC affiliate in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market, the numbers have continued to stay above 400,000 viewers since the beginning of the games.

Around campus, however, some students have had a hard time following the games, due to lack of time or interest.

“I usually [watch], but this year I haven’t,” sophomore Maddie Coulter said. “There’s nobody I’m really rooting for.”

Coulter said because of her Canadian roots, however, she’ll still cheer on the host country’s women’s hockey team.

“I’m hoping Canada makes it to the final game, but the European teams look strong,” she said.

Aside from hockey, students generally agree on the events they hate and the ones they love.

Chad Henderson, a Residence Life staff member, said while he enjoys watching figure skating, it’s frustrating when viewers can’t understand judge scoring.

Graduate student Mike Mello has a newfound respect for freestyle moguls.

“I just went skiing last week and saw how steep the hills actually are,” he said. “It’s that much more impressive to watch them go off flips and jumps.”

The Winter Games will run a total of 16 days from start to finish, ending Sunday, Feb. 28.

Patrick Stumpf can be reached at stum3488@stthomas.edu.