Most MSU students can only watch the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin from the comfort of their nearest TV set. But a few students will get to see the Games firsthand.

Studying abroad at John Cabot University in Rome, these students are only about 430 miles south of Turin. Some students have their tickets in hand and others are still finalizing their plans, but all of them are preparing to travel north and witness the action of the Olympic Games.

Katie Blair Mathews

After her dad reminded her last week that the Olympics were coming up, Mathews set out to get tickets.

"You can't just go to the Olympics whenever you want — this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Mathews said in an e-mail from Rome.

On Saturday afternoon, the history and telecommunication, information studies and media senior will be attending the women's moguls in Oulx, Italy — about an hour west of Turin.

Mathews paid 30 euros — or about $35 — for her standing-room-only ticket.

She will leave today on a six-hour train ride to Milan, where she'll spend the night before getting up early Saturday and taking the train another two hours into Turin.

Tara Cariano

Cariano walks by the Vatican every day on her way to class, and she said she's still adjusting to the culture shock of studying in Italy this semester.

On top of that, the psychology and family and community services junior can't believe that on Sunday, she'll be in Turin watching the U.S. women's hockey team take on Germany.

"I'm really excited, but I don't think it's going to hit me until I'm actually there at the Olympics," Cariano said. "I don't feel like I'm really going."

Cariano didn't know the Olympics were going to be in Italy until about a month before she left, and she began searching for tickets after that.

"I really wanted to go to the men's (hockey game), but the price doubles when you go to men's," she said.

For seats in the 14th row behind the net, Cariano paid 24 euros — or about $28.

Cariano and a friend from San Antonio will travel eight hours by train at midnight Sunday to get to Turin.

Joey Lambert

The first time Joey Lambert and supply chain management senior Dan Poggiolo tried to buy tickets on eBay for an Olympic hockey game in Turin, they were outbid by $10 in the last 10 seconds.

So when two tickets came up for about $150 each, they jumped at the chance.

On Feb. 24, the two MSU students will be sitting eight rows behind the net at a men's semifinal game.

"These are the games that you see on TV and think how crazy it would be to attend," said Lambert, a general business administration and pre-law junior, in an e-mail. "It's going to be very interesting to be at a game and see people cheering for their country, and not just their local team."

At a cost of about $83 each for a round trip, the men will travel by train at midnight on Feb. 24 to go to Turin, and they'll leave for Rome at about 11 p.m. the next day.

"It's going to be a long day, but I'm going to love every second of it," Lambert said.

Aubrey Ling Hang

She doesn't have the tickets in hand yet, but Hang is making plans this weekend to attend an Olympic event when her family visits her in Rome from Feb. 19 to Feb. 26.

"I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Rome, and the Olympics were an added bonus," the studio art and art education junior said in an e-mail.

Hang said she will try to get tickets for either a hockey game or a skiing event, but still wants to go to Turin, even if she can't see an event.

"Even if I don't attend an actual event, I think it will still be a great experience to go to (Turin) for the atmosphere of the Olympics," Hang said.