The Beijing Olympics are about to enter their second week, and oh the stories that have ensued in the first week alone! Some are good, and some are not-so-good. Basically, they make for a once-every-four-years spectacle that is so unique in that it’s something we can all share and experience together.

Here are the top five stories that I think make the Olympics the dramatic, fun-filled, controversial worldwide competition its meant to be:

1. The Unbeatable Michael Phelps - I’d sure hate to be anyone competing against Phelps, because I for one would automatically expect to come in second. I’m excited to see if Phelps will break Mark Spitz’s record tonight with eight gold medals. It’s great to see an athlete my age who is inspiring a whole upcoming generation of children to aspire to swim in the Olympics.

2. The Underage Chinese Gymnasts - Leave it to one country to “bend” the rules just a bit. One particular gymnast was said to be only 13, and the minimum age is 16 for female gymnasts (or at least turn 16 during the Olympic year). Some even had teeth missing, implying their much younger age. Some wondered if the gold would have turned out differently and gone to silver-medalists, the U.S. of A.

3. The lip-synching child at the opening ceremonies - Jamia already mentioned this story, and I found it incredibly sad to hear. The message this is portraying to young girls is appalling. This tells them that no matter how talented they may be, if they don’t look a certain way they will never succeed. This needs to change, and fast!

4. The first American woman to medal in the 10,000m track and field race since the early 1990s - Shalane Flanagan, after suffering food poisoning and nearly not competing, decided to give the race a try at the last minute. In an unbelievable finish Friday night, Flanagan went on to win a bronze medal. She finished the race and didn’t even know she had medaled, motioning to the press, asking where she had placed. It was a great success story.

5. Australia Coming in Third for Medal Count - Often overlooked athletically, Australia is thriving this summer in Beijing with 25 medals, behind only China and the U.S.