Kasson resident Jon Buchanan will be able to scratch one item off his "bucket list," of things he wants to do in his life.
Buchanan, a Kasson-Mantorville middle school teacher and a sports enthusiast, left for the Vancouver Olympic games Thursday with his wife Kari and another couple from Wisconsin.
Attending Olympic games is one of about nine sporting events Buchanan has on his bucket list and the timing and relatively close location make this year's winter games the time to do it.
"Obviously, the Turin (Italy in 2006) games were out. Beijing was out," he said. "The most recent one that we could have gone to was Salt Lake City (2002), but the age of our children wasn't conducive to travel. And, I was finishing my master's degree."
He said he's excited to experience something he's never experienced before.
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"I'm most looking forward to seeing athletes perform at the highest level," Buchanan said, adding that he's also excited about meeting people from all over the world.
Buchanan teaches geography and recently taught an exploratory class using the Olympics for a variety of lessons. He plans to use his experience and photos from Canada to teach more about the country.
The next events he hopes to cross off his bucket list are the Kentucky Derby and an Army-Navy football game.
