The pitfalls of reading period and final exams are many.

Not least among the distractions are the opinionated folk who run into your "Alexander the Great" final and throw bricks around.

I, however, have unearthed a far greater way to focus my attention away from my studies other than such lunatic rages.

While the Ivy League formally forbids its sports teams from competing during exam periods (the Moore brothers on the hockey team have still found a way to outscore the Vikings and Raiders over reading period despite the ban), college sports authorities would be fools to even attempt to stop non-varsity athletes of a certain stripe from engaging in their own bitter bloodsport.

Sports video games.

You all know what I'm talking about. The intensity could not be matched in a thousand Harvard-Yale contests. The finesse rivals even the deftest touch of a squash racquet, and the mental toughness tops that of the most unshakeable pitcher.

My poison of choice happens to be "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" for Sony Play Station. The sport of virtual skateboarding, somehow overlooked in the broad scope of Harvard varsity athletics, requires a focus and persistence perhaps unmatched by sports that require the competitor(s) to move.

With a good portion of my day dedicated to Tony and his incredibly realistic skating friends, I am now confident that I understand all of the griping that Crimson athletes do about the rigors of work both on and off the field.