TURIN, Italy (AP) – Chad Hedrick sounded a bit groggy when he answered his phone in the Olympic Village.

“I’m about to take a nap,” America’s speedskating star said Friday, “because I’ve decided to go ahead and go to the opening ceremonies.”

On the eve of his first Olympic event, the grueling 5,000 meters, Hedrick bucked conventional wisdom by choosing to take part in the kickoff to the Turin Games, even though it was likely to last three hours and could be more taxing than his race.

Then again, it was a perfectly understandable move for a guy known as “The Exception.”

“It’s an important part of being on the Olympic team,” Hedrick said. “I’ll get a chance to feel the Olympic spirit. It can’t be anything but a positive experience.”

Hedrick could be one of the biggest stars in this gray, industrial city over the next two weeks. After qualifying for five races, he talked openly about his hopes of tying Eric Heiden’s record of five gold medals at one Winter Olympics.

There can be no slip-ups. Hedrick will face a stacked deck in the 5,000, which includes three skaters who swapped around the world record during a six-day period in November. Norway’s Eskil Ervik set a new standard during a meet in Calgary, only to have Hedrick take it 2 seconds lower in the very next pair.

The following weekend, Sven Kramer of the Netherlands broke Hedrick’s record by nearly a full second.

Those three – along with Dutchman Carl Verheijen and home-ice favorite Enrico Fabris of Italy – figure to be the main contenders for the medal podium in the 12-lap race.

“It’s going to be very competitive,” Hedrick said. “The last three or four laps, you have to dig down deep and show everybody how much you want it. That’s a big advantage for me. The last three or four laps, I’m going to hunker down and use my will to win.”

The 28-year-old Texan certainly doesn’t lack for confidence, though he’s spent the last month playing down his pursuit of Heiden’s record. Hedrick will be hard-pressed to earn a medal of any color in the 1,000 – his shortest event – and U.S. hopes in team pursuit could be dealt a severe blow if Shani Davis skips the event, which is making its Olympic debut next week.

Davis wants to focus on his individual races, and his best chance for gold – the 1,000 – comes two days after the finals of team pursuit.

“The way the program is set up, it is too close to his main focus,” said Davis’ coach, Bob Fenn. “It’s not conducive to what we’re looking at.”

Hedrick is taking a different tact, wanting to take part in everything he can at his first Olympics.

So, will The Exception hurt his chances in the 5,000 by attending the opening ceremonies the night before? His coach doesn’t think so.

“The emotional lift he’ll get from watching the ceremonies is more important than the danger of being fatigued for his race,” Bart Schouten said after a practice session at the Oval Lingotto, where workers scrambled to put the finishing touches on the speedskating venue. “It’s such a kick to feel like a part of your country. The Olympics are to be experienced, so I don’t want to take anything away from him. You never know – this might be his only one.”

Hedrick won’t be going to the ceremonies alone. He’ll be accompanied by his close friend, 2002 gold medalist Derek Parra, along with a trainer who’ll make sure Hedrick avoids excessive walking or just standing around.

“They’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Schouten said.

The pairings for the 5,000 were drawn about the same time Hedrick was settling down for his afternoon nap. Several groups stood out.

Verheijen and Kramer will skate in the same pair, giving the teammates a chance to subtly work together. They could take turns drafting each other while switching lanes on the back straightaway, thereby saving energy and improving their times.

“We’ve got to make sure we talk to the refs so it doesn’t happen,” Schouten said.

Davis will be skating in the very next group with Bob de Jong of the Netherlands, who isn’t considered a gold medal favorite.

“Chad’s pair is not super strong, but that’s good,” Schouten said. “He can focus on his own race.”

Hedrick already will know the times for Kramer and Verheijen before going to the line, giving him a good idea of how fast he’ll have to go to win gold. Then again, he could be upstaged by the final pair, Fabris and Ervik.

“That’s dangerous,” Schouten said. “Those guys are fast, and they’ll know exactly what it’s going to take.”

Kramer doesn’t think the pairings will have a major impact on the race.

“In the 5,000, you can’t calculate too much,” he said. “You have to skate as fast as you can. In the 1,500, yes. But in the (5,000), no.”

The Dutch are passionate about their speedskating, so there figures to be plenty of swaying, singing, orange-clad fans in the 8,500-seat oval. The skaters from Holland might feel just as much like the home-ice favorite as the Italians.

“Many Dutch people in the crowd will be excited,” Kramer said. “It will not put more pressure on me. It will be more fun.”

AP-ES-02-10-06 1405EST