Joe Pasteris/The Ithacan Freshman Matthew Hughes sits outside the West Tower with a copy of “Time,” which has a front-page picture of his sister, Olympian Sarah Hughes.

Faculty members don’t usually like it when their students miss classes in the middle of the semester. But when freshman Matthew Hughes skips town on Monday, he will have a good excuse.

His sister Sarah Hughes is the 16-year-old figure skater favored to take a medal at the Winter Olympics. Matthew will be traveling to Salt Lake City to watch the competition, which will be televised on NBC on Tuesday and Thursday night. “Some people around school know that she’s my sister,” he said. “When most people find out, they go crazy.” Sarah Hughes is on the cover of the current issue of “Time” and was predicted to win a bronze medal in women’s figure skating by “Sports Illustrated.” She joins Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen as the three members of the U.S. team.

“I have a couple copies of ‘Time’ magazine,” he said. “I went to Mac’s, and I swiped all of them.”

Hughes, of Great Neck, Long Island, said his sister has been skating since she was 3 years old. “My brother and I played hockey, and we would skate around, and she used to follow us,” he said. “She was a real pain in the neck because we were trying to play hockey, and she’s out there getting in the way. We didn’t really know what she was going to do, but then she did figure skating.”

In addition to attending Great Neck North High School, she now practices six nights a week at a Hackensack, N.J., ice rink. Matthew Hughes said he always knew his sister’s dedication and perfectionism would take her to the Olympics someday.

“Seriously, I believed that she would make it, and she’s doing it right now,” he said. “Everything she does, she does so well.”

The Hughes family has a long history of participation in sports on the ice. Their father, John, played on the 1970 Cornell University ice hockey team that went undefeated and won a national championship.

“I think it’s in the genes,” Matthew Hughes said.

He plays on the Ithaca College club ice hockey team. Out of the six children in the family, his 20-year-old brother, David, also plays ice hockey, and his 13-year-old sister, Emily, figure skates. She recently finished 11th at the U.S. National Junior Championships.

“Hopefully in a few years, it will be Hughes vs. Hughes, like the Williams sisters [of tennis],” he said, referring to a possible rivalry between his younger sisters. “It’s scary because I think it is possible.”

Though he is more of an ice hockey fan, he has learned to appreciate figure skating by watching his sister’s competitions.

“Most people say, ‘How can you watch figure skating?’” he said. “I really got to enjoy it. I see the artistic side to it. I think it’s incredible what Sarah’s doing right now. I can’t do it. Not many people can.”

Sarah Hughes was praised in the “Time” article for her speed, consistency and energy in her jumps and spins.

Matthew Hughes has also learned that once a sibling becomes famous, the whole family emerges into the public eye.

Television crews and magazine reporters have come to the Hughes house for interviews. NBC’s “Today” show will broadcast a live interview with the whole family on Tuesday morning. He said he has already been interviewed several times by NBC and ABC.

Having traveled as far as Paris to support his sister at competitions, he is one of her biggest fans. And having a fan at the Olympics will certainly help Sarah Hughes fight for a medal.

“I’m happy for her just to be there,” he said. “If she places well, that’s even better.”