By Anya
Question: which country holds the record for most wins in Winter Olympics history? See the answer at the end of this article.
The 2010 Winter Olympics begin tonight. What exactly will go down during the Opening Ceremonies is being kept hush-hush, but so far I like the rumors I am hearing that famous Canadians Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams are slated to appear. Both performers bring me back to certain periods in my life. With Sarah, it’s the mid-90’s when Lilith Fair was at its peak. I loved (and still love) her voice and her angst-ridden lyrics – Sarah (along with Natalie Merchant) remains one of my favorite artists to play when I want to have a good therapeutic crying session. Bryan Adams takes me to a totally different place – 1983 to be exact. That was the year he sang “Straight from the Heart” directly to me — a somewhat insecure high school freshman. While it was true that we were not exactly in the same room I felt an instant connection whenever I turned on MTV and saw his pretty face. I lost interest in Bryan after the 1980’s, but you never forget your first love, do you? Anyway, I digress….
The Olympics are returning to Canada this year for the first time in 22 years! The lovely city of Vancouver, British Columbia has the honor (and headache) of hosting the event. VanCity really does look like a beautiful place to visit (as long as the Olympics aren’t in town) and I am looking forward to seeing more of Vancouver as much as I am to some of the sporting events. How can you not love a city whose motto is “By Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper.” Charming! Apparently, all is going well in Vancouver except for the weather – which isn’t quite cold enough (not a complaint you hear much in Canada). Luckily, man-made snow is being prepared to save the day.
I have probably avoided talking about the actual competition long enough, haven’t I? I’d be lying if I told you I was going to be glued to my seat watching the games, but there are some interesting stories out there to follow:
-Sidney Crosby (Hockey): To say that a lot of weight is resting on Crosby’s shoulders is an understatement. Many consider Crosby the best hockey player since Wayne Gretzky. At age 22, he has already won a Stanley Cup (with the Pittsburgh Penguins) and is the leader of the Canadian men’s hockey team that hopes to secure a medal in Vancouver. The problem is that anything less than gold will be seen as a disappointment by the hockey-obsessed nation. The other likely contenders are Russia, the United States and Sweden.
-Lindsay Vonn (Alpine Skiing). Clearly, the golden girl of the Olympics judging by the amount of press she has received from NBC and People magazine, Vonn suffered a setback this week when she injured her shin. She is still expected to compete and is treating her injury with painkillers and cheese. That’s right – cheese. Vonn has applied Austrian topfen curd cheese – an unproven remedy, but one believed among skaters to bring down swelling.
-Apolo Ohno and Shani Davis (Speedskating): It will be interesting to watch these two good friends compete. Ohno is apparently known for accomplishments besides being the winner of Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars. Who knew? Shani Davis is an interesting dude who became the first black athlete to win an individual gold in the Winter Olympics in 2006. This article about Davis is worth checking out.
Of course, many of us are wondering about figure skating. If you are someone who is only interested if the U.S. is in the running, you will probably be disappointed. The odds are apparently against a U.S. team member taking home an individual medal. Famed figure skater Scott Hamilton predicts “controversy at some point at the Figure Skating Venue.” (Isn’t there always?) That along with judging how appealing or atrocious the skater’s costumes are is enough to keep my attention. Pass the hot cocoa!
So there you go. So many stories and not nearly enough space to cover them all. What athletes and competitions are you following closely? Are you more interested in the physical endurance and majesty of the sports or in the human interest aspect of all this? Share your thoughts with us.
Oh, and back to that question posted at the beginning of this piece – which country has the most wins in Winter Olympics history? If you said the United States, Russia or Germany, you are out of luck, my friend. The answer is Norway. Go Norway!
Loading ...
Comments
8 Responses to All Aboot the 2010 Winter Olympics!
I watch the figure skating and I like the hockey too. Very intense. I have been trying to catch some of it. So sad about the Georgian Luge athlete being killed. I heard they were changing the track and had read that several had problems with it during practice runs. But, I don’t know how often it is someone has a mishap. I’m not familiar w/the sport other than knowing what they do. I don’t know how they stand to hurtle themselves like that.
I watched some of the Opening Ceremony and I would like to watch the rest. So far, I am impressed.
It was very sad yesterday when the luger from Georgia died. Today they interviewed his family and friends. So sad. So young.
The weather is the pits for winter Olympics so far. More like spring weather. I am looking forward to the skating, both speed and figure.
I will stay tuned and watch more.
Yeah, I’ll probably perk up when skating starts. I’m not a huge fan of either Olympics but I like to kind of keep an eye on what’s going on.
I got a little teary-eyed last night when the Georgia delagation came out during the Opening Ceremonies. I feel so bad for the poor young man who lost his life and everyone who cared for him, and for these athletes whose big moment is going to forever be associated with sadness.
I loved the Summer games opening ceremony and this one didnt disappoint either. I love all the sinter sports except………… figure skating. Too much spandex and sequins for me.
Funny, samantha, figure skating is the only one I like! And not for the sequins and spandex, either.
I grew up with a dad who believed any sport relying so heavily on a panel of subjective judges is not realaly a sport, only a competition. Still, it’s the only thing that holds my interest. I’m not a big winter Olympics fan, and haven’t watched yet.
I don’t know why none of the other sports interest me much. I’m sure a lot of skill goes into them. I was half-watching some speed-skating on Saturday. It was okay, but it reminded me of why I have no interesting in car racing – seeing a person go around and around a track (in a car *or* on skates) is about as compelling to me as watching paint dry.
I could probably get into some of the skiing events more easily if I tried.
I like the winter Olympics. I think it should be interesting watching Crosby play for Canada and Malkin play for Russia. At some point they will have to play against each other, but the play so well together on the Penguins. I can see one or the other setting up a goal for the wrong team. lol
I like to watch the snow boarding, especially Shaun White. He is really pusing the sport to the limit.
The mens short program was interesting. The top two are really competitive.
The luge competition was interesting. I am sorry about the Georgian. What I found interesting was that they shortened the course after his accident for both the men and the women, and they were still flying when they reached the bottom. Really scary! What were they thinking when they made the course.
I watched one event: a women’s snowboard jumping thing. Halpipe? Is that a sport name,lol?
All I cared about was the outfits. They are so BIG and BAGGY on these girls! Why??? Generally I think they are ugly. They make them look like slouchy, sloppy 16-year old boys. Anyway, then I saw the “plaid flannel and blue jeans” snowboarding outfits on the american women, and I LIKED them. They were kind of funny and carefree. Does anyone else care about these things?
At some point they will have to play against each other, but the play so well together on the Penguins. I can see one or the other setting up a goal for the wrong team. lol- Paula
Now, that I would like to see, lol. What a great “agony of defeat” moment that would make!