by Jennie

We’re into week two of the Vancouver Olympics and events are moving at a brisk clip – less than a week and it’ll all be over for another four years! Despite some carping that these may go down at the “worst Olympics ever”, there have been plenty of moments to savor. Speedskater (and Dancing with the Stars champion) Apolo Ohno became the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time on Saturday when he won his seventh medal (he has two gold, two silvers and three bronze medals). Finland’s Teemu Selanne became the all-time Olympic hockey points leader while playing with a broken jaw (hockey players are tough!). Slovakia won its first gold medal in the Winter Olympics ever, in the biathalon.

Of course, there have been a few lowlights, as well. Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko wins the bittercakes award for his ungracious carping after coming in second to American Evan Lysacek. Somebody needs to call the whambulance for Plushenko, who at 27 is too old for such childishness. Furthermore, he has been competing for too many years not to understand the subjective nature of figure skating judging. If it were simply a quad-jumping competition, then why bother to come up with complicated and graceful routines at all?

There’s blame to go around in the case of American snowboarder Scotty Lago, who abruptly left the games early after issuing an apology for slightly risque photos surfaced on TMZ. On the one hand, the photos aren’t in the best taste, and Lago should be somewhat chastened for his behavior. On the other hand, if the reports are true and Lago’s departure from Vancouver was not so much voluntary as compelled by threats of being brought before an Olympic disciplinary committee, well, then I think Olympic officials need to unbend a bit. Lago is a 22-year-old guy who had just won his first Olympic medal in a sport that’s known for being a little bit more freewheeling and less stuffy than, say, ice dancing.

Finally, last night brought a total wtf from that very same sport, ice dancing (maybe it’s not as stuffy as I thought!). The theme of the “original dance” portion of the competition was supposed to be a routine based on a folk dance, and Russians Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin chose Australian aborigines, in a repeat of a performance that had drawn considerable criticism at the European championships in January. The criticisms that the routine amounts to cultural appropriation, mocks sacred religious ceremonies of the aborigine people and misrepresents the culture they are supposed to be honoring all have merit. I have to say that beyond that, my overwhelming impression when seeing the pair was what were they smoking when they came up with those outfits? And where can I get some?

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!