Another gold for Canada
Canada added yet another gold medal to their haul from the Vancouver Olympics. This one was from Jasey Jay Anderson in Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom. This was his fourth Olympics, so he was certainly due.
It was a race in yet another messy, sloppy foggy day on the mountains surrounding Vancouver. All of [...]
More sloppy weather for women’s snowboarding & skiing
Women’s Parallel Giant Snowboard Slalom was closer to surfing than snowboarding today. It was wet, wet, wet, and there were tons of wipeouts. But through it all Nicolien Sauerbreij of the Netherlands managed to make it down the hill all ten runs in one piece and with the best final time, winning the first gold [...]
Two US Skiers get the Podium
The trick about Super G is that while it’s the same course as downhill, the start is lower down and the turns crisper. Plus, the skiers don’t get a warm-up run, just an inspection of the course. In a way, they have to remember how they skied during the downhill competition and adapt their style [...]
Women’s halfpipe
Before I get to results, let me make a couple of observations. First, they could sneak Louie Vito in there and how would we know? You can’t tell that those girls are, well, girls. Second, it cracks me up to watch them getting their ipods ready in preparation for their runs and [...]
Multiple Wipe Outs for USA, Aussie Wins Halfpipe
No less than four US women were competing (and had a good chance) in the women’s halfpipe this evening. But there was almost as much wiping out for the competitors as there was solid performances. The qualifying runs had promised a spectacular show for the finals, but it seemed everyone had blown their energy on earlier [...]
Today’s events 2/18
This is going to be a very brief rundown of today’s events:
Women’s Super Combined— potentially more medals for Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn.
Biathlon— Could there be a medal for American Tim Burke? Will Norway be happier with their results today?
Men’s Figure Skating—Who’s getting the gold? Evan Lysacek, Evgeni Plushenko, or someone else entirely?
Snowboarding— [...]
Shaun White– Need I say more
I love the snowboarding commentary. “You do not want to land on top of the wall.” Really? No kidding!
Okay, other than the inane announcing, halfpipe tonight was great. Who doesn’t love Shaun White??
I don’t have the video of tonight, but here’s a video of him practicing the Double McTwist 1260:
White and Coach Will Get Matching Tattoos
Shaun White and his coach made a deal. If he won his second gold in the halfpipe they’d get matching tattoos in Vancouver. I wonder what they’ll get?
White locked in the gold on his first run, so the second was just for the crowd, and he delivered. Tempted though he was to just do a [...]
Brothers Win Second Straight Gold
Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger took gold the second time in men’s doubles luge today. A second set of brothers, Andris and Jurcis Sics from Latvia won silver with a time only .2 seconds slower. Bronze went to Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch of Germany.
Linger and Linger are only the second doubles team in [...]
Today’s events 2/17
Did you miss me? My “real” job kept me busy this morning, so I’m just now getting around to posting what’s going on today. Fortunately, due to the wonders of tape delay (ha-ha), you won’t be able to see most of these events until ten tonight, anyway.
First up, after days of delays, women’s [...]
No Redemption for Jacobellis
Women’s snowcross was a big disappointment for me. I was really hoping that Lindsey Jacobellis would get to make up for her fall at the end of the race in Turin. Unfortunately, she bobbled in the semifinals and went off course right at the top of the race.
Good news for Canada as [...]
Olympic Schedule 2/16
So, what’s on today’s schedule?
Today was supposed to be Super Combined in men’s downhill, but due to poor weather conditions (blowing now and low visibility), that event has been pushed to Friday. At this rate, Alpine skiing will finish up sometime in March or April.
Presumably, the snow won’t stop biathlon (it’s still on the [...]
Seth Wescott wins gold!
If the Olympics wants more viewers, they should come up with a way to milk snowcross a bit more. It’s really exciting, and we love watching it here in our house. This year’s course made things even more exciting, as it melted and refroze throughout the day. Even Seth Wescott (defending gold [...]
Defending Champ Westcott Wins SBX
Seth Wescott came to Vancouver on the heels of a terrible injury and at the ripe old age of 33. He really didn’t have high hopes of winning the Snowboard cross gold. His qualifying run wasn’t that great, and today’s weather practically blinded the competitors. Canada’s Mike Robertson had such a strong lead even the [...]
Graham Watanabe
I like interesting stories about athletes. This may be one you remember. Snowboardcrosser (is that what thye call themselves?) Graham Watanabe did not make the Torino Olympics team, but he paid his way to Italy, anyway, working as an assistant wax technician. Then Jayson Hale tore his ACL, and Graham stepped up [...]
Olympic Schedule 2/15
Today’s schedule is another busy one.
Pairs figure skating finishes up today with the free skate. No Americans are in serious contention, so the sentimental favorites are the Chinese pair of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao. The three time World Champions and real life married couple came out of retirement to pursue Olympic gold. [...]
Ohno Ties Blair
The men’s 1500m short track final ended with a shocking surprise. Just when it looked like the three South Korean competitiors had the podium locked up, two of the skaters got tangled and crashed into the side of the rink. South Korean Lee Jung-Su captured gold, but Apolo Ohno was able to slide into silver and tie Bonnie [...]
Luge Tragedy
Georgian Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled during training today, Feb. 12th. The 21yr-old’s sled hit the wall on a particularly difficult turn, throwing him off the track and into an unpadded steel pole. Kumaritashvili was pronounced dead shortly after at the hospital.
Vancouver’s luge track is one of the fastest in the [...]
Take a look at the new Olympic medals
Take a look at the new Winter Olympic medals:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Will There Be Snow for Vancouver?
As Americans watch the Northeast get buried under record snowfall, Canadians must be wondering, “Why not Vancouver?” With the Olympic games just days away and athletes already arriving for practice sessions, officials are scrambling to make Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain suitable for use. Whistler’s slopes have plenty of snow and will pose no problem, but Cypress [...]
Snowsports GB Wipes Out
British Olympic skiers and snowboarders were stunned Feb. 5th when it was announced that the British Ski and Snowboard Federation (traded as Snowsports GB) announced its liquidation. The 7 organizations that make up the Federation collectively manages Great Britain’s snowsports, and consequently, their Olympic Athletes. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the [...]
What’s the Difference Between Olympic and NHL Hockey?
There are subtle differences between NHL and Olympic hockey that will affect how the game is played at the 2010 Olympics. Olympic rules are based more on the International Hockey Federation rules than NHL. First, the rink for Olympic play is usually larger than NHL rinks. This tends to result in more of a “position” [...]
Casey Puckett– 2010 Olympics will be his fifth
The Vancouver Olympics will be Casey Puckett’s first attempt to medal in ski cross at the Olympics, but it will be his fifth quest for the Olympics, overall. He first competed in the 1992 Albertville Olympics 18 years ago!
Casey has yet to win a medal in the Olympics, but he’s been competing very well [...]
Injured Snowboarder Kevin Pearce Improving
Many of the winter sports can be dangerous. Downhill skiing, ski cross and snowboarding all have a high rate of injury. On New Year’s Eve, Kevin Pearce (one of the United States’ best snowboarders) was injured in a halfpipe accident. He suffered a traumatic brain injury when he fell attempting a difficult [...]
Top 10 Things To Look For In The Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada is just around the corner. For those who haven’t been keeping up on all the winter sports since the last Olympics, here’s a top ten list (in no particular order) of the possible highlights. Just remember, it isn’t just the sports that make the Olympics worth watching!
1. The [...]
