On an interesting side note; I found out today that Goeff Bodine of NASCAR fame got interested in bobsleigh in the 1990s and helped design the Night Train sled. What a cool bit of cross-sport cooperation!

 Defending champions Germany 1, piloted by Andre Lange, won silver, just .38 seconds behind. The giant Germans always made me laugh with their high-fives and bear-like huzzah just before they pushed to start. I had no idea what a testosterone-laden sport this is.

 Canada-1 finished third for the bronze.

In men’s speed skating, the US three-man team surprised everyone by handily beating the much-favored team from the Netherlands. Made up of veteran Chad Hedrick and two 19-yr-old newcomers, Brian Hansen and Jonathan Kuck, the USA team looked liked they’d be defeated as predicted in the early laps.  But communication problems between the Dutch team cost them the lead; the US barreling down the ice with the Dutch scrambling to regain the lead. The US managed to hang on, winning by .4 seconds and advancing to the finals.

Men’s Giant Slalom, even though I already know something that I didn’t want to know. Ugh. It’s really difficult to avoid spoilers. Anyway, men’s giant slalom provides another golden opportunity for Ted Ligety and Bode Miller.

Ladies figure skating short program. American women are kind of a long shot here, but they’ve defied that label before in the Olympics. Of course, this year there are only two women representing the United States in figure skating in Vancouver: Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. Dominant skaters World Champion Kim Yu-Na, of South Korea, and 2008 World title-holder Mao Asada, of Japan, should provide an exciting show.

I’m torn on women’s ski cross. I find it to be a theoretically exciting sport, but I have a hard time not having an American to cheer for. We’ll see whether it holds my attention.

I’m going to have to see if Nordic Combined Team Large Hill is on television, since it looks like the United States has a shot at a medal. Really. Two medals in Nordic Combined in one Olympics. Wow.

I will probably skip the women’s biathlon relay. Again, exciting in theory. Hard to see the Americans get trounced.

I may also skip men’s speedskating 10,000m. That’s a lot of skating in circles. Maybe if I were from the Netherlands and cheering for national hero Sven Kramer. The power company in the Netherlands is even offering a discount for every medal he wins. I’d definitely watch with more enthusiasm if it was going to save me about $70 per year. On the other hand, Americans Jonathan Kuck and Ryan Bedford are not expected to medal.

The ever present hockey and curling will probably also be skipped, even though I do generally enjoy curling. There are only so many hours in the day.

Women’s bobsled has two runs today, but I’ll probably wait until the medal rounds tomorrow to take a look at that.

The Germans seem to be almost unbeatable in the two man competition, but the four man is coming up. Will the American team lead by Steve Holcomb end the 62 year old gold medal drought for the Americans?

Thomas Florscheutz is driver for Germany 2, Richard Adjei his partner.  Russia 1 won bronze, driven by Aleksandr Zoubkov, partner Alexey Voevoda.

Just as a side note: Is it just me, or do those outfits leave little to the imagination? Some of the guys looked pretty impressive, but a couple could stand to cut some carbs from their diets.  You know who you are, fellahs.

In alpine skiing, you can watch Men’s Super Combined, which combines one downhill run with one slalom run. American Ted Ligety is the defending Olympic champion, but look for Americans Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht to give him a run for his money.

Biathlon will award medals for a men’s and women’s mass start event today.

Two man bobsled wraps up today. Team U.S. 1 was in a good position going into today’s runs.

Men’s ski cross runs qualifying and final rounds today. If you like snowboard cross, you’re going to love this new event. Former Alpine skiers Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves lead the Americans. You may recognize both these names as Rahlves represented the United States at the Olympics three times in alpine racing, and Puckett was a four time Olympian in the alpine disciplines.

The women’s speedskating 1500m will be raced today, as well.

In addition to medal rounds, you can check out curling and hockey (yes, I know some of you have had enough of curling and hockey). Or if you want something a bit lighter, ice dancers will be performing their free dance today.

In the men’s skeleton, favorite Martins Dukurs from Latvia had gold snatched away by Canada’s Jon Montgomery.  Ouch!  Dukurs was the dominant force all through the season, but a costly wall bump allowed Montgomery to win by a mere 7 hundredths of a second.  Bronze winner Aleksandr Tretiyakov of Russia slid in 1.02 seconds behind Dukurs.  US competitor Zach Lund finished 5^th .

Crazy sport, skeleton.  That head first approach looks scarier than luge.  But then again, you can see a little better where you’re going. I’m willing to give it a go, are you?

Figure skating moves on to ice dancing today. Torino silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto hope to upgrade that medal to gold, but they have stiff competition in fellow Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White who won the national championship in January. Traditionally, ice dancing has not been an American strong suit. Will this year change that?

Skeleton awards medals today in the men’s and women’s individual competition. Noelle Pikus-Pace, currently in fifth, is in decent position to compete for a medal. Teammate Katie Uhlaender is slightly farther back in ninth place. A couple of the American men also stand a chance to reach the podium. Zach Lund is currently in eight place. Eric Bernotas and John Daly are in 14th and 18th place at the beginning of today’s runs.

Curling has been a pretty big disappointment for the Americans this year. The men need to go undefeated to reach the podium. Today’s challenge? France. The women are looking for their first win as they face Russia.

Ski jumping continues today with the qualifying round for the 125m hill event. The U.S. has a very young team and is not favored to end the 86 year drought since they last medaled in ski jumping. Two time Olympian Anders Johnson is only 20. His teammates, Nick Alexander and Peter Frenette, are making their first trips to the Olympics. You have to really feel for these young guys. They essentially pay their own way to the Olympics. I’ll be writing more about this in the coming week.

Women’s cross country pursuit races today. America has never won a medal in women’s cross-country skiing, and that probably won’t change today. Americans Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola make their Olympic debut here.

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— More halfpipe today. It’s the women’s turn. Will the American women exceed the American men’s medal count from last night?

Hockey— The men and the women compete today. The men take on Norway. The women take on Finland.

Speed skating— The women take on the 1000m. Don’t expect the same medal count for the American women as the American men.

Skeleton— Competition starts today for the men and women. Americans stand a much better chance at medaling here than in the luge.

Curling— both the men and women take on Denmark today. You can catch this live if you have CNBC. No, really, live coverage of an event.

That’s it. Check back throughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of events.

Linger and Linger are only the second doubles team in Olympic history to win consecutive gold medals. Their first win in Torino was a bit of a surprise, as Wolfgang was recovering from a broken ankle and still had the pins.

First up, after days of delays, women’s downhill will finally get to race. Who should you be looking for? Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know to look for American Lindsey Vonn. The U.S. women have never won an Olympic gold medal in downhill, but Vonn is expected to change that. Vonn may be joined on the podium by any one of her teammates: Julia Mancuso, Stacey Cook, or Alice McKennis.

Snowboarding halfpipe is today, if the halfpipe doesn’t melt in the 40+ degree temperatures. For the U.S., this should be a medal treasure trove, since six out of nine Olympic medals awarded in men’s halfpipe have gone to Americans. That’s not expected to change this year, as reigning Olympic champion Shaun White competes. You should also keep an eye out for Dancing with the Stars alum Louie Vito, an newcomer to the Olympics. The other talented rookies are Scotty Lago and Greg Bretz.

Women’s 500m short track has a medal round today. Additionally, there will be heats in the men’s 1000m, and the semifinals of the men’s 5000m relay. Even though the U.S. hasn’t won a medal in this event since 1994, that could change this year as three-time national champion Katherine Reutter has an outside shot at a medal. Fellow American competitor Alyson Dudek is not expected to medal in the event.

Speed skating will award a medal for the 1000m today, hopefully to American Shani Davis who won this event in Torino and is favored to win gold in Vancouver. The race will also include Americans Chad Hedrick, Trevor Marsicano and Nick Pearson.

Medals will be awarded in men’s doubles luge today. Americans Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, who have appeared in four Olympics are the best shot for a medal, having already won Olympic silver and bronze. They’ll be joined by teammates Dan Joye and Christian Niccum.

Both men’s and women’s curling compete today— the women take on German; the men take on Switzerland.

And last but not least, cross-country skiing will race the men’s and women’s 1.5km individual sprint. This is a relatively new event to the Olympics, having made it’s debut in 2002. Like most cross-country type events, this is not an American strength. There is some hope that American female Kikkan Randall might finish in the top 15. American male Andy Newell stands a slightly better, though still outside, chance of ending up on the podium.

Now you may all join me until trying to avoid the results until tonight, although I already glimpsed partial results for the women’s downhill. I hope you ever better luck.

American Erin Hamlin went into the Olympics a world champion, but finished in 16th. American Julia Clukey was 17th, and Megan Sweeney was 22nd.

In women’s 500m speed skating Korea’s Sang-Hwa Lee took the gold, while Jenny Wolf of Germany took the silver and the bronze medal was awarded to Beixing Wang of China.

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 schedule, as of this writing). For today’s women’s 10 km pursuit and men’s 12.5 km pursuit, the athletes qualify by placing in the top 60 in a sprint competition. No American women are expected to qualify. For the men, Tim Burke and Lowell Bailey stand a decent chance of qualifying, even though this is not the best event for either of them.

CURLING Curling, a favorite in the Manty household, starts today. The American men are scheduled for two matches vs. Germany and Norway, and the American women are scheduled for one match vs. Japan. The American men won bronze in Torino. Will they be able to match or better that in Vancouver?

Men’s figure skating starts tonight with the short program. All three of the American men are strong contenders for a medal. Evan Lysacek is the reigning world champion and finished fourth in Torino after battling the flu. Jeremy Abbott is a relative newcomer but has won two U.S. titles. And then there’s Johnny Weir. Hopefully, the only drama surrounding his performances will be the performances, themselves. American men haven’t won gold since Brian Boitano in 1988. They’re hoping to change that this year.

Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams will be competing today. The men will be taking on Switzerland. The women will be playing Russia.

Women’s luge will be awarding a medal today. Americans Erin Hamlin and Julia Clukey are currently in 15th and 16th place after two runs—long shots for a medal but not out of contention. American Megan Sweeney is currently in 27th.

More snowboard cross today, as Lindsey Jacobellis tries to win the gold that eluded her in Turin, when she fell practically at the finish line. She is joined on the team by Olympic newcomers Callan Chythlook-Sifsof and Faye Gulini.

Finally, women’s speed skating races the 500m— hopefully with fewer problems with the ice than the men experienced yesterday. Elli Ochowicz, Jennifer Rodriguez, Heather Richardson and Lauren Cholewinski represent the United States. None are favorites to medal.

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. Keep in mind, coming out of retirement in China means the two no longer live together, residing in the official training dorms. That’s pretty serious dedication.

It looks like downhill may finally get started today after days of poor conditions. I always think of the U.S. as doing well in downhill, but it turns out we’ve only won two medals (both gold) since 1948. This year, we have Bode Miller (who will hopefully turn in a much better performance than his much-anticipated but hugely unsuccessful adventures in Turin), Steven Nyman and Marco Sullivan. Bode has made a lot of changes since the last Olympics, so hopefully he’ll see some positive changes in his results.

I was just talking about how exciting cross-country can be yesterday. Well, the event starts up today with the Women’s 10km Individual and Men’s 15km Individual. I love it when Americans are listed as hoping to break the top ten. Needless to say, the Star Spangled Banner will probably not be playing over the podium after either of these events. However, we do have some competent competitors competing. Kikkan Randall has won a world championship, so she’s the best hope for the women to medal. Other American women competing are Liz Stephen, Caitlin Compton and Morgan Arritola. Competing for the men are Kris Freeman and James Southam.

Luge moves over to the women today. Some of the female athletes have been quoted as saying that, with the new, lower start, the track is too easy, to slow and not much fun. I’m not sure what to make of the controversy. Obviously, it seems like the Olympic committee needed to make some sort of change after last week’s horrible accident. Would building the wall have been enough? Could the starts have been moved somewhat lower but not SO much lower? It’s hard to say. Certainly, the athletes’ safety needs to come first, but how much is too much? Erin Hamlin is the U.S.’s best chance for a medal, having earned a world championship gold in 2009. She would be the first American to medal in individual luge. She’s joined by Julia Clukey and Megan Sweeney, both first time Olympians.

Many will be excited to know that snowboarding starts today! I made fun of snowboarding a lot as an Olympic sport when it first came on the scene, but I have to admit— it’s one of our favorites now. Today’s event is snowboard cross which, as the name implies, resembles motorcross on snowboards. The U.S. has several contenders for medals, including defending gold medalist Seth Wescott. Other contenders are Nate Holland, Graham Watanabe and Nick Baumgartner.

And, finally, speedskating will contest the men’s 500 m race today. American Joey Cheeks won the medal in Turin, but he has retired. Several Americans hope to fill his skates: Tucker Fredricks, Shani Davis, Mitchell Whitmore and Nick Pearson.

So, that’s what’s going on today. Which events will you watch and which will you skip?

Men’s single luge 4th run concluded with gold going to Germany’s Felix Loch, silver to David Moller, also German and bronze to Armin Zoeggeler of Italy.  Times were still very good and the track was fast despite the efforts made to slow it down. 

In Women’s 3000m speed skating Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic won the gold by beating the rest by 2 seconds. Silver went to Stephanie Beckert of Germany and bronze to Canada’s Kristina Groves. Groves beat German competitor Daniela Anschuetz-Thoms by a thin 300ths of a second.

Here are my favorites for the day— figure skating pairs short program and men’s moguls.

In pairs figure skating, Americans face an uphill battle. The last figure skating pairs medal was a bronze in 1988, and the U.S. has never won a gold. The Russians have won every gold in this event since 1964. 1964, folks! So, maybe we should just cheer for anyone but the Russians. But if you want to cheer for the Americans, you have two pairs to choose from: Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett; or Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig. Caydee and Jeremy are the national champs, and Amanda and Mark were the runners up.

If the men’s moguls is anywhere as exciting as the women’s, it should be on the must see list. I don’t always watch the preliminary rounds, but I’ll definitely be tuned in to the finals. The U.S. has four men in the moguls competition: Patrick Deneen, Michael Morse, Nate Roberts, and Bryon Wilson. All of them are Olympic rookies, but Patrick is the current world champion. The Americans come in with heavy expectations on their backs. The U.S. has only failed to medal in moguls once— in 1994. You’ll definitely want to take a look, not only to see medals won this year but to see the future of the U.S. mogul team in this young group.

As I mentioned yesterday, biathlon is not always my favorite sport. Sure, there’s skiing and guns combined, but that’s a lot more exciting on paper than when actually watching. It doesn’t help that the U.S. has never medaled in this event. In fact, the highest any American biathlete has ever placed in the Olympics is 19th, and that was all the way back in 1980. But today’s event is worth a look. The U.S. has an actual contender in Tim Burke, who was the leader of the World Cup this year. Check out the 10 km sprint today to see if history is made.

Nordic Combined might be worth watching. Nordic Combined combines ski jumping with cross country skiing. (Now, if it was like biathlon, but combined ski jumping with shooting— simultaneously— THAT would be a sport definitely worth watching.) No American has ever won a medal in Nordic Combined (which has a new name and a new format in this year’s Olympics), but this year the American team boasts three World Champions: Todd Lodwick (defending World Champion), Johnny Spillane and Bill Demong. So, perhaps we’ll see history made there, as well.

Other events being contested today are Women’s Hockey, Luge and Women’s Speed Skating. Women’s Hockey is an early round with the U.S. taking on China. Luge will award its first medals, but Americans are not expected to see a medal. If the U.S. does medal, it will probably be Tony Benshoof who missed a bronze by less than a second four years ago. Women’s speed skaters will determine the medal for the 3000m race. No America has ever won gold in this race, but that’s not expected to change this year. Three Americans are competing: Catherine Raney Norman (the best hope for a medal), Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. and Jilleanne Rookard.

So, that’s the rundown for today. What will you be watching?

The men’s start has been moved to the previous women’s starting place. The women’s start was also moved down. This will lower the men’s speed from the mid-90s to the mid-80s, much more in keeping with other tracks’ speeds.

Vancouver’s luge track is one of the fastest in the world, Kumaritashvili was going over 89mph when the crash occurred.  Officials are investigating the accident, though most athletes interviewed said that though the track is fast, it is no more dangerous than others around the world.

Fellow teammates from Georgia have decided to compete in the games, dedicating their performance to Kumaritashvili. Our thoughts go out to the teammates, friends and family during this sad time.

1. The opening ceremonies

No matter who you are, or where the Olympics are located, deep in your heart you know there’s nothing more stirring than the opening ceremonies.  China’s summer extravaganza set the bar pretty high for Canada, but you can bet your back bacon they’re going to put their all into it.

2. Women’s hockey

1998 saw the debut of women’s hockey at the Olympics.  Since then, there hasn’t been much excitement about it in the US.  But this year, Team USA is a frontrunner for gold.  Canada has been dominating this season, but coach Mark Johnson has high hopes for his team.  Can Olympic gold do for women’s hockey what it did for women’s soccer?  It’s doubtful there will be a “Brandy Chastain moment” with all that gear, but perhaps the men out there will take notice anyway.

 3. Biathlon

Hugely popular in Europe but largely ignored in the US, biathletes have struggled to get funding and training until this year.  When the sport was finally noticed by a prosperous contributor money was finally available to get things going.  The big standout for the US will be Tim Burke, who won both silver and bronze medals at the World Cup in Ostersund.  This could be a great beginning for an under appreciated sport.

4. Stephen Colbert

When Deutsche Bank went belly-up and their $300,000 pledge for the US speed skating team went with it, Colbert stepped up to the plate.  It took less than a month for the “Colbert Nation” to replace the funds.  There’s sure to be a lot of Colbert’s scathing satire surrounding the games.  Like him or not, the comedian has the audience and the pull to make things happen.
 
5. Team USA-1 four-man bobsled

Steve Holcomb has been piloting the “Night Train” with his teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz with incredible results.  Three gold medals in World Cup events this season puts them at the top of their game.  It’s even more amazing when you consider Holcomb nearly quit bobsledding because of eye problems.  Surgery in 2008 restored his vision and renewed his love of the sport.

6. Skier/snowboarder antics

Though Bode Miller recently sprained his ankle, he’ll probably still make the games.  And you can be sure he and the other downhill skiers will be as crazy as ever. Add in the new addition of extreme sports inspired skicross to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a speed-induced adrenaline rush madness that only the boys and girls who haunt the slopes can produce.  If only we could all be there for the after-party.

7. Shani Davis and Apolo Ohno

On December 11^th, Davis broke his own world record for the 1500m by coming in at 1:41.04, besting his previous record of 1:41.80.  In long track, Davis is hands-down the man to beat.  Ohno, who at 27 is the elder statesman of the short track, is competing in his third Olympics in 2010.  He’ll be pushing to beat Eric Heiden’s record of seven medals won in winter Olympics.  But he’d better watch out, JR Celski is a young man moving up in the ranks, and one of the few who could give Ohno a run for his money.

8. Kim Yu-Na

The South Korean figure skater is the undeniable favorite for gold in 2010.  Her signature triple-triple exhibits an intense athleticism coupled with a grace that brings audiences to their feet.  At Skate America in Lake Placid, NY she broke the scoring record for short program, earning a 76.28.  While the Olympics brings out the patriot in most of us, sometimes you just need to sit back and appreciate poetry in motion.

9. Ice Dancing

The possibilities are wide open for ice dancing this year.  While US couple Meryl Davis and Charlie White won gold at the Grand Prix Final, it by no means places them above the rest of the competitors.  Two favored teams missed this season making it difficult to judge who will come out on top in 2010.  Everyone is sure to be giving it their all in Vancouver.  It will be exciting to watch the heavy competition among the couples.

10. Skeleton

After a 54-year absence, skeleton returned to the winter Olympics in 2002 and included both men and women.  Named because the new metal sled used in 1892 looked like a skeleton; it’s tough to deny the thrills caused by people sliding head first down a track at 80 mph.  Look for the return of Noelle Pikus-Pace, the first US woman to win the World Cup in 2005.  She’s back from taking the 2007-2008 seasons off to have a child, but is shaping up to be a big threat in Vancouver.

Canada is putting its best foot forward to make this a great winter Olympics.  Take the time to watch a variety of sports.  You never know, you could become the newest curling fanatic, or find out you really enjoy moguls over downhill.  Bundle up, grab a hot toddy, and enjoy the best athletes the world has to offer in winter sports.