As I already mentioned, I can't help but smile every time I see Sage Kotsenburg in an interview or piece. I can tell I would just laugh constantly if I ever met him. Whether it would be me laughing with him or at him, I can't tell. But I reiterate that I think he's very likable.
In case you missed it, here is a funny piece he did with Jimmy Fallon last week.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Sweep.
How great was the American sweep in the freestyle skiing slope style event?! Nothing like seeing three flags raised at an Olympic medal ceremony and all three of them be American flags. Only the third time that's every happened in a winter Olympics.
If you missed the medal ceremony, you can watch it HERE. Gives me chills.
Plus, how adorable are these guys?! Wish I was just a few years younger!
If you missed the medal ceremony, you can watch it HERE. Gives me chills.
Plus, how adorable are these guys?! Wish I was just a few years younger!
I warned you.
As I said at the very beginning, there's no way I'd be able to keep up and post as much as I did during the summer Olympics. There's just not enough free time for me do it right now. The only reason I really have time at the moment is because I'm on a work trip and am currently lounging in a hotel room in the city in which The Fugitive was filmed.
This of course does not mean I haven't been watching almost every moment of the games possible. I've watched the primetime coverage every evening and thanks to the recent "blizzard" in N.C., I've had almost three full days to watch during the day. Along with the television that sits in my office when I am at work.
So many great things have happened so far and I'll never have time to write about it all, so I'll just leave you with some thoughts and great moments.
- I smile every time I see an interview with Sage Kotsenburg (the American who won the snowboard slope style event). He talks exactly like you expect most snowboarders to and is so honest in all his interviews. He's just very likable.
- The figure skating team event will need some tweaking over its first few cycles in the games, but overall I think it's a neat addition. While it will probably be dominated by the same few countries most the time, it's cool to see a lot of skaters with the opportunity to earn medals. Up to 10 skaters from each country can earn a medal. I think that's great considering there are so many amazing skaters that never get to stand on the podium at the Olympics.
- The men's figure skating short program was the craziest thing I've ever seen in all my years of watching the sport. I've been pretty consistent with watching it over the years, not just during the Olympics, and I've never seen anything like that sequence of events. Plushenko withdraws and then Abbott's skate. I mean, wow. I've kind of cheered against Plushenko for awhile. Probably because he's really good and not an American. But that was really heartbreaking to watch. You could tell how much pain he was in and how devestated he was. Then Abbott has yet another fall on the quad, he melts so often under pressure, but manages to get up after that hard fall and skates flawless...once he catches up with the music. So kudos to him for not giving up, figuring out where he was in the music and for pretty much nailing the rest of his routine.
- What is with the American speed skaters?! They can't blame it all on the new skating suits. It's not like Under Armor just threw these at them and told them to put it on. It was a collaborative endeavor on these suits and the U.S. needs to suck it up and just start skating better!
- What is with the American skiers?! Other than Julia Mancuso's bronze in the super-combined, the U.S. has struggled mightily in the alpine events. Like the skaters, at a certain point you have to stop blaming the elements and just ski. Other people are winning, no reason the U.S. shouldn't.
- Stop all the hating on the fact that this is the "winter" Olympics! I do not see one better than the other. All these athletes work hard to get were they are and I find it a little disappointing when people say that these games don't count. There are 230 amazing athletes representing our country right now. Many of them have sacrificed and worked harder than I ever will. What does it matter what season of the year it is? Get over your bias and support them!
- It's the little moments that make the Olympics. Like the Russian cross country skier who broke his ski and could hardly even continue because it was nearly impossible. He never gave up. Kept limping along the best he could. Then a coach from the Canadian ski team came out and gave him a new ski so he could finish. Turns out the wife of that Canadian coach was a skier in one of the team events in Torino. Her pole broke, which is almost just as bad in a cross country race, and a Norwegian coach ran out and gave her a new pole. Canada finished second and Norway finished fourth. He found a way to pay it forward, eight years later. Incredible.
- I miss Bob. I like Matt and Meredith very much. But it's just not the Olympics without Bob Costas! Get well soon!
This of course does not mean I haven't been watching almost every moment of the games possible. I've watched the primetime coverage every evening and thanks to the recent "blizzard" in N.C., I've had almost three full days to watch during the day. Along with the television that sits in my office when I am at work.
So many great things have happened so far and I'll never have time to write about it all, so I'll just leave you with some thoughts and great moments.
- I smile every time I see an interview with Sage Kotsenburg (the American who won the snowboard slope style event). He talks exactly like you expect most snowboarders to and is so honest in all his interviews. He's just very likable.
- The figure skating team event will need some tweaking over its first few cycles in the games, but overall I think it's a neat addition. While it will probably be dominated by the same few countries most the time, it's cool to see a lot of skaters with the opportunity to earn medals. Up to 10 skaters from each country can earn a medal. I think that's great considering there are so many amazing skaters that never get to stand on the podium at the Olympics.
- The men's figure skating short program was the craziest thing I've ever seen in all my years of watching the sport. I've been pretty consistent with watching it over the years, not just during the Olympics, and I've never seen anything like that sequence of events. Plushenko withdraws and then Abbott's skate. I mean, wow. I've kind of cheered against Plushenko for awhile. Probably because he's really good and not an American. But that was really heartbreaking to watch. You could tell how much pain he was in and how devestated he was. Then Abbott has yet another fall on the quad, he melts so often under pressure, but manages to get up after that hard fall and skates flawless...once he catches up with the music. So kudos to him for not giving up, figuring out where he was in the music and for pretty much nailing the rest of his routine.
- What is with the American speed skaters?! They can't blame it all on the new skating suits. It's not like Under Armor just threw these at them and told them to put it on. It was a collaborative endeavor on these suits and the U.S. needs to suck it up and just start skating better!
- What is with the American skiers?! Other than Julia Mancuso's bronze in the super-combined, the U.S. has struggled mightily in the alpine events. Like the skaters, at a certain point you have to stop blaming the elements and just ski. Other people are winning, no reason the U.S. shouldn't.
- Stop all the hating on the fact that this is the "winter" Olympics! I do not see one better than the other. All these athletes work hard to get were they are and I find it a little disappointing when people say that these games don't count. There are 230 amazing athletes representing our country right now. Many of them have sacrificed and worked harder than I ever will. What does it matter what season of the year it is? Get over your bias and support them!
- It's the little moments that make the Olympics. Like the Russian cross country skier who broke his ski and could hardly even continue because it was nearly impossible. He never gave up. Kept limping along the best he could. Then a coach from the Canadian ski team came out and gave him a new ski so he could finish. Turns out the wife of that Canadian coach was a skier in one of the team events in Torino. Her pole broke, which is almost just as bad in a cross country race, and a Norwegian coach ran out and gave her a new pole. Canada finished second and Norway finished fourth. He found a way to pay it forward, eight years later. Incredible.
- I miss Bob. I like Matt and Meredith very much. But it's just not the Olympics without Bob Costas! Get well soon!
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Good read.
There is a very interesting read on ESPN if you have the time for a long feature piece. I think it's a very accurate (from what I've gathered) depection of Putin and the way he controls Russia.
Russia seems to function as a modern country but is led by someone who is a few steps short of a dictator. What Putin wants, Putin gets. And that includes this Olympics games.
Sochi was previously more known as a vacation destination for the rich in Russia. Not a winter destination, but a summer one. While it gets plenty cold in the winter, as I can't imagine a place during winter in Russia that doesn't get cold, it's not your average winter Olympic host city.
But the IOC doesn't care about that. They only care that you are going to do what's necessary to fund, build and successfully host an Olympic games. Therefore Sochi has been transformed over the last seven years.
There were no major roads or highways leading in to Sochi in 2007. No hotels. No venues. Literally everything in the city has been built for the games. It is not the classic, historic sites you saw transformed in London. Russia has spent an estimated $50 billion building these games. The most expensive of any winter site.
To be fair, the winter games are built a little differently from the summer games. Not to mention that dozens of buildings are built in preparation for any games. Often for the summer games, the main structure built is the venue for the ceremonies and the athlete village. For the winter games, it's more important to have a site within driving distance already capable of hosting the outdoor events and then build the necessary venues for the indoor events in the actual host city for the games. I witnessed this in Torino. So many of the buildings were built obviously for the Olympics and the Olympics only. The curling venue was a random stop on the train to the mountains. It was like, "Hey, we could throw people off here and build a site for curling." I'd be shocked if that curling building still exists eight years later.
But the difference with Sochi is that everything in the town is new and for the Olympics. It's a Disney World monoply type city now. Once you enter the "coastal cluster" of venues and Olympic village, you are stuck with the few food and entertainment options. It doesn't have the feel of visiting and exploring in a place like in Vancouver or Nagano. It is just the Olympic competitions and that's pretty much it.
So the question is, "Will it be safe?" Putin has pretty much risked his entire international reputation on these games. He wanted these games to show off Russia and its "progress." To show that Russia is not the Russia you still think it is from the Cold War. He wants everyone to be in awe of him and think it would be great to live in a country with him as your President. It is essential to him that these games go off without a hitch. If they don't, I don't want to be the person responsible in his eyes. It matters not to him whether people have a good time. He cares that it is portrayed successfully to people around the world and that Russia wins gold medals. It's similar to the way China cared about the success of the Beijing games in the way that they wanted to change the public perception. It was the same "win at all costs mentality."
The games are about four days away now. All we can do is wait and see how it all unfolds.
Russia seems to function as a modern country but is led by someone who is a few steps short of a dictator. What Putin wants, Putin gets. And that includes this Olympics games.
Sochi was previously more known as a vacation destination for the rich in Russia. Not a winter destination, but a summer one. While it gets plenty cold in the winter, as I can't imagine a place during winter in Russia that doesn't get cold, it's not your average winter Olympic host city.
But the IOC doesn't care about that. They only care that you are going to do what's necessary to fund, build and successfully host an Olympic games. Therefore Sochi has been transformed over the last seven years.
There were no major roads or highways leading in to Sochi in 2007. No hotels. No venues. Literally everything in the city has been built for the games. It is not the classic, historic sites you saw transformed in London. Russia has spent an estimated $50 billion building these games. The most expensive of any winter site.
To be fair, the winter games are built a little differently from the summer games. Not to mention that dozens of buildings are built in preparation for any games. Often for the summer games, the main structure built is the venue for the ceremonies and the athlete village. For the winter games, it's more important to have a site within driving distance already capable of hosting the outdoor events and then build the necessary venues for the indoor events in the actual host city for the games. I witnessed this in Torino. So many of the buildings were built obviously for the Olympics and the Olympics only. The curling venue was a random stop on the train to the mountains. It was like, "Hey, we could throw people off here and build a site for curling." I'd be shocked if that curling building still exists eight years later.
But the difference with Sochi is that everything in the town is new and for the Olympics. It's a Disney World monoply type city now. Once you enter the "coastal cluster" of venues and Olympic village, you are stuck with the few food and entertainment options. It doesn't have the feel of visiting and exploring in a place like in Vancouver or Nagano. It is just the Olympic competitions and that's pretty much it.
So the question is, "Will it be safe?" Putin has pretty much risked his entire international reputation on these games. He wanted these games to show off Russia and its "progress." To show that Russia is not the Russia you still think it is from the Cold War. He wants everyone to be in awe of him and think it would be great to live in a country with him as your President. It is essential to him that these games go off without a hitch. If they don't, I don't want to be the person responsible in his eyes. It matters not to him whether people have a good time. He cares that it is portrayed successfully to people around the world and that Russia wins gold medals. It's similar to the way China cared about the success of the Beijing games in the way that they wanted to change the public perception. It was the same "win at all costs mentality."
The games are about four days away now. All we can do is wait and see how it all unfolds.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Update!
The Jamaicans have enough money! It's been less than three days and already over $126k has been donated to them here.
To be clear, the money wasn't to fund them going to Sochi, their federation does that, it's for the extra training, equipment, etc. Looks like people are still feeling the rhythm and the rhyme.
To be clear, the money wasn't to fund them going to Sochi, their federation does that, it's for the extra training, equipment, etc. Looks like people are still feeling the rhythm and the rhyme.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Feel the rhythm. Feel the rhyme.
Get on up...it's bobsled time!
I hope everyone has seen Cool Runnings. If you haven't, you're missing out. But even so, I think most people know the history of the Jamaican bobsled team.
While they might be one of the most famous bobsled teams ever, they actually haven't qualified for an Olympics since 2002. That was until this past weekend. The Jamaicans are back! It's only in the two-man competition, but nonetheless, they will be competing in Sochi.
IF they can raise $80,000 to cover their costs to get to Sochi. In order to do this, they've started a Crowdtilt account to help get the money. Anyone can go on and donate. I feel like they'll get it. But it sure would be disappointing if they don't.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like Disney should at least give them a little bit of money? I mean, they did make plenty of money off Cool Runnings. I really think they should even sponsor the team. How great would that be?
Well, here's to hoping we see them marching in during that opening ceremony on Feb. 7!
I hope everyone has seen Cool Runnings. If you haven't, you're missing out. But even so, I think most people know the history of the Jamaican bobsled team.
While they might be one of the most famous bobsled teams ever, they actually haven't qualified for an Olympics since 2002. That was until this past weekend. The Jamaicans are back! It's only in the two-man competition, but nonetheless, they will be competing in Sochi.
IF they can raise $80,000 to cover their costs to get to Sochi. In order to do this, they've started a Crowdtilt account to help get the money. Anyone can go on and donate. I feel like they'll get it. But it sure would be disappointing if they don't.
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like Disney should at least give them a little bit of money? I mean, they did make plenty of money off Cool Runnings. I really think they should even sponsor the team. How great would that be?
Well, here's to hoping we see them marching in during that opening ceremony on Feb. 7!
U.S. Figure skating team.
Warning: long, rambling post below
The U.S. Olympic Figure Skating team was announced on last Sunday but it was not without some DRAMA! As to be expected in a sport that brought us the infamous Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding saga.
This Olympics, U.S. Figure Skating switched to a committee selection process to determine the athletes that will represent the U.S. in Sochi. It's important to remember that the national championships for skating is no longer considered the trials. This is unlike a typical racing sport (i.e. swimming, speed skating, track) where your performance at the Olympic trials, and at the trials only, determines whether or not you will compete in the Olympics. That also makes sense in an objective sport. But skating is a subjective sport. So what this meant was that the "trials"for Sochi were based on performances at major national and international competitions over the last two years to give the U.S. the best shot at winning medals. The most consistent and proven competitors would get the nod to go.
This is the same type of process that U.S. gymnastics has been doing since 2004. It's worked pretty well as the women's gymnastics team is basically the best and deepest program in the world and hasn't finished worse than second in the Olympics since then.
There are four disciplines in figure skating - mens, ladies, pairs and ice dancing. The amount of competitors/teams that the U.S. gets to send is based on the combined finish of the athletes at the previous year's world championships. In 2010, the U.S. got to send three men and two women to the games in Vancouver because at the time the U.S. men's field was deeper and more talented. That's shifted over the last four years and the two ladies competitors at worlds last year - Gracie Gold and Ashley Wagner - finished well enough to gain the U.S. women a third spot for Sochi, while the men now only have two. The U.S. has three ice dancing spots and two pairs spots for Sochi (same as Vancouver).
As I talked about in this post, Ashley Wagner was the last one out of the Olympics in 2010 by finishing third at the national championship, while Mirai Nagasu finished second and got to compete. Nagasu finished fourth overall at the Olympics and there was no argument that the U.S. sent the right athletes four years ago. But over the last four years, Wagner has skated with a fire to get back to this point and earn herself a spot on the team. She won the 2012 and 2013 national championships and finished fifth at the world championships the last two years. She also won a Grand Prix event in the fall and was the only U.S. lady to qualify to compete at the Grand Prix finals. For those of you that don't follow figure skating, those are all pretty impressive notes.
Going into the national championships last week, everyone thought it would easily be Wagner and Gold with a fight to determine the third spot among a handful of skaters that have been good but not great over the past few years. There were about three to four people I thought could end up taking this spot. Gold skated great in both the short and free skate programs and easily won the competition. Pretty much assuring her spot on the team. Wagner had a mistake in her short program and struggled in the free skate to end up placing fourth. NOT what people were expecting. Then, this 15-year-old named Paulina Edmonds burst onto the scene in her first senior national competition and finished second! What?! And then you have Nagasu come back from finishing seventh last year to place third. Holy cow! Who do you put on the team?!
In the past, it was the top two or three finishers, no matter what. But now they have this selection process. So if you choose the girl who has been the stronghold for the U.S. in competitions the last four years, but finished fourth, who do you leave out? The 15-year-old with no experience but finished second? Or the one with Olympic experience? Or do you leave Wagner off for succumbing to the pressure and not performing to her best ability when it counted? The Olympics are only one competition after all. The gold medal is not awarded based on your body of work over the last year. Just ask Michelle Kwan.
But they decided on this selection process to pick the most consistent skaters to give the U.S. the best chance at winning medals. And every "expert" agreed that Wagner deserved a spot on the Olympic team. So then who gets the third spot? Being 15 and new to this level of competition can be a great or terrifying thing. You either compete with reckless abandon because you don't know any better and have nothing to loose (i.e. gold medalists Tara Lipinski and Sara Hughes) or you just fall apart. Well, the committee decided that Edmunds skated well enough to earn a spot, even at 15, and leave the experienced Olympian out of the games. One could also think they're trying to give her experience now if she's the future of U.S. Figure Skating.
I have to admit, I watched the live official announcement, which was live streamed, with my heart beating so fast. I really wanted Wagner to make it. Just from watching on my couch the past few tears, I think she deserved it. They announced the names alphabetically, so it was...Edmunds...Gold...and....Wagner. I gave a little clap and cheer for her from the hotel room I was sitting in.
Ok, moving on. Can you believe there's more?!
The two pairs teams selected were the teams that finished 1-2. This wasn't that controversial because no one really knew who would rise to the occasion in the pairs competition. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, won the championship again this year and secured themselves a spot. The second-place team, Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay, did well, but honestly, no team from the U.S. has been that impressive in years. The team that everyone would have bet on two years ago, Caydee Denny and John Coughlin, missed last season to injury and just came back on the scene this season. They ended up finishing third after a fantastic free skate, but it just wasn't enough to give the committee faith in them for the games.
There were only two spots available for the men this time around and it was wide open for anyone. There hasn't really been two or even one American male to make a big enough impact recently to have a spot secure prior to nationals. So every male finish in this competition was important. I think the three that ended up finishing in the top three probably would have been the safe bet, but it really was so up in the air.
Jeremy Abbott ended up winning the title, his fourth, and was selected to his second straight Olympics. He was a really strong contender four years ago, he beat Evan Lysacek in the national championships prior to Vancouver, but just buckled under the pressure of the games. He's struggled since then and didn't even make the world championships last year after a terrible free skate. He had to prove at this nationals that he could skate two clean programs. He did that and even set a new U.S. record with his score in the short program. If he skates his absolute best in Sochi, he could be a medal contender.
The other spot was between Max Aaron and Jason Brown. Aaron won the U.S. title last year and has been the international face for the U.S. the last year but was not a sure bet. He's a fantastic jumper, that's how he won his title, but lacks a little in the artistic department. He's worked hard in that area and has gotten a lot better, but it's clear his strong suit is the athleticism and the jumps. Brown, an 18-year-old, does not compete a quad jump, which is pretty much something you have to have to be able to win internationally these days. Lysacek won without it in 2010 but that wouldn't be possible now.
What Brown does have is a performance quality that can't be matched. He just brings you in and you wonder all the sudden how it happened. So when the "jumpers" fall, he's there with his solid triples, performance and technical quality and can pick up the points the others lost out on. That's pretty much what happened this year at nationals. He ended up winning the free skate with an absolutely amazing performance. And that was against people that landed quads. So in the end, Brown got the second spot over Aaron, who finished third, and I think will be a good experience for someone who should be one of the top Americans over the next few years.
I like Brown. He is a beautiful skater. Like I said, he can really draw you in. But what I can't handle is his hair. It's probably shoulder length but he keeps it pulled back in a slick ponytail for competitions. I'm sorry, but it is so ugly and it does not compliment him. But hopefully with time will come more maturity for him, a quad jump and a hair cut.
Prior to nationals, there was one couple that could do absolutely terrible and still not have to worry about not making the team. Nationals was merely a formality for them. And that would be ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White. But they are perfect and amazing and won their sixth straight national title and extended their two-year undefeated competition streak. They are the (slight) favorites to win gold in Sochi and I can't wait to watch!
The other two spots went to the couples that finished second and third. These selections were not at all controversial and exactly what everyone thought would happen. The second couple is Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Bates competed in the 2010 Olympics with a different partner. Now Bates and Chock skate together and they are really lovely to watch. They skate with such a mature elegance. The other couple is Maia and Alex Shibutani, a sibling combo also known also known as the Shib Sibs. They are fun, vibrant and bring a young excitement to the ice.
Davis and White will either win gold or silver with the Canadian couple of Virtue and Moir taking the other color. But one of the other U.S. couples has a really good shot a bronze. The ice dance competition will be really fun to watch. Trust me!
I know many people don't think ice dancing is enjoyable (if they even know what it is), but just watch Davis and White below. They are so incredibly amazing. Look at the stuff that they do and then think about the fact that they're doing that on skates...moving across the ice...at that speed. It's really unbelievable.
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