The 2010 Winter Olympics is nearing its end, with several big golds still to be handed out — namely figure skating and hockey. While those events are sure to grab this nation’s attention, as well as others across the globe, I begin to reflect on some standout moments from these Games:
1. Watching Apolo Anton Onho race is an absolute thrill. The way he lingers behind the pack for most of the race is like a preying lion lurking behind a gazelle. In the men’s 1500 meter short track, Onho was at his best. With two laps to go, he went from 12th to second in a matter of seconds. It was one of the most exciting moments I’ve ever seen watching the Winter Olympics. I literally got chills.
2. I feel for France’s Marion Rolland, who fell just a few feet from the starting gate in the women’s downhill. You practice for years to get to this moment and instead of going down making a hard turn, you drop flat on your face a few pushes into your run. This just goes to show how unpredictable the Olympics can be.
3. The U.S. Men’s hockey team is in a great position to make the Gold Finals. Here’s what they did by beating Canada on Feb. 21: the win put them on the left side of the elimination bracket against Switzerland. Canada’s loss put them on the right, pitting them in a first-round matchup against Russia. Having those two powerhouses battle it out early meant only one would survive — good for all six other teams in the tournament. Canada won easily, 7-3.
In Team USA’s case, they squared off Wednesday against a Swiss team they beat 1-3 earlier in the Games. Switzerland put up a strong fight for two periods, but the momentum shifted immediately in the States’ favor on Zach Parise’s punch-in goal. Next up, they’ll face a Finish team that is 3-1. Although two of Finland’s wins came against weak teams in Belarus and Germany, they did knock off a good Czech Republic squad.
4. The one sport I’d love to participate in is bobsledding. Too bad I’m too light. I actually checked out the requirements for becoming a bobsledder, and men must be between 5′10″-6′3″ (I’m 5′10″) and weigh 180-240 pounds (I’m 155). I did learn, however, that I could compete in the skeleton (Height: 5′6″-6′0″, Weight: 150-180 pounds)
Perhaps I’d rather compete in the luge, though. I’d rather steer my sled at 100 mph laying down on my back than head first. And, just in case you’re wonder where you can learn these track sports, try Lake Placid, N.Y. or Salt Lake City, Utah.
5. The weather at the start of these Games was miserable and led to the postponement of many outdoor events, namely the downhill skiing. This couldn’t have worked out in anyone’s favor more than U.S. skier Lindsay Vonn. The 25-year-old’s ankle was hurt so bad coming into the Games, she said she might not be able to compete. But after a few days of delays, Vonn was back on the slopes, grabbing a gold in the woman’s downhill and a bronze in the woman’s super-G. If those delays never happened, those medals might be hanging around someone else’s neck.
6. I was in Canada last weekend and it was a lot of fun to watch the Games from inside the country they were taking place. Aside from hockey, the sport most up there get excited about is curling. It’s also the one sport I may actually have a chance at competing in one day.
7. It’s sad that it took a death in the luge for the Olympic Committee at the Whistler Sliding Center to make changes to protect the track. If you’ve seen the video, you’ll immediately wonder why those metal posts were left open like that coming off such a sharp turn.
8. Talk about guts, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette laced up her skates and took the ice only two days after her mother’s sudden death from a heart attack. The emotion was written all over her face before, throughout and after her performance. You’d be heartless not to feel for the young girl, who’s performance put her in third place heading into the Finals.
9. There’s way too much talk going on about the outfits figure skaters are wearing, especially on the men’s side. If you have to jump and twist like that, wearing next to nothing is the absolutely the logical choice.
10. Shaun White is an extraordinary snowborder, perhaps the best in the world. His midair acrobatics look easy on television, not because they are, but because he is near flawless in his performance. White lives for events like this and the Olympics will continue to draw a younger crowd with an event like this. It’s the only way they can compete with the Winter X Games.
11. Bode Miller is as intense an athlete as any. It was great to see him grab his first gold this year in the men’s super combined. It was not great to watch him be disqualified in the men’s giant slalom for missing a gate. Some have asked why an athlete as well trained as Miller could do something like that. The answer is simple: Miller goes harder and flies faster than anybody down those hills. It’s all or nothing for the 32-year-old, and when he misses, he misses bad. When he is on point though, he’s pretty much guaranteed a spot at the podium.