An Olympic Opinion

The majority of Olympic spectators are not world-class athletes.  They are average people that like watching above-average athletes compete against other top athletes from around the world.  The average Olympic spectator can't explain the technicalities of most of the events or the details of the athletes' lives, but the average Olympic spectator surely has an opinion on his or her favorite (or least favorite) events.

Bowling Green State University senior Kara Canzonere shares her opinion about the Winter and Summer Olympics.  Listen to her humorous opinion about the best and worst of the Olympic Games.

You don't have to be an Olympian to curl

Sports like snowboard cross or hockey are fairly easy to comprehend.  In snowboarding, the fastest run, highest jump and wildest trick will win you a medal.  All anyone has to do in hockey is shoot a tiny puck into a net.

But how many non-curlers out there can thoroughly explain the rules of curling?  What do those rings at the end of the track represent?  Is it like darts, but on ice?  What are those brooms called, and why do teams use them?

If you're one of the more than 20,000 students here at Bowling Green State University, you don't need to look any further than the university ice rink ti find the answers to all of your curling questions.  What's more, you don't have to be an Olympian to participate.

The BGSU Ice Arena hosts open curling year-round for curlers with previous experience, or for those who hire and instructor.  But don't worry if you don't have any experience, or don't have the dough for an instructor.  The ice arena hosts educational group lessons, where anyone can grab a broom, grab a stone and get curling.  Participants don't even need their own equipment, as it's provided by the arena.

Graduate Kristi Rhoads has been curling at the ice arena twice, once with her Sociology class.  Her professor was once a competitive curler and decided to introduce the class to a sport they likely weren't that familiar with.

"I did it because I had the opportunity to learn a sport that I had really only seen on TV - during the Winter Olympics," Rhoads said.  "I thought it was enjoyable, much more so than watching it on TV would lead you to believe."

Some students take curling a bit more seriously, though.  Graduate student PJ Wolf began curling when he was a freshman at BGSU.  He started our in an intramural league but quickly became so interested in the sport that he helped create the BGSU Curling Club."

The intramural league supervisor for curling, Nik Geller, recognized Wolf's passion for the sport.

"He introduced me to a few other students that had a general interest in the sport and asked me if I would be willing to help him start a student organization for the game," Wolf said.  "And that is how the current BGSU Curling Club came to be."

Wolf served as the club president from 2007 to 2009 and is currently a board member.

The BGSU Curling Club is comprised of only BGSU students.  The club practices for two hours every Sunday throughout the season, and members pay dues each semester.  The club has been able to receive some Student Budget Committee funding, which cover the cost of rink time.

Curling is still and expensive sport, though.

"We would practice more often but ice time is very pricey so those wishing to practice more tend to do it on their own," Wolf said.  "Many members will also join the community club as well and participate in leagues but this group is often very limited due to the high cost of participation."

Wolf said these community dues hover around $300 per member per year.

The time and monetary investments have paid off for the team, however.  Every spring, the club hosts a tournament in which up to 24 teams from around the nation compete.  This past year, the BG team won first place in both divisions.  It has also take home bronze medals from another national tournament held in Chicago every March.

"We have done very well for ourselves the past few years and hope to continue the tradition for quite some time," Wolf said.

Wolf believes that each Winter Olympics brings more fame to the sport, as curling continues to grow in popularity throughout the nation.

If Wolf and the BGSU Curling Club have anything to do with the future of the sport, we can be sure that many more people will continue to grab a broom, grab a stone and get curling.

The Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic Torch Relay is a fundamental part of Olympic history and an indispensable part of every Olympic game.  Many months before opening ceremonies, the torch is lit at the site of the first Olympic Games in Greece and then transported by land, water and air by individuals until it arrives just in time for the opening ceremonies.

The relay for these past Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver lasted over 106 days and covered over 28,000 miles, making it the longest relay within one country.  12,000 people carried the torch through more than 1,000 communities and, according to the Vancouver Olympics Web site, around 90 percent of Canadians were within a one-hour drive to the route.  Check out the official map:

When the torch finally made it to the opening ceremonies, though, the lighting of the cauldron didn't go too smoothly.  According to the plan for the events, four pillars were supposed to rise out of the floor and join at the top to form one cauldron.  Instead, only three pillars rose.  Hockey star Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene and basketball player Steve Nash were all able to light their pillars, but speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan was unable to.  Nonetheless, the torch relay for Vancouver's Games was impressive, as were the opening and closing ceremonies. 

Though the history of the Olympic Torch dates back thousands of years, the relay we know today of carrying the flame from Greece to whatever venue the games are to be held is fairly new.  It was introduced at the 1936 Summer Olympic games in Berlin, Germany.  In  1952, the flame was transported by air for the first time when it traveled to Helsinki.  In the 1956 games, torch bearers traveled on horseback to Stockholm, where all equestrian events were held instead of in Melbourne.  In 1976, the flame was transported via radio signal from Athens to Canada.  The signal triggered a laser beam that re-lit the flame in the new location.

The Ancient Greeks held their Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, from whom they believed fire was stolen by the god Prometheus.  Permanent fires burned at certain altars in Greece, and during the Olympics additional fires were lit at Zeus' temple.  The connotation of fire has a long, rich history.  Its meaning has traveled through time and across the globe to represent a tradition of athleticism and respect.  It will be interesting to see how future games top past relays!

The Paralympics

The Summer and Winter Olympic Games receive overwhelming coverage and attention. The Paralympics, on the other hand, are perhaps a lesser-known event that also happens every four years, immediately following the Olympic Games. These games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, but there is a distinct difference: the Paralympics are designated for athletes with mobility disabilities, whereas the Special Olympics are designated for athletes only with intellectual disabilities.

In the Paralympics, physical disabilities are categorized into six types, as stated on the Paralympics Movement Web site: amputation, Cerebral Palsy, visual impairment, spinal injury, intellectual disability and another group that includes all other disabled athletes.

Athletes compete in 20 sports in the Summer Paralympics, including such sports as archery, cycling, sailing, swimming, and wheelchair basketball, rugby, fencing and volleyball. There are five sports offered during the Winter Paralympics: alpine skiing, ice hockey, wheelchair curling, biathlon and cross country skiing.

The International Paralympic Committee currently organizes the Summer and Winter Games and was founded in 1989. The idea behind the Paralympic Games, though, began in England in 1948 when Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition for veterans of WWII that had spinal injuries. Athletes from the Netherlands got wind of the competition and joined the games in 1952. The first official Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. There were 400 athletes from 23 countries. The first Winter Paralympic Games were held 16 years later in 1976 in Sweden and hosted over 250 athletes from 17 countries.

Like the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games also have a torch relay leading up to the games. The relay started in Seoul, Korea, in 1988 and boasted 282 torchbearers (111 of which had a physical disability) on a route of 105 kilometers. At the most recent Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, there were 850 torchbearers, of which 170 had a disability. There were two different routes totaling 13,181km and the entire relay took nine days to complete.

Surely many people have heard of the Paralympic Games, but why do these games receive so little attention and media coverage relative to the Olympic Games?  At the Beijing Paralympics, nearly 4,000 athletes from 146 countries participated, proving its popularity and loyal support.  We get so caught up in our well-known Olypmic celebrity athletes that we forget to stay tuned for the upcoming Paralympics.  This doesn't make sense to me.  It is amazing to watch Lindsey Vonn, for example, race down a mountain on skis.  But it is even more incredible and inspiring to watch a physically disabled athlete do the same thing.  Vonn spent most of these past Winter Olympics complaining about her injured shin.  I wonder what a Paralympic downhill skier would complain about? 

Hopefully that rhetorical question does not come off as callous - that is not how I meant it.  I just want to emphasize how these Paralympic Games really put things in perspective.  We have so many incredible athletes that not only overcome the obstacles territorial to any sport, but also athletes that overcome significant physical disabilities to compete in their passion.  It is truly inspiring and deserving of some more attention from our global society.

North American Host Cities

Twelve Olympic Games have been hosted in North America, eight of which have been held in the United States in six different cities (Los Angeles and Lake Placid have held two Olympic Games).  Check out this map to see where exactly the Olympics have traveled to in North America!


View Olympic Games in North America in a larger map

Olympians & Social Media

We've all heard of Facebook.  Many of us have heard of Twitter.  We know what blogs are and we know how to nagivate Web sites.  These forms of social media have been around for a long time now, especially basic Internet sites.  But these past Winter Olympics were the first time in history that the International Olympic Committee really, fully utilized social media to advertise, inform, update and connect athletes to fans and spectators all over the world.

The past games were the first in which an overwhelming number of American athletes "tweeted" to their fans about the Olympic experience - it put fans in the moment, in the place, in the mindset of the celebrity athletes they'd been rooting for since before the games began.  American downhill skier Lindsey Vonn is a tweet machine with 71,478 followers and multiple posts a day during her time in Vancouver.  Though the games are long over, she has continued to update her fans/followers about her post-Olympic training and plans.  Shaun White isn't nearly as consistent with his tweets.  Nonetheless, 169,371 people still follow him!  Apolo Ohno is almost annoying with the amount of tweets he's produced - but his 162,873 followers love it.  The Olympics as a whole also maintained a Twitter account for up-to-the-minute updates about the games.

The games also had a commanding presence on Facebook, where various Olympic organizations had fan or group pages, athletes had profiles, fan and group pages, and even individual sports had fan or group pages.  Athletes kept their fans abreast of Olympic news via status updates and built their fan base through virtual friend requests.  The International Olympic Committee's Facebook page has over 1.5 million fans and inspired almost 200 million similar pages since last January, as reported on olympic.org.  The page also hosted a photo contest in which over 4,000 photos were submitted.

The IOC also made use of YouTube and Flickr, where officials, athletes and fans alike could post videos and photos for other Olympic fans to view.  NBC, the major network broadcasting the games, provided live video streams of events for fans to watch from any computer with an Internet connection.  The Web site also provided in-depth interviews and biographies of the athletes, schedules of events, slideshows of all things Olympic, interactive maps and games and other supplementary video.

For the first time in Olympic history, fans and spectators could access the games at any time.  They could watch events wherever they wanted.  They could personally connect with their favorite athletes via Twitter or Facebook.  They could practically stalk the Olympics and athletes through countless social media tools.  For the first time in Olympic history, fans, no matter where their location, could be fully involved in every aspect of the Olympic games - it became an entirely new level of interactivity.

It's kinda cool that something as monumentous as the Olympics could be made so accessible to so many people.  Social media put personalities and stories with the athletes.  It made the sheer magnitude of the organization of the games conceivable, and it broke down walls that traditionally exist when celebrities are televised. 

I'm excited to see how the International Olympic Committee utilizes social media for the Summer Games two years from now.

The Olympic Village

Major television networks show us Olympic performances, interviews, emotions of the athletes and all other aspects of the actual competition.  But what happens when Olympians leave the spotlight for day?  What is the Olympic Village like?  Is it glamorous?  Is my idealized, romantic vision of an international community brought together in the spirit of competition and athleticism realistic?  If you're like me, you wonder about this.  What's it like to live at the Olympic Village for two weeks?

The Coca-Cola Company produced an Olympic commercial that parodied life in the Olympic Village:

This all seems like great fun.  But here's what life in the Olympic Village is really like:

For these past Winter Olympics, the city of Vancouver actually built two villages: one in the mountains for the skiing venues and another in downtown Vancouver.  The village in downtown Vancouver has over 600 units and is capable of housing over 2,800 athletes, coaches, trainers and officials.  The village in the mountains can accommodate over 2,400 athletes, coaches and trainers; it was also used for the 2010 Winter Paralympics. 

Teams are housed together and bunk two athletes to a room (and, none of the bedrooms have a television).  The villages are complete with lounges that contain televisions, video game setups, training centers, cafes, stores, and a 24-hour health clinic.  There are cafeterias that are also open 24 hours with an incredibly diverse menu (in order to accommodate the incredibly diverse Olympic athletes).  There are McDonald's at the villages and all the food is free (for the athletes, at least).

Because Olympians have spent the better part of their life preparing for this huge event, they are kept in check by their coaches and trainers.  Though there are no curfews in the Olympic Village, coaches make sure their athletes aren't out until the wee hours of the morning leading up to individual competitions.  Once athletes have competed in their events, though, they are free to hit the town, the bars, party it up (and hook up).  In fact, the Vancouver Olympic Committee supplied 100,000 condoms to the 7,000 athletes, coaches, trainers and officials (this works out to 14 a piece). 

One thing that all athletes make sure of, though, is that their celebrations don't upset the schedules of other athletes.  Picabo Street, a skier who won gold at the Nagano Winter Olympics, said "Olympians are surprisingly mature, no matter what age.  It's required of you.  If you act like an idiot, you really stand out."  The athletes are very respectful of the dedication and commitment their teammates and competitors have for the games. 

It is also common and widely accepted for athletes to wear their medals out and about in the Olympic Village - to meals, to the lounges, on strolls and even to bed!  This display of accomplishment isn't met with scoffs and rolled eyes - it is met with a "Congratulations!" or a nod of respect. 

It is reassuring to know that the athletes I admire and respect in competition are also respectable outside of competition.  It would be easy to form cliques and superiority complexes.  But from the sources I've read, Olympic athletes are portrayed as very mature and down-to-earth.  Granted, there are all sorts of stories that never make it to the desk of a reporter, but even if it's naive of me, I still like to hold onto the idea that Olympians are athletes we can look up to.  Not just for their athletic abilities, but for their sportsmanship and dedication to friendly (but intense) competition.

Just How Much Money do Olympians Make?

When we hear the term "celebrity," many of us immediately think of our favorite actors/actresses. Some of us think of our favorite bands or musicians. And some may even think of important political figures. But more and more, people are starting to regard Olympic athletes as celebrities.

American athletes such as Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Lindsey Jacobellis and Apolo Ohno dominate magazine covers, headlines, talk shows and news reports.  They are every bit a celebrity as Robert De Niro, Madonna or Michelle Obama - they've just made their fame in a different way.

Olympians are some of the most revered athletes in the world.  They compete against hundreds of athletes from their own country and then move on to compete against hundreds of athletes from dozens of other countries around the world.  But despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on training, the countless painful hours of practice and even the glory that comes with winning an Olympic medal, these athletes (with the exception of a select few) don't even make a fraction of what other professional athletes or celebrities in the United States make. 

This is the biggest difference between Olympians and a regular professional athlete: Olympians (it would seem) aren't motivated mainly by money.  According to hoopshype.com, Kobe Bryant makes $23 million a year playing for the L.A. Lakers.  This doesnt include his sponsorships or other business adventures.  Robert De Niro makes millions of dollars for each movie he stars in.  Madonna makes millions of dollars on each tour she does, plus revenue from her music sales, endorsements and other business adventures.

Olympic athletes predominately make money through sponsorships or endorsements.  In fact, American athletes receive very little money by competing in the Olympics.  According to an article by moneyunder30.com, American Olympic athletes receive a "medal bonus" from the U.S. Olympic Committee: $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.  Snowboard-mag.com projects that Shaun White will make about $10 million this year, which includes prize money, sponsorsphips, endorsements and other business deals.

American Olympic athletes that the general population has hardly heard of (for example, the American curling team, bobsled team or even some figure skaters) make considerably less than that.  They are not as well known and thus do not make as much in endorsements, and aren't making as much from the Olympics because they aren't constantly dominating the podium.

The United States curling team, for example, had to personally go out and sell sponsorships and raise money for this year's past Winter Olympic Games.  Each member receives a $300 per month stipend from the U.S. Olympic Committee, which doesn't even cover the costs of traveling and basic necessities.  In fact, each member of the team has another job (or two) to cover other costs of the sport.

So, unless you're one of the few rockstar Olympic athletes (Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn or even Michael Phelps), you're not making much money at all.  In fact, you're probably losing money.

Knowing this, though, leaves me even more awe-struck and respectful of American Olympians.  It may be naive, but I honestly think that the vast majority of American Olympic athletes are motivated by the glory of being an American Olympian.  I'm sure Shaun White's pricey endorsements help to motivate him to strap on a board, but I honestly believe he just plain likes to snowboard.  He likes to be the best, he likes to compete and he likes the competition of the Olympics.  The U.S. curling team does what they do because they love the sport and they love the Olympics.  How many NBA players do you think would continue to play if their salaries were cut down by 75 percent?  Probably not many.

If I had to pick, I think I would choose to be an Olympic gold medalist rather than an overpaid NBA all-star.  Olympians just seem more ... pure to the idea of athleticism.

USA: Destined to Win?

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games came to a close this past Sunday with a final hockey game (U.S. lost to Canada in overtime) and Closing Ceremonies.  The final medal count revealed the United States on top with a seven medal lead over Germany in second place.  It's no surprise to many Americans that we came home with more medals than any other country this year.  In fact, year after year we rack up more medals than most other countries.  Though I swell with pride for our athletes, I often wonder how the Olympic results would differ if the playing field were even among every competing country.

These are the top five countries in terms of medal standings: United States (37), Germany (30), Canada (26), Norway (23), Austria (16).  Now, I'm not suggesting that the United States necessarily has a huge advantage over Austria in terms of its winter training facilities.  In fact, Germany, Norway and Austria have traditionally been Winter Olympic powerhouses.  These countries have plenty of funding to support their athletes - they are provided with top-notch equipment, facilities, food, lodging, etc.  The life of an Olympian is not a stroll in the park, but for these economically strong countries, they are afforded the best training that, well, money can buy.

What I'm comparing the United States to are countries like Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Croatia, etc.  Some may argue that this is not a fair comparison.  Why not?  The Olympics bring athletes from all over the world and have them compete in the same sport.  The uniforms are constructed similarly, the slopes are equally steep regardless of the skier, and the bobsled track is not faster or slower depending on the nationality of the team.  The recurring difference in the results has to do with the training each athlete receives on his/her journey to the Olympics.

American snowboarders and skiers, for instance, train at the top ski resorts in the country.  Which, coincidentally, are some of the top ski resorts in the world.  They live at the base of these mountains and get private slope time wherever they go.  And, according to an article in the New York Times, "The United States is one of the few nations that do not publicly finance its Olympic athletes."  This means that huge, wealthy corporations can fund any athlete it wants.  Red Bull and Burton sponsored Shaun White in these past games, resulting in huge paychecks and the best equipment money could buy (literally).  Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report sponsored the US Speed Skating team, which produced lots of laughs but also a huge pool of money to fund the best training possible.

Countries like Estonia and Croatia do not have these opportunities.  In fact, many countries (if they can afford to) send athletes to the United States to train.  Even playing field, right?  Wrong.  While these athletes get a few weeks at some of the best training facilities in the world, American athletes have access to these facilities whenever their hearts desire.  Simply put, more advanced training more often = better athletes.  Not because there is some physiological advantage American athletes have over other competitors, but because of the financial advantage our country and private sponsors wield.

Anyone care to challenge this idea?

My Own Olympic Adventure!

I talked about a trip to Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics, in a previous post.  Located in the Adirondack Mountains in Northern New York, Lake Placid is home to many world-class ski resorts.  And though the residents of Lake Placid have every right to brag about the town's Olympic history, my brother, dad and I were welcomed with open arms.  The people of Lake Placid and tourists alike were united by one common theme: our love for winter sports and the Winter Olympic Games.

View a slideshow of my pictures from our trip!

Ken Morrow to Attend BG Hockey Game

The Winter Olympic Games are winding down, but the spirit of the games still rages for Falcon hockey fans.  Bowling Green State University will host its last home hockey game tonight and welcome a special guest: Olympian and BGSU alum, Ken Morrow.  Morrow was a defenseman on the Falcon hockey team from 1976 to 1979.  Morrow went on to play for Team U.S.A in the world-famous 1980 Olympic hockey game, when the United States beat the Soviet Union.

Though Morrow's visit is ultimately part of a fundraising campaign, his presence at our last home game as an alum and United States Olympian is purely exciting.  I have been aware of our prestigious alumni network for some time now, but every once in a while I cross paths with yet another famous graduate.  What is it that makes me so excited to be in Morrow's presence tonight?  This question is rhetorical, of course, because I know exactly why I am excited: it's because I share the same alma mater with an Olympian.  

The fame is cool, but it's not what makes me swell with pride.  I've never been one to piggy-back off another's success.  The reason Morrow's visit and story is so exciting to me is because after he left our alma mater, he went on to accomplish great things.  He used BGSU as a foundation on which to build his successes.  He walked the same halls and sidewalks, sat in the same classrooms and probably had a similar experience during his college years as I have (minus the fact that he was on the hockey team).  

His story is one of encouragement for me.  At a time when my life seems selfishly stressful and completeing intimidating, success stories are always welcome; stories of graduates playing such a significant part in such a significant historical event.  I will graduate this year, May 8.  I have no idea what I'll be doing on or after May 9.  I know I won't go on to compete in an Olympic event (I am already past my physical prime, I'm sure).  But with each success story I hear, I become more confident that I'll be able to achieve something equally as impressive in my life, even if it's not accompanied by a medal.

I'm counting down the hours until the game tonight: the last home game of the season and my last BGSU hockey game during my time here as a student.  If I come back in the future, it will be as an alum.  I may not have won a gold medal or had a street named after me (Scott Hamilton), but I will have some sort of accomplishment under my belt.  

I can't wait to hear what Ken Morrow has to say about his time at this university and his experiences on the ice. 

A Few of My Favorite Things

It's no secret I love the Olympics.  And for those that know me, it's no secret I love "The Office."  NBC has recruited the cast of "The Office" to produce a series of short commercials to promote the Winter Olympic Games.  If Dwight Schrute were in charge of the Olympics, it surely would be a crazy experience!  Watch him propose an alternative to one of my favorite events, the halfpipe:

My Olympic Bobsledding Experience

This past January, my dad, my brother and I took a trip to Lake Placid, NY.  It's the site of the 1932 Winter Olympics and 1980 Winter Olympics and home to dozens of world-class ski resorts.  The town of Lake Placid is cozy and inviting, the trees are beautiful and the mountain are stunning.  Winter in the Adirondacks is truly enchanting.

I'd known some of the history of the town before we went, specifically the legendary 1980 Olympic hockey game where a young United States team beat the seasoned Soviet Union.  For those of you who have seen "Miracle on Ice" or witnessed the event, you understand the historical and political significance of the upset.  At a time when tensions between the two countries were high during the Cold War, the game is not one that will be forgotten.

I was able to board the same course the Olympic downhill skiers rode.  I was able to stand at the top of the ski jump towers (90m and 120m) and then sit right at the end of the track - that part where the skier leaves solid ground before flying hundreds of feet into the air - for a practice session.  For the few days we were in Lake Placid, we felt like Olympians.  You can't help but let the atmosphere seep into you.

One of the most memorable experiences of the trip, however, was my flight down the Olympic bobsled course.  My brother and I received the tickets as a Christmas gift.  I joked about showing up in a spandex jumpsuit, my own helmet and a know-it-all attitude.  I was giddy from the moment we opened those gifts.

The day of the bobsled, I had butterflies.  Not out of nervousness.  Just pure, unfiltered excitement.  Patrick and I waited in line for what seemed like forever.  Then we were taken to a little cabin at the top of the track.  We watched oodles of tourists get their gear on, hop in the sled, and get pushed away - some groups screamed the entire way down.  Finally, it was our turn.  We got into the bobsled and before we were shoved off I pulled out my camera (hey, I'm a tourist) I asked our driver to take our picture:

 

I put the camera away, we were asked if we were ready, and before I knew it the loud scratching sound of sled on ice drowned everything out.  We were a few seconds into the run and already we were rocketing.  I heard nothing but the sled.  I felt nothing but wind.  And eventually, I could see nothing but blurry shapes.  I estimate that my eyes started hardcore watering about halfway down.  I think the corners of my eyes even froze a little.  After all, it was only a couple of degrees and we were racing down an ice chute.  I'd been warned about G-forces but had secretly rolled my eyes.  I mean, it was cool on TV, but it didn't look that intense...little did I know.  There were curves in the track that I thought were going to yank me out of the sled.  There were straight-aways where I had to force my eyes to stay open.  It was bumpy, which I should have expected.  It felt like we were on a roller coaster.  But colder.  And way more awesome.

And then like that, it was over.  The run only lasted 50 seconds and I remember every one of them.  The purchase of the ticket included a pin, a shirt, a picture with our driver and brakeman and inclusion in the Bobsled Federation of America.  I felt like a total badass.  When I think about the experience, I think about how amazing it would be to have that job.  To grow up and be able to ride in sleds for a living.  I also think about what incredible athletes those bobsledders are.  We didn't break any speed records, but my body felt otherwise going through those curves in the track.  I came away from the experience with a new-found respect for the athletes and intensified excitement for the sport.  As we walked out of the complex, I saw an advertisement for the skeleton.  They were letting tourists take a ride down the track on a small, flimsy, unprotected sled.  Before I could even suggest it, my dad told me we didn't have time.  I suppose the skeleton experience will have to go on my bucket list - after I cross off "bobsled down an Olympic track."

Related articles by Zemanta

• U.S. Olympic hockey: A series of "Miracles" (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Germany's Lange Wins Bobsled Gold (abcnews.go.com)
• Do It Yourself Olympics: Ride the Bobsled (abcnews.go.com)

Medals Update

Current medal standings:

United States   24   (7 gold, 7 silver, 10 bronze)
Germany         16
Norway            12
Canada            9
Korea               9
Austria             8
France              8
Switzerland       7
Russian Federation   7
Sweden   6

Morgan Freeman: Voice of the Olympics?

VISA really has struck gold in partnering with Morgan Freeman for their Olympic Games advertisements.  Besides the actual sports, it's Morgan Freeman's voice I look forward to most when the Olympic Games are upon us.  Clips of inspiring athletics coupled with a story narrated by one of the best actors of our time - it's heaven, really.

These ads are only 30 seconds long but leave a lasting impression.  Especially when they're personalized.  After watching Seth Wescott take gold in the men's snowboard cross event, I thought things couldn't get better for him.  But they did.  NBC switched to a commercial break and I knew a VISA ad was coming up.  I just got that feeling, you know?  The ad opened with images and video of athletes in the snowboard cross event.  Morgan Freeman started narrating: "When it comes to the sport of snowboard cross, you deserve a certain amount of recognition for just surviving.  Let alone winning two gold medals.  Congratulations, Seth."  I thought about this ad for days.  I kept replaying it in my mind - how awesome it was that Morgan Freeman was personally congratulating an athlete.  In that perfect voice of his.

Granted, Morgan Freeman and VISA have a contract.  Morgan Freeman gets paid to read words that VISA has written.  But honestly, I don't care about the business behind that production.  Because for 30 seconds all I could think about was how great the ad was.  It doesn't make me want to get a credit card and it doesn't solidify VISA in my mind as the premier credit company.  It doesn't even tie a positive image to VISA via the Olympics and Morgan Freeman in my mind.  I'm sure the marketers would be dissappointed.  But for 30 seconds, I swelled with pride for Seth Wescott.  I swelled with pride for our country and I swelled with pride for the Olympics.

Morgan Freeman's voice has some sort of magical quality about it.  It makes me want to jump of the couch and scream "GO USA!"  It makes me want to put on a snowboard and rocket down a mountain.  It makes me want to be an Olympian, silly as it seems.

Seth Wescott is not the only athlete to have a personalized commercial.  Julia Mancuso, Johnny Spillane, Apollo Ohno, the Jamaican bobsled team and countless others all have personal commercials through VISA.  And every time I see these, I am reminded all over again why I look forward to these games and why I enjoy them so much.  Somehow Morgan Freeman captures the spirit of the sport in his voice.  The thrill of it, the excitement, the pressure and the fun.

Well done, VISA, in your marketing decision to partner with Morgan Freeman for your Olympic ads.  In the very least you've bolstered national support for Team U.S.A.  And Morgan - when you're done with the winter games, give me a call so we can work on my own commercial.  I'd like a Morgan Freeman congratulations when I accomplish something awesome.

Check out all of VISA's ads at their youtube page here.

Snowboard Cross: The Best Olympic Event!

There, I said it.  Snowboard Cross is the best Winter Olympic event, closely followed by the Halfpipe events.  For those of you that disagree, you should know that I have an inherent bias in favor of snowboarding.  Afterall, snowboarding was my first winter sport.  I picked it up nearly eight years ago!

Last night Seth Wescott beat out his competition and went home with a gold medal in snowboard cross.  It wasn't until the very end of the run that his spot on the top podium was secure, though.  In fact, he spent most of the race behind his competitors, including teammate Nate Holland, France's Tony Ramoin and Canada's Mike Robertson.  Wescott is a veteran snowboarder, however, and used his experience to tactically overcome Robertson in the final turns of the course.  Perhaps patience is a virtue.

Tonight the women will compete for gold.  American favorite Lindsey Jacobellis has a strong chance to win, but don't rule out Switzerland's Mellie Francon and Canada's Maelle Ricker.

Although popular now, snowboarding only recently took its place among the Winter Olympics.  Its first appearance at the Olympics was in 1998 in Nagano.  Team U.S.A. only won two of 12 medals, both bronze for halfpipe events.  And, at the time of the competition, snowboarding was not even allowed on the slopes of Mt. Yakebitai.  The 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics was a great year for snowboarding: Team U.S.A. won five of 12 medals.  Torino's 2006 Olympic games were even more grand: Team U.S.A. won seven out of 18 medals, including three of the six gold.

Hopefully Vancouver's Olympics will be even more rewarding for Team U.S.A!

Medals Update

Missed some of the Olympics?  Here are the medal standings for the American athletes as of yesterday, Monday Feb. 15:

Bode Miller             Men's Downhill                   Bronze
Bryon Wilson          Men's Moguls                     Bronze
Shannon Bahrke     Women's Moguls                 Bronze
Hannah Kearney     Women's Moguls                Gold
Johnny Spillane      Nordic Combined                Silver
Seth Wescott         Men's Snowboard Cross      Gold
J.R. Celski            Short Track Men's 1500m    Bronze
Apolo Ohno           Short Track Men's 1500m    Silver

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Olympic Officials Continue with Luge

After investigations into the fatal crash of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, Olympic officials have decided the crash was human error, and luge events will continue.  The section of the track where Kumaritashvili crashed has been built up and padding has been added to the steel support beams.

Watch this video to hear the Olympic committee's response to the crash and forthcoming games.

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Click here for a complete schedule of the Olympic Games!

A Brief History of the Winter Olympic Games

Countries have been competing amongst each other in winter games shortly after the birth of the modern Olympics in 1896. It wasn't until the early 1920s, however, when these games were officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee and included in one of the most high-profile sporting events in the world.

The first "International Winter Sports Week" was held on January 25, 1924 in Chamonix, a town in the French Alps. Seven sports were represented: bobsleigh, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, military patrol, nordic skiing (cross-country, nordic combined and ski jumping) and speed skating. Military patrol is comparable to today's biathlon event, where athletes cross-country ski to a designated area and shoot targets with rifles. Over 200 athletes participated, yet less than 15 were women.  What's more, these women were only allowed to participate in figure skating events.

This week of winter sports was a huge success and the International Olympic Committee designated it as the first Winter Olympic Games. Four years later in 1928, the second Winter Games were held in Switzerland. Interesting fact: the opening ceremonies this year were held in a blizzard!  And though the early games were nominated by northern Europeans (Norwegians and Finns), contemporary Winter Olympics host strong athletes from all over the world.  The Winter Olympics have been steadily gaining recognition and popularity.

Participating nations: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, United States and Yugoslavia.

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