Winter Olympics - Vancouver (Feb 12-28, 2010)

[Laura (Lori)]

There's nothing quite like the Olympic flame relay
It won't bring world peace - but it reminds us why the Olympics matter
By Alan Abrahamson / Jan 27, 2010

...the relay holds a special place in our cultures. All of our cultures. There is perhaps no other initiative like the Olympic relay anywhere on planet earth, the symbolism of it immediately and profoundly recognizable.

Most people never make it to an Olympics in their lifetimes. But the relay gives everyone and anyone a chance to feel the feeling of being at the Games, the celebration of possibility itself -- while in their hometown, maybe even right there on their own street...

...when you carry the torch... you are at that instant the only person in the world with the Olympic flame...

Read the entire article at:

www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=401940.html

A personal aside - "Thank you for trying." You know who you are, and I'm touched and humbled...

[Laura (Lori)]

Barring injury replacements, here is the official announcement of the Vancouver Olympic team - along with some interesting factoids about the members. Check out the related links, too!

Meet your Olympic Team
USOC February 01, 2010

The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) today announced its team members for competition at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Team USA consists of 216 athletes, including 123 men and 93 women.

See the entire announcement at:

www.teamusa.org/news/2010/02/01/meet-your-olympic-team/31369

[Laura (Lori)]

This isn't a short track story, but it's a heartwarming display of the Olympic spirit by the good citizens of Whistler after USA bobsledder Steve Mesler's family was victimized by an accommodations scam.

Whistler residents open doors to American bobsledder's family
January 27, 2010

www.nbcolympics.com/olympicpulse/blogs/blog=northoftheborder/postid=401930.html

EDIT: And here's a follow-up: Procter and Gamble is reimbursing the family!

www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/user%2F10946473119433287297%2Fstate%2Fcom.google%2Freading-list

[Laura (Lori)]

A new video by USS - 8 days till our team walks into Opening Ceremonies riding Ralph Lauren ponies! (oops, I meant wearing Ralph Lauren ponies - I got fooled by the size of the logo on the uni's)

Olympic US Speedskaters - A Day of Training

[Laura (Lori)]

Okay - I'm still getting used to these, and I'll never get used to the price tag. I kinda like the retro look, but I'm not sure the 'larger-legged' competitors will be crazy about those slim-line pants. Click the blog link for a couple more pics - and scroll down for some rather entertaining comments, such as:

I just don't know . . . could we maybe make the Polo logo bigger? And take off that needless "U.S.A"? I hope RL is paying ad dollars for this blog post. ~ AgentUtah

...it's almost as if Americanism is an afterthought on these. Don't get me wrong, they look great,....if I was going to be walking internationally among thousands of people and didn't want to be mistaken for an American. ~ joe_fields_8

I didn't know the USA was sending its Polo Team to the Winter Olympics? ~ David

...I didn't even know polo was a Winter Olympic sport. I do hope RL has more suitable outfits for the horses. ~ RickM

Have a look at Team U.S.A.'s Opening Ceremony outfits
By Trey Kerby / February 2, 2010

sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Have-a-look-at-Team-USA-s-opening-ceremony-outfi?urn=oly,217109

[Laura (Lori)]

Hey, this sounds like it would be a blast as an alternative to actually 'going' to the Olympics - I love the list of events, some of which I believe I could handle! ;D:

New Hampshire’s Mountain View Grand Resort Kicks Off Annual Winter Carnival with Olympic events

Whitefield, NH (January 20, 2010) –Whitefield’s gala Winter Carnival is being reborn at Mountain View Grand Resort. This “new” yearly extravaganza will kick off on February school vacation with a full schedule of the resort’s own Winter Olympics events to coincide with the gathering of the world’s finest athletes in Vancouver. Rates start at $179 per room, per night and are subject to availability. To book a stay at Mountain View Grand call 866.484.3843 or visit www.mountainviewgrand.com/.

The Mountain View Olympic flame will be lit on Friday, February 12, and will burn until closing events on February 28. As competitors from around the globe vie for medals in Canada, Mountain View Grand visitors will face off in fun versions of Olympic events including:

• A snowshoe/paintball biathlon
• Broomball Hockey
• Two and four person “bobsled” runs
• Short-track skate shuffles
• Milk jug “curling”
• Skating and snowshoeing sprint competitions
• Luge and skeleton races

Medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each event in several age categories.

There will also be plenty of other fun too, with chicken bowling, scavenger hunts, snowman crafts, ski and snowshoe tours, sleigh/carriage rides, sugar on snow, toasty bonfires, and splashing in the indoor pool.

Family buffet dinners will be offered every evening from Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 20, in the Crystal Ballroom, while kids-only menus will be available every night, just before big-screen movie, magic shows, karaoke and Wii contests, and musical performers take the stage. These programs will be held until 10 each night so that parents can do a bit of celebrating themselves.

Mountain View Grand’s award-winning spa will have winter specials, including several created for younger visitors. There will be teen facials, Fancy Fingers manicures, Twinkle Toes pedicures, and Bye Bye Blemishes facials. Moms will enjoy specially designed chocolate-themed treatments, including a whipped chocolate Sôk tub session high in the resort’s spa tower, a Chocolate & Cherry facial, and a Chocolate Body Scrub & Wrap, just to name a yummy few.

The movie theater will be ready with film favorites and the game room should be hopping with ping-pong, pool, Foosball, and air hockey.

Downhill skiers can take the resort’s complimentary shuttle to tackle the slopes at Cannon Mountain, the best buy in the East, according to Ski Magazine. And don’t forget to visit all the animals at Mountain View Farm, who will be waiting for kids of all ages to take a short hike to the big red barn.

For more information, or to make reservations, please call 866.484.3843 or visit www.mountainviewgrand.com/.

[Laura (Lori)]

For all Olympics fans - this was a nice trip down memory lane. Dating myself here, but it's hard to believe it's been 22 years!

Calgary 1988:

qc-en.ctvolympics.ca/olympic-history/competitionId=15/games-summary.html

[Laura (Lori)]

And speaking of Memory Lane, here's a series of videos from the SLC 2002 games. The quality isn't amazing, but there's lots of good stuff that'll get you pumped up, including:

• NBC's official promo
  
• NBC's opening vignette
  
• CBC's opining vignette
  
• The beginning of the Opening Ceremony
  
• Lighting the Olympic Cauldron
  
• Sale & Pelletier free skate
  
• Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze free skate
  
• The Figure Skating scandal from a 'Days of Our Lives' perspective
  
• 3 Team Canada Hockey gold medal videos/tributes
  
• Apolo's 1000M Silver Medal race / Stephen Bradbury win
  
• Bob Costas interview with Apolo after 1000M race
  
• Apolo's 1500M Gold Medal race / Kim Dong Sung DQ
  
• A Canada-centric review of the Olympics
  
• NBC's Closing credits - "Ode to Joy"
  

See them all at:

www.fangsbites.com/2010/01/videos-of-week-2002-winter-olympics.html

Enjoy!

[Laura (Lori)]

... and the closing credits from Torino - including my favorite shot (near the very end), when Shani Davis catches up with Apolo in the weight room after Apolo's gold medal... *sniff*



If you want more 2006 memories, here's a YouTube lineup:

www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BB1033F9520D3093&search_query=torino+olympics&rclk=pti

Can ya' tell... I CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT WEEKEND!!!

(Even though I probably won't be able to see a minute of Olympic action 'till I get back home from Mardi Gras on the 15th - my DVR will probably have exploded by then...)

[Laura (Lori)]

Cheers to the 'little guys'! (with quotes by Katherine Reutter)

Little-guy Olympic sponsors score Vancouver talent
By The Associated Press | 03 Feb 2010

The names Cary Silverman, Todd Greene and Gabe Herrick may not come up much during the Vancouver Olympics, but they're players nonetheless.

All are little-guy sponsors of U.S. athletes who hung in with training help and endorsement deals when many corporate giants pulled back during the economic meltdown.

Yeah, it was a huge hit," says short-track speedskater Katherine Reutter. "As soon as the economy began going downhill, a lot of individual deals went down with it."

Read the entire story at:

www.cnbc.com/id/35221047

[Mari]

the new Sports Illustrated has different medal projections. They agree that Charles will win the 500 and give apolo the Bronze. they project Silver for Apolo in the 1000 and nothing in the 1500 and relay. In women's they only mention Katherine for bronze in 1500.

[Laura (Lori)]

Feb 3, 2010 17:04:07 GMT -8 @Mari said:

the new Sports Illustrated has different medal projections. They agree that Charles will win the 500 and give apolo the Bronze. they project Silver for Apolo in the 1000 and nothing in the 1500 and relay. In women's they only mention Katherine for bronze in 1500.

I wonder if SI's predictions in the men's relay are because of Jordan and JR's previous injuries. I really think we'll medal there - and with the ladies as well. I don't know what color it'll be, but I really believe that both the ladies and the men have as good a shot as anyone at making the podium.

I also think that Apolo will do better than predicted. He's a student of the game, and he knows better than almost anyone IN the game how to peak at the right time. That being said, the young blood on the Korean team could prove to be an unknown variable - every time I think I know them (ladies and men), I see a name that throws me...

[Laura (Lori)]

John K Coyle posted a new entry in his Vancouver series:

Vancouver Journal #4: Meet the Short Track Team
Posted on February 4, 2010 by johnkcoyle

In this post, John gives a great rundown with personal notes on each member of our team.

johnkcoyle.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/vancouver-journal-4-meet-the-short-track-team/

When I first started Rocker-U, I incorporated John's Torino Short-Track Primer for my ST 101 page ( www.rocker-u.net/short_track_101.htm ). I see that his upcoming Vancouver Journal #5 will have another Short Track Primer - it should be interesting!

[Laura (Lori)]

Of course, I hate to see the Winter Olympics 'dissed', but this blog entry was pretty funny:

OH NO! THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE ALMOST HERE
Bob Crespo - Singer, Songwriter & Mad Blogger / Feb 1, 2010

...Well, it’s official. The sports writers and sports announcers are all of a sudden yammering about people no one ever heard of, and that can only mean one thing. That’s right, sports fans, it’s almost Winter Olympic time! Skiers, Bobsledders and the like. Then these sports people, who you read and listen to all year long and who never once mention Winter Olympic sports, all of a sudden become word class experts on the Luge, Curling, Snowboarding and whatever the hell they call that stupid event where a guy on skis shoots up the place with a high-powered rifle. Why more Americans don’t take to that sport is a mystery. Throw in a deer hunting license and a case of beer and we’d dominate...

Read the whole thing at:

www.bobcrespo.com/2010/02/oh-no-the-winter-olympics-are-almost-here-2/

[mtnme]

"... No one packs an arena to watch Skeleton, which is a guy on a tiny replica of a toboggan, more like a welcome mat with handles..." [/b]