Olympics Top 10 (or so)
So many Team USA athletes were at the gold medal hockey game: Lindsey Vonn, Billy Demong & Steve Holcomb took pictures while there, and Evan Lysacek, Apolo Ohno, Evan Bates, Chad Hedrick, and Rachel Flatt tweeted about it. The U.S. may have lost, but remember that going into these Olympic Games, they weren't even expected to make the medal round, and they're the youngest team. So, the fact that they pushed Canada into overtime in the gold medal game is remarkable. And Ryan Miller made MVP, which is only right. He was superhuman throughout this entire tournament.
I wonder why our ski jumpers aren't supported by the U.S. Ski Association. An announcer said during the ski jumping competition that our athletes cover expenses through seasonal jobs and by holding bake sales. I don't think it's very fair that the snowboarding, freestyle, Alpine and Nordic athletes receive funding while the ski jumpers do not.
The Olympics are winding down and the flame will soon be extinguished, so I thought I'd close the book on the Vancouver Games with a picspam of a few of my favorite things (that's not to say I won't post about the Closing Ceremony if something cool happens or if there are new stories that come out within the next week, but those will just be odds-and-ends).
Olympics Top 10 (or so)
THE WHALES
I can't get over the beautiful effects during the Opening Ceremony. The whales most definitely took the cake. Look at them go!
THE ESSENTIALS
I've heard it said that it's sometimes hardest to win when you're expected to win. Going into these Games, I knew these next four were the best their sport have to offer, so if they'd lost, I would have been very sad. But they won gold, so all is right in the world!
Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao
Pairs Figure Skating
Shaun White
Men's Halfpipe Snowboarding
Kim Yu-Na
Ladies Figure Skating
USA-1 aka. "The Night Train"
Four-Man Bobsled
THE SURPRISE
I'm still shocked that Evan Lysacek won the men's figure skating competition. He's still not my favorite skater ever, but on those two nights, he was the best skater on Olympic ice.
THE ODD COUPLE
This is a bit of a two-fer, two people I'm very proud of. When their sponsor left the U.S. Speedskating Team in the lurch, Stephen Colbert and his Colbert Nation stepped up and raised almost $300,000 to send them to the Olympics. Johnny Weir had the skate of his life and challenged two veteran sports commentators to think before they speak. Last Fall, Adam Lambert fever spread across LJ, but this month it's all about Johnny. And just FYI: its_just_johnny, weirsjohnny, ice_slash & ontd_skating.
THE COMEBACK KID
Right at the end of a race at the Olympic Trials in September, J.R. Celski suffered a horrible injury when his right skate sliced into his left leg. His short track speed skating career should have been over, but he fought back and won two bronze medals in the 1500m and the 5000m relay.
THE RIVALS/BFFS
I love when rivals can also be friends. Lindsay Vonn and Maria Riesch spend their Christmases together and seem to have an adorable friendship. After the Super-G, Lindsay told Maria: I love you, and I want to be on the podium with you! That never happened, but Lindsay won a gold and a bronze, while Maria won two golds in the Alpine events. And after Maria's slalom run, she and Lindsay shared a big hug, exchanged words, then hugged some more.
THE MEDALIST IN MOURNING
I can't even imagine the amount of courage it took for Joannie Rochette to contain her grief and skate like she did. Just wow.
THE TEAM OF FIRSTS
Before these Games, the U.S. had never won a medal in any of the Nordic events. In the mid-90s, our Nordic Combined program had so little money that during Bill Demong & Johnny Spillane's first European trip, they had to bunk at a mental asylum in former East Germany. Billy Demong fractured his skull in a 2002 diving accident and crashed into a car while cycling as a training exercise with the team in France. But this year, everything finally came together. Johnny Spillane won silver in the Normal Hill/10km, the team won silver in the Team Large Hill/4x5km, Billy & Johnny went 1-2 in the Large Hill/10k event, and Bill Demong will be the flagbearer for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony!
THE HOST NATION
"Own the Podium" may not have worked out as well as hoped, but Canada certainly owned the top step and made history with the most gold medals won in any Olympic Games, both of which are incredible achievements. There were a few rough patches, but hosting the Games is one of the most challenging things a city can do (my grandmother volunteered at the Summer Games in 1984 and said it was very stressful and draining). Overall, I thought these were a lovely Olympics, and I've heard only wonderful stories about the kind people in Vancouver.
Thanks, Canada!
My previous Olympic figure skating picspams:
Men's free skate
Ice Dancing compulsory and original dance & free dance
Ladies' short program & free skate Olympic figure skating past & future
And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
I wonder why our ski jumpers aren't supported by the U.S. Ski Association. An announcer said during the ski jumping competition that our athletes cover expenses through seasonal jobs and by holding bake sales. I don't think it's very fair that the snowboarding, freestyle, Alpine and Nordic athletes receive funding while the ski jumpers do not.
The Olympics are winding down and the flame will soon be extinguished, so I thought I'd close the book on the Vancouver Games with a picspam of a few of my favorite things (that's not to say I won't post about the Closing Ceremony if something cool happens or if there are new stories that come out within the next week, but those will just be odds-and-ends).
Olympics Top 10 (or so)
THE WHALES
I can't get over the beautiful effects during the Opening Ceremony. The whales most definitely took the cake. Look at them go!
THE ESSENTIALS
I've heard it said that it's sometimes hardest to win when you're expected to win. Going into these Games, I knew these next four were the best their sport have to offer, so if they'd lost, I would have been very sad. But they won gold, so all is right in the world!
Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao
Pairs Figure Skating
Shaun White
Men's Halfpipe Snowboarding
Kim Yu-Na
Ladies Figure Skating
USA-1 aka. "The Night Train"
Four-Man Bobsled
THE SURPRISE
I'm still shocked that Evan Lysacek won the men's figure skating competition. He's still not my favorite skater ever, but on those two nights, he was the best skater on Olympic ice.
THE ODD COUPLE
This is a bit of a two-fer, two people I'm very proud of. When their sponsor left the U.S. Speedskating Team in the lurch, Stephen Colbert and his Colbert Nation stepped up and raised almost $300,000 to send them to the Olympics. Johnny Weir had the skate of his life and challenged two veteran sports commentators to think before they speak. Last Fall, Adam Lambert fever spread across LJ, but this month it's all about Johnny. And just FYI: its_just_johnny, weirsjohnny, ice_slash & ontd_skating.
THE COMEBACK KID
Right at the end of a race at the Olympic Trials in September, J.R. Celski suffered a horrible injury when his right skate sliced into his left leg. His short track speed skating career should have been over, but he fought back and won two bronze medals in the 1500m and the 5000m relay.
THE RIVALS/BFFS
I love when rivals can also be friends. Lindsay Vonn and Maria Riesch spend their Christmases together and seem to have an adorable friendship. After the Super-G, Lindsay told Maria: I love you, and I want to be on the podium with you! That never happened, but Lindsay won a gold and a bronze, while Maria won two golds in the Alpine events. And after Maria's slalom run, she and Lindsay shared a big hug, exchanged words, then hugged some more.
THE MEDALIST IN MOURNING
I can't even imagine the amount of courage it took for Joannie Rochette to contain her grief and skate like she did. Just wow.
THE TEAM OF FIRSTS
Before these Games, the U.S. had never won a medal in any of the Nordic events. In the mid-90s, our Nordic Combined program had so little money that during Bill Demong & Johnny Spillane's first European trip, they had to bunk at a mental asylum in former East Germany. Billy Demong fractured his skull in a 2002 diving accident and crashed into a car while cycling as a training exercise with the team in France. But this year, everything finally came together. Johnny Spillane won silver in the Normal Hill/10km, the team won silver in the Team Large Hill/4x5km, Billy & Johnny went 1-2 in the Large Hill/10k event, and Bill Demong will be the flagbearer for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony!
THE HOST NATION
"Own the Podium" may not have worked out as well as hoped, but Canada certainly owned the top step and made history with the most gold medals won in any Olympic Games, both of which are incredible achievements. There were a few rough patches, but hosting the Games is one of the most challenging things a city can do (my grandmother volunteered at the Summer Games in 1984 and said it was very stressful and draining). Overall, I thought these were a lovely Olympics, and I've heard only wonderful stories about the kind people in Vancouver.
Thanks, Canada!
My previous Olympic figure skating picspams:
Men's free skate
Ice Dancing compulsory and original dance & free dance
Ladies' short program & free skate Olympic figure skating past & future
And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.