Day 86 of the Winter Olympics has come and gone...
...hold on. I'm hearing from my sources it's only Day 3. I think. The games appeared to have started on Thursday here in the United States, but the Opening Ceremony wasn't until Friday. Or was it? What kind of time warp are we living in?
No matter the case, the every-fourth-year celebration of the world's top (winter athletes) is upon us, live (on tape delay) from beautiful Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The Winter Olympics have always taken a backseat to the summer version for me, as far as interest levels go. More events and -- not being TOO much of an outdoor winter sports enthusiast -- led to this, but I still enjoy the Winter Olympics in some regard.
In my youth, I enjoyed going out to ice skate, even owning a pair of hockey skates at one point. (Thanks to the Mighty Ducks). Sledding was another favorite pastime. Both probably led to my love of watching the bobsled races and hockey games.
Outside of the occasional cross-country skiing I did on my family's land, I was not a skier. But I still enjoyed watching events like the slalom and super G. Back in the day -- whether in these events or others, like speed and figure skating -- I knew the names and was aware of the American athletes competing in the games.
There was Dan Jansen and Bonnie Blair, two of the greatest speed skaters of their generation. Even up until probably 2010, I knew a fair amount about who would be representing the United States in the figure skating categories. Bobsled was the case in the 90's, though many of those names escape me now.
The love of the Winter Olympics hit a crescendo in the year 2002, when the games were held in Salt Lake and the Olympic torch made its way to Boise, Idaho, passing literal steps away from my apartment at the time.
Point being, heading into these Olympics, I really had little idea of who was competing. I knew of Shaun White, the great snowboarder. And Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, both World renowned for their skiing. And I knew of talented speed skater Shani Davis.
That was pretty much it. There are no NHL players participating in these year's Olympics. I know more about the figure skater announcers than who is actually participating. And I only know who is on the bobsled team thanks to one of the members being Boise's own Nick Cunningham.
I imagine growing older and finding less time to follow and pay attention to sports I have less interest in have led to this. And adding more events have likely played their part.
So of course it was time to catch up.
Medals after day 3
The early medal tracker has the United States with two medals.
Two? What kind of world domination is going on here?
To be fair, many of the events in which the team from the United States are expected to excel in are yet to come. And Chris Mazdzer shocked the world by picking up the first ever medal in men's luge, taking silver.
Of course, I did not see this event. I caught the prelims on Saturday and -- unless it will be re-aired in prime time -- will have missed the finals. Though I suppose I could easily track down highlights. Update: I switched over to Olympic coverage and, lo and behold, I timed it up perfectly for Mazdzer's run. Success!
His silver followed up a Red Gerard gold in men's slopestyle. And Gerard is only 17 years old to boot.
Curling anyone?
We all know the real reason I'm here is to talk about curling. What once started off as a joke (to me) has turned into a full on love for the sport. And it's apparently a craze really sweeping the nation.
And now they have not only men's and women's team, but a mixed doubles event as well. Early results have favored the United States team and I did catch the end of a rousing victory. Unfortunately, the result wasn't enough to carry them to the semifinals.
The world's best ice sweepers are on full display over the next few weeks. Please, if you've never bothered watching this sport, set aside a few minutes. You'll be looking for a curling rec league in no time at all.
I will be back here as the Winter Olympics continue over the next few weeks. There's a lot to cover, including short track speed skating, figure skating, the USA women's hockey team, and of course following the comeback of Vonn.
For now, I'm off to pick up a broom to hone my curling skills.
Picture courtesy of pixabay.com
To keep up with the Winter Olympics, BSU sports and more, follow me on Twitter: @jasonrh_78
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