The Olympics have returned. The winter games kicked off last week in Sochi, Russia. I know many people knock the winter Olympics for being boring or showcasing sports no one watches or cares about, except only every four years.
I must say that I prefer the summer games to winter. Then again, I also rank those seasons in that order. Winter just means bitter cold, lots of snow and days where the light disappears. But that doesn't mean I haven't been tuning into the coverage when I have the chance.
Bring on the hockey
Being a hockey fan, I of course enjoy that sport the most when it comes to the Olympics. Give me the guys over the gals any day, however. I'm not much of a fan of women's hockey anyway. In the Olympics, they should just have Canada and the United States play each other for the gold and silver medals and be done with it. That's what the rest of the competition, or lack thereof, is like.
As excited as I am for hockey, I still think I'll be a little disappointed. It will be really hard to top the 2010 gold medal game between USA and Canada in Vancouver. Minnesota's own Zach Parise tied the game at two with under 25 seconds left in regulation. Then it was NHL superstar Sidney Crosby who scored the gold-winner in overtime to give the game to Canada.
Amazing game.
The Minnesota Wild have four Olympians this year: Parise will captain the USA team, and he'll be joined by Ryan Suter. Nino Niederreiter plays for the Swiss, and Mikael Granlund for Finland. Mikko Koivu was supposed to captain Finland's team, but he had to drop out of the games due to a nagging ankle injury.
Skating and boarding, too
Keeping with the ice theme, I'd have to say the figure skating competitions are my second-favorite to watch. This year, they added a team competition, which I think is good. It gives the viewers more skating to watch, and it just makes sense. It's like individual and team competitions in gymnastics.
I've also watched some ski jumping, alpine skiing, luge and snowboarding. New this year to snowboarding is the slope style. It's a run down the mountain with a chance for rail tricks and three jumps where riders can get huge air. I've found that I prefer this to the half pipe competition.
America's golden boy on the board, Shaun White, finished fourth in the half pipe. This was after he pulled out of slop style so he could focus on half pipe, where he's won gold the past two Olympics. He's being called a veteran of the sport now, and many wonder if he'll be at another games. Frankly, I'll be glad when they stop talking about him. He lost; move on.
Look at me talking about snowboarding like I know what I'm talking about. I really don't follow it.
Oh, and despite some more of the coverage and hype with curling, I still haven't been able to make myself actually sit down and watch it.
Ignorance is bliss
Sure, many of us don't know tons about the sports at the Olympics, like all the details with scoring, timing or technique. But that's why they have the color experts on the broadcasts.
For the most part, you don't have to be an expert to know what's going on or what the object is. Graphics and announcers keep you informed. In a lot of these sports, where scoring is subjective, it's a pretty safe bet that a fall is not a good thing and will result in lower scores.
So really, all you need to do is just sit back and watch. Marvel at how these athletes are so unbelievably strong that you have no idea how they are pulling off these sports they make look easy. Even if you don't enjoy winter sports, or prefer the summer games, you should still tune in (even if you're spoiled by the internet or social media).
It's just fun.
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