And, as of yesterday, there were still 300,000 tickets available. So, if you’d like to make a last minute trip to Italy, it looks like you could still see some events.
And, as of yesterday, there were still 300,000 tickets available. So, if you’d like to make a last minute trip to Italy, it looks like you could still see some events.
Apolo Ohno became a household name during the 2002 Olympics. Chad Hedrick is set to be a household name for the 2006 Turin Olympics. Will he be the next Eric Heiden? (In case you don’t know who Eric Heiden is he set a record 26 years ago by winning five gold medals in one Olympics. Incidentally, Heiden will be on hand if his record is tied, as he is one of the team doctors.)
All six U.S. long track medalists from the 2002 Olympics are set to compete in Turin, many of them expected to medal again. With Hedrick competing in long track, that’s one more opportunity for medals.
Shani Davis is another name to watch for. Until Chad Hedrick came on the scene, he was the one to beat. Now, their rivalry will be an exciting one to watch, and one that may bring gold and silver finishes for the U.S. in several of the events.
And, yes, Apolo will be back skating for gold, as well.
On the women’s side, Jennifer Rodriguez and Chris Witty are veterans who already have won Olympic medals. Each qualified in three events – 500, 1,000 and 1,500. Look for them to be strong contenders for medals.
Well, obviously speedskating is a skating race. (Some things are pretty self-explanatory.) The first known speedskating competition took place in 1676, the first world championships in 1889. Speedskating has been a part of the modern Olympics since the very first Winter Olympics, although women weren’t added to the program until 1960.
Speed skating at the Olympic Games consists of ten events: 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m for both woman and men, 3000m for women, 10,000m for men, and Team pursuit for women and men. With the exception of the 500m, which is raced twice, all events are raced once. Skaters race in pairs against the clock.
Team pursuit is new to the Olympics. In this event, three skaters work as a team. The time that counts for the team is the time for the third person on the team crossing the line. The lead position is traded among the different skaters.
Short track speed skating is actually a completely different event. I’ll be talking more about it in an upcoming post.
No wonder the only time I’ve ever seen curling was on The Amazing Race. In its Olympic debut, the only coverage it received was from David Letterman’s mother.
Fast forward eight years to 2006 and the Olympics in Turin. NBC will broadcast 26 matches, 15 of them live.
For more on Olympic coverage of curling, take a look at this article.
We had a great response to our last poll (Are you planning to watch the opening ceremonies?). 633 of you voted. Out of those, 88% are planning to watch the opening ceremonies.
One week from tomorrow.
For the third straight Olympics, Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios will captain the U.S. Olympic team. Chelios is also the oldest player on the team, at 44. Along with fellow 2006 Olympian Keith Tkachuk, Chelios is one of only two U.S. hockey players to make four Olympic squads (1984, 1998, 2002, 2006).
Short track skating consists of individual and relay competitions. At the Olympics, there are eight events. Men and women compete in 500m, 1000m, and 1500m. There is a 5000m relay for men, and a 3000m relay for women.
In the individual event, four skaters start together on the same line. They race head-to-head in an oval. Seven rubber blocks in each turn mark the course. Skaters may cross into the infield ice, but they must always skate around the blocks in the corners. They may touch the ice inside the blocks with their hands. Passing must be done without body contact. Pushing, bumping and blocking may be grounds for disqualification.
Skaters are racing against each other, not against the clock. The first two finishers advance to the next round. Individual competitions begin with 32 athletes.
Short Track Relay
Several skaters work as a team in relay races. One skater must finish two laps. Team members may trade off at any time in any order, as long as the skaters complete the relay touch-off.
The men’s and women’s short track relays are two-day competitions consisting of a semi-final and a final. Eight teams are divided into two heats of four. The top two teams in each semi-final advance to the final.
That’s right. One week. Next Friday brings us the Opening Ceremony.
You may suppose that this is the only place where I blog. Au contraire. I have several blogs. My newest one is a vegetarian recipe blog. Last night I was checking my statistics to see what people were searching to find the blog. The most interesting one was “vegetarian Olympic athletes.” Now, my blog on recipes clearly didn’t help them answer whatever question they were trying to answer with that search, but I thought I’d see what I could dig up about vegetarian Olympic athletes, myself.
Here is a partial list of the Olympic athletes I found who are vegetarians (not necessarily in the 2006 Turin Olympics).
Surya Bonaly
Olympic figure skating champion
Andreas Cahling
Swedish champion bodybuilder, Olympic gold medallist in the ski jump
Chris Campbell
Olympic wrestling champion
Paavo Nurmi
Long-distance runner, winner of nine Olympic medals and 20 world records
Murray Rose
Swimmer, winner of many Olympic gold medals and world records
Charlene Wong Williams
Olympic champion figure skater
I’m sure there are more, even some competing in next week’s Olympics, but a partial list will have to suffice. I’m off to blog.
Most of us have seen figure skating. It’s not what it was once upon a time… Remember when there were compulsory figures that had to be skated? Remember how Americans were notoriously bad at this until Scott Hamilton skated it perfectly?
Well, the figures of figure skating are no more. We’re left with the short program and the long program (or free skating) and a new scoring system.
In the Olympics there are four Figure Skating events: ladies singles, men’s singles, pairs, and ice dancing. I’ve already covered ice dancing separately, so we’ll just concentrate on the other disciplines.
The short program consists of eight prescribed elements such as jump combinations and spins. In the long program, skaters perform an original arrangement of techniques to music of their choice.
Pairs also perform a short program and free skate. The couple works as one unit, demonstrating overhead lifts, throw-jumps with the man launching his partner, and other maneuvers.
Now, let’s talk about this new scoring system. Don’t expect to see any 6.0 scores in the 2006 Turin Olympics. You can expect, instead, to see scores like 189. And you won’t be able to curse the French or Russian judges, either, because the scores are posted anonymously. There’s a little less suspense in the “kiss and cry” area, since the score is posted as one total, instead of the slow unveiling of each of the scores separately.
There are points for jumps, spins, footwork and artistic elements. Complete a triple? You get a certain number of points. Fall down? There’s a mandatory deduction.
There are now 12 judges. 9 of the judges’ scores count. Which 9 is chosen at random. The highest and lowest scores for each element are dropped, and the rest are averaged. The averaged marks for each of the elements are then added together to give the total score.
Points fall into two areas: technical and program components. Technical points are awarded for jumps, spins and footwork. Program component points are awarded for skating skills, transitions, performance and execution, choreography and interpretation. And, yes, there is now instant replay in skating.
The technical score adds the score from different elements. There is a limit to how many of each element an athlete can perform. For singles, the short program has three jump elements, three spin elements and two footwork elements (or a spiral sequence for women). A men’s long program can have eight jump elements. Women can have seven. Men and women may perform four spins and two step sequences.
Each element has a point value based on level of difficulty. An execution scored, based on how well the element is performed, is then added or subtracted from the base value.
For example, a triple axel has a base value of 7.5 points. To that point value, the judges may add or subtract up to 3 points, depending on how the jump is performed. A fall earns a mandatory minus 3.
The five program component scores range from 0.25 to 10.0 to reflect very poor to outstanding. These scores evaluate overall skating quality; difficulty and quality of steps linking the elements; style and originality.
Short program and free skate points are added together for a final total.
Less than a week. What events will you be watching next Saturday? Here are your choices: Speed Skating, Nordic Combined, Biathlon, Figure Skating, Luge, Ice Hockey, Ski Jumping or Freestyle Skiing. Speed Skating, Nordic Combined, Biathlon and Freestyle Skiing are medal events. The others are qualifying rounds. For more on the television schedule for the Olympics, go to NBC’s site.
Italy has a long history of social protest. The Olympics have brought an international audience to Italy, and that’s been too big an opportunity to miss for some Italian protesters. Among the most vocal are those who oppose Coca-Cola as an Olympic sponsor.
Italian Sports Minister (they have Sports Ministers in Italy?) Mario Pescante, who is also the government’s Olympic supervisor, is not concerned about security. His concern? “The blocking of the torch procession due to four idiots. I hope the Piemontese give them a kick in the backside.” Okay, Mario, tell us how you really feel.
This is a follow-up to an earlier story. Previously, we mentioned that there was some debate who would test Olympic athletes for banned substances. In Italy, there is a criminal penalty for athletes who take banned substances.
The controversy is not quite over. The IOC will be testing the athletes. However, possible criminal penalties remain in place for those who fail the tests.
Our sixth (and final) Winter Olympics trivia quiz is ready. Click here to take our final trivia quiz.
The 2006 Turin Winter Olympics Blog is powered by WordPress |