Double axel, salchow, and the triple lutz. I don’t follow figure skating regularly, but as a marquee event of the Winter Olympics, I get familiar with these jumps again every four years.
Prefer more dangerous, even death-defying athletic pursuits? Two Words. Ski Jumping. Or Downhill Skiing? Who can forget Austrian Hermann Maier’s high-flying crash at the 1998 Nagano Games. Or Lindsey Vonn winning downhill gold in 2010 in Vancouver, the first ever for an American woman. Wow!
Then there’s bobsledding. Started out as two and four-man sleds. Crazy enough. Then someone somewhere decided to go down feet first on their back. And so was born the luge. Then the two-man luge. Hey, why not double the fun? It was inevitable that some crazed individual would lie face down, their chin inches from the ice, and zoom down the course. That’s called skeleton.
Enjoy more sedentary sports, maybe a little even dorky? Try curling. It’s got stones, hammers, buttons, and whisk brooms. I have no idea what it all means, but it sure is competitive. Curling fans have been known to shout out, “they’ve been throwing hoggers all day” in the heat of the action.
Yearn for some good ol’ roller derby-like mayhem? Check out the human body pile-ups in short track speed skating.
Need some Reality TV-like drama? Ladies and gentleman, may I present Tonya Harding v. Nancy Kerrigan. You can’t make this stuff up.
Yes, the Winter Olympics have something for everyone. This year it’s Beijing’s turn to throw the world a party. Again. Beijing becomes the first city to host both the Summer (2008) and Winter Olympics. Since being named the host city in 2015, China has constructed world class ski facilities and surrounding infrastructure from scratch. Once again, the Olympics cannot escape world politics. The U.S, U.K, among potentially other countries have boycotted the Games diplomatically in protest of China’s human rights abuses. No heads of state will be in attendance from those countries. Thankfully, particularly for the athletes, “the human drama of athletic competition” (to borrow from Jim McKay’s opening to The Wide World of Sports) will commence.
Will there be a “Do You Believe in Miracles” moment as in 1980 when the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union in hockey? Can Mikaela Shiffrin repeat her gold medal performances from Sochi (2014) and Pyeongchang (2018) on the slopes, particularly the slalom events? Can Shaun White return to gold at 35 years old after winning the snowboarding half-pipe in 2006, 2010, and 2018? Can Nathan Chen get on the podium after having a subpar figure skating short program in 2018? Can Team U.S.A. improve on its 4th place medal count standing in 2014 and 2018?
While we’ll be following the superstars, it’s really the unheralded athletes that often provide the most interesting and entertaining stories of the Games. The Jamaican bobsled team?! How was that for an oxymoron? Nigeria carried on this torch and became the first African team to compete in the bobsled in 2018. Remember Pita Tuafatofua? You may not recognize the name, but you’ve seen him if you watched the Opening Ceremonies of the last few Olympics, both Summer and Winter. He’s the shirtless, well-oiled Tongan who bears the flag and competed in taekwondo in Rio’s Summer Games and cross-country skiing in Pyeongchang. Or how about Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, the comically inept and hilarious ski jumper from England who became the most popular competitor of the 1988 Calgary Games? Of course, he finished dead last, but was, and will always be, an Olympian.
The Winter Olympics have a rich history full of illustrious names and colorful characters: Jean Claude Killy, Alberto Tomba, Torvyll and Dean, Eric Heiden, Bonnie Blair, Bode Miller, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hammill, Brian Boitano, Apolo Anton Ohno, and my favorite name of the bunch, Picabo Street.
It’s coming up on “16 Days of Glory” time again. The Opening Ceremonies are February 4th; the greatest show on snow and ice begins.
Trivia: What is the only U.S. city to host the Winter Olympics two times?
Answer: Lake Placid, New York (1932 and 1980)
Where will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held?
Answer: Milano-Cortina, Italy
Still not excited for the Winter Olympics? Relive this exhilarating moment from four years ago:
Comments
4 responses to “The Olympics Are Here Again! Beijing Makes History”
Love the head-to-head competitive events in the Olympics, but not so much the telecast choices and the event packaging (think, up-close-and-personal pieces) provided by the major networks that cover it. At least nowadays you can find some full events or traditionally less telecast events via the internet and streaming services.
Thanks, Barcelona1! Yes, the athletic competition is ultimately what it’s all about. This time will undoubtedly have some unforgettable moments. I agree that there’s too many personal stories, but overall, I’m still a big fan of the NBC telecast. I know this is a minority opinion, for sure. I loved the Tokyo Games show, but NBC took a lot of criticism. I guess I like the broadcast headquarters and the consistent, coordinated approach that NBC provides. Probably why I still enjoy some traditional cable and network shows and I’m not cutting my cable chord anytime soon. Enjoy the Games!
Nathan Chen, I skate with a young man Tommy in Everett WA. weekly. Yesterday he admitted that on the very ice we were talking, he and Nathan Chen spoke. Stating what a fine individual Nathan is. Both of us had seen him in Skate America there before we meet each other. His skates are routinely above and beyond what is called for. Seasons best event after event. Skating is not all about jumping. I think it is about the magic mastering physics. This Olympian masters his magic for our enjoyment and utter amazement to bring it all together time after time. It just won’t happen without the music.
Thanks for commenting, Christopher. Cool stuff. I like how you tie in figure skating with magic and music. I know you are watching every minute of the Olympic figure skating. Enjoy the rest of the show.