Sochi Olympics 2014 VIDEO: Top 5 ‘Can’t Miss’
Now that the Seahawks have closed out the Broncos and the NFL season, it is time to look forward to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The Opening Ceremonies are Friday, February 7. Most of us don’t follow all of the trials and tournaments leading up to the Olympic Games, so you might need a crash course.
Without a doubt, more story lines will present themselves as the Olympics progress but these should get you started.
Female Force
There will be a record breaking number of female athletes competing this year. Some of the biggest events will be non-traditional female-centric sports (figure skating). Women’s hockey will once again be fun to watch. The Americans have to break Canada’s streak of three straight gold medals.
The biggest story may be the introduction of Women’s Ski Jump. The event has officially been left out of Olympics because of a lack of participants. Un-officially, it was because of the uterus. Yeah, you read that right. There was an odd and mistaken old-school thought the landing would hurt women’s uteruses. The fight to overturn the ban is really interesting, one that includes the leading fighter, Lindsay Van, being the main tester of the jumps in her home state of Utah but not being allowed to compete.
Men’s Hockey
The host country, Russia, hasn’t won the gold since 1988 and missed on medaling the past two tournaments. Mother Russia is expecting a big finish this time around. It wouldn’t be a mistake to say the Russians would rather win the hockey gold than the overall medal count. Leading the charge is Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin. The vodka will flow like the Volga River if the gold is claimed.
In Russia’s way is a slew of countries with great NHL talent. Canada is always a favorite and comes back with the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and Jeff Carter. The Americans came so so so close to the gold last time around but are coming in as underdogs. Don’t the Yanks always play their best hockey when they are underdogs?… Finland wants to show their bronze was no fluke. If you need a good value bet, think Slovakia, who has Jaroslav Halav in goal who has been very stingy for the St. Louis Blues. Best sleeper pick is Sweeden who has all around talent and lockdown goalkeeping.
Lolo Jones
Undoubtedly, someone will want to rant and rave about Lolo Jones. Remind them that win or lose, Lolo is an upaid athlete who just wants to win and wear an American flag while doing it.
Lindsey Jacobellis (pictured above)
Jacobellis might be the best female snowboarder of her generation but has failed to win a gold in the Olympics. This might be her last best chance. She is a thrill to watch and can be a day’s worth of highlights.
Three-Peaters?
No American has ever three-peated getting the gold in the same event. Two have a great chance this year. Shaun White will try to three-peat his Olympic gold in the halfpipe. The Flying Tomato is already one of the most famous American Olympians. A three-peat will build upon his legacy. Shani Davis already has reached legend status after becoming the first Black athlete to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics. He followed up his Turin performance four years later with gold in Vancouver in 2010.
Jamaican Bobsled is Back
Brief history lesson – The Cool Runnings movie was mostly true with the Jamaican island nation sending a bobsled team to Calgary in 1988. A crash ended their dreams but endeared them to the whole world. At Lillehammer ’94, they finished in the modest and respectful 14th place, ahead of some major nations (US included). In Salt Lake City ’02, they switched to a two-man team and set a push record.
Winston Watts, a veteran of three of those teams is back at the age of 43. With the help of some fundraising, they have a top-notch bobsled, so they should avoid a sequel to the Cool Runnings ending. The team is no joke, but is still a long shot to medal. Regardless, they continue to inspire and provide hope.
Human Rights
Second to the corruption and security storylines, the “Rights” storylines will be present almost daily. Russia has infamously passed anti-homosexual laws that threatens to jail anyone that perform “gay-rights activities” or any “gay propaganda”. If anyone protests on the medal stand it will be instant news around the world. Vladamir Putin has said the laws won’t effect the games, but will that extend to the protestors who will show up in support?
Brian Reddoch is a CraveOnline reporter and rabid fan of all teams Seattle. You can follow him on Twitter @ReddReddoch or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
