Best High Profile Event. Men's Ice Hockey. Men's hockey is basically the men's basketball of the winter games except without the American juggernaut. It's a sport that Americans know and understand. The top stars of the NHL will be on the ice representing the flags of their home countries. The favorite to win the gold is the Canadian squad featuring Sidney Crosby and many other household hockey names. Alex Ovechkin's Russians and Daniel Alfredsson's Swedes are also top contenders for the gold medal. The United States also comes into the olympics with golden expectations. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better Olympic sport than one in which the Americans are not the favorites but are serious contenders for the gold.
(AP Photo) |
Best New Event. Luge Team Relay. There are twelve new events for this year's winter olympics. Surprisingly, 2014 will be the first year for women's ski jumping. One of the more clever new sports is team figure skating. It should be fascinating to see such an individualized sport given a team dimension. However, the new sport that I am most excited about is luge team relay. I was a little disappointed when I found out that there aren't any high speed baton handoffs. Nonetheless, the strategy of choosing the order of the sleds and the execution of the transitions should make for an interesting new event.
Weirdest Event. Moguls. Moguls are just one weird event in the very weird category of freestyle skiing. I understand racing. Cars, horses, on foot, on skates. Racing on skis fits into that same mold. For some reason, whoever invented moguls decided that we should have a separate event where being the fastest only counts if you also look the prettiest as you do it. Speed only counts for 25% of the score in moguls. Style counts for the other 75%.
Worst Event. See above for the same reasons. But, don't get me wrong. I will still watch it.
Event with a Hidden Star. Lolo Jones. Does that name sound familiar to you? It should. Lolo Jones competed in track and field in the 2008 and 2012 summer olympics. In 2008, Jones was the favorite to win the 100m hurdles and was in the lead before clipping the ninth hurdle and failing to medal. An older Jones also fell short of the podium in the 2012 London games. In 2014, Jones is returning to the olympic stage, but this time it will be the winter games. Jones will compete as a member of the American women's bobsled team in the winter games. In addition to switching sports at a world class level, Jones is a unique figure due to her publicized virginity and dramatic life story.
Most Underrated Event. Curling. I'm not saying that I'd watch this on Sundays instead of football or car racing. But, like many others, I really enjoyed this event during the 2010 Vancouver games, and I am looking forward to watching it again in Sochi. Although curling does not require the athleticism that's demanded in most other Olympic events, the pacing and the strategy of the game make for compelling television.
Tara Lapinky 1998 Nagano (Getty) |
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