I LOVE the Olympics.
I’ve been looking forward to the Winter Olympics in Sochi since the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 were over. To borrow my own words from the 2012 Olympics in London, this is why I’m so excited for the games: ‘I love the Olympics because of the tradition, the competitiveness, the pride for one’s country, the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony, the camaraderie of all of the athletes who have come together and support one another no matter where they are from, the opportunity to learn about other cultures and to see athletes from other countries and learn about their stories, and because athletes can represent their country according to their ability- no matter their start in life.’
These are the reasons why I’m excited for the games- no matter the political or social concerns flying around. (Although I do hope there are no safety incidences, yikes, those threats are disconcerning).
You can check out the blogs documenting my excitement over the 2012 London Summer Olympics here, here, here, here, and finally here.
I’d never even heard of Sochi, Russia prior to the Olympics, so it was interesting to discover what it has to offer. It claims to be the longest city in Europe, at a total of 90 miles- and is one of the few places in Russia that has a subtropical climate, warm to hot summers and mild winters. It’s nestled along the shores of the Black Sea and is near the Caucasus Mountains (which is where I assume the skiing and such will take place). Besides the Winter Olympics, they will also be hosting the Paralympic Winter Games, the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014 until at least 2020, and is one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Very impressive, and it looks like a great place to live.
For this Olympics, these are a few of my favorite things:
USA Alpine Ski Team, 20 members highlighted by Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Julia Mancuso, and Mikaela Shiffrin.
Watching the Bobsleigh competition- and seeing track star Lolo Jones compete!
Watching the Biathlon is always fun. What stamina!
Curling is actually really cool!
The Women’s Figure Skating Team- Polina Edmunds, Gracie Gold, Mirai Nagasu, and Ashley Wagner
Speed Skating!
Snowboarding! Highlighting our team, Chas Guldemond (men’s slopestyle), Kelly Clark (women’s halfpipe), Shaun White (men’s halfpipe and slopestyle), and Jaime Anderson (women’s slopestyle)
2014 U.S. Olympic Team Fun Facts – all from http://www.teamusa.org
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Thirty-eight states are represented, including 20 athletes hailing from California, 19 from both Colorado and Minnesota, and 18 from New York.
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The oldest and youngest Olympians on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team – women’s curler Ann Swishelm, 45, and freestyle skier Maggie Voisin, 15 – are separated by 30 years, while the average age is 26.
- Men’s ice hockey forward Blake Wheeler is the tallest member of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team at 6 feet, 5 inches, and standing 5 feet tall, figure skater Marissa Castelli and short track speedskater Jessica Smith are the shortest members of Team USA.
- Team USA features one set of twins in women’s ice hockey players Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux. Other team siblings include cross-country skiers Sadie and Erik Bjornsen, curlers Erika and Craig Brown, Nordic combined athletes Bryan and Taylor Fletcher, snowboarders Arielle and Taylor Gold, ice hockey players Amanda and Phil Kessel, and figure skaters Maia and Alex Shibutani.
- Twenty-two members of Team USA have children; there are 19 fathers and three mothers.
I can’t wait for the games to start! Go USA!! 🙂
thegreentreeischirping 