Sochi 2014

[Matt J]

Who's getting excited?

CNN International has been running an ad with Ligety carving troughs for his watch sponsors. Makes my hair stand on end. Too bad they also ran a special about how unprepared the Ruskies are to host this year. Wonder if any gay athletes will refuse to go?

Favorite events? I like the freestyle, mostly half pipe, probably prefer snowboard to ski. And the race events of course. Having taken up XC skiing since 2010 I'm hoping the coverage is good. Favorites?

[Baaahb]

I was fortunate to go to both Salt Lake and Vancouver. If Sochi isn't selling well and they start offering big discount packages, somebody let me know.

It's all good, but the events on the steep mountain slopes were hardest to get revved up about in person. You simply cannot see or follow what is happening as well as on TV.

The X-C events were great because you can get really close to the skiers and the excitement builds over a while...especially when they repeat a circuit multiple times.

But nothing beats the short track in person. Everyone in the stands is screaming their lungs out.

[BillyFromTheHills]

Our local Olympian, Nate Holland, is ready to go. I spoke with his mother yesterday and she said he is very busy with his training. Cool guy... We're getting psyched here to watch him.

[Matt J]

35 years old and still getting after it... good on him!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Holland

[Greg]

I am looking forward to the nordic events. Hopefully they will be well covered. With the success of the women's xc team (Kikkan has a Kashi sponsorship now!), the success in Vancouver of the NoCo men, and women's jumping (if Sarah Hendrickson recovers from her acl repair it will be a great human interest story; as well as an amazing accomplishment), interest should be relatively high this year. I hope the networks notice.

[shoestring]

Since moving to Truckee in 2007, we've just been more interested in all of the winter events...looking forward to the Nordic events, but we pretty much enjoy all of the events on skis and boards.

When we lived in Brooklyn for the 2006 Turin games, there was a freak storm that left 2 feet of snow in the city...we xc skied sbout 10 blocks to friends' apartment to watch some of the games -- just a good Olympic spectator memory...

[tele-whippet]

Shaun White has commissioned his own half pipe down here at Perisher after the resort shut last month for a little "secret" private training.

Pic c/- Pini Pow Pow!
Other competitors training in New Zealand post season have posted this vid tongue in cheek as a response

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=9869483

[Grant]

I am looking forward to the nordic events. Hopefully they will be well covered. With the success of the women's xc team (Kikkan has a Kashi sponsorship now!), the success in Vancouver of the NoCo men, and women's jumping (if Sarah Hendrickson recovers from her acl repair it will be a great human interest story; as well as an amazing accomplishment), interest should be relatively high this year. I hope the networks notice.

We are very excited locally about the nordic events. 3 VT'ers on the nordic A team, much of the A & B team training locally, and a neighbor on the B Team (Go Sophie!) we will need to find someone with broadcast TV in order to watch it!

[Greg]

Grant: I am not sure about the Olympics, but most (maybe all) of the World Cup races are televised by Eurosport, which you can stream from sites like SportLemon. It is live (I am not sure if there is a delayed broadcast), so you have to get up early. Note quite as early if you are back East.