Winter Olympic Preview

Greetings, winter sports fans. Do unforgiving winter wind chills have you down? Does topographically-challenged Kansas have you dreaming of Colorado’s snow-crested vistas?  If so, then Bob Costas and his NBC crew have a solution. From the comfort of your own recliner, you can view the XXI Winter Olympic Games on live television from Vancouver, Feb. 12-28. The Games may have begun on Friday, but Team U.S.A. will be at it for another 12 days.

Snowboarding

The U.S. suffered a massive blow when shredder Kevin Pearce severely injured his head on a halfpipe in late December.  He is still in recovery, but the blue ribbon tomato of the U.S. snowboarding garden, Shaun White, has ripened during the recent X-Games and is ready to win first prize at the halfpipe podium.  If he can pull off his double cork, a move involving two diagonal flips, he should be well on his way.  Women’s halfpipers Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark will look to bring home halfpipe gold for the U.S. women for the third consecutive Olympics.  Finally, I beg of Snowboard Crosser Lindsey Jacobellis – winner of the 2006 “Fail of Turin” for her showboat-induced fall that lost the gold – no more unnecessary method grabs, please.

Alpine/ Freestyle Skiing

She may not have medaled at the past two Olympics, but Lindsey Vonn is the U.S.’s biggest force in the alpine division.  Fresh off two golds at last year’s World Championships in France, Vail’s own Vonn will be hoping that her recently published Sports Illustrated cover doesn’t jinx her efforts at medaling.  The men’s alpine team is headlined by the Ted Ligety, winner of the 2006 Combined event, and Bode Miller, America’s Hardest Partying Olympian (aside from Michael Phelps). The Freestyle side is a toss-up in the only new event to Vancouver’s Olympics, Ski Cross. Think Snowboard Cross on skis, but speedier and with four times as many moving parts.

Bobsled

Sorry, “Cool Runnings” fans – the Jamaican team did not qualify.  However, both U.S. men’s and women’s sides qualified with the maximum amount of sleds in all competitions, so the U.S. has both quality and quantity in this sport. John Napier, a 23-year-old member of Vermont’s National Guard, will be driving a two-man sled and a four-man sled. After a few medals at last year’s World Cup, he will compete with Steven Holcomb as America’s top men’s driver. Shauna Rohbock, a two-woman driver, is ready to step up from 2006’s silver finish to gold. The fiercest competition will include Germany, Switzerland and Canada.

Hockey

Hockey is a sport where many players get better as they age, and only six men on the 23-man U.S. roster are over 30 years old. Two U.S. opponents, who are exceptions to the aging rule, are 22-year-old Canadian Sidney Crosby and 24-year-old Russian Alex Ovechkin. For a golden repeat of 1980’s “Miracle on Ice,” vets like winger Jamie Langenbrunner and center Chris Drury will need to shed their experience onto the young guns of the U.S.  The even younger women’s team, which draws over half of its talent pool from the collegiate level, will look to medal for the fourth time in four tries at the Winter Games.  I foresee a gold-medal match against omnipresent ice hockey aficionadas Canada in the cards.

Speedskating

Five-time medalist and “Dancing with the Stars” winner Apolo Ohno said that this year’s short-track men’s team is “the strongest team we’ve ever had.” Ohno will be pushing for medals in three events, with teammates J.R. Celski and Jordan Malone providing strength and depth.  Women’s short-track is usually dominated by nations such as South Korea and China, but look for Katherine Reutter to make a break in three events.  Shani Davis and in-line skating legend Chad Hedrick are medal threats in normal speedskating, which is run on a longer track than short-track.  Jennifer Rodriguez won two bronze medals at Salt Lake City in 2002, but hasn’t medaled in any major event since a gold at the 2005 World Championships.