Category Archives: Sochi 2014

Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 9th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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Here’s what’s on tap for today… how about eight different disciplines? How about the first alpine skiing event in Sochi? How about eight more gold medals on the line?

All times below are ET.

Alpine Skiing

Events: The men’s downhill event will take place on Sunday. The event features 50 competitors including four Americans. Everyone will get one and only run on the course. The fastest time wins. The first man off the top will actually be American Steven Nyman setting the mark to beat for everyone. Travis Ganong goes seventh, Bode Miller is 15th, and Marco Sullivan is the last American at 25th.

Bode Miller will compete for the US in the men's downhill on Sunday.
Bode Miller will compete for the US in the men’s downhill on Sunday.

Photo Credit: jonwick04 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Men’s downhill – 2 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The alpine skiing will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Biathlon

Events: Sunday is the women’s 7.5 km sprint competition. Each athlete will start 30 seconds apart with each missed target during the shooting portions resulting in a 150m penalty loop. The fastest time is the winner, but that probably won’t be the first woman across the finish line due to the staggered start.

Four Americans are in the 84-woman field. Susan Dunklee is the first to go for the US at 9:35:30 AM, Annelies Cook will start at 9:58:30 AM, Hannah Dreissigacker starts at 10:01:30 AM, and Sara Studebaker goes at 10:07 AM.

When:

  • Women’s 7.5 km sprint – 9:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Cross-Country Skiing

Events: Sunday is the men’s skiathlon. This is a race of 15 km in the classic style, a switch of equipment, and then 15 km in the freestyle. This is a mass start event so the first one across the finish line wins.

Four Americans are in the field of 68: Noah Hoffman, Kris Freeman, Brian Gregg, and Erik Bjornsen.

Below is some video featuring Brian Gregg and giving you an idea what it’d be like to stand near a cross-country skiing race going by. Pretty intense!

When:

  • Men’s 30 km Skiathlon (15 km classic + 15 km free) – 5 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Cross-country skiing will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 8:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Figure Skating

Events: The team event wraps up on Sunday with three last rounds: men’s free skate (10 AM), ladies’ free skate (11:05 AM), and ice dance free dance (12:10 PM). The US is currently in third place with a score of 34. Silver and gold appear to be out of reach but hopefully the US can hold off Italy (31 points) and Japan (34 points) for the bronze.

There is no start list out for these events yet and it’s not officially known who will skate in them for the US. The US could change two of their three choices from the first round but there is no way that Meryl Davis and Charlie White don’t go in the ice dance. After a poor performance by Jeremy Abbott in the short program I expect Jason Brown to get the free skate nod, but it’s unknown if that will happen. Ashley Wagner was good on Saturday in the short program so I imagine she’ll be going again.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner competed for the US in the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Team event – Men’s free skate – 10 AM
  • Team event – Ladies’ free skate – 11:05 AM
  • Team event – Ice dance free dance – 12:10 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 10 AM – 1 PM ET. It was also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET and NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Luge

Events: The men’s singles event wraps up on Sunday. Three Americans are in the field of 39 but all seem to be out of medal contention. The start order is the same order as the standings. Christopher Mazdzer is 13th and will go 13th. Tucker West goes 23rd and Aidan Kelly goes 26th. I would imagine that run four will have the quickest athletes so far going last, but I’ve been surprised in other events so who knows…

When: 

  • Men’s singles run 3 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 4 – 11:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The luge will be shown LIVE on NBCSN in their coverage from 8:30-10 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s late night coverage, 11:30 PM-12:30 AM ET.

Ski Jumping

Events: The men’s normal hill event wraps up on Sunday with the first round and the final round. In the first round 50 competitors will be competing for 40 spots in the final event. The US has three competitors in the field. Nicholas Alexander will be the first competitor to go, Anders Johnson is going 5th, and Peter Frenette goes 10th. If any make it through to the final that’s where they will take one more jump. The final standings are determined by the total of the two jumps.

When:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – First round – 12:30 PM
  • Men’s individual normal hill – Final round – 1:35 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The ski jumping will be shown LIVE on NBCSN as part of their coverage from 1-2 PM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s evening coverage from 7-11 PM ET.

Snowboarding

Events: After grabbing a gold in the inaugural men’s slopestyle on Saturday the US hopes to do the same in the women’s event on Sunday. Two Americans (Jamie Anderson and Karly Shorr) are already into the final while two others are looking to get into it from the semifinal. In the semifinal 15 competitors are vying for the final four spots in the final. Each athlete will take two runs with the best run counting. Top four scores go to the final. Ty Walker is scheduled to be the first to compete while Jessika Jenson is scheduled to go ninth. In the final each athlete gets two runs with the best score again counting.

Below is Anderson’s silver medal winning run at the X Games a couple weeks ago.

When: 

  • Women’s slopestyle semifinal – 1:30 AM
  • Women’s slopestyle final – 4:15 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The snowboarding will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 7-11 PM ET.

Speed Skating

Events: The women’s 5000m event is on Sunday. This event has athletes going two at a time with the times ranked for the final standings. Two Americans are in the 28-woman field. Anna Ringsred will be in the second pair while Jilleanne Rookard is in the tenth pair.

When: 

  • Women’s 3000m – 6:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Speed skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 8:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2-6 PM ET

Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

Sochi 2014 – USA Gold Medal Winner #1 – Sage Kotsenburg

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Well who had Sage Kotsenburg as their pick for the first person to win a gold for the US in Sochi? No one?

Sage Kotsenburg entered the 2014 slopestyle event under the radar. The attention was on Shaun White and the will he or won’t he question about whether he would be in the event. Kotsenburg had never won a gold medal before, no X-games winner trying to make it at the Olympics here.

Kotsenburg had grabbed silver a couple of times in the X-Games before (2010 and 2012) but after finishing eighth in his qualifying heat on Thursday no one was pushing him for the major day on Saturday. Even Kotsenburg was just going to go give it his best and see what happens.

Things got off to a great start for Kotsenburg when he scored an 89 on his first run in the semifinal. That alone would have been enough for a spot in the final but he upped it ever higher with a 90.50 on run two. He seemed pretty excited at what he had been able to do.

Once into the final Kotsenburg set the bar with a 93.50 and watched as everyone failed to clear it. Kotsenburg was good on every run of the day, three runs (out of four) at or over 89 by Kotsenburg Saturday. Number of runs by everyone else (out of 60) at or over 89? THREE. Kotsenburg was by far the best snowboarder on the day and deserved the gold medal completely.

Sure will be a different world for the 20-year old when he gets back to the states. Give him a follow on twitter @sagekotsenburg.

And get to know the new face of slopestyle in the US. I have a feeling he’ll be popular with the ladies as well…

Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 8th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The first day after the Opening Ceremonies saw the US grab their first medals, a bronze and a gold, and saw the start of the women’s ice hockey tournament. Certainly a lot of bright spots on Saturday for the US.

Biathlon

Events:

  • Men’s 10 km sprint

The men’s 10 km sprint competition was held on Saturday with four Americans in the 87-man field. The competitions involves three 3.33 km laps with two shooting rounds (one standing, one prone) in between the laps. For each missed target the athlete had to ski an extra 100m penalty loop. The final standings in this event are used to set the field for the men’s 12.5 km pursuit event on Monday with each athlete starting behind the leader delayed by as much as they were behind in today’s event.

Tim Burke was the top American in the event and only missed one target in shooting. Burke turned in a time of 25:23.3 to finish 19th, 49.8 seconds behind the leader. The second American across the line was Lowell Bailey who finished 35th, missed two targets, and turned in a time of 26:04.1, 1:30.6 behind the leader. Leif Nordgren was the next across the line in 45th. Nordgren missed none of his targets but his time of 26:17.4 was 1:43.9 behind the top. The final American was Russell Currier. Currier missed four targets on his first round of shooting (tied for the most of any athlete in a round) and finished in 26:58.5. That placed him 61st and since only the top 60 move into the pursuit event he will not be a part of that. He missed a spot in the final by around three seconds.

These times will be used when the pursuit event begins on Monday at 10 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Tim Burke – Missed one target, 19th best time of 25:23.3. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 50 seconds behind leader.
  • Lowell Bailey – Missed two targets, 35th best time of 26:04.1. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:31 behind leader.
  • Leif Nordgren – Missed no targets, 45th best time of 26:17.4. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:44 behind leader.
  • Russell Currier – Missed four targets, 61st best time of 26:58.5. Did not make pursuit event as he was not in the top 60.

Cross-Country Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s 15 km skiathlon (7.5 km classic + 7.5 km free)

The women’s 15 km skiathlon is a mass start race where the athletes ski 7.5 km in the classic style then switch equipment and ski 7.5 km in the free style. Four Americans were in the field of 61.

In the classic portion of the event the top American was Sadie Bjornsen who was 22nd in 19:56.8. Jessica Diggins followed her up closely in 27th with a time of 20:01.7. Just after her was Liz Stephen who was 31st in a time of 20:14.7 while the final American was Holly Brooks in 38th with a time of 20:22.3.

Not a lot of time is gained or lost “in the pits”. Stephen was the fastest American and second fastest overall in 32.7 seconds. The slowest American was Brooks who took 37.1 seconds for 42nd best. Less than 13 seconds separated all 61 athletes.

In the free style portion both Stephen and Diggins heated up for USA. Stephen posted the seventh fastest time at 19:22.2 and finished 12th overall in 40:09.6. Diggins was just behind her in the free style with an eight place time of 19:29.5 but her overall time was quicker at 40:05.5 and she placed eight overall. Bjornsen posted the 36th best time at 20:37 finishing in 31st overall in 41:09.7 while Brooks had the 50th best time at 21:34.6 and ended up 47th overall in 42:34.

Results Summarized:

  • Jessica Diggins – 27th in classic style (20:01.7), 8th in free style (19:29.5). Total time of 40:05.5 as she finished in 8th.
  • Liz Stephen – 31st in classic style (20:14.7), 7th in free style (19:22.2). Total time of 40:09.6 as she finished in 12th.
  • Sadie Bjornsen – 22nd in classic style (19:56.8), 36th in free style (20:37). Total time of 41:09.7 as she finished in 31st.
  • Holly Brooks – 38th in classic style (20:22.3), 50th in free style (21:34.6). Total time of 42:34 as she finished in 47th.

Figure Skating

Events:

  • Team event – Ice dance short dance
  • Team event – Ladies’ short program
  • Team event – Pairs’ free skate

The US entered Saturday’s events in a tie for fifth place knowing they needed to make sure they had good results to ensure they’d be in the top five after the short programs when the bottom five countries were cut. Things started off great when Meryl Davis and Charlie White had the top score for the US in the ice dance short dance. Their 75.98 gave the US ten points and made it quite clear the US would be in the top five.

Ashley Wagner went to the top after her short program score of 63.10 but each of the last three competitors topped her as she finished fourth. Still the seven points she secured left the US in third heading into the second half of the event. After the bottom five countries were cut the free program pairs event was held. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir put up a good score of 117.94 for the US but still ended up fourth. That leaves the US in third with 31 points with three rounds left. The ten point deficit to second place Canada is basically impossible to make up (if the USA finished 1st and Canada 5th in the three remaining events the US would be two ahead of them) and the Russian lead of 13 on the US is literally impossible to overcome. The US has a three point lead on Italy and a four point lead on Japan. It’s a good position for the US but they will still have to fight for the bronze.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner was fourth for the US in the ladies’ singles portion of the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

On Sunday the final three rounds will be held with the men’s free program at 10 AM ET, the ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and the ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Meryl Davis and Charlie White – Top ice dance short dance score with a 75.98.
  • Ashley Wagner – Fourth best ladies’ short program with a score of 63.10
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Fourth place in the pair’s free program with a 117.94.
  • US Team – Currently in third place with a three point lead on fourth (Italy) and four point lead on fifth (Japan). No real chance of moving up to silver. Three rounds on Sunday: men’s free program at 10 AM ET, ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Freestyle Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s moguls qualification – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 1
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 3

The moguls event continued on Saturday beginning with a second round of qualification. 16 competitors were left competing for ten more spots in the final. Heather McPhie was the only US competitor and her score of 18.85 placed her sixth and got her safely into the final.

In the first round of the final the 20 finalists would be narrowed down to 12 after only one run each. That knocked out McPhie who finished 13th with a 20.05, just .07 behind 12th, when she was bumped down by the final competitor, fellow American Hannah Kearney. Kearney ended up seventh in the round with a 20.95. The top American in the round was Eliza Outtrim who finished second with a score of 21.81.

In the second round of the final the 12 finalists were narrowed down to six after a single run. Kearney made this one a no-doubter as her score of 21.93 was the top in the field. Outtrim had to sweat it out a bit more as her 21.53 placed fifth but both move on to the final.

In the final Outtrim had a rough run and finished with only a 19.37. That left her in sixth place. Kearney was the last to go and needed to top a 22.44 to win the gold. She could only muster a 21.49 and ended up with the bronze.

Results Summarized:

  • Heather McPhie – Sixth in qualifying round two with a 18.85 to reach final. Eliminated in final round one after her 20.05 left her 13th.
  • Eliza Outtrim – Scored a 21.81 in final round one to place second and move into final round two. Scored a 21.53 in final round two to place fifth and move into final round three. Scored a 19.37 in final round three and finished sixth.
  • Hannah Kearney – Scored a 20.95 in final round one to place seventh and move into final round two. Scored a 21.93 in final round two to place first and move into final round three. Scored a 21.49 in final round three to win the bronze medal.

Ice Hockey

Events:

  • Women’s preliminary round – Group A – USA vs. Finland

The US got the game off to a great start as just 53 seconds in they got an even strength goal from Hilary Knight. They doubled the lead 7:42 into the second period with an even strength goal from Kelli Stack assisted by Knight and Megan Bozek. The US took advantage of a power play to score their third goal with 4:01 left in the second period. This one came from Alex Carpenter with an assist to Anne Schleper. Susana Tapani scored for Finland with 4:38 left in the game to make it 3-1 and that was the final. Jessie Vetter got the start in goal and saved 14 of 15 shots.

The USA women's hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
The USA women’s hockey team beat Finland 3-1 on Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.

Photo Credit: _becaro_ via Compfight cc

Results Summarized:

  • US Team – They are tied with Canada in Group A with three points each but the US has a GD of just two while Canada has a GD of five. Likely won’t matter though as this group is likely to be determined when the US faces Canada in the final group stage match. The US will face Switzerland next on Monday at 5 AM ET.

Luge

Events:

  • Men’s singles run 1 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 2 – 11:40 AM

The US has three athletes in the 39-man field for the men’s singles luge event. This event is four runs with the total time determining the winner. The first two runs were held on Saturday. In run one the top US competitor was Christopher Mazdzer who finished 10th in a time of 52.744, 0.574 seconds behind the leader. Tucker West came in 21st with a time of 53.142 and Aidan Kelly was 26th with a time of 53.275.

Mazdzer was again tops for the US in the second run with a 52.643 that was 12th fastest and left him in 13th with a time of 1:45.387, 1.238 seconds behind the leader. West was 23rd in the run with a 52.966 and is now 23rd overall with a total time of 1:46.108. Kelly was 26th in the run with a 53.192 and is 36th overall with a time of 1:46.467. All three will be back in action when the third run starts at 9:30 AM ET Sunday and in run four at 11:30 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Christopher Mazdzer – Mazdzer was 10th in run one (52.744) and 12th in run two (52.643). He’s now 13th overall at 1:45.387 and will start 13th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Tucker West – West was 21st in run one (53.142) and 23rd in run two (52.966). He’s now 23rd overall at 1:46.108 and will start 23rd in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Aidan Kelly – Kelly was 26th in run one (53.275) and 26th in run two (53.192). He’s now 26th overall at 1:46.467 and will start 26th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Ski Jumping

Events:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – qualification round – 11:30 AM

The individual normal hill event has a 50 man first round. Ten of these spots go to the top competitors based on previous results while the next 40 were awarded in the qualification round today. Four Americans were among the 51 competing for the 40 spots today. Anders Johnson was the top American with a 26th place score of 107.9.

Peter Frenette snuck into the top 40 with a 35th place finish on a score of 105.3 while Nick Alexander grabbed the last spot as his 100.7 was good enough for 40th. The only American not to move on was Nick Fairall who finished 50th with a score of 77.3 The other three are into Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. If they are in the top 40 after the first round they will jump again in the final round at 1:35 PM ET. The two jumps are combined for a total score to determine the winner.

Results Summarized:

  • Anders Johnson – Finished 26th with a score of 107.9 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump fifth in the round.
  • Peter Frenette – Finished 35th with a score of 105.3 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump tenth in the round.
  • Nick Alexander – Finished 40th with a score of 100.7 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump first in the round.
  • Nick Fairall – Finished 50th with a score of 77.3 and failed to qualify for Sunday’s first round.

Snowboarding

Events:

  • Men’s slopestyle semifinal – 12:30 AM
  • Men’s slopestyle final – 3:45 AM

The men’s slopestyle semifinal began on Saturday with 20 athletes looking to vie for just four spots including three Americans desperate to reach the final. On run one Sage Kotsenburg went big time with an 89 that left him in second after the run. Ryan Stassel also scored in the top four with an 83.25 that left him fourth. Only Chas Guldemond didn’t have a great result as his 13.25 score left him last.

Run two saw Kotsenburg edge his score even higher with a 90.50, though he was still second overall. Stassel couldn’t improve his score after an 81.75 and eventually slipped from the top four to sixth and missed out on the final. Guldemond was last to go and knew beating a 84.75 would get him into the final. He couldn’t do it though as a 79.75 left him in seventh. Only one American would move on into the final.

In the final Kotsenburg put up a huge 93.50 on his first run. He watched as no one matched it on that run. He tried to top it himself but came up short with an 83.25. And he watched as everyone tried to beat it again. No one could match that run and amazingly Sage Kotsenburg finished eighth in his qualifying heat, advanced from the semifinal on Saturday morning, and won a gold medal for the US.

Results Summarized:

  • Chas Guldemond – 79.75 score in the semifinals left him seventh and not in the final.
  • Ryan Stassel – 83.25 score in the semifinals left him sixth and not in the final.
  • Sage Kotsenburg – 90.50 on run two in the semifinals was the second best and qualified him for the final. In the final hit a 93.50 on the first run and no could ever match it as he won gold.

Speed Skating

Events:

  • Men’s 5000m – 6:30 AM

Three Americans were part of the 26-man field for the 5000m event. Each athlete gets one chance, best time wins. Patrick Meek was part of the first pairing but his time of 6:32.94 was only top after that pair and he finished 20th. Emery Lehman competed in the seventh pairing and put up a time of 6:29.94 and finished 16th. The final American, Jonathan Kuck, was in the tenth pairing and his time of 6:31.53 left him 19th.

Results Summarized:

  • Emery Lehman – Finished 16th with a time of 6:29.94.
  • Jonathan Kuck – Finished 19th with a time of 6:31.53.
  • Patrick Meek – Finished 20th with a time of 6:32.94.
Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 8th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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The Opening Ceremonies are over (even though you haven’t seen them yet) and the Olympics are ready to kick into full gear as the US will have competitors in nine different disciplines today. Things are about to get busy!

All times below are ET.

Biathlon

Events: Saturday is the men’s 10km sprint competition. Each athlete will start 30 seconds apart with each missed target during the shooting portions resulting in a 150m penalty loop. The fastest time is the winner, but that probably won’t be the first guy across the finish line due to the staggered start.

Four Americans are in the field. Lowell Bailey is the first to go for the US (9:43 AM), Tim Burke will start at 9:51:30 AM, Leif Nordgren starts at 10:06:30 AM, and Russell Currier is literally the last one to go, 87th overall, at 10:13:30 AM.

When:

  • Men’s 10km sprint – 9:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The biathlon will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Cross-Country Skiing

Events: Saturday is the women’s skiathlon! This is a race of 7.5km in the classic style, a switch of equipment, and then 7.5km in the freestyle. This is a mass start event so the first one across the finish line wins.

Four Americans are in the field of 61: Elizabeth Stephen, Jessica Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen, and Holly Brooks.

When:

  • Women’s 15km Skiathlon (7.5km classic + 7.5 km free) – 5 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Cross-country skiing will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 9:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Figure Skating

Events: The team event continues on Saturday morning with the ice dance short dance and the ladies’ short program. After these two programs the top five nations will move on to the free programs while the bottom five are eliminated. The US currently sits in a tie for fifth place with Germany and France. The free programs will begin with the pairs’ free skate on Saturday before finishing on Sunday.

The US ice dancing couple of Meryl Davis and Charlie White will be the last couple to skate while Ashley Wagner will be the ladies competitor for the US and skate seventh. It’s unknown what order the pairs would go for their free skate and while it’s possible that Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir could be replaced (each team can swap out skaters in two events for the free programs) it seems unlikely that they would not compete if the US is still around.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

When:

  • Ice dance short dance – 9:30 AM
  • Ladies’ short program – 11:10 AM
  • Pairs’ free skate – 1:05 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN from 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET, and the late night coverage, 12-1 AM ET Sunday morning.

Freestyle Skiing

Events: The women’s moguls competition that started on Thursday will be wrapped up on Saturday. Ten athletes moved into the final on Thursday leaving 20 more to compete for the final ten spots on Saturday. We know that the field won’t be a full 20 though as American Olympian Heidi Kloser tore her ACL on Thursday in warm-ups and won’t compete. There are two other athletes that didn’t start on Thursday, not sure if they will be part of the field this time. Heather McPhie will be the first competitor down the slope and is the only American in the field. A top ten score will place her into the final later on Saturday.

We know already that two Americans will begin the final: Eliza Outtrim and Hannah Kearney. The final consists of three rounds that will knock the field down bit by bit. Each round consists of one run for each athlete and the top scores move on. The first round will get us down to the top 12, the second round gets us down to the top six, and the final round of six athletes will be for the medals.

When:

  • Women’s moguls qualification – round 2 – 9 AM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 1 – 1 PM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 2 – 1:35 PM
  • Women’s moguls final – round 3 – 2:10 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The freestyle skiing will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET.

Ice Hockey

Events: The women’s ice hockey competition will kick off on Saturday with the US taking on Finland in Group A. Remember that all four teams in group A will move into the knockout round, but the top two get byes to the semifinals while teams three and four have to play quarterfinal matches. The US will be looking to open up the Olympics with a win and get an early leg up on one of those byes.

The USA women's hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
The USA women’s hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.

Photo Credit: _becaro_ via Compfight cc

When:

  • Women’s preliminary round – Group A – USA vs. Finland – 3 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The game will be LIVE on NBCSN at 3 AM ET.

Luge

Events: The men’s singles event starts on Saturday with the first two runs out of four. Three Americans are in the field of 39. Christopher Mazdzer will be the fourth competitor to drop in, Tucker West goes 25th, and Aidan Kelly is 27th off the line. The second run will be started in the order of the times from the first run with the fastest competitor going last.

When: 

  • Men’s singles run 1 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 2 – 11:40 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The luge will be included in NBC’s late night coverage, 12-1 AM ET Sunday morning.

Ski Jumping

Events: The men’s normal hill event begins on Saturday with the qualification round. 51 competitors will be competing for 40 spots in the main event. Ten other competitors are already qualified from their past results and will automatically be in the main event. The US has four competitors in the field. Nicholas Alexander will be the first competitor to go, Anders Johnson is going 13th, Peter Frenette goes 19th, and Nicholas Fairall goes 20th.

When:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – qualification round – 11:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The ski jumping will be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30 – 6 PM ET.

Snowboarding

Events: Thursday is the end of the men’s slopestyle competition. First will be a semifinal round that will qualify four more athletes into the final that already has eight competitors. These four spots will be contested among 21 competitors including three Americans: Chas Guldemond (21st and last to go), Sage Kotsenburg (14th to go), and Ryan Stassel (12th to go). The start order is based off of the results from the qualification and will be the same for both runs. In the semifinals each competitor gets two runs and their best score counts. The top four scores move into the final.

If any Americans do get into the final they will be part of a 12-man field that will each take two runs. The top scoring run is all that counts and each athlete gets two runs to get their best score. The run order will start with the four from the semifinal in the reverse order they finished followed by the eight already into the field in the reverse order of their scores from Thursday. The second runs will be done using the reverse order of the scores from the first run. The top scoring athlete on the first run will get the chance to see what everyone else has done before his second run.

When: 

  • Men’s slopestyle semifinal – 12:30 AM
  • Men’s slopestyle final – 3:45 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The snowboarding will be included in NBC’s evening Olympic coverage, 8-11:30 PM ET.

Speed Skating

Events: Speed Skating gets underway Saturday with the men’s 5000m event. This event has athletes going two at a time with the times ranked for our final standings. Three Americans are in the 26-man field. Patrick Meek will be in the first pair while Emery Lehman is in the seventh pair. Finally Jonathan Kuck will be in the 10th pair.

When: 

  • Men’s 5000m – 6:30 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: Speed skating will be shown LIVE on NBCSN during their programming from 5:30 AM – 9:30 AM ET. It will also be included in NBC’s daytime coverage from 2:30-6 PM ET

Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

February 6th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The first day of competition for the US had some bright spots and several not so bright spots. Three of the four events that began were new to the Olympics so let’s dive right in!

Freestyle Skiing

The only event to begin on Thursday was the women’s moguls event. 30 athletes made up the field for the first qualifying round where each athlete got one run and the top ten scores moved into the final. The other twenty will compete for the last ten spots in the final in a second round of qualifying on Saturday.

One of the worst parts of Thursday for the US was the warm-up crash of 21-year-old and first-time Olympian Heidi Kloser. Kloser injured her right knee and had to be taken to the hospital. Knee injuries are no surprise when you watch moguls, but to have one of the Americans go down injured so quickly on day one was really sad to see.

Things got better though as Eliza Outtrim and Heather McPhie were the first two competitors to take to the slope. Outtrim put up a great 21.51 score that led the field for quite a while before she ended up finishing fourth and easily moving into the final. McPhie put up a good score as well but her 19.92 didn’t stay in the top ten for too long and she ended up 14th. The good news is that makes her fourth best of those who will have to try to qualify again on Saturday and perhaps this will be some good extra practice. She should make the final.

The final American to go was the favorite, Hannah Kearney. Kearney delivered another knockout run and easily qualified for the final on Saturday with a first place score of 23.05.

Results Summarized:

  • Heidi Kloser – Injured right knee in warm-up crash and did not start event.
  • Eliza Outtrim – Fourth best run with a 21.51. Into final beginning at 1 PM ET on Saturday.
  • Heather McPhie – 14th best run with a 19.92. Will have to try to qualify for the final in qualifying round two at 9 AM ET on Saturday.
  • Hannah Kearney – Top run with a score of 23.05. Into final beginning at 1 PM ET on Saturday.

Figure Skating

Thursday was the debut of the new team event and featured both the men’s and pairs’ short programs. The men started things off and the US picked Jeremy Abbott as their participant. Abbott struggled in his program as he fell and received just a 65.65 to place seventh and grab only four points for the US. In the pairs’ program Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir put together a cleaner program but still only scored a 64.25 to grab fifth place and six points. It’s worth noting that the pairs’ event is the weakest for the US so this was a good result and let the US catch both Germany and France to reach a three-way tie for fifth place. That’s important since only the top five get to continue after the short programs.

Jeremy Abbott will skate for the US in the team figure skating event on Thursday.
Jeremy Abbott was a disappointing seventh for the US in the men’s short program portion of the first ever team figure skating event at the Olympics.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

Results Summarized:

  • Jeremy Abbott – Only the seventh best in men’s short program with a score of 65.65
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Fifth place in the pair’s short program with a 64.25.
  • US Team – Currently in a tie for fifth place with Germany and France. The next two competitions are the ice dance short dance (9:30 AM ET Saturday) and the ladies’ short program (11:10 AM ET Saturday). After these two rounds the bottom five countries are cut before the top five will have the pairs’ free skate at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday.

Snowboarding

Another event debuted on Thursday, the men’s and women’s slopestyle competitions. Before the men’s event had even begun Shaun White had pulled out leaving just three Americans in the field. Chas Guldemond was in the first heat where he put up an 86.00 on his first run to place second. Unfortunately he got topped by three guys on their second runs and he couldn’t improve so his score left him in fifth place, just missing out on an automatic berth into the final. Guldemond will be in the semifinal which begins at 12:30 AM ET Saturday morning.

Heat two featured Sage Kotsenburg and Ryan Stassel. This heat saw some top scores in the first run and Kotsenburg’s 86.50 left him fifth while Stassel scored 81.00 and was still sixth. Neither athlete could improve on the second run and they slid to eighth and ninth in the heat so both will be in the semifinal on Saturday morning at 12:30 AM ET.

On the women’s side all four Americans were in heat two. Ty Walker was first up but decided not to try to make the final today due to some injuries she’s suffered this week. Instead she just came down the course not attempting jumps in order to qualify for the semifinal on Sunday morning at 1:30 AM ET. She’s hoping she’ll be feeling better by then and can make a run at a berth in the final.

Jamie Anderson was healthy on the other hand and her first run of 93.50 was the best of the first runs. She was so far ahead of most of the field that she elected to skip her second run and go with that score. She was plenty safe in the end as she ended up second and fifth place was all the way back at 77.75, no danger at all. Anderson will be in Sunday’s final at 4:15 AM ET.

That left Karly Shorr and Jessika Jenson who were the last two on each set of runs. Run one left Shorr with a 45 and Jenson with a 34 knowing they’d have to land a better run to advance straight to the final. Shorr’s second run needed to beat 77.75 and she did that easily by posting a 84.75 and moving into fourth. Jenson was the only one left who could bump her from advancing straight to the final but Jenson scored only a 58.50 and finished seventh. Shorr moved straight into the final at 4:15 AM ET on Sunday while Jenson will have to try and qualify for it out of the semifinal at 1:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Results Summarized:

  • Chas Guldemond – Fifth best in his heat with an 86.00. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Sage Kotsenburg – Eighth best in his heat with an 86.50. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Ryan Stassel – Ninth best in his heat with an 81.00. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Ty Walker – Dealing with injuries scored a 1.00 by skipping tricks. That allows her to try again in semifinals though. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Sunday at 1:30 AM ET.
  • Jamie Anderson – After scoring a 93.50 on her first run she skipped her second and finished second in her heat to advance to the final on Sunday at 4:15 AM ET.
  • Karly Shorr – Scored a 84.75 on her second run to jump into fourth. She held on for the last spot from the heat into the final on Sunday (4:15 AM ET).
  • Jessika Jenson – Second run score of 58.50 was only good enough for seventh in her heat. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Sunday at 1:30 AM ET.
Daily Previews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

February 6th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Preview

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It’s the first day of Olympic competition in Sochi (yes I know the opening ceremonies aren’t until Friday evening in Sochi… things start early) and four events in three sports (Snowboarding, Freestyle Skiing, and Figure Skating) will get underway.

All times below are ET.

Freestyle Skiing

Events: Thursday is the start of the women’s moguls competition. It will begin at 9 AM with a qualification round and a 30 athlete field that includes four Americans. Each athlete gets one run and the top ten move into the first round of the final (1 PM Saturday). The other twenty will move into a second qualification round at 9 AM on Saturday morning where they will compete for the final ten spots in the final. Americans Heidi Kloser, Eliza Outtrim, and Heather McPhie will actually be the first three to ski on Thursday while Hannah Kearney will go 20th.

When:

  • Women’s moguls qualification round 1 – 9 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The freestyle skiing will be included in NBC’s first night of Olympic coverage on Thursday, 8-11 PM ET/PT.

Figure Skating

Events: The debut of the team event begins Thursday morning at 10:30 AM when the men’s short program will be contested. The American team will use Jeremy Abbott and he’ll be 5th up in the short program. The pairs short program will be at 12:10 PM and involves Americans Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir. They will be the sixth pair to skate.

 

Jeremy Abbott will skate for the US in the team figure skating event on Thursday.
Jeremy Abbott will skate for the US in the team figure skating event on Thursday.

nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

The competitors will be ranked 1-10 based on their scores in each event with ten points going to the best, nine to second, and so on. The team with the highest point total at the end will win. After the short programs end on Saturday the bottom five teams will be cut from the competition. The next three rounds will be on Saturday beginning at 9:30 AM.

When:

  • Men’s short program – 10:30 AM
  • Pairs short program – 12:10 PM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website and on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The figure skating will be included in NBC’s first night of Olympic coverage on Thursday, 8-11 PM ET/PT.

Snowboarding

Events: Thursday is the start of the men’s and women’s slopestyle competitions. On the men’s side starting at 1 AM there will be two heats and 29 competitors. Each athlete gets two runs and only their top score counts. The top four athletes move directly into the final (Saturday 3:45 PM) while the rest move into the semifinals (Saturday 12:30 AM) for a second chance at four more spots in the final. Heat one will feature American Chas Guldemond as the tenth competitor while heat two features Sage Kotsenburg seventh and Ryan Stassel 14th.

On the women’s side, starting at 5 AM, the same format is used but there are only 23 competitors. All four of the US athletes are in the second heat (7 AM start time?) with Ty Walker first up, Jamie Anderson sixth, Karly Shorr tenth and Jessika Jenson going eleventh and last. They will hope to reach Sunday’s 4:15 AM final without needing to qualifying out of the semifinal held at 1:30 AM on Sunday first.

When: 

  • Men’s slopestyle qualification – 1 AM
  • Women’s slopestyle qualification – 5 AM

Live Streaming: A live stream will be available on the NBC Olympics website or on the NBC Sports Live Extra app. You will probably have to authenticate a cable subscription to watch the live streams of the Olympics.

TV Coverage: The snowboarding will be included in NBC’s first night of Olympic coverage on Thursday, 8-11 PM ET/PT.

Olympics, Sochi 2014

What To Expect From This Blog During the Olympics

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Well Sochi 2014 is here at last and it’s time for a quick refresher on what to expect from this blog during the Olympics.

First of all, there will be spoilers… if you intend to watch the tape-delayed Olympic coverage on NBC in the evening the events will have been over for many hours and news of the results will be all over the place. That may not bother you but if you want to watch it without knowing the results your best bet is to not consume much social media or sports news because otherwise you’re going to be seeing what happened.

1) Daily Previews – These will be posted in the late afternoons/evenings with a primer on what to expect the next day in Sochi. Events will be running from around midnight EST to early afternoon on most days so this will get you set for what’s coming up the next day. The preview will list all the events to be held the following day involving US athletes. You’ll get start times as well as when it will be televised (usually tape-delayed).

2) Daily Review – These will be posted in the late afternoons (hopefully) with a recap of what’s happened that day involving US athletes and setting the stage for their next competition.

3) Stories about medal winners – Won’t have individual stories about every athlete that competes but for the medal winners I’ll publish individual stories about the event.

4) Twitter Coverage – On my twitter @WeSupportTheUS you’ll find updates on the events that I’m able to watch. Not sure how much that will be but whatever fits into my schedule I’ll be tweeting about. I’ll also try to retweet other accounts that will give you great Olympic coverage.

5) Non-Olympic Coverage – Just because the Olympics are going on doesn’t mean everything else has stopped… the US will be competing in the New Zealand stop on the IRB Rugby Sevens World Series tour this weekend. The US women’s tennis team is competing against Italy in the Fed Cup on Saturday and Sunday as well. Next week is the Qatar Total Open (A premier event on the WTA tour) which will include several American women. The weekend of the 15th will be the USA stop on the Women’s IRB Rugby Sevens World Series and the 22nd is their Brazil stop. So look for some coverage of those events during the Olympics as well.

Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

Shaun White Drops Out of Snowboard Slopestyle Event

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On Wednesday Shaun White announced that he would not compete in the slopestyle competition in Sochi. This did come as a surprise despite White’s injured wrist that he suffered on a training run.

White gave a statement to NBC’s Today Show which read, “After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA. The difficult decision to forgo slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being a part of.”

The loss of White in the event gives the US just three competitors in the field (Chas Guldemond, Sage Kostenburg, and Ryan Stassel) and takes away their most likely medalist.

Shaun White dropped out of the slopestyle competition in Sochi to make sure he's healthy to compete in the halfpipe event.
Shaun White dropped out of the slopestyle competition in Sochi to make sure he’s healthy to compete in the halfpipe event.

416style via Compfight cc

The reasons for White’s withdrawal mostly center around the dangerous course that the athletes have been complaining about in Sochi. Snowboarding is never totally safe but this course apparently has some larger jumps and an added level of danger that has already knocked a few athletes out with injuries and now has forced one of snowboarding’s stars to pass as well. If White was a 21-year old snowboarder who wasn’t known all around the world he might have handled this differently. But he’s not. White is a 27-year old snowboarding icon who has two Olympic gold medals and 12 X-Games gold medals (including five in slopestyle). He doesn’t need to prove himself or use this stage to get attention through a great run. He’s more focused on trying to grab a third gold in halfpipe later in Sochi and wants to make sure he’s healthy for that instead of potentially missing out if he got injured in slopestyle.

While it’s disappointing we won’t see him in the slopestyle event in Sochi I think it’s easy to respect and understand his decision.

Bobsleigh, Olympic Previews, Olympics, Sochi 2014

Bobsleigh Preview

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The US seems to have gotten on track in the four-man and two-woman events having won three medals in each event over the last three Olympics. The story is not so great in the two-man event where the US hasn’t won a medal in 62 years. With some experienced teams returning, including a team that nearly won the bronze at the last world championship, is 2014 the year to end that streak?

Bobsleigh’s Olympic History

Bobsleigh was one of the first Winter Olympic events debuting in 1924 but it has not been held consecutively since then. The one year it was not held was in 1960 when the organizers of the games in Squaw Valley, California didn’t want to spend the money to build a track. The original event was the four-man event while a two-man version was added in 1932. Women’s bobsleigh didn’t debut until 2002 when a two-woman version was added.

Switzerland has won 30 of the 124 bobsleigh medals contested but Germany has the most gold medals with ten of the 42. The US ranks third in both categories with 21 medals, seven of them gold.

A bobsleigh track
A bobsleigh track

www.guigo.eu via Compfight cc

How the Bobsleigh Competitions Work

Bobsleigh’s competitions use sleds that are rode in by teams of two or four. One of the athletes is the driver while another works the breaks. In the four-man competition the other two are there to help push start the sled before jumping in and just riding along. All of the bobsleigh competitions involve four runs over two days with the total time determining the winners.

US Team

The team is made up of eight men and six women. Six of the athletes are returning from Vancouver and two of them were part of the team in Turin. Oh and two of the athletes were part of the Summer Olympic team in Beijing and London, one of them also part of the team in Athens.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

US Bobsleigh

Men:
Cory Butner
Nick Cunningham*
Christopher Fogt*
Steve Holcomb**
Steven Langton*
Johnny Quinn
Dallas Robinson
Curtis Tomasevicz**

Women:
Aja Evans
Jazmine Fenlator
Jamie Greubel
Lolo Jones&
Elana Meyers*
Lauryn Williams^

* – Was on team in Vancouver
** – Was on team in Vancouver & Turin
& – Was in Summer Olympics in London and Beijing
^ – Was in Summer Olympics in London, Beijing, and Athens

A Sochi 2014 Bobsleigh list on twitter including all of these athletes

US Team’s Olympic History

Nick Cunningham made his Olympic debut in 2010 competing in both the two-man and four-man events. Cunningham rode with Mike Kohn in both events and had Jamie Moriarty and Bill Schuffenhauer in the four-man. In the two-man event the team finished 12th while their four-man team finished 13th.

Another first time Olympian in Vancouver was Christopher Fogt who was part of a four-man team with John Napier, Charles Berkeley, and first time Olympian Steven Langton. Their team had a crash in the second run and did not compete in the third or fourth runs.

Steve Holcomb was a drive in Vancouver who piloted a two-man team with Curtis Tomasevicz and a four-man team with Tomasevicz, Justin Olsen, and Steve Mesler. The two-man team came in sixth while the four-man team set the track record on each of their first two runs en route to a gold medal.

Both Holcomb and Tomasevicz were part of a same four-man team in Turin where they teamed with Lorenzo Smith III and Bill Schuffenhauer. That team came in sixth. Holcomb also drove a two-man team with Schuffenhauer that came in 14th.

Making her debut in Vancouver, Elana Meyers ran the brakes in a two-woman sled with Erin Pac in Vancouver. The duo won a bronze medal despite having the eighth fastest final run.

The US two man team of John Napier and Steven Langton in Vancouver.
The US two man team of John Napier and Steven Langton in Vancouver.

The U.S. Army via Compfight cc

Schedule

All Times ET, * indicates medals awarded
Sunday, February 16th
11:15 AM – Two-man Heat 1
12:50 PM – Two-man Heat 2

Monday, February 17th
9:30 AM – Two-man Heat 3
*11:05 AM – Two-man Heat 4

Tuesday, February 18th
10:15 AM – Women’s Heat 1
11:23 AM – Women’s Heat 2

Wednesday, February 19th
11:15 AM – Women’s Heat 3
*12:23 PM – Women’s Heat 4

Saturday, February 22nd
11:30 AM – Four-man Heat 1
1 PM – Four-man Heat 2

Sunday, February 23rd
4:30 AM – Four-man Heat 3
*6 AM – Four-man Heat 4

US Team’s Recent World Championship History

Bobsleigh’s world championships are held as part of the FIBT World Championships. The most recent one took place in 2013 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

In the men’s two-man event the Olympic team of Steven Holcomb/Steven Langton competed and came in fourth, just 0.08 seconds behind the bronze. Cory Butner drove a two-man sled (though with Christopher Fogt, not his Olympic partner) that finished ninth. Another driver from Sochi, Nick Cunningham, had a two-man sled (with Dallas Robinson, not his Olympic partner) that came in 13th.

In the four-man event the team of Steven Holcomb/Steven Langton/Curtis Tomasevicz/Justin Olsen got the bronze medal. This team will largely stay intact for Sochi with Olsen switching with Christopher Fogt. Another four-man team involving Nick Cunningham and Christopher Fogt (none of Cunningham’s team mates for Sochi were on this sled) came in 19th. There was a third four-man team in the event for the US, the only Olympian on it was Johnny Quinn. The team came in 30th and didn’t make the 20-team cut for the final run.

On the women’s side the top US team was that of Elana Meyers who was with Katie Eberling (not part of team in Sochi). That team came in second to win the silver. Meyers’ partner in Sochi, Aja Evans, teamed with Jazmine Fenlator for an eighth place finish.

The US team of John Napier and Steven Langton heads down the track in Vancouver.
The US team of John Napier and Steven Langton heads down the track in Vancouver.

The U.S. Army via Compfight cc

US Olympic History

The US was one of the dominant countries in the early years of the four-man bobsled competition winning eight medals in the first seven games. After 1956 thought it was a long 46 year wait until their next medals in 2002. In the last three Olympics the US has won a gold, silver, and bronze with the gold coming in 2010.

The US was also one of the top countries in the early two-man bobsled event as they won six medals in the first four events. Again a drought happened though as the US has not won a medal since 1952, 62 years and counting. In 2010 the best US competitors were sixth (Steve Holcomb/Curtis Tomasevicz) less than a half a second from a medal.

The two-woman event has only been contested three times but the US has won a gold, silver, and bronze already. Their most recent medal was the bronze in 2010 won by Erin Pac and Elana Meyers.

Olympic Previews, Olympics, Skeleton, Sochi 2014

Skeleton Preview

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The US was one of the top countries in skeleton up through 2002. The US medaled six times and won medals in each of the events up until 2002, but they haven’t medaled since. With three of the five athletes returning from Vancouver can the US use their experience to medal once again?

Skeleton’s Olympic History

Skeleton has a long Olympic history, but it’s very very sporadic. Skeleton was held in 1928 and 1948, but never again until 2002 when it was added to the program and remains to this day. The first two times it was only a men’s event but since 2002 it has involved a men’s and women’s event.

One of the skeleton athletes racing in Vancouver.
One of the skeleton athletes racing in Vancouver.

jonwick04 via Compfight cc

The US has won six of the 24 medals and three of the eight gold medals. Nine countries have medaled in skeleton with five of them winning gold medals.

How the Skeleton Competitions Work

Remember that skeleton is most similar to the luge in that both are small sleds that are ridden instead of a large sled that is ridden in (bobsleigh). The difference between skeleton and luge is that the skeleton is done face first instead of lying on the back. Their are only single rider competitions in skeleton, no two-person events.

The skeleton events are held over two days each and involve four runs for each athlete. The winner is the athletes whose total time is the lowest.

Part of the skeleton track in Vancouver
Part of the skeleton track in Vancouver

jonwick04 via Compfight cc

US Team

The team is made up of three men and two women. Three of the athletes are back from Vancouver while one was also part of the team in Turin.

Links are to twitter accounts for the athletes.

US Skeleton

Men:
Matt Antoine
John Daly*
Kyle Tress

Women:
Noelle Pikus-Pace*
Katie Uhlaender**

* – Was on team in Vancouver
** – Was on team in Vancouver & Turin

A Sochi 2014 Skeleton list on twitter including all of these athletes

US Team’s Olympic History

John Daly is the only returning US man from Vancouver. Daly finished in 17th place in Vancouver with none of his runs finishing any higher than 12th.

Both Noelle Pikus-Pace and Katie Uhlaender were part of the US team in Vancouver. Uhlaender had three runs that were in the top ten but finished 11th overall. Pikus-Pace had four runs that were all in the top seven and finished fourth overall just a tenth of a second out of a medal.

Katie Uhlaender made her Olympic debut in Turin where she was the only US competitor. The race was only over two runs and she was sixth in both runs and sixth overall.

An athlete at the start of a skeleton run in Vancouver
An athlete at the start of a skeleton run in Vancouver

jonwick04 via Compfight cc

Schedule

All Times ET, * indicates medals awarded
Thursday, February 13th
2:30 AM – Women’s Heat 1
3:40 AM – Women’s Heat 2

Friday, February 14th
7:30 AM – Men’s Heat 1
9:00 AM – Men’s Heat 2
10:40 AM – Women’s Heat 3
*11:50 AM – Women’s Heat 4

Saturday, February 15th
9:45 AM – Men’s Heat 3
*11:15 AM – Men’s Heat 4

US Team’s Recent World Championship History

Skeleton’s world championships are held as part of the FIBT World Championships. The most recent one took place in 2013 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

In the men’s skeleton event two of the American Olympians were part of the field. John Daly was the top American and finished in fifth place with less than six-tenths of a second separating him from the bronze medal. Matthew Antoine finished in 12th.

The women’s even featured both Noelle Pikus-Pace and Katie Uhlaender. Pikus-Pace was the better of the two with a second place finish while Uhlaender came in seventh.

US Olympic History

On the men’s side the US won golds in two of the first three Olympics (yes they were separated by 74 years but still…) and silvers in the first two Olympics. The US has not medaled in the last two Olympics with their best finish in 2010 was a fifth place finish by Zach Lund.

In women’s skeleton the US grabbed gold and silver in the first event in Salt Lake City but have not medaled since. Noelle Pikus-Pace’s fourth place finish in 2010 nearly grabbed them a bronze.