We knew that inexperience would be an issue for the US against Italy but the hope was that the higher ranked American players would at least be able to hold their own on home soil. Well the inexperience won out as the Americans struggled to a 3-1 home loss to World #1 Italy.
Italy’s Karin Knapp dispatched Christina McHale 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the first rubber on Saturday. That wasn’t a huge surprise as Knapp is the higher ranked player. What was a surprise was how soundly Madison Keys was beaten by Camila Giorgi: 6-2, 6-1. That resounding thumping meant the US had to win all three rubbers on Sunday. Keys has struggled at times in big moments, we saw it a few times at the Australian Open, and the 18-year old may have just been in over her head a bit in this one. Plenty of time for her to mature and become a major part of the US team.
Thanks for all the support! Not how we wanted it to go but we fought and we’ll be back 🙂 #FedCup#lovemyteam
Another day, another gold medal winning snowboarder for the US. Saturday was Sage Kotsenburg’s turn and Sunday was Jamie Anderson’s turn to jump into the spotlight.
While Kotsenburg was a major surprise, Anderson’s gold medal triumph was a bit easier to see coming. Anderson has been a dominant snowboard slopestyle competitor for the last eight years. Here is her X Games results dating back to 2006: Bronze, gold, gold, did not compete, silver, bronze, gold, gold, silver.
Only with the love and support from the most amazing family, friends, community and sponsors! So much gratitude. pic.twitter.com/v4QSITCFhq
Second day of medals awarded and two more medals for the US, another gold and another bronze. Some disappointments as well though for the US today.
Alpine Skiing
Events:
Men’s downhill
In the men’s downhill event Bode Miller was the most likely medal contender while three other Americans were part of the field. Steven Nyman was the first down the slopes, both for the US and for the entire competition. Nyman nearly wiped out a couple of times but made some spectacular saves to keep his footing. He finished with a time of 2:09.15 to lead the way. That lead didn’t last long though and the second man down topped it and after five had gone he was out of medal contention.
Next up for the US was Travis Ganong. Ganong skied an aggressive race and despite some parts not perfect he just edged into first with a time of 2:06.64, 0.07 seconds better than anyone else at that point. Ganong was immediately bumped from the gold medal by the next skier but it took 11 men after him before he was bumped from the medals.
One of those 11 men was Bode Miller. Miller made mistakes in several parts of the course including catching way too much of the flag. It cost him as he was sixth after his run with a time of 2:06.75. The final American was Marco Sullivan who was the 25th man to go. Sullivan just wasn’t nearly fast enough and his time of 2:10.10 placed him 30th in the end. When it was all said and done Nyman was 25th, Miller eighth, and Ganong was in fifth, just 0.31 seconds behind bronze.
5th place in the Olympic Downhill today!!!! Fired up that was fun and oh so close to a medal!!!!!… http://t.co/ZgimekFdWO — Travis Ganong (@TravisGanong) February 9, 2014
Results Summarized:
Marco Sullivan – Finished in 30th with a time of 2:10.10
Steven Nyman – Finished in 27th with a time of 2:09.15
Bode Miller – Finished in 8th with a time of 2:06.75
Travis Ganong – Finished in 5th with a time of 2:06.64
Bode Miller finished 8th for the US in the men’s downhill on Sunday.
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.
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.
First race is tomorrow- the 7.5 km sprint. I will be wearing number 11
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 competed for the US in the team event on Saturday.
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…
Thanks to my family, and friends and luge family for coming out to support me!!! You guys were the loudest cheering crowd there! #TeamUSA
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.
Qualified for the small hill comp tomorrow! Now to try and pull the miracle on ice pt. 2
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.
End of a great day in Sochi. Time for some rest. Going to try, somehow, to get some sleep before tomorrow. #BigRaceDay#Olympics
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
After going 0-2-1 on the first day of the New Zealand Sevens the USA was looking at a matchup with France in the bowl quarterfinals. It was one of those games where the US could take a big step forward, but instead it was another heartbreaker for the US.
Madison Hughes made another start for the US, his emergence this weekend was awesome to see, and the US had a good first half. Danny Barrett scored a try 4:12 in and Hughes got a conversion through for the US to make it 7-0. France did answer with a try and conversion but the US answered back, again with Danny Barrett. Barrett’s try after the clock had stopped for the US gave them a 12-7 halftime lead. The second half was a defensive struggle with all seven minute ticking off the clock without a single point. France had one last chance though and were able to get the try and conversion after time had expired to turn it around and beat the US 14-12. The loss sent the US into a shield semifinal against Portugal. France went on to lose to Kenya 24-7 in the bowl semifinal.
In the game directly preceding the shield semifinal against Portugal the US saw Spain beat Tonga to reach the shield final. That meant the US had to win the shield themselves or else they’d give up some of their six point lead over Spain for the final spot on next year’s tour. The US came out and played fantastic against Portugal (they have done really well against the bottom teams lately). Madison Hughes was involved in a major way for the US in the first half as he scored their first and third trys and had a conversion on the later. Ryne Haitsuka added a try in between and the US went to the half up 17-0. It would get worse for Portugal before it got better as Carlin Isles went all highlight reel to make it 24-0 after a Hughes conversion. Portugal did add 10 points the rest of the way with another Isles highlight/Hughes conversion splitting them up. The final, a 31-10 USA victory propelled the Eagles into the shield semifinal.
After two dominant wins against Spain in Las Vegas more of the same might have been expected in Wellington, but the first half told a different story. Spain scored first but the US did fight back behind a Zack Test try with Hughes conversion to tie it at 7-7 at the half. The second half was a different story as the US routed Spain 21-5 in the second half behind two Isles tries, a Haitsuka try, and conversions on all three from Hughes.
So the US ended Wellington on a positive note, expanded their lead over Spain for the last spot to seven (15-8) and grabbed the shield for the third time in five tournaments. Of course I’d rather not admit that is partially because the US has been in the shield semifinals in all but one of the first five tournaments. There are only four more tournaments left and with Spain never grabbing more than two points the US looks safer and safer each week. Still you’d like to see the US have a real strong tournament, days one AND two, one of these chances.
The most important thing might be the emergence of the Carlin Isles/Madison Hughes dynamic duo for the US. Isles had six tries in Wellington, third most of anyone, and Hughes added three of his own. Hughes also had conversions on nine trys this weekend to rank fifth with 33 points. If these two can keep up their good play maybe we can see the US do ever better than the shield in Japan on March 22-23.
Oh and check out all six of Isles’ tries from this weekend. Holy cow is that man fast. Nearly every time you think that there is a defender with an angle that will cut him off and he just races right past them. Hopefully we’ll see him with the US team still in Japan.
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.
Stoked to go out and snowboard today!! Huge day. Haha so weird it will all be over in a few hours, so im gonna soak it up and do my best!!
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.
Whoa how random is this I made finals at the Olympics!!!
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.
WOW!! I just won the Olympics!! Bringing back the first Gold here to the USA! Love seeing all the support from everyone YOU RULE!!
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 was fourth for the US in the ladies’ singles portion of the team event on Saturday.
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 beat Finland 3-1 on Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
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.
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.
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.
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
It’s the beginning of the 2014 Fed Cup this weekend with the World Group first round and the US begins by hosting the current World #1 Italy in Cleveland. The Fed Cup is a little different than the Davis Cup that the men participated in last weekend in that the World Group in the Fed Cup is split into two halves… The World Group (the top eight teams) and World Group II (the next eight teams).
This does mean that the process to fall out of the world groups is a bit harder. For the US it would require losing this weekend, losing a playoff in April to fall into the world group II, losing in the first round of World Group II next year, and losing another playoff after that to fall into the Americas Zone. It’s a hard scenario to see unfolding anytime soon, but it also puts some pressure on teams as if you fall out of the top eight you can’t win the Fed Cup the next year. No chance of seeing a team get hot (Great Britain in the Davis Cup?) and come streaking to a title after being out of the top 16 the year before.
For the US the task this weekend is not quite what it appears to be on paper. Yes this is a matchup of the US and Italy who is #1 in the Fed Cup standings right now. But the top players for both teams will not be a part of the tie and so a lot of the luster is gone. World #1 Serena Williams is not playing due to her back injury suffered in the Australian Open. Italy is missing #7 Sara Errani and #14 Roberta Vinci due to concerns about the busy schedule right now. It’s understandable, one of the biggest 10 non-grand slam events on the WTA starts Monday in Qatar. American Sloane Stephens (18th in the world) is still recovering from the wrist injury she suffered a month ago. #22 in the world, Italian Flavia Pennetta also decided not to participate for the travel concerns. And finally American Jamie Hampton (#31) had hip surgery after an injury that forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open before it began.
The US will be without Serena Williams and their next two highest ranked players for their Fed Cup match vs. Italy.
So we have none of the top three players for either country. That actually makes 18-year-old Madison Keys the highest ranked player for either country. She’s currently 37th in the world. The other Americans are Allison Riske (#46), Lauren Davis (#59) and Christina McHale (#62). That’s not so bad when you look at the Italian backups: Karin Knapp (#40), Camila Giorgi (#84), Nastassja Burnett (#161), and Alice Matteucci (#704).
I think the fact that the Fed Cup is being held immediately in advance of a WTA Premier 5 tournament is ridiculous. If you want to make this event mean something, schedule it at better times when the players won’t be so concerned with the following week’s tournament. However this has created a great opportunity for the US and for fans of the young US women’s talent (all four players are 23 or younger) this will be an exciting opportunity to see them play in the Fed Cup.
As of now the schedule… all of this is going to be carried live by Tennis Channel.
Saturday at 1 PM ET. Rubber 1 – Christina McHale vs. Karin Knapp – McHale leads 1-0 all-time Rubber 2 – Madison Keys vs. Camila Giorgi – Keys leads 1-0 all-time
Sunday at 12 PM ET. Rubber 3 – (Likely) – Madison Keys vs. Karin Knapp – Have never played Rubber 4 – (Likely) – Christina McHale vs. Camila Giorgi – McHale leads 1-0 all-time Rubber 5 – (Likely) – Allison Riske/Lauren Davis vs. Nastassja Burnett/Alice Matteucci – These pairs have never played together or against any of their opponents.
I put likely on those matchups because the captains (Mary Jo Fernandez for the US) can make changes for that second day still… In fact the doubles players could be changed after the 4th rubber if they wanted.
I think the US will be a favorite with the slightly higher ranked players and the home-court advantage in Cleveland. Hopefully the young Americans (only McHale has played Fed Cup before) can shake off any nerves about playing for the US for the first time.
We talked yesterday about the favorable group the US drew for this weekend’s sevens tournament. Yes Canada is playing great rugby as of late, but Canada-Argentina-Scotland is nothing like the New Zealand-Fiji-France draw that Spain had.
Well consider that another opportunity wasted for the US. The US didn’t play complete games against Canada and Argentina falling behind 19-0 in the first half of their opener vs. Argentina and watching Canada go on a 19-7 run from the end of the first half through the end of the game. Both games saw the US show that they can play with the teams for a while, but the performances were incomplete.
In the first game of the tournament for both teams a sloppy first half that saw the US struggle to maintain possession left them behind Argentina 19-0. Credit to the US, they mounted a furious second half rally featuring a fantastic try by Carlin Isles and a second try by Brett Thompson late on in the half. The US needed to retain possession off of their final kickoff however and weren’t able to and Argentina held on for the 19-12 win. The game did mark the debut of Madison Hughes on the USA Sevens team. More on the junior from Dartmouth later.
The US went 0-2-1 on the first day of the New Zealand Sevens and will now face France in a bowl quarterfinal.
The US came out much better in the second game against Canada and even opened scoring just over a minute in on a Andrew Durutalo try. Canada answered back on a major US mistake but the first half was still competitive, ending with a Canada try after the clock had expired. Canada took control in the second half though with two trys to go up 24-5. Nick Edwards added a try late on for the US but it was too little too late and Canada ended the game with another try with the clock run out to win 29-12.
The US again came out hot against Scotland with both Carlin Isles and Nick Edwards scoring for the US. Madison Hughes made his first start for the US and things were going pretty well until Danny Barrett was sent to the sin bin late in the half. Scotland took advantage with a score to make it 14-5 at the break. Scotland cut the lead to just two early in the half but Hughes got his first ever try for the US half way through to extend the lead for the US back to 19-12. The US only had to play some defense but it didn’t take long for Scotland to answer, just about a minute later Scotland tied things up and neither team could break through at the end with things ending in a 19-19 tie.
The US ended up group play at 0-2-1, the same as Scotland, but they had a point differential of -22 to just -8 for Scotland. That blowout loss to Canada proved very costly. As a result of the last place finish the US faces a bowl quarterfinal against France (ninth in the year-long standings) instead of Spain (15th in the year-long standings and who the US blew out twice in Las Vegas). The US will still be ahead of Spain entering Japan in late March barring a major surprise tonight, but a win against France would probably allow the US to expand the lead by three or more points. The US has looked better on the second day of tournaments several times this year. Hopefully we see that again today before a five week break until Japan.
Schedule:
All times ET
Friday:
Bowl Quarterfinal – USA vs. France – 8:06 PM
With loss to France – Shield Semifinal – USA vs. loser of Kenya-Portugal – 10:32 PM
With win against France – Bowl Semifinal – USA vs. winner of Kenya-Portugal – 11:16 PM
Saturday:
With shield semifinal win – Shield Final – USA vs. TBD – 1:30 AM
With bowl semifinal win – Bowl Final – USA vs. TBD – 2 AM
You should be able to watch online for free at the USA Sevens website. It’s worked last night just fine.
