Last Friday night marked the start of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The spectacle of the Opening Ceremony generates a chilling energy amongst the competing athletes and the millions of anticipating viewers all over the globe. The ceremony symbolizes the start of a New Year’s contest. This year, there are many new additions to this year’s Olympic Games, including the 12 new sporting events added by the International Olympic Committee.
Referring back to the number of sports on the 2014 list, it may be somewhat cumbersome to stay on top of the Olympic Games’ schedule while managing your hefty academic and social schedule. Therefore, given your limited viewing time, I have selected just three competitive sports for you to keep an eye on in the upcoming week. Of course every sporting event is worth watching, but the advantage of narrowed-down sports coverage might assist you in channeling your energy and focus more discriminatingly. This way, you can balance your time wisely and enjoy the Games without the stress.
1. Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey
This sport probably did not come as a surprise to you, since hockey is one of the most highly praised Division I sports at Boston University, let alone the entire New England area. Even though the Winter Olympics is taking place in Russia, the Boston University community is closely connected to some of the athletes. The team rosters for USA and Canada are quite terrier-ific! In the men’s category, BU alumnus Kevin Shattenkirk, who plays for the St. Louis Blues, represents USA as a defenseman. For the women, the Canadian squad has not one but four BU skaters! Three of the four are alumni Catherine Ward, Tara Watchhorn, and Jennifer Wakefield, and the remaining athlete is current BU student, Marie-Philip Poulin. Poulin (SED’15), a forward, represented Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. As you tune in to watch each of these countries compete, make sure to cheer on and show some BU love to these five gifted athletes
2. Figure Skating
If you have ever listened to the Olympic commentators in this event, you probably know that they elaborate on every single move a figure skater performs on the ice. They dramatize the event in such a way that you eventually are hanging off the edge of your seat for the duration of the program. For single performers and pairs, every move or gesture counts. This sport is both gut-wrenching and spectacular. The athletes competing in this category have extreme talent and interesting backgrounds, especially the US skaters. Starting with the Pairs category, Charlie White and Meryl Davis have been skating together since 1997. Siblings Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani both attend UMichigan and have been skating as a pair since 2004. Lastly, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir train in Boston and Shnapir is a student at Emerson College. In the Individual category, 19-year-old Jason Brown, 18-year-old Gracie Gold, and 15-year-old Polina Edmunds are a few of the younger contenders on the US Figure Skating Team. Give some viewing time to these young stars!
3. Skeleton
This sport may not be as familiar to the ear as the first two, but you will remember the name by just acknowledging one single element; the name sounds spooky, yet the sport itself is pretty slick. The athletes dive on sleds headfirst, ride along a narrow track, and maneuver themselves using only the head and shoulders. The best part about the takeoffs is catching a glimpse of the athletes’ decorative helmets. The headgear has become a crowd pleaser and a sport favorite, marking the individuality of each competitor. Overall, these brave souls deserve the upmost support for giving it their all, having a limited amount of protection.
As you plan your next trip to the FitRec or study break in the lounge, remember to look up the event times for each of the three sports listed above. You can find the Games’ schedule, sports information, and all the team profiles on the Sochi Winter Olympics website.