OT: Favorite Winter Olympic Sport
Happy Friday! With the Olympics starting soon, I wanted to ask what your favorite Winter Olympic sport is?
I love Olympic Hockey, it has to be number 1 for me, but I also love Curling, there is just something about it...
January 24th, 2014 at 8:32 AM ^
But yeah...the luge. By far. Single, or two-man -- both great events.
January 24th, 2014 at 8:37 AM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 8:40 AM ^
Whether the women have moguls or mountains, they're still worth watching.
January 24th, 2014 at 9:14 AM ^
Side to side, up and down, repeat. Yeah. Good wa...what was I saying?
January 24th, 2014 at 8:37 AM ^
Short track speed skating, easily, especially the relays. I also recently got into skiing, so I'm particuarly interested in watching those.
I will say I have a natural aversion to the judged events (ice skating, half pipe, etc...) because of all the issues that can come along with having judges. Though, I will be pulling for Louie Vito in the half pipe and ANYBODY AT ALL to beat Shaun White.
January 24th, 2014 at 8:48 AM ^
/really Hockey
January 24th, 2014 at 8:51 AM ^
You could not PAY me to attend these games. I wonder how many people will watch just to see if "something happens" given the ugly, ugly situation there right now.
May God be with our's and all other athletes and their families there.
January 24th, 2014 at 8:52 AM ^
and not the short track version.
January 24th, 2014 at 8:53 AM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 8:54 AM ^
Downhill skiing, definitely. I'm not really into the X-Games stuff, too much judging. Even in gymnastics you can kinda tell who's going to get a higher score - not so much in halfpipe and stuff. Give me a straight-up race - and the fun thing about downhill races is that they go one at a time (as opposed to speed skating where the winner usually just leads most of the race) so you never quite know where everything stands until they cross the finish. This goes for any downhill skiing event, any sledding event, and ski jump. (That said, snowboard cross has its appeal, too.)
Curling is a blast too, and of course, always, the hockey.
January 24th, 2014 at 9:07 AM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 8:56 AM ^
12m Drunken Polar Bear Dive
100m Shitfaced Beer Barrel Carry
500m Freestyle Vodka Ice Fishing
January 24th, 2014 at 9:01 AM ^
Let me tell you, a double-fault final-play elimination hasn't occurred since the Helsinki episode of 1919, and I think we all remember how THAT turned out!
January 24th, 2014 at 9:20 AM ^
the 30m Semi-conscious Ski Jump as a result of the Helsinki episode, but I guess the carnage was too great. Pussies.
January 24th, 2014 at 9:20 AM ^
Roger Goodell's grandfather had a hand in that one.
January 24th, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^
Skeleton, Luge,Bobsled, and Ice Hockey and speed skating ( short track and regular)
They should eliminate men's figure skating
January 24th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
But then What would Brian Boitano do??????
January 24th, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^
I'm sure he'd kick an ass or two.
January 24th, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
Cause that's what Brian Boitano'd do
January 24th, 2014 at 9:00 AM ^
Men's short track 3000m relay hands down... imagine gus johnson calling that
January 24th, 2014 at 9:16 AM ^
Why isn't this a thing? MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
January 24th, 2014 at 9:09 AM ^
I really enjoy the vast majority of Olympic events, but I'm not fond of the ones in which judges determine the outcome. I prefer objective results over subjective decisions.
My favorite by far is short-track speed skating, so fun to watch.
January 24th, 2014 at 9:17 AM ^
A lot depends on the personalities and how well we're doing. Speed skating was must see when Ohno was around but I'm not sure it will hold it's appeal now. Same with figure skating -huge ratings if we've got a recognizable personality doing well. And so on.
I don't think there's a really compelling sport if we aren't competing at a high level. Hockey is the only other sport I'd watch even a bit of if it weren't the Olympics and even at that if it's Russia and Canada in the finals I don't really give a #$%^.
January 24th, 2014 at 9:18 AM ^
That's the best part of the olympics. Just when someone like Ohno leaves, a new hero is born man.
January 24th, 2014 at 10:17 AM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 12:36 PM ^
I . . . I . . . can't look away! Oh nooooooooo.
/falls on floor, has seizure and dies.
January 24th, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^
I prefer the age old sport of Hibernation.... I tend to zzzzzz like a champ through the winter olympics.
January 24th, 2014 at 11:08 AM ^
If I had to pick, probably hockey or bobsled. I think that would be so much fun (if I knew I wouldn't wreck).
January 24th, 2014 at 11:11 AM ^
Love myself the Winter Games. It fits my U.P. blood so well.
1. Hockey. Coming of age during the Miracle on Ice years does this to you.
2. Luge. Rocketing downhill on a glorified sled with runners is so kick ass.
3. Bobsled. Speed, wipeouts, the sounds of blades on frozen surfaces.
4. Biathalon. Kinda boring, but combining X-country skiing with guns is so....weird.
Honorable mention: Curling. Why am I so fixated on this sport?
January 24th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
I like a lot of the winter sports, and more so now that I live in a city beset with them. I actually follow the World Cup skiing scene a bit, because I find events like the downhill to be among the greatest visual spectacles in sports. So I'll be watching that closely.
I also, like many, enjoy curling. I grew up watching it on the CBC, and now I live in the hometown of the US men's team (and I've met John Shuster, this year's skip). And I'll enjoy watching some of the other speed events.
But the must-see appointment dates are US men's hockey games and the two downhills.
January 24th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
I love to snowboard so i do enjoy the snowboarding events. Though i don't really think of those as Olympic sports since they are pretty new to the Olympics. I like the Super G Downhill. Whats better than seeing someone flying down about 2 miles or so of iced over snow at 70 mph on the edge of their skis. I also watch the speedskating, big track and short track. And yes hockey too.
Edit: I forgot to add bobsled in there.
January 24th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
Curling. Mainly because I had a huge crush on Cassie Johnson from the 2006 US women's team.
January 24th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
As an aside, a friend of mine does lighting for NBC and told me the other day that it's in the 50s there pretty much every day. He's been there for two weeks setting sets up.
January 24th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
/s
January 24th, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
January 24th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^
There is nothing sexier than watching a woman sweep!
Seriously though for whatever reason the sport fascinates me. And some of the countries put out supermodels to compete in the event.
January 24th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^
Ski Jumping is definitely my favorite, but unfortunately it doesn't get nearly enough TV coverage (at least not on NBC) because the U.S. rarely has a team, let alone any medal contenders. Hmmm... wonder if I can stream Finnish TV somehow...
Also love the various sledding sports...luge, bobsled, skeleton.
A lot of the winter sports are pretty terrifying, but I think the one that makes me hold my breath the most is the aerials portion of freestyle skiing. Those fools are one wrong move from lifelong paralysis or death.