I have been a little quiet recently, haven't I? I know you were starting to get worried that I wouldn't be here for you, that you would be denied my rare but insightful observations of this quadrennial event. Fear not. I am here and ready to serve. Admittedly, much has already happened, so to a certain extent I have failed you. However, we are still one day away from the opening ceremonies, so I consider myself timely. Let's begin with some of the big stories.
Security
Sadly, this is THE story of Sochi 2014. The Olympics are supposed to be about competition, sportsmanship and international cooperation. In reality, they are about money, more money, who gets the money and stroking Putin's ego on an international stage. More on the money later. The Putin thing is the main problem here. Putin managed to get this Olympics so he could let the world know how great he is, how manly he is, how sporty he is and how nice the Black Sea resort of Sochi is. Of course, he is also doing his best to kill a group of people living really close to Sochi. Some of these people don't take kindly to that, so they are fighting back. The way they fight would be called terrorism by many, guerrilla warfare by some, and a quest for survival by a few.
I'm not going to get too deep into that, because this stuff is complicated and I am a fairly dim person. Let's be honest, you don't read these posts for my geo-political insights, you read them for my witty comments about much less daunting subjects, like suburban youth soccer and Ryan Lochte's general dreaminess. I do understand that there are multiple sides to this story. I also understand that the Olympcs are a really big stage not just for Putin, but also for those who want to, for lack of a better way of putting it, make Putin look bad.
Terrorists have not merely threatened to launch an attack on the Olympics, they have essentially promised to. Putin has assured the world that Sochi is safe. He has a security detail about the size of the army defending Stalingrad in 1942 to make sure Sochi stays safe. This puts the terrorists and Putin in a bit of a catch 22. Someone's going to look bad. If an attack is successful, Putin looks bad. If nothing happens, the terrorists look bad. Putin has a lot more to lose here. He will lose face. The terrorists are just losing a stage. If history has taught us anything, they will find another, although not quite as big.
A week ago, the story was "Black Widows". This past summer, I was putting Eldest's bike away and saw a black widow in my garage. I'll be honest, it terrified me. I quickly did an internet search on how to kill it (it was in a position that made stomping it a little difficult) and ultimately sprayed it with enough Raid to drown it, if the chemicals didn't do the trick. I am literally getting chills right now just writing about this. Bleah! These aren't, however, the "Black Widows" in or around Sochi. Black Widows are female suicide bombers, most of whom became widows when their husbands were killed by Putin. Maybe not directly by Putin, but you get the idea. Apparently, some suspected "Black Widows" have disappeared, and there are concerns that they have breached the fortress-like security perimeter around Sochi. This should be enough to give some other people chills.
Hopefully, things will be fine. As much as I would like to see Putin look bad, I don't want it at the expense of innocent people or the Olympics as a whole. As you may already know from 2012, I am an Olympic idealist. I like the competition, the international harmony, the triumphs and defeats, and the spectacle. I put on blinders and pretend the politics, idiotic decision making and greed don't happen. Although that is becoming more and more difficult to do. If anything does happen, I will check with my Caucasus Insider to give you in depth analysis.
New Sports
I have not completed my research into the new sports for this year's Olympics. I know we have added Team Figure Skating, Slopestyle Snowboarding and Women's Ski Jumping. I have a few thoughts on each.
Team Figure Skating - huh? Look, I enjoy figure skating for many reasons. The athleticism is incredible. The commentators are an endless source of unintentional comedy. The drama, whether real or contrived, is always top notch. Some of the women are extremely easy on the eyes. My first childhood crush was on Dorothy Hamill. I still own the gentlemen's magazine featuring Katarina Witt. Evgeni Pluchenko's floppy blonde hair and endless divaism never failed to bring a smile to my face. Ashley Wagner and I graduated from the same high school (about 20 years apart). I look forward to the figure skating. But enough is enough. The sport is already ripe for judging controversy without adding a team element. Some sports are not team sports. Like figure skating. I don't get this one.
Slopestyle Snowboarding - The Winter Olympics have added a number of X-Games style sports over the last 20 years and greatly increased the fun and excitement of the competition. However, like Team Figure Skating, enough is enough. Snowboard Cross was a great addition, as was Ski Cross. I love Ski Aerials, they fly in the air, do 32 flips and 19 twists, land and act like they just won the gold, regardless of how well they did. Perhaps they are celebrating the fact that they are still alive. Snowboard halfpipe has been enjoyable. I've had enough, though. Just because someone can do something with a snowboard or a pair of skis doesn't mean they belong in the Olympics.
Women's Ski Jumping - I saw the trials for this event. I had no idea this was the first year women would compete in ski jumping at the Olympics. Seriously, IOC, how patronizing are you? Why did it take until 2014 for this to happen. The 1984 Marathon should have let you know that women can do this stuff. I would say it's about time, but really, it's well past time.
Reflections on What Has Happened (Focus for this will be on US sports and medals, but we will touch on other stuff as time permits)
1. The torch made it to Sochi without anyone getting killed. Sadly, this is an accomplishment.
2. Todd Lodwick has been selected as the US Flag Bearer. Lodwick will be competing in his 6th Olympics this year. Yes, 6th. For those of you who struggle at math, that means he has been in every winter Olympics since 1994. If he was born just a couple years erlier, he could have gone for 7 by taking advantage of the 2 year break from 1992 to 1994 when the Winter Olympics moved to off Summer Olympics years. Lodwick competes in the Nordic Combined, my Obscure Olympic Sport of 2010. He qualified by winning the US Trials, the only position that guaranteed a spot. I watched the Nordic Combined Olympic Trials and he dominated. Apparently, if he didn't win, he probably would not have been selected, because he's too old. That would have sucked.
3. Ashley Wagner was selected for the Olympics despite finishing 4th in qualifying. This was a minor controversy, because she jumped the girl who finished 3rd. Ashley is a two time US National Champion and generally considered the best US Figure Skater right now. This raises the question for the Olympics, do we want our best to compete at the games, or the people who qualified? This is a tough call. Perhaps if you have dominated for 3 years, but didn't do well at the Olympic Trials you aren't a good performer under pressure. Or, maybe you just had a bad day. I'm gald Ashley got selected, because of the aforementioned high school connection. Go Wolverines!!! She will have to compete with Gracie Gold, the winner at US Nationals this year, who also has the better Olympic name.
4. Shaun White withdrew from Slopestyle Snowboarding. Again, a minor controversy and an interesting question. As one of the most recognizable people in the Olympics, does Shaun have an obligation to grow his sport by competing in this contrived new event? Or does he have an obligation to himself to focus on his best event and a chance at a historic 3rd straight gold medal in halfpipe? I think he made the right choice.
5. The IOC's choice for the Olympics has been met with controversy for the 2nd time in 3 Olympics. First Beijing, which admittedly was a great spectacle and a very enjoyable games. The human rights abuses around the Olympics did leave a slightly bitter taste, though. Now Sochi, with threats of terrorism, police-state like security, anti-gay legislation and people losing houses to build fun, new rail lines. Methinks Rio is not going to go off without a hitch, either. The $50 billion price tag seems a bit off putting, too. It is an international event and we want the whole world involved, but maybe they should try to pretend that money isn't the only thing they care about. The people watching care about a lot more.
Predictions
1. US gets bronze in Men's hockey, gold in Women's.
2. Shaun White wins his 3rd gold medal.
3. Ashley Wagner shocks the world with a bronze.
4. Opening Ceremonies goes to commercial right after the delegation from Latvia enters the stadium.
5. Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the darling of these games.
6. US beats Russia in both total medals and golds.
7. Someone leaves the slope style course on a stretcher.
8. I will watch more biathlon than anyone else in America.
9. Newfound US dominance in Nordic combined will continue.
10. Putin will be on TV more during these Olympics than Kate Middleton was in 2012. And that's a bad thing, because Kate is much more fun to look at, for everyone except my Baltic States Insider.
What to Watch For
1. Opening Ceremonies, tomorrow night.
2. If you have a train wreck obsession, Slopestyle Snowboarding tonight. I, of course, will be watching.
3. College basketball?
Random Fact of the Day
High and low temperatures in Sochi on Friday are 49/36, Saturday 49/38 and Sunday 53/41. In Chantilly, VA, Friday 39/24, Saturday 36/27, Sunday 41/17.
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