HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!

As Jessie Diggins weaved her way between Maiken Caspersen Falla and Stina Nilsson, Chad Salmela screamed from my television, "Stina Nilsson leading Jessie Diggins into the final turn, can Diggins answer?!"  His broadcast partner, Steve Schlanger, obviously having prepared his words for the moment, set the scene, "As the roars rattle around the cross-country stadium in PyeongChang, Sweden, the U.S. and Norway come into the light!"  Salmela had no time for such poetry.


HERE COMES DIGGINS!!  HERE COMES DIGGINS!!


Moments later, Chad answered his own question in his own special way, "YES!  YES!  YES!  YES!  GOLD!"


And with that, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall made history.


Sometimes history happens, sometimes history is made and sometimes history is seized..  Kikkan and Jessie seized history.  Before her first leg, Jessie had a smile on her face and appeared to be dancing.  I'm not sure I have ever seen an athlete so ready to do something that had never been done before.  I'm not sure I have ever seen an athlete as prepared to grab her destiny.  And grab it she did.  With each of her three legs of the race, Jessie took off like a rocket.  She had more determination than her competitors every time.


(Yes, I said each of her three legs.  I was reminded yesterday that the Team Sprint Free is essentially a method of torture.  Two teammates ski three different laps that last a little less than 3 minutes each.  So you go all out for about 3 minutes, then you get a 3 minute break, then you go again, then another break, then you go again.  This hurts just thinking about it.)


The commentary, which is receiving well deserved praise, added to the magic of the moment.  Jessie came speeding around the last turn in second place.  Shlanger was setting the stage and Chad was going crazy, as Chad does.  Schlanger had to have prepared his set up, there is no way Chad did.  Chad is pure emotion.  The two blended together like a mash-up.  The excitement was off the charts.  Jessie was once again showing a level of determination necessary to create history.


Chad:  They're all completely gassed!  They've given it everything on the klaebo bakken!  Stina Nilsson leading Jessie Diggins into the final turn, can Diggins Answer?!
Steve:  As the roars rattle around the cross-country stadium in PyeongChang, Sweden, the U.S. and Norway come into the light!
Chad:  HERE COMES DIGGINS!!  HERE COMES DIGGINS!!
Steve:  Diggins!  Making the play around Sweden!
Chad:  YES!  YES!  YES!  YES!!
Steve:  Jessie Diggins to the line!
Chad:  GOLD!
Steve:  And it is Jessie Diggins, delivering a landmark moment that will be etched in U.S. Olympic History!


All the while, Jessie Diggins, blonde pony tail bouncing behind her, surged into the lead and with one final ecstatic scream, stretched her left foot across the finish line, thrust one arm in the air and collapsed.  History made?  No.  History seized.


I thrust two arms into the air, screamed "YES!" and wept.  That's right, I wept.  I have declared my love and allegiance to our Women's Cross Country Skiing Team.  I remember my disappointment four years ago when Kikkan failed to earn the first U.S. Women's Cross Country medal in Sochi.  I was not disappointed in her, I was disappointed for her.  As the 2018 Winter Olympics began, I re-found my love for the Women's Cross Country Skiing Team and particularly for Jessie Diggins.  As I have stated before, with each near miss, I died a little.  5th in the Skiathlon, 5th in the 10K Free Ski, 6th in the Sprint,  and 5th in the Relay.  It reached the point that I started avoiding my beloved Jessie, because seeing her or even just hearing her name brought me pain.  She said all the right things, and I know that what she was accomplishing was incredible, but I wanted this for her as much as she wanted it for herself and her team.  It is possible I was taking this all a little too far.


Kikkan Randall ran out to embrace her teammate and fellow gold medalist.  Read that again.  Fellow gold medalist.  Glitter on their faces, color in their hair and gold medals around their necks.  This is my third favorite gold medal ever, behind only the gold medal won by someone I actually know and Jason Lezak's comeback in the 2008 400 Free Relay.  The combination of hard work, team work, fun people...and the glitter.  It gets me every time.


As for that call.  It may lack the poetry and political significance of "Do you believe in miracles?  Yes!" but what it lacks in poetry it more than makes up for with emotion.  In four years, when NBC is putting together a highlight package to promote the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, I expect to hear "HERE COMES DIGGINS!!  HERE COMES DIGGINS!!"  This truly was a call for the ages.


I have watched the end of that race about 20 times in less than 24 hours.  I can't see it enough.  Like Jason Lezak coming back to win the 400 Free Relay in 2008, this is a race I expect to see hundreds of times in my life.  I will never get tired of the blonde pony tail bouncing behind the glittered face, the frantic determined sprint, hearing "HERE COMES DIGGINS!!  HERE COMES DIGGINS!!, the scream as Jessie crosses the line, and the Gold Medal.  As I said yesterday , the most exciting thing to happen in 2018.  I don't mean in the 2018 Winter Olympics.  I mean in 2018.










Reflections on What We have Seen:


1.  I think I covered this above.


2.  The Gold Medal in Cross Country Skiing was really just the beginning of an incredible day.  The Women's Speed Skating Pursuit Team won bronze to end a two Olympic drought for medals in Speed Skating; the U.S. went 1-2 in Men's Ski Half Pipe; Michaela won her second medal of the Games; as did Jamie Anderson (both silver); and Women's Bobsled silver.


3.  GOLD!  For the U.S. Women's Hockey Team.  Shootouts are not the best way to end a game, but they do make things exciting.  The second time in 24 hours I was almost brought to tears by U.S women.


4.  Curling!  On to the gold medal match for the U.S. Men's Team!


What to Watch For:


1.  Women's Figure Skating.  Put the Short Program behind you, ladies and channel your inner Nathan Chen.


2.  Women's Ski Cross - always a fun ride.


3.  The end of the Women's Cross Country Team Free Ski.  Really.  Watch it again.  And again.  And again.  It's that good.


4.  Curling!

AND IT'S A ... tie?

A tie is like kissing your sister, according to an old saying.  Someone forgot to tell German Bobsledders Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Margis this, as they looked like they would have kissed their sisters, their brothers and any and every Canadian in the world when the duo of Justin Kripps and Alexander Kopacz finished with the exact same time after four runs down the course in the Alpensia Sliding Centre.  The course in this year's Olympics is 2018 meters long.  Each team slides down the course 4 times.  Each run takes a little more than 49 seconds and the sleds reach a top speed of 86 or 87 miles per hour.  After all that, these two teams finished with the exact same time.  The people who looked like they were going to be forced to kiss their sisters was the Latvians, who finished 3rd, .05 seconds behind.


A tie in the Olympics is not unheard of.  The last time the Canadians won a gold medal in this event was in, wait for it,..., a tie, in 1998.  The most memorable recent tie in Olympic competition was the three way tie for second in the Men's 100 Fly in 2016.  This was memorable because three people tied for silver and one of them was Michael Phelps.  Most people don't realize people can swim as fast as him, much less beat him.  The worst tie in the history of sports was the 2002 Pairs Figure Skating, when the Russian pair "won" the gold medal, then the Canadian pair (who most people thought were better) was given their own gold medal along with the Russians after evidence of collusion to give the Russians the gold medal was found.  How do you end up in a tie when there is judging?  Why are the Canadians always in a tie?


There have been 29 ties for medals in the Winter Olympics.  Nine of those ties have been for gold.  Of those nine, only two have been in the Bobsled competition and both involved Canada, 1998 and this year.  Why, Canada?  Why?  Interestingly, every Winter Olympics except 1932, 1936, 1976, 1984, 1988, 1994 and 2006 have included at least one tie for a medal.  OK, that wasn't that interesting.  (Of more interest, every Summer Olympics has had a tie for a medal except the 1932 Los Angeles Games.  We'll have to figure that one out.)  Of the ties in Winter Olympics, the sport with the most ties is Speed Skating, accounting for 12 of the 29 ties, including 3 ties in the 1968 Games, all for the silver medal.  In the Women's 500 meter Speed Skating in 1968, three Americans tied for the silver medal.  Alpine Skiing is second, with 6 ties.  Luge has had one tie, in 1972, and then they decided that ties were unacceptable, so now they time to the one thousandth of the second, instead of the one hundredth.  Luge is just a little too good for ties, and for all of us for that matter.


With all these ties, I was asked what happens when there is a tie.  Being your go to guy for Olympic information, I checked it out.  Unfortunately, I was not able to find a lot of information.  You would think with ties in every Summer Olympics except one, people would be curious.  Maybe they are spending too much time playing curling with brooms and a Rumba to care.  However, my readers, well at least one, is curious, so I tried to figure it out.


First the fascinatingly obvious.  Please feel free to skip over this paragraph, but, since most of the articles I found cover this, I thought I would too.  If two people tie for gold, no silver is awarded.  If two people tie for silver, no bronze is awarded.  If two people tie for bronze, well, good for them.  If three people tie for gold, no other medals are awarded.  This seems pretty obvious and simple, but maybe not.


Second, the IOC comes prepared with more medals than they need.  In Sochi, they brought 46 extra medals (no word on colors) to prepare for the inevitable ties (which happened in the Men's Super G and the Women's Downhill).  Each medal is individually inscribed for the event, so there is some work that needs to be done, but they are generally ready.


Third, the National Anthem.  If two people (or teams) tie for gold, both National Anthems will be played.  I can't figure out what order.  I wonder if the American Anthem was played twice in 2000 when Gary Hall Jr. and Anthony Ervin tied in the 50 free.  Probably not.


Finally, the medal stand photo looks a little weird.  Especially when Michael Phelps, Chad le Clos and Laszlo Cseh tie for silver, so one guy is standing on top and three are standing next to him.


I have no sisters, so I don't know what it is like to kiss them.  I have tied in sports.  I never felt that bad about it.  When I tied a friend I was happy for him and me.  When I tied someone I didn't know, I was...well, I was happy for him and me.  When my boys finish in a tie, especially in a team sport, everyone walks away happy.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  You can't have a tie in a tournament, or in the Super Bowl or the World Series or the World Cup.  I get that.  In the Olympics, I can understand the luge position, but I don't agree with it.  Swimming has had several ties, and if you pay enough attention, you can often discover who would have won if the times were taken to the thousandth.  But why?  On Monday, I watched two large German men run around a small icy area hugging every Canadian they could get their hands on to celebrate a shared victory.  I saw pictures of four very large men with giant grins, two holding up a Canadian flag and two holding up a German flag.  I can't say why this is a bad thing.


Reflections on What We have Seen:


1.  Monday I watched the US Men's and Women's teams win very exciting Curling matches.  In both, the US had to make a clutch shot at the end to seal the victory.  As the commentator said, "If you don't love this, you don't love curling."  Who is he kidding?  EVERYBODY loves curling.


2.  The Ski Half Pipe is just not as exciting as the Snowboard Half Pipe.


3.  The Women's Snowboard Big Air competition starts atop a giant ramp built over a road.  That was pretty cool.  Then The Wife pointed out the little elevator going up the scaffolding to, presumably, take the athletes up to the top.  If I could snowboard (which I can't), and I could go down that ramp (which I can't) and I could do a bunch of spins and flips (which I can't) and I could stop before hitting the fence (which I couldn't even come close to doing), I still would not be able to compete in this sport, because I would be TERRIFIED to go up that elevator.


4.  Love Biathlon.  Can't say that enough.


5.  Great Britain Speed Skater Elise Christie is one of the most talked about Speed Skaters at these Games.  In 2014 and 2018 she competed in 6 events.  She has been disqualified in 5 events and crashed at least 3 times.


6.  Watched a little Ski Jumping.  Learned a little about wind and points.  Tried real hard, but I just can't seem to care.


7.  I really wish our Men's Hockey team had beat the Czechs so I could say we beat Czechoslovakia.


8.  The US seems to be getting a lot of 4th places and we are currently tied for 4th in the medal standings.  Odd coincidences all around.


9.  Anyone who does an Ice Dancing routine to music from Moulin Rouge deserves to win gold.


10.  A doping scandal involving a Russian Curler.  You could not come up with a better doping story.


10.  I got a news alert about THE MOST EXCITING THING TO HAPPEN IN 2018 this morning, but will not comment until I get to see it.


 What to Watch For:


1.  Women's Hockey Gold Medal Game.  U-S-A!  U-S-A!


2.  Women's Bobsled.  U-S-A!  U-S-A!


3.  The US Men's Curling Team made the semifinals!!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!


4.  Cross Country Skiing.  Big news.  Big news.  BIG NEWS!!

Do it for the Team

One of the biggest differences between the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics is the absence of teams in the Winter games.  The Winter Olympics have only two true "teams":  curling and hockey.  In the Summer Olympics, we get soccer, volleyball, basketball, field hockey, and a few others, including the aptly named Team handball.

Despite the lack of teams, the IOC has made an obvious effort to create team events.  In 2014, the Team Figure Skating event premiered to great fanfare.  This year, there is apparently a Team Alpine Skiing competition in which teams will compete head to head in a tournament format, with both men and women on the team.  Luge has a relay that features one woman, on man and one pairs team (I really want to see a bobsled relay).  Speed Skating has the Team pursuit competition that looks like a team cycling race.  Given the US record in Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding compared to the US record in EVERY other Winter Olympic sport, you have to imagine we will figure out some team competition in those to get us a few more medals.

I LOVE the team competitions.  I was skeptical of the Team Figure Skating event in 2014 and couldn't have been more wrong.  This year, I couldn't wait for it and was excited to begin my Olympic watching before the Opening Ceremony by watching some Team Figure Skating.  I was greatly rewarded for my efforts.  OK, maybe not efforts, but I was greatly rewarded for my sitting on the couch with the blanket and the cat.

The great thing about any team competition, whether it is a team sport, a relay or a made up event that creates some way of making individuals compete as a team (like Team Figure Skating and gymnastics) is that you have added pressure and added support.  When Chris and Alexa Knierim stepped on the ice for the Team Competition, the US was pretty low.  Nathan Chen didn't knock us out of a medal (obviously) with his atypical performance, but the US had come into the Olympics expecting the Men's Short Program to be a strength in the Team Competition.  The US needed a lift and the Knierim's gave it to their team with their best performance of the Olympics.  When the pressure was greatest and an entire country relying on them, they stepped up and nailed it.  Well, except for the Tara Lipinski jinx.

Most athletes find something more when competing for a team.  The greatest example ever was Jason Lezak's anchor leg in the 400 Free Relay in 2008.  Diving into the water a half body length behind the World record holder in the 100 free, knowing he had to win to allow his teammate to make history with 8 gold medals, Lezak dropped the fastest 100 free relay split ever.  Every once in a while I watch it on YouTube because it is that good.  When one of my boys asks why we are watching it again, I tell them "because it is that good!"  The Kneirim's didn't pull off anything quite as impressive as Lezak, but they stepped up, and I would watch their program again and again, because it was that good.

Another aspect of the team is the training.  A team will push you to work harder than you thought possible and achieve things you other wouldn't.  This year, I have fallen in love with the US Women's Cross Country Skiing Team.  I watched a personal interest story about their efforts, as a team, to win the first US Olympic medal in Women's Cross Country Skiing, and only the second US medal in Cross Country Skiing.  The team is working together, pushing each other and supporting each other to achieve a team goal, winning a medal.  Never mind that only one of them would get the medal.  They all want a medal for the team, regardless of who wins it.  When Jessie Diggins missed a medal by about 4 seconds in the 10K Freestyle, her teammate Kikkan Randall seemed more upset that he failed to medal than Jessie.  I know I was more upset.  At this point I am fully invested in Jessie and the entire team's quest for that first ever medal and I die a little with every near miss.

The ultimate team is, of course, Team USA.  Is it really a team, though?  Are athletes motivated by to perform for their country in the same way as their teammates?  For all the athletes who talk about wanting to go out there and do it for the ole U S of A in various interviews, the answer is no.  Your teammates are the people you sweat and hurt with; you laugh and cry with; you bitch about your coach with.  Your teammates are the ones you go out drinking with after wins and losses.  The ole U S of A just can't get as personal.

As much as we would like to think that competing for your country is the apex of motivation, it isn't.  The cross country skiers have it right.  Work as a team, even in an individual sport.  Like the Nordic Combined team of 2010, this is how they will make history.  I believed in our Nordic Combined team in 2010.  I died a little with their failures and soared with their eventual success.  I look forward to the same with my girls on the Cross Country Skiing Team.

Reflections on What has Happened

1.  Disclaimer - I am a Suburban Sports Dad.  Due to various family obligations, a ridiculous swim workout, trying to keep up with watching the Olympics and a weekend swim meet, I have fallen behind on this blog.  I will reflect on what I remember.  It will be incomplete.

2.  It is nice of the other countries to agree to add the freestyle snowboard and skiing events so we can win some medals.

3.  As an American i am brainwashed into not liking the French.  However, I can't help but root for Martin Fourcade in Biathlon.  He is just that good.

4.  I really don't need to see training runs.

5.  I enjoy the crashes, but I could have done without seeing and hearing Emily Sweeney's crash in luge.

6.  Cross Country skiing and Biathlon under the lights will never get old.

7.  The Wife loved watching Marit Bjoergen, age 37, sprint to a gold medal in the Cross Country Relay and tie Ole Einar Bjoerndalen for most Winter Olympic medals ever, with 13.

8.  My heart breaks a little every time I hear Jessie Diggins name and am reminded of her three near misses.

9.  Where have you gone Eric Heiden?

10.  And Apolo Anton Ohno?

11.  And our hockey team?

12.  And Bill Johnson?

13.  Maame Biney and Adam Rippon are just fun.

14.  I have just about had enough of the Dutch in Speed Skating.  And the South Koreans in Short Track.  And the Canadians in just about everything.

15.  I enjoyed Shawn White's reaction to winning gold even more than his performance.

Things to Watch For:

1.  Whether or not I figure out the time difference and schedule during these Olympics, or I have to wait until Tokyo 2020 to get this under control.

2.  Women's Team Sprint in Cross Country Skiing.  I STILL BELIEVE!!

Predictions:

Due to my inability to figure out what is live, what is coming and where I am, I will skip predictions the rest of these Olympics.  They will return in 2020.

In Curling, the US vs...OAR?

The US Mixed Doubles Curling Team, Matt and Becca Hamilton, played (is it played?  slid?  curled?) their first match (game? contest? boulder bumper car?) against OAR.  When I checked the schedule, I saw that the US was boulder bumper carring against OAR and was immediately confused.  What is OAR?  Did someone make a typo with Qatar?  Does Qatar have a curling team?  Is this some weird way of saying U.A.E.?  Is the U.A.E. at the Winter Olympics?  (These thoughts actually went through my head.  What a stupid I am.)

As I finally figured out, and I am sure everyone knows by now, OAR stands for Olympic Athletes from Russia.  Russia has been banned from the Winter Olympics for systematic doping violations.  However, individual Russian athletes who have not been, I guess caught, doping are allowed to compete. They just can't represent Mother Russia.  If they win a medal, the Olympic flag will fly.  If they win gold, the Olympic Anthem will be played during the Olympic Ceremony.  I admire the IOC taking a stand here, but is it possible this is just a way for "The Olympics" to get a little more publicity for themselves?  There are a lot of OAR athletes, several of whom are going to medal.  It is only the second full day of competition and I have already seen the Olympic Flag more times than in every other Olympics combined.  There are also more oars than at your average crew regatta.

Oh, come on!  No bad Dad puns.  OK.

If you do a Google search for "Russian doping scandal" you will get approximately 550,000 results.  The stories cover the Russian athletes who have lost medals in the past, athletes who are banned from 2018 and lost their appeals to get to compete, stories about athletes who are allowed to compete this year, and literally thousands of other stories.  A lot of this stems from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Russia engaged in a cover up of doping so sophisticated they took some techniques from mice.

Doping is pretty clearly the biggest scandal in Olympic sports.  It is an issue that has grown over the past 40+ years.  If you are my age, or around my age, the first big story was Ben Johnson in 1988.  However, this is a story that has been around for much longer.  It is also a story that shows no sign of going away.  As long as people can make lots of money playing a sport rather than sitting at a desk, some of them are going to be motivated by ANYTHING that will keep them out of some office.

The Russians, however, seem to be taking it to a new level, or at least back to the level of the East Germans.  Some of those stories found in a simple Google search say that, once you prove you have world class ability in Russia, you have the choice of doping or quitting.  This is one of the reasons many are saying the sanctions against Russia are not sufficient.  When you have a country using their position as hosts to sneak samples through holes in the wall, it is kind of hard to argue against these people.

Sadly, I am an idealist.  I like to think my heroes, whether they are swimming incredible times in the pool, flipping on snow, or participating in my beloved biathlon, are clean.  If Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps or Caeleb Dressel are caught doping, I will be devastated, much as I was by Lance Armstrong.  It is hard to believe that Maame Biney is a doper.  Same for Bradie Tennel.  However, even in my idealistic mind, it is hard to ignore the facts.  If all (or almost all) the Russians are doping, it is hard to believe no one else is.  If everyone is doping, it is hard to believe someone dominating everyone is clean.  Hopefully, it is just the Russians, and not all of them.  Hopefully my heroes, and the athletes we are all enjoying in the Winter and Summer Olympics, are, for the most part clean.  We will never really know.  And, for me, maybe that is best.

Reflections on What Has Happened

1. The U.S. finished Day 1 without a medal for the first time since 1998.  On Day 2, we went for history.  Red Gerard nailed his final Slopestyle run to become the youngest Snowboard gold medalist in Olympic history (not that Snowboard has a long history).  Then Chris Mazdzer won the first Men's Single Luge medal in US history, with a silver.
2.  The Luge competition was a fascinating wave of emotions.  Germany's Felix Loch, the favorite coming in and leader going into the 4th round, made a big mistake, resulting in ecstatic cheering and hugging from both the Austrians (who won gold) and the Americans.  In a way, there were a bunch of people celebrating Felix's failure, just a few feet away from him as he sat on his sled looking miserable.
3.  Lots of inter-country love between the Americans and Austrians.
4.  Biathlon under the lights is just plain awesome.  But my prediction of a historic US medal in biathlon does not look good after the first weekend.
5.  Tara Lipinski tried to solidify the award for greatest commentator jinx on the first night.  She made a valiant effort, but failed.  In the Men's Biathlon 10K Sprints France's Martin Fourcade approached the shooting range for the first time, Steve Schlanger said Fourcade is the best shooter "in the history of the sport".  He proceeded to miss 3 of 5 shots.  If he missed 2, he probably would have won gold.  Well played, Steve.  Well played.
6.  The cold in South Korea is causing problems.  In Sochi, the warmth caused crashes.  In Pyeongchang, the cold is making things faster, causing crashes or at least mistakes.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
7.  Big fan of the Team Figure Skating and the allowance of real music.

Predictions Recap

1.  Mikaela Shiffrin will be the US Darling of these Olympics (as she rightly should be). - Pending
2.  Nathan Chen will nail his short program in the Men's Competition. - Pending
3.  The US breaks through with a biathlon medal.  Any biathlon medal will do. - Pending

Predictions

1.  Medal for Mikaela in Giant Slalom.
2.  Bronze for US in Team Figure Skating.
3.  Many people will violate Rule #1 on Wednesday.
4.  Schlanger holds onto the Broadcaster jinx award for 2018.


What to Watch For

1.  CAA Swimming Championships begin on Wednesday.
2.  Women's Slopestyle.
3.  Team Figure Skating.
4.  At some point, I will figure the schedule out.

And It Begins

We've had figure skating, moguls, curling, training and controversy.  But until this moment, we have not had the Opening Ceremony.  The Olympics have become so big, it has to start before it starts.  I can understand why NBC wants to show Tara and Johnny as much as possible, but when you have to start before you start, maybe you have gone a little too far.  Maybe?  Nah.  We love the Olympics.  Let's have more and let's get started.

So here I sit, warm sofa, warm blanket and the cat, ready to begin.  Ready for the Ceremony, the spectacle, the stories and the athletes.  For the Opening Ceremony, I am going to try something new.  I am going to write my blog as I watch.  No reflections, just immediate reaction.

8:08 - The opening just finished.  I love Mikaela, I really want Nathan Chen to crush it, and as The Wife just said, "I hate Canada during the Winter Olympics."
8:09 - Already too much talk about Mike Pence and North Korea.
8:15 - Maybe we should talk to some athletes other than Shawn White and Lindsay Vonn.
8:17 - I still love Mikaela.  Not sure that is going to change any time soon.
8:22 - I really miss a live opening ceremony.  START ALREADY!!
8:24 - RESTON VA!!!  GO MAAME BINEY!!  Reston, VA is about 5 miles from the nice warm seat I am currently sitting in, as well as the birthplace of all 3 of my sons.  It is great to see a local woman in the Olympics and even better to have the first African American woman to compete in short track be from RESTON, VA!  Yes, I may be a bit of a homer.
8:28 - Hey, they started.  I was beginning to worry there.
8:29 - The aerial shot with the ski jump and, is that the bobsled course, in the background is awesome.
 8:31 - Let's make sure we put some elementary aged children in a position to get crushed by giant icicles.  And eaten by a light tiger.
8:32 - I think we need to put a white tiger in the White House.
8:40 - "Some of what you are seeing on the screen we can't see in the stadium.  It is augmented reality".  Is that like alternate facts?  Fake news?
8:42 - A large number of people wearing the same outfit and banging on drums in unison.  I think we saw this in 2008.
8:46 - As the drummers finished and colored into the Korean flag, The Wife said, "Looks like the Pepsi symbol."
8:49 - Why isn't Psy singing the national anthem?  Were they playing bagpipes?
8:52 - Ghana is very excited to be there.  As is Nigeria.
8:53 - Why are all the African countries first in the Korean alphabet?
8:55 - Lots of love for the New Zealand flag bearers cape.  Here at home and with Katie Couric.
8:56 - Why is Mikaela Shiffrin carrying the Danish flag.
8:58 - The Wife was very concerned that the Olympic Opening Ceremony tradition of going to commercial right before Latvia was going to continue.  Luckily, it did not.  In case you didn't know, Latvia once wrote an Op-Ed piece about always getting skipped over for commercials during the telecast of the Opening Ceremony.
8:59 - I am getting a fascinating ongoing commentary on the hats of each country from The Wife.  You are all missing out.
9:01 - LITHUANIA!
9:03 - Awesome hat on the Mexican flag bearer.  So says me and so says the Wife.
9:06 - How many countries are we skipping for the back to back commercial breaks bookending the Team USA trivia?
9:10 - OK Gangam Style playing.  I knew we couldn't get through this without Psy.  And I really hope you spent some time watching the dancers during the Parade of Nations.
9:11 - You go Elise, indeed.
9:13 - Did the US Team think they were riding horses into the stadium?  No.  Then what's with the gloves?
9:19 - Bermuda in the shorts.  Flag bearer is a Rhodes scholar.  Bermuda wins the Opening Ceremony.
9:20 - How does Belarus have one woman who has won 3 Biathlon medals and the US has no Biathlon medals ever?
9:22 - The Wife likes Bulgaria's hats.
9:22 - Brazil always looks like they are having more fun than you.
9:28 - The Slovaks look goood!
9:29 - For how many Olympics do you think the commentators are going to refer to Micheal Phelps?  How long can we milk that?
9:30 - The Wife about Argentina:  "Ooh, sparkly hats.  I like."
9:32 - Andorra gets an A for participation.  Just as long as they don't get a trophy for participation.
9:34 - I totally called the Estonian flag.  The Wife:  I'm proud of you.
9:36 - Seeing these athletes, I am definitely going to have to do a "You are Beautiful" post.  There are some very good looking people there.    Men and women.  And to prove my point, there is Anna Veith carrying the Austrian flag.
9:41 - Iranian woman carrying the flag and crying.  Nothing else needs to be said.
9:44 - Jamaica.  The only people having more fun than the Brazilians.  Cool Runnings!
9:51 - As if following Rule #1 wasn't hard enough, Tessa Virtue is carrying the Canadian flag.  Even The Wife has commented on the attractiveness of the flag bearers today.  She also once again stated our two week hatred of Canada.
9:53 - The Wife:  "Ooh, capes for the Columbians!"  No comment on the hat, though.  Weird.
9:54 - The Wife just yelled "The Kyrgys are wearing the hats!  We have one!"  It's true.  We do.
9:56 - Switch from basketball to luge.  Yeah, that makes sense.
9:57 - Tonga...nuff said.  Except Taekwondo to Cross Country skiing?  Olympics in both?  I'm feeling rather lacking in my athletic ability and achievements.
10:02 - The Finns are very bright.  To Katie Couric, who said "whatever that is" to her own comment about "Wife Carrying" (a competition in Finland), I think it is self explanatory.
10:05 - The dancers are back to doing the breaststroke.
10:07 - Stadium announcer:  "All athletes, please take your seats."  I guess the part where the athletes matter has come to an end.  We can't let the Koreans enjoy their moment too long.
10:09 - Not a fan of the song.  LOVE the views.
10:14 - The Korean kid steps through a time portal and comes out a doctor.  Can you say stereotype?  I knew you could.
10:16 - If I was in Seoul, I'm pretty sure I would know that I am not in a city that is 300 years in the future.
10:23 - Coming to the realization that I know nothing about Korea.
10:24 - IOC President just said "to the athletes, now is your turn."  Just as long as you stay in your seats.
10:27 - With his messages of peace, diversity and hope, is Thomas Bach speaking directly to Donald trump?
10:29 - I don't believe those were real candles.
10:35 - The skiers and snowboarders and drones and lights and sparklers creating the Olympic rings was really cool.
10:43 - It would have been nice if they told us who the athletic stars of the past and the future who carried the Olympic flag were.
10:44 - Katie just mentioned Mohammed Ali in 1996 lighting the torch.  Trivia question - who handed the torch to him?
10:46 - Having a North Korean and South Korean as the penultimate torch bearers together is very powerful.  Very meaningful.
10:48 - Yuna Kim - good choice.  Cool lighting.

Well done South Korea.  Let's get started.

Karma

According to Merriam-Webster:


Karma:  noun kar·ma \ ˈkär-mə also ˈkər- \ 1.  often capitalized : the force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence; 2.  a characteristic emanation, aura, or spirit that infuses or vitalizes someone or something.

What does that even mean?  When I thought about this post, I wasn't thinking of transmigration, aura or vitalizing someone or something.  I was thinking about the consequences of hubris.


Perhaps a better word would be:

jinx:  noun \ ˈjiŋ(k)s \ one that brings bad luck; also : the state or spell of bad luck brought on by a jinx


Call it whatever you want, I guess.  A couple days ago, a certain Olympic blogger suggested that his 8 loyal readers be prepared to laugh a little at the unpredictability that trying to achieve great athletic feats on snow and ice could cause.  This same Olympic blogger had the audacity to suggest that people falling could be quite funny, under the right circumstances.  I was thinking about the multi-car pile-ups that occurred during the cross country skiing events in Sochi.  Those were funny.  Well, Karma came and smacked me right where I deserved it.  On night one.

The Pyeongchang Olympics began with, among other things, the men's short program of the team figure skating competition (which is the longest name of a competition in the world).  I finished a particularly brutal Rich Williams workout, ate dinner and sat down, with my blanket and the cat, prepared to enjoy the beginning of the Olympics.  I was not expecting the carnage that befell us before the torch was even lit.  For the final group of the Men's portion of the Team Competition, 6 men competed.  That is six of the best male figure skaters in the world.  Four of them fell.  If not for the bookended performances by the South Korean and the Japanese skaters, I would have called this posting "Carnage".


As I sat in my chair, with my blanket and the cat, anticipating a phenomenal performance by Nathan Chen, I did not laugh.  With each fall, I worried more.  By the time the 18 year old American was on the ice, all I could think was, "please don't fall, please don't fall."  Not only did Chen fall, he had what Johnny Weir called the worst performance he had seen Chen skate.  At the moment when Chen's face showed the anguish of not performing his best on the biggest stage and feeling like he let his team down, I thought of Karma.  I thought of my advice to laugh at the falls.  I thought, wow am I a jack-ass.


The word "hubris" used earlier in this post may not be exactly correct, but you may think it applies now.  You would be wrong.  Yes, I can cause the opening marquee of the Winter Olympics to turn into carnage.  No, I do not have that power.  But you can't deny the power of the internet.  I put it on the internet.  Be prepared to laugh at the occasional misstep.  The internet sent it into the ethos, the ethos wrapped it in a pretty package and tossed it onto the ice in Pyeongchang, and we all got to witness fall after fall after fall.  Culminating with a guy who clearly has some wicked talent on some awesome ice skates having a horrible (for him) performance.  I take responsibility.  For all the falls, but particularly for Chen.  My bad.  We may have to revisit the Rules.  Not Rule #1, but the others.


However, I was not the worst jinx of the night.  That goes to Tara Lipinski.  Despite how Chen felt and what he said about letting his team down, he did not.  He finished fourth, so the US was still in decent shape.  Then came the Knierims, Alexa Scimeca Knierm and Chris Knierim.  They put on a magical performance, made all the better by skating to Come What May from Moulin Rouge.  I loved everything about the performance and I am dedicated to learning how to correctly pronounce their names (which may take a couple months), because they have vaulted up my list of favorite Olympic athletes.  I loved Alexa throwing her arms up in the air after landing the throw.  I loved how Chris nailed the jump right after Tara said he struggled with the jump.  I loved everything right up until Tara (who is still great) said "I am feeling this guys" at the exact moment that Alexa bobbled on what is apparently a fairly easy move.  That was one of the best jinxes I have ever seen.  I love Johnny and Tara (yes, it is Day 1 so I am feeling the love) and one of the great things about them is they know when to be quiet and let the action speak.  Unfortunately, Tara spoke at exactly the wrong moment.


Despite my hubris and Tara's jinx, the US team sits in second place after night 1 of the Team Competition.  Now, no more laughing.

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 Chinese Mixed Double Curling Team lost their first match when they couldn't determine if their second stone was closer to the middle than Switzerland's stone in the last end and had to go to overtime (or whatever you call it in curling) after possibly moving one of the stones trying to determine which was closer.  Then they blew a 5-1 lead over South Korea.  That is a tough first day.
2.  In his first Mixed Doubles match, US Curler, Matt Hamilton, fell on the ice.  That was funny.
3.  Tess Johnson, all of 17 years old, had an incredible save after over-rotating on her first jump of the Women's Moguls Qualifying.  That was athleticism.
4.  The Winter Olympics have some really long sports names (Men's Short Program of the Team Competition, Mixed Doubles Curling, Women's Moguls Qualifying).
5.  Johnny and Tara were in mid-season form with the outfit coordination.
6.  The political sideshow of the Olympics in Korea is already boring and overplayed.


Predictions Recap


Haven't given any, so I haven't been wrong yet.


Predictions


1.  Mikaela Shiffrin will be the US Darling of these Olympics (as she rightly should be).
2.  Nathan Chen will nail his short program in the Men's Competition.
3.  The US breaks through with a biathlon medal.  Any biathlon medal will do.


What to Watch For


1.  The Opening Ceremony, which, of course, already happened.
2.  My live diary of The Opening Ceremony, which I plan to do tonight.
3.  Biathlon, which starts tomorrow, or tonight, or today or...how does this whole time zone thing work again?
4.  Curling.  Then more curling.  Then even more curling.

The Rules for Watching Pyeonchang 2018

As the countdown to the competition for the 2018 Winter Olympics reaches 2 days, and the countdown to the Opening Ceremonies reaches 3 days, we really need to get ready.  As a first step, I once again give you my rules/guidelines for watching the Olympics.  This is the most important blog post, so read carefully.

In 2016, I gave you my rules/guidelines for watching the Summer Olympics in Rio.  These were well thought out and clearly the best advice you could have possibly read for watching the Summer Olympic games.  I mentioned in that post that I could have simply cut and paste my well thought out and basically unbeatable rules/guidelines for watching the Olympics in 2012.  I chose not to, because watching the Olympics is an evolving experience.  I assume in 20 years the Olympics will be in virtual reality and we will watch through the perspective of the athletes.  Too bad Shawn White will (probably) have retired by then so we can't see his performance in virtual reality.  However, for Pyeonchang 2018, we need to update the rules not only because watching the Olympics is an evolving experience, but also because watching the Winter Olympics and watching the Summer Olympics are not the same.

So, I give you the rules/guidelines for watching the 2018 Winter Olympics:

1.  No sex - you didn't think this rule would change, did you?  I received a little push back about this rule in 2016.  The main objection was a claim that one could both engage in sexual activity and watch the Olympics at the same time.  While I suppose this is technically correct, it is unfair to both your partner and to the Olympics.  In a way, it feels like cheating.  And it feels like cheating on two different loves (or lusts, or whatever you want to call that person you are with.)  So I say "no".  No sex.  Do what you can tonight.  It is acceptable to get a quickie in after the Opening Ceremonies.  But starting Saturday morning this is an abstinence only zone.  If you have the time or energy to have sex, you just aren't trying.  And the Olympics are about giving your all.

2.  Check the schedule - Unlike the summer Olympics, NBC is not using 137 channels to show you 17,324 hours of programming.  There appear to be only four channels:  NBC, NBCSN, USA and CNBC.  If you don't have The Olympic Channel, and you haven't corrected this oversight, yet, I'm pretty sure we can't be friends.  However, you won't miss much, because all it appears to be showing is Olympic News.  The key for the Winter Olympics is to make sure you aren't accidentally re-watching things, like figure skating.  NBC likes to show figure skating in the afternoon, and then again in the evening.  I accidentally did that four years ago and I have only recently recovered from the shame. 

3.  Pray for snow - Not in South Korea, but here, or where ever you are.  The Winter Olympics are not as dense as the Summer Games, meaning you don't "have" to invest as much time to get a solid experience.  I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to invest all the time they have, but I am told I should accept people for who they are, even with their obvious and extreme faults.  However, the Winter Games come at a more difficult time.  It is not August, with no school, no kid sports, no kid activities and the lazy days of the end of summer.  We are in the middle of everything - kid sports, kid activities, work, school and a bunch of really hard workouts from Rich Williams.  We need snow.  A ton of snow.  I mean, like, 26 inches, starting at 10 am Monday, shutting the city down for 4 solid days.  The weather report is not looking good, but I am ever hopeful.

4.  Stay warm - Luckily for the integrity of the sports that require outdoor ice and snow, it is freakin' cold in Pyeonchang right now.  Like 12.  Unluckily for me, I am in Chantilly, VA and not Pyeonchang.  I will make the most of my unfortunate predicament, though and sit here, in a heated house, with a blanket on my legs and probably a cat in my lap, as I enjoy the Winter Olympics in warmth.  Unless you are lucky enough to be at the Games, well, I just don't like you because you didn't take me with you.  If not, I recommend the warm thing, but without the cat.  He's just annoying.

5.  Get Inspired - I recommend watching Cool Runnings.  John Candy's speech to the Bobsledding Alliance gets me...every...sniff... time.

6.  Laugh - I enjoy watching the best athletes in the world accomplish amazing feats.  That said, ice and snow are slippery and unpredictable.  People fall.  Sometimes they get hurt.  That's not funny.  Sometimes, they just fall.  That's a little funny.  Sometimes, they fall in spectacular fashion.  And that can be very funny.  I'm not saying go out of your way to laugh at people.  I'm just saying if 15 people crash at the same point on a cross country skiing race, it's OK to have a little chuckle.

6.  Enjoy - The Winter Olympics gives us the chance to watch things we almost never see.  So take advantage of it.  If you are really into these sports, there are opportunities in non-Olympic years, but no one really watches biathlon.  I love biathlon and I never watch it outside the Olympics.  I enjoy curling, and, yeah, not watching that in 2019.  But for the next 2 weeks...I'm into everything.  Except the sex.  That really is a no no.  See Rule #1.

7.  Come back.  I have been basically off since Rio ended.  But the Olympics always inspires me to write and watch.  It will be tough with the addition of 4:30 am practice for Eldest, and a driving desire to sleep from time to time.  But I am committed to an every other day schedule.  You will get my predictions, random stories, the occasional funny comment and hopefully something to bring you back a day or two later.

So there you have it.  My Rules/Guidelines for Pyeonchang 2018.  The Games start tomorrow with some skiing, some curling and some skating.  Check your DVR, get some sleep and get some sex.  We got a roller coaster ride coming.  We need to be ready.

I Hate Thanksgiving - Part 5

I hate Thanksgiving.  I hate Thanksgiving so much, I couldn't even muster the inspiration to write about it this year at Thanksgiving time.  IT MAKES SENSE TO ME!  Not really, but I am generally filled with a lack of motivation.  For a lot of things, not just this blog.

For my 7 or 8 loyal readers, my hatred of Thanksgiving is not really a surprise.  I guess at this point my lack of motivation is not really a big surprise either.  That is something we are hoping The 2018 Winter Olympics will cure.  Unfortunately, I am tired.  Life as a Suburban Sports Dad takes its toll and something has to give.  Something like this blog, which I actually enjoy.  Housework and taxes have also given, which is a bigger problem, but that is my problem (and The Wife's problem), not yours.

So, to get us back on track, I decided to go with my hate.  So here, in honor of a holiday that passed two months ago and is supposed to be about giving thanks, I give you an incomplete and completely random list of things I hate.

Thanksgiving - perhaps we already went over that.

This Super Bowl - most people are rooting for the Eagles, because, well, they hate the Patriots.  I can't root for the Eagles, so I am just a hater.

The state of our country - this blog post seems appropriate, given that hate seems to be the operative word in our country right now.  Republicans hate Democrats.  Democrats hate Republicans.  People hate people.  Can't we all just get along?

Cold weather with no snow - give me snow or give me spring.  Not as meaningful or catchy as "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!"  However, I think my rallying cry is something many people can get behind.

Random side note:  So I am watching the Super Bowl and there are a bunch of commercials for the Olympics.  Are those coming up some time soon?  You'd think with the number of chances to make another $3 million, NBC wouldn't have that many commercials for their own show.

Back to the hate.

This cat sitting next to me who yowls at me almost every morning at 5:30 am.

The fact that I have to go to work tomorrow.

Animal commercials.  Seriously, just stop.

Commercials that I don't understand.

Being tired.

Being whiny.

The comment that Tony Dungy just made.

I hate that we still don't know what happened to Tupac and Biggie

I hate Pepsi.  No, Pepsi is not OK.  I want a Coke.  Preferably a Cherry Coke.

But most of all, I hate that for the 4th Olympics since I started this blog, I will be watching the Olympics at home and not getting paid to do this from Pyeongchang.  Might be time to re-think  number of my life choices.

Of course, as you all know, I LOVE the Olympics.  Team Figure Skating, the greatest addition to the Winter Olympics since Snowboard Cross, starts Thursday.  THURSDAY!  The Winter Olympics are so freaking awesome they have to start early with one of the best competitions.  Not to mention several curling matches.  All before Friday's Opening Ceremony!  So, I got that going for me.  LET GO THE HATE!  BRING ON THE LOVE!  I love the Olympics.  I love biathlon.  I love curling.  And I am not afraid to admit that I love Mikaela Shiffrin.  Yes, it is true.  I love that skiing monster who is always faster than the boys.

It is time to get off my whiny butt and get ready for the greatest sports event in the world.  Even while I am watching something other people would call the greatest sports event in the world.

So, in the next few weeks..OMG!  4 days?  Well, in the next 4 days we need to get the rules and a preview.  And we really need a DC blizzard to give me the time I need to watch the Olympics in the way I am accustomed to.