Final day of the Vancouver Olympics

by Alexei Sotskov on March 1, 2010

Today was the final day of the 21st Olympic Games.

Ben Koons, New Zealand’s first and only male nordic skiing Olympian finally finished his Olympic race. The 50km race was one of the hardest competitions here at the Whistler Olympic park. In addition to being arguably the toughest race course on the planet, the weather made the challenge even greater. Rain, wet and very slow snow greeted the strongest field of competitors in the world as they approached the mass start. [click to continue…]

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Bill DeMong – Nordic combined Olympic Champion

by Alexei Sotskov on February 28, 2010

As a long-time coach of juniors in Nordic combined and cross country skiing, I find it exciting to see my former athletes skiing here at the Olympic Games. It brings back lots of memories and also makes you think who are the athletes that win Olympic medals.

Today was, for me, one of the happiest days of my career as a coach. One of my former skiers won a gold medal. [click to continue…]

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Olympics showcasing human potential

February 26, 2010

In the last week of the Games, the excitement of the event is still very high. For most sports, the last events are the team events, and with National pride on the line, the competition is definitely exhilarating to watch.
In skiing the success of the team is truly dependent on the performance of every athlete. [...]

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Observations at the Olympics

February 26, 2010

The Olympics are not just an athletic event. It is hard to fathom the magnitude of the whole business and how much is involved in organizing such an event.
For example, transportation. It seems that all the buses from both the U.S. and Canada are currently present in the Vancouver area. Most are decorated with Vancouver [...]

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Sport or athletic fans?

February 23, 2010

After yesterday’s trip to Vancouver, I realized the difference between sport fans and athletic fans.
As you know, the Vancouver Olympic Games are actually held in two places: Vancouver hosts the indoor sports like figure skating, hockey, curling and speed skating. Whistler sports are outdoor-oriented and include skiing, biathlon and sliding events like luge, bobsleigh and [...]

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The Olympic Athletes’ Village

February 22, 2010

Life in the Olympic athlete’s village reminds me of an ideal, albeit fictional, community. The dining hall is open 24 hours a day and serves foods prepared by famous Canadian chiefs. Acer Computers are the official sponsor of the village, so there are three computer centers with skype video and teleconferencing capabilities. There are two [...]

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New Zealander briefly leads Olympic xc ski race

February 22, 2010

Today was a tough day for the New Zealand Nordic ski team. Ben Koons had everything he needed for a successful first time Olympic race: great skis, good wax, and a perfect sunny day. The only thing he was missing was the experience necessary to compete in an Olympic competition, an event where every tactical [...]

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A visit to Whistler Village

February 20, 2010

After last night’s coaches meeting, I decided to go check out the Whistler village, about a 10-minute bus ride from the Olympic athletes’ village. This is the heart of the “Whistler half” of the 21st Olympic Games, with the other half being the “Vancouver Half.”
I was blown away with the decorations in the village, and [...]

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Daily schedule at the Olympics

February 17, 2010

The Olympic Games are now in full swing and everyone has gotten their daily schedule down to a routine. Well, at least as routine as it could be at the Olympics!
My day starts at 7 a.m. with a quick breakfast and a bus ride to the Nordic venue, which is about seven miles away from [...]

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Surprises in Cross Country Racing

February 16, 2010

The first day of cross country racing was filled with surprises. Some of these surprises were good, and some not so good. I will start from a disappointment on the New Zealand team.

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