During my usual Opening Ceremony party, many friends remarked on how horrible the hotels were and that they were sure this Olympics would be a train wreck. However, I predicted that nothing would really go wrong because Russia is in a position where they need to prove themselves to the world as a leading country that is ready to host and be recognized by the global community. Plus, Russia is not a place where you fail. (Insert racist joke about Russians stuck in prison for looking at Putin wrong.)
I feel like Sochi 2014 did just that. There were ups and downs along the way, but overall there was a positive showing that Russia is the country that deserved to host the Games.
First, the lows:
During the Opening Ceremony, there was a tiny snafu--the five Olympic rings were supposed to open in a majestic way, but one of the rings didn't quite get the memo:
It's ok though cause Russia had a good sense of humor about it. During the Closing Ceremony, they made a similar gesture, this time with dancers, and they made this move deliberately:
Well played, Russia.
As a result, times were slower, falls were more frequent, and for those who are used to ideal conditions, their Olympics proved disastrous. Take speed skating: the US makes a pretty good dent in medal counts in the speed skating arena for both long and short track. This year we walked away with one medal for the men's short track 5000 meter team relay. We couldn't even medal individually.
The Dutch however pretty much took all the speedskating medals back to the Netherlands, sweeping in almost every event, men and women. The US apparently had these new track suits that were cutting edge and supposed to make the skaters faster, more aerodynamic. However, many of the skaters blamed their poor times on the suits and by the end of the Games, they were wearing their old suits from the World Cup. They still lost.
I think the problem for us was preparation. The Dutch team went to Russia early and got a good feel for the ice and became acclimated to skating at sea level. The US didn't prepare as well. Add to the fact that most of our team trains in Utah, where the elevation is higher and the climate is dryer. The weather greatly affects the conditions of the ice and because the American team is used to perfection, we couldn't handle Russia's rougher ice.
The same holds true for the outdoor skiing events. Men's halfpipe was the worst since it's induction into the Games. There's always been an American to medal and, in many cases, sweep the men's snowboarding halfpipe--we didn't even make the podium this year. The main problem was, you guessed it, the snow.
Now, I'm usually not one to make excuses, but if you watched them on the halfpipe, you could tell that they were dealing with rough snow. Because of the warm conditions, officials were constantly treating the snow with salt, dry ice, even nitro glycerin, to keep the snow from melting. You could see the men bouncing around on the pipe, even without the slow motion. The women faired much better, as they are lighter and didn't cut into the snow as bad.
Now for the highs,
While the snow conditions weren't the most idealic, in other events, the US represented with pride. Here are my top three favorites of the Games.
3. Mikaela Shiffrin
She became the youngest skiing female athlete to win a gold in the giant slalom. Sure, Lindsey Vonn wasn't there to represent, but we've got an Olympic legend in the making here. Plus, she's handling all the attention in good stride, with surprise and humility and she's not trying to act older than she is with feinted maturity.
Pretty badass, eh?
2. Charlie White
He and partner Meryl Davis skated their way to gold in Sochi after fighting their way out of a silver medal back in Vancouver. They have the same coach as their number one competitors, Canadian team Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Virtue and Moir won gold last Olympics, so it only seemed fitting that they switch places with Davis and White.
Charlie White is the cutest. He seems like he'd be a blast to be around and has a charming, disarming personality. Plus, he and Meryl Davis are super talented:
And I mean, look at him!
I have this one as my lock screen on my phone:
OK, I'll stop gushing. And my Number One Favorite Part of #SochiOlympics2014 is....
1. Johnny Weir
He is fabulous in every way, shape, and form, rival to the great Liberace. He and Tara Lipinski commentated the figure skating and ice dancing events for NBC Sports Network and did a great job. They became huge hit with social media--you can follow them on Instagram, and I HIGHLY recommend that you do--and the internet loved them.
Plus, they were really good and refreshing and youthful. Scott Hamilton's usual over-critical comments and talking through the entire performance was something of which I think we were all tired. In come Johnny and Tara and they lit up the room with great feedback of what was going on and what needed pointing out to the audience at home.
There was a point where Johnny said "If the audience at home sees something that doesn't look quite right, or is a little off, it's probably because it is." I loved that because, as an avid Olympic watcher, I may not be an expert, but I'm not ignorant. Tara and Johnny didn't treat the audience like a bunch of dummies like the usual commentators do.
Specifically though, Johnny and Tara brought style to the Olympics. They often coordinated outfits and posted them on Twitter and Instagram for their fans. They had great banter back and forth and turned what could be something that has the potential of being really dull into truly entertaining spectating. There's a pretty good article that highlights their best moments during the Games.
