Brian Thompson Thompson has never been
on skis in his life. If anyone wants to donate lift tickets, he can
be reached at bthompson@media.ucla.edu.
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In case you have forgotten amid the sunny skies and cloudless
days, we are in the month of February.
While we are trying to make do with gorgeous, 70-plus-degree
days, much of the Northern Hemisphere is knee deep in snow with
20-below windchills. I’ve been told that the rest of the
world calls this phenomenon “winter.”
Once every four years, the world congregates to play all sorts
of winter-related games. We are in the midst of this spectacle
right now, as the 19th Olympic Winter Games are taking place in
Salt Lake City.
Sports involving ice and snow are a bit foreign to us here in
Southern California. Not many of us grew up with skates or skis on
our feet, and those of us who did were likely picked on in
school.
Not helping matters in our foray into winter sports is that NBC
is bringing us television coverage. That means hours upon hours of
heartwarming features and thought provoking commentary from Bob
Costas, who NBC dusts off every two years for Olympic coverage. In
place of actual events and games, Costas graces our television
screens with preachy remarks and smug looks.
Also hampering our enjoyment of the Winter Games is that NBC, in
its infinite wisdom, has chosen to show West Coast views the action
on a three-hour tape delay. Last time I checked, Salt Lake City was
only one time zone away from us. Yet we do not get the simple
pleasure of enjoying the Olympics live.
Well, we’ve got a few strikes against us in our attempt to
enjoy the Winter Olympics.
But even with five days gone, there is still plenty to enjoy
over the next week and a half. Here are a few events to look
for.
Skeleton (Feb. 20). There is no sport I’ve been looking
forward to more than the skeleton. Imagine running as fast as you
can and leaping headfirst onto a sled and riding on your stomach
down a twisting, icy track at breakneck speeds. Sound like
something stupid you tried when you were 8-years-old? No,
it’s actually the newest Olympic sport.
Sleds are controlled with the rider’s feet, believe it or
not. And the rider’s chin is only an inch or two away from
the ice, all while traveling at 80 miles per hour. It’s fun
to watch, and you might get to see a spill or two.
Hockey (today-Feb. 24). Sure, we get hockey the rest of the
year, but the Olympic tournament is different. There’s always
an added element when players are representing their country.
The NHL has shut down operations for two weeks to allow its
players to play in the Winter Games. Every country in the final
round will be composed of “dream teams” of each
nation’s best players. It should prove to be far more
entertaining than watching Olympic basketball, where the only thing
in doubt is if the United States will win its games by more than 30
points.
The Canadians are the favorites, but the United States, Russia,
Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland should all compete for
medals.
There are quality games every day of the tournament, but a good
one to check out will be Saturday’s United States vs. Russia
matchup. It will be a rematch of sorts of the 1980 semifinal, which
saw the United States upset a heavily favored Soviet team. Unless
you’d rather go watch UCLA vs. Arizona State on Saturday and
lament the fact that ABC’s former TGIF stars have better
seats at Pauley Pavilion than the students, check out the hockey.
You won’t be disappointed, which can’t always be said
about UCLA basketball.
Women’s figure skating (Feb. 19 and Feb. 21). Normally,
figure skating wouldn’t make our list. But it is the glamour
event of the Winter Games. And it has everything that makes a good
episode of Melrose Place: scandals, backstabbing and intrigue.
We’ve already had one juicy controversy in the pairs
event, where it seems the Cold War is still going on. Judges from
current and former communist nations, along with the French judge
(insert joke here) seemingly screwed the flawless Canadian team out
of a certain gold medal in favor of the Russian team on Tuesday.
Who knows what will happen when the women take the ice?
Plus, we have UCLA’s own Michelle Kwan to cheer on to
victory. All the more reason to watch.
Bobsled (Feb. 16-17, 19, 21-22). Admit it, you liked “Cool
Runnings.” This sport is usually dominated by machine-like
Eastern Europeans, who don’t do much to contribute to the fun
element.
But what makes the bobsled worth watching is that it seems to be
the one winter sport that warm weather nations like to give it a
go. The Jamaicans set the bar back in 1988. Now, we’ve got
Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, Greece, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago
and the Virgin Islands representing peoples of the world who have
never seen snow. In a realm that is dominated by Americans,
Canadians and Europeans, the bobsled is one of the few sports that
link the Winter Games to the rest of the world.
In addition, it’s fast, fun to watch, and always has the
chance for seeing a crash or two given the novices in the
field.
In my brief little guide here, I’ve left out some great
events such as skiing and snowboarding. Many of these events have
already been completed. If you get a chance, check out the speed
skating and short-track speed skating events. The Americans should
compete for medals in those sports.
And at all costs, please avoid curling. Making shuffleboard on
ice an Olympic sport is like making bowling an Olympic sport. Any
game you can play while having a beer isn’t a sport.
Of course for us viewers, a few beers might be the only way to
put up with Costas and NBC’s tape delayed coverage.