2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: A closer look

By: Lindsey Probst

Posted: 2/1/10

After making a splash in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps and his teammates have to take a seat on the sidelines, and let the snow-loving athletes claim their fame. Feb.12 marks the start of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, going until Feb. 28.

Chamonix, France was home to the very first Olympic Winter Games in 1924, with 16 nations, and 258 athletes. Now, the Winter Games will bring around 2,500 athletes to Vancouver.

In 2006, the U.S.A took home 25 total medals from Torino, Italy, nine gold, nine silver and seven bronze. Germany came out the winner of the last Olympic Winter Games with 29 total medals followed by the United States, then Canada with 24.

The Winter Olympics host 15 different events, with 86 individual medal events.
Figure skating, Skiing, Bobsled, and Snowboarding are all iconic events that take place in The Games, but many are lesser known.

The Biathlon is one such sport. This rather odd event combines skiing with rifle shooting. Athletes start on a free-style cross-country course and finally arrive in front of a target range. Ski poles must then be dropped and rifles picked up. 5o meters away, sits a target with five plates. All plates must be hit otherwise athletes are penalized with the addition of minutes or distance to their first race.

Other obscure events include Curling, where players franticly sweep the area in front of a specialized "rock", in attempt to make it stop in the middle of a large circle. Skeleton, Luge and Ski Jumping, are also hidden jewels to look for.

Almost every athlete who gets a taste of victory fanaticizes about competing at the big time. The Olympic stage is a chance at fame, glory, and adding a few precious medals to hang on the mantelpiece.

Many athletes who are competing in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, have already established themselves as outstanding competitors. Those who have watched a few competitions easily recognize names such as Apollo Anton Ohno (Speed Skating), Shaun White (Snowboarding), Lindsey Vonn (Skiing), and Sasha Cohen (Figure Skating).

However, there are a few names to look for this year, while watching the Games unfold. After finishing eleventh in the Worlds, 22-year-old U.S. figure skater, Alissa Czisny is an artful skater that shows great potential to wear a medal. In the men's figure skating competition, look for U.S. athletes Jeremy Abbott and Johnny Weir.

Dominating Men's Cross-Country Skiing is Norwegian, Ola Vigen Hattestad. Also, Finland's Anssi Koivuranta has been a consistent winner, and claimed the 2008-2009 World Cup.

If Norway and Finland seem a little too far away to relate to, check out a more local Olympian. Not only is she from the United States, but Short Track Speed Skater, Katherine Reutter hails from Champaign, IL.

Reutter is a three-time national champion, finished fourth in the World Championships twice, and placed sixth in two events in the World Cup.

While in Vancouver (her Olympic debut), Reutter will compete in four events, including the 500-meter, 1,000-meter, 1,500-meter and the 3,000-meter relay. Her events are scheduled for Feb. 13 at 7:45 p.m. and Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.

She recently appeared on the Colbert Report; a political satire show hosted by Stephen Colbert, who is also sponsoring the Olympic Games.

Look for her and other Olympians to give a chilling performance at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games starting Feb. 12.