About this time every four years, people who usually don't give a hoot about sports gather around the TV and work themselves into a frenzy over the most random athletic competitions. That's right, it's time for the Winter Olympics: Vancouver, BC Edition!
Those of you who aren't full-time, year-round sports fans don't have to worry about feeling silly because you don't understand the rules of the game or what anyone is doing. It's the Olympics—nobody really knows these things. And this is great news for you. With just a little bit of information, you'll be able to explain the proceedings to everyone at your Olympics viewing party (don't tell me you're not planning an Olympics viewing party!). Here's the skinny on our favorite four winter sports:
Freestyle Skiing
What is it? If downhill skiing, gymnastics, and skateboarding got it on and had a baby, it might look something like freestyle skiing. Athletes show off their acrobatic skills by spinning, twirling, and doing other tricks in the air, all while skiing, of course.
Why it's cool: We're totally in awe of anyone who can do flips in the air or slide along metal walls with skis strapped to their feet. And we think it's pretty neat that the first freestyle skiing competition was held during the 1960s cultural revolution when the social codes and the status quo were being transformed in all sorts of ways.
Luge
What is it? Individuals or pairs of luge competitors take a running start before flattening their bodies on an open sled and hurtling themselves down an icy track at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour. The track used for Olympic luge competitions is made of packed snow and ice, has high banks on either side, and has a steep slope of about 5 to 6 degrees.
Why it's cool: If racing down an icy track at high speed isn't impressive enough, how about the fact that these guys can experience G-forces of up to 5G? That's as much as force as a Formula One race car! This is one of the scariest sports around, with serious crash risks.
Biathlon
What is it? As you might have guessed from the name, this sport is made up of two components: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. What? That's right, competitors follow a cross-country ski track and make stops along the way to shoot at targets. We did not make this up.
Why it's cool: If you're thinking that cross-country skiing is a boring, flat version of downhill skiing, you are sorely mistaken. It requires both upper and lower body strength. And biathlon competitors can't afford to take a peaceful trek, admiring the scenery; they're trying to make the fastest time while also blowing away the most targets. As an added bonus, before the Biathlon was a sport, it was used by Scandinavian military both for training and defense. So yeah, it's tough.
Curling
What is it? We like to think of this one as "shuffleboard on ice." Teams of curlers slide heavy round objects, called stones, down a long ice track towards a target with concentric circles, aiming for the center of the target. When one teammate is sliding stones, others use brooms to make a path by sweeping the ice in front of the moving stone.
Why it's cool: Curling is a sport for "unconventional athletes" (e.g. nerds and/or the athletically challenged). Proficiency is attained not through strenuous physical workouts, but through discipline, strategy, and a deft understanding of how to slide stuff on ice. In fact, you don't even need to be able to touch your toes.
Do you have a favorite winter Olympic sport?
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