The Olympics have started again and for the past weekend I have been glued to my television. The U.S. and its elite athletes are once again competing for medals and honor. This is a truly special event that only comes along every four years and cements athletes’ place in history. Due to numerous complications these athletes are struggling to compete.
There have been many storylines for these Winter Olympics, but the biggest one has to be the lack of snow. That’s right; there hasn’t been enough snow at the WINTER OLYMPICS!
How does this happen? Some chalk it up to El Niño, but the truth is it’s jinxed. You heard it here first, the Olympics are jinxed.
No Snow, No Go
Yes, the lack of snow has caused a ton of problems for an event where snow is one of the key factors. Have you ever tried skiing down a grassy mountain? It’s not easy. In fact, it’s a near impossibility.
That’s why the International Olympic Committee has been scrambling to create a pseudo-environment for the athletes to compete on. When you turn on your TV and see people skiing down a mountain of fresh powder, it’s all a lie. Yes, it is real snow, but it has been flown in from surrounding areas to give the competitors a playable surface (they could get quite a bit from WT’s parking lots). In order to make the snow last in temperatures comparable to our own in Amarillo, the committee has routed a series of tubes below the surface. These tubes are filled with dry ice to try to keep it from melting each day. It’s a little ridiculous when you think of the magnitude of these events.
The Need for Less Speed
Of course everyone knows the tragedy that happened on the first day of trials on the luge course. I don’t want to go into this too much, more than saying it was a very sad way to start an otherwise fun and uplifting event. But it brought on a huge change in the makeup of the competition. The IOC cut the course down to have the men start from where the women normally would, and the women start even lower. This move was made to decrease the speeds that these sleds could get up to. This will help stop any further tragedy, but it has taken all of the skill and interest out of the sport.
The lugers are still reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour, but the decrease in course has made it difficult to make up for any slow starts.
To add to this, the icy course is melting as the sun beats down on it. This means that slush builds up and slows down the competitors
who go later in the day. This creates an unfair race and a less exciting one to watch. But more importantly, it has created an environment where the best athletes in this sport, who train for years, can’t show off their abilities.
Their hard work isn’t illustrated in this event anymore, and that is very unfortunate.
Zamboni Troubles?
That’s right, even the machinery at these games has gone haywire. The Zamboni, besides having the coolest name ever, is used to clear the ice after events to create a new surface. It seems that these have stopped working correctly and are leaving the ice unfit for competition. This has caused some speed skaters to think twice before competing.
I know I would; I’m afraid to skate on the ice after a Gorillas game, let alone go 20-40 MPH over bumpy ice. This is depressing;
these Olympic games have been planned for years, and they can’t get the Zamboni to function. It’s just another unfortunate way that these athletes, who have trained their entire lives, are unable to showcase their talent.
Mother Nature and human error have created quite a show at these Vancouver Games, but the athletes are still the stars. If you haven’t checked any of the events out yet, I strongly recommend that you do so. The presentation of the Olympics is amazing.
You get to see the stories behind each American competitor, and unlike other sports where we all have separate rooting interests, everyone is rooting for their country’s representative. It truly is one of the greatest events to watch. These athletes are the best of the best, with the weight of their country on their shoulders. To watch them perform is truly impressive. So watch it nightly, and root on the U.S.A.