MEET THE OLYMPIANS - Sarah Dragon
Every two years, the world comes together, putting aside conflicts and differences, to watch some of the best athletes compete. The Olympics are a unique opportunity for nations of the world to unite, and for athletes to show off their incredible talent. This year’s Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea will be no exception. As usual, Colorado will be well represented in team USA this winter. There will be twenty-one Colorado athletes participating in ten events. While watching the games this year, you may want to know a little more about the athletes and their sports.
Slalom Skiing
Slalom, a type of alpine skiing, was introduced to the Olympics in 1936. The slalom slope contains a series of 40 to 75 pairs of poles called gates. To win, the skier must be the fastest to ski through all of the gates. Giant slalom and super giant slalom are also events in the Olympics now. The difference is that the giant slalom gates are wider than the regular slalom gates, and the super giant slalom gates are wider than the giant slalom gates.
21 year old Mikaela Shiffrin is an Olympic alpine skier from Eagle-Vail, Colorado. Shiffrin began skiing at age 2. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis and soccer. She has participated in three alpine skiing world championships. Her most recent championship was in 2017 where she won gold in slalom and silver in giant slalom. Shiffrin skied at the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi where she took the gold medal in overall slalom. She will be returning to the Olympics this year. You can watch Mikaela and her fellow slalom skiers during the women's giant slalom event on February 12 at 4:30pm and the women’s slalom event on February 14 at 5:00pm.
Ice Hockey
Hockey is one of the oldest sports played and is popular around the world today. Now, you can enjoy watching men’s and women’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics. Men play a tournament of ten teams, and women play a tournament of eight teams. Each game consists of three 20 minute periods. Teams can have up to six players on the ice at once. The players that are usually on the ice include two offensive players called wings, one center to play both offence and defence, two defenders, and a goalkeeper.
Team USA is sending a men’s team and a women’s team this year. Playing for the men’s team is Troy Terry from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Terry attends Denver University where he plays for the Pioneers hockey team. In 2017 he scored the goal winning gold for his team at the World Junior Championship. Terry was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2015. At age 20, his future is promising.
The USA’s men’s hockey team will be playing preliminary rounds on February 14 , 16, and 17, all at 2:30pm. You should also check out the final rounds in the following days.