2018 Olympic
Preview
The Local Athletes
heading to
the Winter Games
E
very four years, the Olympics brings up a lot of emotions. En-
tire nations cheer on athletes and team from around the globe.
Sometimes the joy and pride can be diminished by cheating,
corruption, scandal, over commercialism of the games and the list goes
on. What keeps us coming back for more Olympics is the pure love of real
competition between the countries of the world. For three weeks, there
is a feeling of “we are all in this together”, that the world’s problems and
conflicts are put on hold for athletic competition that breaks down walls
and misconceptions about each other. If you look at the bigger picture, yes,
the Olympics is a major positive force for good in the world, but there is
always a flip side to the coin.
You could say the Olympics have also become a little “cheesy”. If you
watch Canadian coverage of the Olympics, they cover the sports like they
should be. American television often turns everything into a soap opera
so the average watcher can understand an obscure sport like bobsledding,
speed skating or curling. Although the cinderella stories can be over-
played, the often help us connect with the trials and tribulations of these
elite athletes.
For me, the Olympics are special when I personally know someone
competing and that’s what I hope for in Pyeongchang. As for the future,
I witness the youth of Bend scrape and fight for their dreams of one day
making it. For many in Bend, this is a reality and it’s a dream worth going
for.
Bend is filled with current and former Olympians who have given us a
strong legacy to be proud of. For Laurnne Ross, this will be her second
Olympics. In Sochi she placed 11th in downhill. This is also Tommy Ford’s
second Olympics, his first being in 2010 in Vancouver. In 2014 he was
still recovering from a knee injury suffered while free-skiing in France.
This is Kent Callister’s second Olympics and in Sochi he had a great day
placing 9th in Russia. Ben Ferguson is the newbie of the group. It will
be Ben’s first Olympic Games. Ben has competed in many World Cup, X-
Games and US Open’s so he is no stranger to international competition.
The Olympics has so many positives and uplifting ideals, so I decided to
ask Bend locals how they felt about the upcoming games. I asked a mix of
ages and backgrounds to get a broad opinion about how people are feeling
about the state of the current Olympic Games.
Below are the opinions about the upcoming Olympic Games in Py-
eongchang, South Korea February 9th-25 on NBC TV.