Your Olympic Source

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 7/12/16

rosiedowney — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 04:54:59 +0000

NEWS:

Not up to par:

Golf’s return to the modern Olympics after a 112-year break might be end up being a lackluster affair. Thus far, 21 of the world’s top male golfers have opted not to compete in Rio including recent stars Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and Rory Mcllroy. The Brit even went as far as to say he might not watch the competition on TV because it doesn’t matter like track and field and swimming.

It’s an embarrassment to the group that pitched the IOC on the sport’s return to the Olympics in 2009. A disappointment to the sports (baseball, softball, karate, squash and roller sports) that did not win their bids for inclusion that same year. And a blight for the community surrounding the new course “Riserva,” for it was built on a nature reserve in a country with a low appetite for country club sports.

Disney star:

Bidding for the 2024 Summer Olympics is well underway with Rome, Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest all making the shortlist. The official IOC vote will take place in Lima, Peru, in 14-months time (Sept. 13, 2017) with Paris and Los Angeles as the current favorites.

I continue to be impressed with LA2024’s overall bid. Their classic art-deco logo (pictured below), their tagline “Follow the sun,” their interest in a sustainable Olympic Games using the new public transportation options (purple line extension) available in the area, their sponsorship of recent U.S. Olympic trials events, plans to house athletes and media at UCLA and USC instead of building an unnecessary, costly Olympic village and media center, and their innovative and smart athletes’ advisory committee with Janet Evans, Carl Lewis and Landon Donovan all lending a hand.

Today Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger added his own star power to an already impressive list of contributors when he was named Vice Chair of the bid’s board of directors. Let’s hope his appointment speaks to the potential success of this bid and not the failure that was his NFL stadium proposal in Carson, California.

That’s gymtastic!:

The U.S. Olympic Trials for women’s gymnastics wrapped up on Sunday evening with actual favorite Simone Biles, fan favorite Laurie Hernandez, “the comeback kid” Gabby Douglas, team Mom Aly Raisman and bars specialist Madison Kocian taking the five allotted spots.

2012 All-Around gold medalist Gabby Douglas making her second consecutive Olympic team was the biggest surprise of the otherwise uneventful meet. In the four-years since London, Douglas semi-retired, broke her knee, switched coaches (more than once), filmed a reality show, published a book and showed up at the Trials in San Jose looking uncharacteristically tense. Two falls on balance beam didn’t help her chances either but it’s obvious that National Team Coordinator Marta Karolyi is willing to cut her some slack. Here’s to hoping she can return to her 2012 form in the next 3-weeks!

Note: Hernandez is the first Latina to represent Team USA in gymnastics at an Olympic Games.

Back on that track:

A list of the entire 2016 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team can be viewed here.

Teenagers were the surprise winners at Hayward Field over the past 10-days but my favorite moment at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials happened to a man who could be their father.

Bernard Lagat, a Kenyan native who became an American citizen in 2008, made his fifth straight Olympic team by winning the men’s 5,000 M in Eugene, Oregon. Did I mention that he’s 41(!?) and will become the oldest American to ever compete in a running event at an Olympic Games when he takes to the track in Rio next month? Age ain’t nothing but a number, baby!

Cheers, tears and jeers

rosiedowney — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 04:40:08 +0000

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 6/26/16

NEWS:

A bunch of dopes:

Just when you think the Olympic doping scandal can’t possibly get any worse…

The lab set to administer testing during the Rio Olympics has been suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). According to the New York Times, the lab was previously suspended in 2013 leading up to Brazil hosting the World Cup. After spending $200-million, a sum of money Brazil really can’t afford to waste, on training technicians and facilities, the lab only received re-certification from WADA last year.

That’s sad:

Earlier this week Brazilian Olympic officials had to deliver the bad news that a jaguar named “Juma” had been shot dead after participating in an Olympic torch event. Apparently, the big cat attempted to get free while being re-caged post ceremony, and was killed by a soldier per government policy.

Clean freaks:

In a genius PR move, Philadelphia-based Boathouse Sports has turned lemons into lemonade by outfitting the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team in antimicrobial suits to protect them from Rio’s dirty waterways. According to reports, the suits act like such a second skin that they have a built-in liner that doesn’t necessitate any underwear on the athletes’ part. People, this is what it has come to!

Trials and tribulations:

-The 2016 U.S. Olympic Team gained dozens of new members this weekend in diving, gymnastics, basketball and swimming. Details are below:

Diving:

1) David Boudia of West Lafayette, Indiana

2) Steele Johnson of Carmel, Indiana

3) Amy Cozad of Indianapolis

4) Jessica Parratto of Bloomington, Indiana

5) Katrina Young of Seattle

6) Sam Dorman of Tempe, Arizona

7) Michael Hixon of Amherst, Massachusetts

8) Kristian Ipsen of Clayton, California

9) Kassidy Cook of The Woodlands, Texas

10) Abby Johnston of Upper Arlington, Ohio

*No, there’s no Hoosiers’ conspiracy here. The USA Diving National Training Center is in Indianapolis, so a lot of divers grow up in the area or relocate to Hoosier territory for training purposes.

-American diving legend Troy Dumais had the most emotional moment of the weekend, while preparing for retirement. Dumais, who didn’t make what would have been his fifth Olympic team, received a standing ovation and broke down in tears prior to the final dive of his career. The 36-year-old said that the memories of the friends and family he’s collected in the sport, and not his 2012 bronze medal, are what he’ll replay most in his mind.

Gymnastics:

-Last night the U.S. Men’s Olympic Gymnastics Team was selected in St. Louis. Previously, I incorrectly reported that the men’s trials were taking place the same weekend as the women’s trials but in a different city. They actually took place this weekend, so that the men can have two extra weeks of rest before the Rio Games begin. I’m not sure why only the men need extra rest but that is the schedule set forth by USA Gymnastics.

1) Chris Brooks of Houston

2) Jake Dalton of Sparks, Nevada

3) Sam Mikulak of Newport Beach, California

4) Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Arizona

5) John Orozco of The Bronx, New York

-John Orozco (pictured below, far right) definitely had the hardest “Road to Rio” of all the men in the competition. In the past one-and-a-half years he lost his beloved mother and battled back from a torn Achilles heel.

Basketball:

-The U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team was finalized this morning after receiving last minute commitments from a few players, and it features some familiar faces from the 2016 NBA Finals.

1) Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers

2) Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors

3) Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors

4) Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors

5) Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder

6) DeAndre Jordan of the L.A. Clippers

7) DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings

8) Paul George of the Indiana Pacers

9) Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls

10) Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks

11) Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors

12) DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors

*The team’s first game is Sat. Aug. 6 versus China.

Swimming:

1) Chase Kalisz of Bel Air, Maryland

2) Jay Litherland of Alpharetta, Georgia

3) Conor Dwyer of Winnetka, Illinois

4) Connor Jaeger of Fair Haven, New Jersey

5) Elizabeth Beisel of Saunderstown, Rhode Island

6) Maya Dirado of San Francisco

-The first event of the Trials really brought the excitement as Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland shut out reigning Olympic Champion Ryan Lochte in the 400IM. Litherland is one of three in a set of triplets that all swim for the University of Georgia. His two brothers, Mick and Kevin, are also competing at the Trials.

Post race Lochte’s coach Dave Marsh said he was hindered by a pulled groin muscle, an injury obtained during his prelims swim.

This day in Olympic history:

1911: Babe Didrikson, one of the greatest female athletes of all-time was born in Port Arthur, Texas. She won three medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics including golds in both the 80m hurdles and the Javelin.

In addition to her numerous track accomplishments, she was a great golfer, basketball player and even excelled at the highest level in hobbies like sewing (country fair seamstress champion) and music (recorded albums for Mercury Records).

Your Olympic Source 6/20/16

rosiedowney — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 05:48:08 +0000

NEWS:

Meet me at the beach:

Last week Comcast Corp. announced NBC’s “all-in” #RioOlympics broadcasting plans. While primetime coverage stalwart Bob Costas will take his usual seat in the International Broadcast Center, other anchors will report live from a combined indoor/outdoor set on famed Copacabana Beach. Warning: one of these anchors is Ryan Seacrest, who is hosting late night coverage. Any other Fanilows out there? Maybe Barry Manilow will give Brazil a closing night concert parting gift featuring the moves of the electric duo known as Mary Carillo and Cris Collinsworth.

For the first time ever NBC also plans to offer every Olympic event live, either on television or online. I appreciate the commitment but this is going to be real problem for Olympics junkies like myself. In addition, subscribers to the network’s parent company Comcast will receive an extra individualized Olympic experience via the X1 technology embedded in their voice activated remotes and cable boxes. Your new best friend will alert you when an #American is close to winning a gold medal and will allow you to search through the listings by categories like country or athlete name.

Banned together:

On Friday the International Association of Athletics Federations voted to uphold the ban on the Russian track and field team thus preventing them from competing in Rio. The International Olympic Committee has gone on the record supporting the ban, and members will meet tomorrow in Switzerland to discuss other countries recently disciplined for doping violations including Mexico and Kenya.

The only Russian track athletes with a hope of competing in Rio are those that train outside of Mother Russia. Their individual appeals will be considered if they can prove a history of rigorous testing and if they are willing to compete for a neutral country.

Backup plan:

Spanish basketball player Pau Gasol and British long jumper Greg Rutherford are just two male athletes that have expressed interest in freezing sperm ahead of the Olympics. Doing so would allow them to both compete in Rio and father children in the future without fear of Zika related birth defects. Two-time Olympic silver medalist Gasol hasn’t yet decided if he will play for the Spanish National Team in Rio.

Here are the 2016 Rio Olympic medals. Honoring Ancient Greece as the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the medals feature images of the Acropolis and Greek god Nike. How much do you think the Beaverton, Oregon based sports retailer paid for that ultimate product placement?

(This is usually where I’d insert some type of winking emoji but alas, this newsletter program does not yet offer graphical representations of my emotions).

THIS DAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY:
1962: American runner Kirk Baptiste was born in Texas. He won silver in the 200m at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

1974: Swimmer Attila Czene was born in Hungary. He won the 200m medley at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

2002: Dutch runner Tinus Osendarp passed away at age 86. He won two bronze medals (100m and 200m) at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

OLYMPIC TRIALS:

*This is just a reminder that Olympic trials in the “Big 4” sports have begun or will begin in the next 10-days. I’ve re-posted the schedule for your information.

Diving:

When: June 18-26
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1Okjpbo

Gymnastics:

When: June 24/26 (men) and July 8/10 (women)
Where: St. Louis, Missouri (men) and San Jose, California (women)
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1UMnP7t

Swimming:

When: June 26-July 3
Where: Omaha, Nebraska
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1UdbTOT

Track & Field:

When: July 1-10
Where: TrackTown USA (Eugene, Oregon)
Link to TV schedule: http://go.teamusa.org/1rz0PSd

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 6/12/16

rosiedowney — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 02:32:29 +0000

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 6/12/16

NEWS:

Dropout:

Earlier this week NBC’s Savannah Guthrie announced live on TV that she will not be traveling to Rio for the Olympics because she is pregnant with her second child and her doctor advised against it citing Zika virus concerns. Co-host of “The Today Show,” Guthrie, 44, is the most high-profile journalist to drop out of covering the Olympics thus far.

American Dream?:

The U.S. men’s basketball team got a whole lot less dreamier recently when NBA heavyweights including Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook decided not to participate in the Rio Olympics. The men’s team has already qualified for the Olympics, and will need the help of committed players like Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins in the team’s first-round game against China on Aug. 6.

Missing Out:

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has been banned from the sport for two-years by the International Tennis Federation for her use of Meldonium and will miss the Rio Olympics. Sharapova, 29, was allegedly using the heart drug to increase blood flow and oxygen to her muscles. The drug has only been banned since January, so she will not be forced to return her 2012 silver medal.

OLYMPIC TRIALS:

The “Road to Rio” comes to a close for thousands of athletes in the next few weeks as they compete in the Olympic Trials for their respective sports. Details on Trials for the “Big Four” sports is included below. Most Trials will air in the U.S. on both NBC and the NBC Sports Network.

Diving:

When: June 18-26
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1Okjpbo

Gymnastics:

When: June 24/26 (men) and July 8/10 (women)
Where: St. Louis, Missouri (men) and San Jose, California (women)
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1UMnP7t

Swimming:

When: June 26-July 3
Where: Omaha, Nebraska
Link to TV schedule: http://bit.ly/1UdbTOT

Track & Field:

When: July 1-10
Where: TrackTown USA (Eugene, Oregon)
Link to TV schedule: http://go.teamusa.org/1rz0PSd

IN MEMORIAM:

The sports world lost another all-time great with the passing of hockey player Gordie Howe on June 10 at age 88. Howe, known to hockey fans as “Mr. Hockey,” played in the NHL for 26-years and won four Stanley Cups in the 1950s with the Detroit Red Wings. Howe ran with the Olympic torch in 1984, 2002 and 2010.

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 6/5/16

rosiedowney — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 02:28:25 +0000

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 6/5/16

NEWS:

We’re officially 60-days out from the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and trouble continues to brew on multiple fronts.

Venues:

As of yesterday, all venues except for the velodrome (indoor cycling) are complete. The Rio Olympic Organizing Committee confirmed that all venues will be available for athlete training beginning on July 24.

The Rio Olympic Organizing Committee did a poor job following through with the promised cleanup of the sailing/wind surfing venue. Apparently, the polluted water in Guanabara Bay has only been 50-60% treated and that may be the best it will get.

Politics:

In case you haven’t heard Dilma Rousseff, the current president of Brazil, has been suspended for alleged budget fraud. She will retain her title for now but VP Michel Temer will act as interim president for the next 6-months. I believe it is unprecedented for the current head of state to essentially be removed from office less than 100-days before the start of an Olympic Games.

Zika:

The World Health Organization has made it clear that moving and/or postponing the Rio Olympics due to fear of a Zika virus outbreak is not an option at this point, despite receiving an open letter on May 27 from 100 doctors and health experts urging them to do just that.

Doping:

The International Olympic Committee has been busy retesting blood/urine samples from the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics using new knowledge and technology. Thus far, more than 30 athletes from 12 countries have had their “A” samples test positive for banned substances. If their “B” samples also test positive, they will be banned from competing in Rio and stripped of any previously won medals. This story will continue to be hot as bans are doled out and medals are stripped away. Silver lining: this scandal will also anoint new medal winners who will finally receive their time in the spotlight.

Currently, the entire Russian track and field team is banned from competing in Rio. The ban dates back to Nov. 2015 when Grigory Rodchenkov claimed in The New York Times that he was in charge of Russia’s state sponsored doping program, which included cocktails containing both steroids and alcohol and switching out tainted samples with clean ones through a hole cut in the wall of a supposed secure testing facility. The team is appealing their ban and will present their arguments to the International Association of Athletic Federations on June 17.

TODAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY:

1945: American runner John Carlos was born in Harlem, New York. He won bronze in the 200m at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He and American gold medalist Tommie Smith staged a legendary protest while accepting their medals.

1973: Belgian judoka Gella Vandecaveye was born in Kortrijk. She won silver in Atlanta 1996 and bronze in Sydney 2000.

1985: American figure skater Jeremy Abbott was born in Aspen, Colorado. He won bronze with Team USA at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

1992: Australian swimmer Emily Seebohm was born in Adelaide. She won a single gold in Beijing in 2008 and two silvers and a gold in London 2012.

1995: British paralympic table tennis player Ross Wilson was born in Kent, England. He won bronze in London 2012.

1998: Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya was born in Yekaterinburg. She won gold with Team Russian in Sochi 2014.

IN MEMORIAM:

On Friday June 3, boxer Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74. As pictured above: He won Light heavyweight gold at the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics, then known by his birth name Cassius Clay, thus beginning his ascent to stardom. Goodnight champ.

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 2/7/14

rosiedowney — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 22:06:37 +0000

YourOlympicSource.com

2/7/14

Reminder: Check us out on Twitter at:www.twitter.com/olympicsource

*Twitter is aggregating all Olympic tweets on this page:twitter.com/hashtag/olympics

NEWS:

-I have to hand it NBC because their first night coverage was very good. It included a nice mix of new events with decent commentary and a solid political discussion between Bob Costas and two Russian experts (journalists David Remnick and Vladimir Posner). They’ll be back throughout the Games to school Costas (and the viewing public) on issues of Russian culture, politics and potential protests.

-Yesterday Sochi might have seen its first protest. Russian snowboarder Alexey Sobolev posed for photos with his board after his qualifying run, the bottom of his board featured a graphic made popular by the Russian performance art group Pussy Riot. The group has a history of publicly mocking and taunting President Putin and has recently been making the rounds on the American talk shows.

Snowboarder Sobolev said he had no comment at this time and that he didn’t design the board himself. It’s obvious though, that he wasn’t hiding from the idea.

WHAT’S ON TV?:

1) Tomorrow (Saturday Feb. 8):

Highlights:

-8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET LIVE on NBC Sports Network

Figure Skating Team Event (Ladies Short Program/Pairs Free Skate)

-2:30 pm on NBC

Biathlon (Men’s 10km Sprint)

Cross Country (Women’s Skiathlon)

Ski Jumping (Men’s Normal Hill)

Speed Skating (Men’s 5000m)

-8 p.m. on NBC

Figure Skating Team Event

Women’s Moguls

Men’s Slopestyle Snowboarding

2) Sunday Feb. 9:

Highlights:

-7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET LIVE on NBC Sports Network

Figure Skating Team Event (Men’s Free Skate/Ladies Free Skate/Free Dance)

-2 p.m. on NBC

Biathlon (Women’s 7.5km Sprint)

Cross Country (Men’s Skiathlon)

Luge (Men’s Singles)

Speed Skating (Women’s 3000m)

-7 p.m. on NBC

Alpine Skiing (Men’s Downhill)

Figure Skating Team Event

Ski Jumping (Men’s Normal Hill)

Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding

*The full TV schedule can be found here and here.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

Personally, I’m on a “no-spoiler” plan for Sochi but if you’d like to check out highlights from tonight’s Opening Ceremony click here.

*Sochi is nine hours ahead of the East Coast, so keep that in mind when watching LIVE online and TV versus watching NBC’s primetime coverage.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Today, it’s a tie between:

1) This comment from Bob Costas explaining his thick glasses during last night’s coverage.

“I woke up with my left eye swollen shut and just about as red as the old Soviet flag.”

2) This quip made by one of the NBC commentators last night during the Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding qualifying event. It’s in reference to a snowboarder who face planted.

“She just takes the full impact, up-close and personal with Mother Russia.”

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Television channel Universal Sports had this interesting tweet. If one of these athletes is successful in their quest, I assume their name will one day be featured in a Jeopardy question.

Universal Sports @universalsports

Nobody with the last name “Gold” has won Olympic gold. Will @GraceEGold @arielletgold @Taylor_Gold change that? pic.twitter.com/Prez9DU2H8

THIS DAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY:

-1908, American swimmer Buster Crabbe was born in Oakland, Calif. He won the 400m Freestyle at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

-1927, Soviet runner Vladimir Kuts was born in Ukraine. He won the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

-1964, American swimmer Cynthia Woodhead was born in Riverside, Calif. She won silver in the 200m Freestyle at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

-1966, German Swimmer Kristin Otto was born in Leipzig. She won an incredible six gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

-1968, Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury was born in Calgary. He won the 100m Backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

-1971, American golfer Douglass Cadwallader passed away. He won a bronze medal at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.

-1984, American decathlete Trey Hardee was born in Birmingham, Ala. He won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

TODAY’S OLYMPIC FACTOID:

Athletes competing in Luge events at the Winter Olympics typically travel 85 mph.

TODAY’S OLYMPIC TRIVIA QUESTION:

Name the greatest Winter Olympian of all-time. Hint, he has eight gold medals. (Answer: In tomorrow’s newsletter)

Yesterday’s trivia question: What year did snowboarding make its Olympic debut?

Answer: 1998 in Nagano, Japan.

OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN:

Days until the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics = 910

Days until the PyeongChang Winter Olympics = 1,531

*If you know anyone who would like to be added to the newsletter list please email me at:rosiedowney@gmail.com

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 2/6/14

rosiedowney — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 18:14:45 +0000

YourOlympicSource.com

2/6/14

Reminder: Check us out on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/olympicsource

*Twitter is aggregating all Olympic tweets on this page: twitter.com/hashtag/olympics

NEWS:

Yesterday, all of the major news outlets were reporting back on the shoddy hotel conditions for journalists and spectators in Sochi. A majority of the hotel rooms are missing items (shower curtains, light fixtures, pillows), while unlucky souls have returned back to their rooms to find them unlocked with the door wide open with others going to their rooms for the first time to find them inhabited by napping construction workers or feral dogs.

It’s not just the rooms either, others have tweeted photos of manholes in the middle of city streets that don’t have covers, of seeing workers spray painting dead grass the color green in front of venues and witnessing even more feral dogs causing havoc on the mountain courses during ski practices.

I don’t need to tell you that this is a PR nightmare for Sochi and the IOC. This is the most expensive Olympic Games to date and attendees should have been able to expect basic amenities (clean, running water; working locks; heat) for the amount of money that they are shelling out for these hotel rooms. And yes, the news organizations that employ these unhappy journalists have to pay for these rooms. They are not provided gratis by the host country.

About those feral dogs, sadly, Sochi’s solution thus far has been to euthanize hundreds or possibly thousands of them. Organizers promised locals that shelters would be built and maintained to house the stray dogs for the duration of the Games but thus far that promise has not been kept.

In the end, I guess we should all be thankful that we are watching comfortably from our homes.

WHAT’S ON TV?:

1) Tomorrow (Friday Feb. 7): It’s time for the big show! NBC will air the Opening Ceremony and all its pageantry starting at 7:30 p.m. Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer will be doing the play-by-play with someone named David Remnick doing the color commentary. I for one am hoping to see a performance by the master himself Mikhail Baryshnikov or maybe a traditional Cossack dance, a selection of Stravinsky’s greatest works and LOTS of fireworks. Who will light the Olympic cauldron? Guesses?

*The full TV schedule can be found here and here.

*Pending digital disasters, executives at NBC say they will air every moment of every athletic event (i.e. the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony are the only pieces not included in this mandate) on their website. In addition, if you have a cable subscription you can watch everything LIVE on the internet. NBC also has an app that will let you watch a few minutes per day LIVE without a cable subscription.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

You’ll avoid after-school detention with help from this video. It’s aptly titled “Science of Winter Sports: Physics of figure skating” and it gives viewers a basic background on what goes into those death defying spins and jumps.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“To the business of feeding the cultural soul of Russia.”-Mary Carillo discussing the process of making Russian nesting dolls on NBC’s “Winter Gold” television special.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Smithsonian Magazine reminds us of a charming Olympic tradition that has since gone the way of the Dodo bird. Do you think an artist like Banksy could win an Olympic medal if this category still existed?

Smithsonian Magazine @SmithsonianMag

Once upon a time, the #Olympics gave out medals for art http://ow.ly/thHk9

THIS DAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY:

-1976, Swiss snowboarder Tanja Friden was born in Bern. She won the Snowboard Cross event at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

-1976, American gymnast Kim Zmeskal was born in Houston. She won bronze with Team USA at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

-1982, American gymnast Elise Ray was born in Florida. She won bronze with Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

-1985, Japanese speed skater Joji Kato was born in Yamagata. He won 500m bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

-1985, Chinese swimmer Yang Yu was born in Hangzhou. She won silver in 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing)

-2007, American athlete Willye White passed away. He won silver in both 1956 (Long Jump) and 1964 (4x100m).

TODAY’S OLYMPIC FACTOID:

Allegedly, Russia spent $51 billion on the Sochi Olympic Games. In comparison, the 1980 Moscow Olympics (the only other time Russia has hosted) cost approximately 2 billion rubles.

TODAY’S OLYMPIC TRIVIA QUESTION:

What year did snowboarding make its Olympic debut? (Answer: In tomorrow’s newsletter)

Yesterday’s trivia question: Name the first Winter Olympics to feature female competitors?

Answer: Chamonix, France 1924. The first Winter Olympics.

OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN:

Days until the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics = 911

Days until the PyeongChang Winter Olympics = 1,532

*If you know anyone who would like to be added to the newsletter list please email me at: rosiedowney@gmail.com

Your Olympic Source Newsletter 2/5/14

rosiedowney — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 16:39:09 +0000

YourOlympicSource.com

2/5/14

Reminder: Check us out on Twitter at www.twitter.com/olympicsource

*Twitter is aggregating all Olympic tweets on this page:twitter.com/hashtag/olympics

WHAT’S ON TV?:

1) Tomorrow (Thursday Feb. 6): For the first time ever, NBC will air Olympic event coverage the night before the Opening Ceremony. Their coverage begins at 8 p.m. and will feature Men’s and Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding (a new event for 2014, this was supposed to be Shaun White’s Sochi debut but he dropped out today citing safety concerns-he will still compete in the Halfpipe), Women’s Moguls Skiing and the team event in Figure Skating (another new event). This event’s early placement on the Olympic schedule is considered semi-controversial because it will force quite a few skaters to complete additional versions of their short and long programs before the start of their individual medal events.

*The full TV schedule can be found here and here.

VIDEO OF THE DAY:

NBC has a beautifully shot video of skier Julia Mancuso training in Hawaii. Her Maui workouts consist of paddleboarding, outdoor weight sessions and free diving.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful direct political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes.”-IOC President Thomas Bach

*This statement of course refers to the issues surrounding Russia as host country, their very public shaming of homosexuals and the belief that Sochi is a major target for terrorists.

Bach is also dismayed that many world leaders (including President Obama) have sent small political delegations to the Games as a form of silent protest. This is the first time in nearly 15 years that the U.S.’s delegation will not include the president, vice president or first lady. In addition, the leaders of Germany, France and Britain are also boycotting Putin’s party.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

Yesterday esteemed Olympic reporter Christine Brennan tweeted this observation about security in Sochi.

Christine Brennan @cbrennansports

24 hours in Sochi and I haven’t seen even one gun. Where’s the show of force? My @USATODAYsports column:http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/02/04/christine-brennan-sochi-security/5204579/ …
THIS DAY IN OLYMPIC HISTORY:

-1885, American cyclist Burton Downing was born. He won both the 2-mile and the 25-mile at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.

-1908, Dutch swimmer Mietje Baron was born in Rotterdam. She won a silver medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

-1936, Australian hurdler Norma Thrower was born. She won a bronze medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

-1937, Belgian runner Gaston Roelants was born in Opvelp. He won the 3000m Steeplechase at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

-1941, Russian water polo player Vadim Gulyaev was born in Moscow. His team won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

-1957, Estonian athlete Juri Tamm was born in Parnu. He won bronze in the Hammer Throw at the 1980 and 1988 Olympic Games.

-1965, Belarusian biathlete Svetlana Paramygina was born in Sverdlovsk. She won a silver medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

-1978, Spanish cyclist Samuel Sanchez was born in Oviedo. He won the Road Race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

-1982, Canadian skier Deidra Dionne was born. She won an Aerials bronze medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

-1982, Canadian curler Marc Kennedy was born in Alberta. He won gold with Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

TODAY’S OLYMPIC FACTOID:

The countries of Paraguay and Zimbabwe will make their Winter Olympic debut in Sochi. Welcome!

TODAY’S OLYMPIC TRIVIA QUESTION:

Name the first Winter Olympics to feature female competitors? (Answer: In tomorrow’s newsletter)

OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN:

Days until the Sochi Winter Olympics = 1

Days until the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics = 912

Days until the PyeongChang Winter Olympics = 1,533

*If you know anyone who would like to be added to the newsletter list please email me at:rosiedowney@gmail.com

Your Olympic Source Podcast #3: IOC Meeting 2013

rosiedowney — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 00:42:18 +0000

Join us as we discuss the history of the bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics and then continue the conversation after the IOC vote to gauge our reactions.

https://yourolympicsource.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/yourolympicsource9-07-13.mp3

Your Olympic Source Podcast #2: IOC Presidents

rosiedowney — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:31:13 +0000

Enjoy host Rosie and guest host Lydia as they discuss the history of the International Olympic Committee, and the men who have stood at the helm.

YourOlympicSourceIOCPresidents