As hundreds of dogs barked and thousands of fans lined up for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod XXXVIII, mushers and their teams of dogs left  for an eleven mile run to Anchorage.  Seventy one mushers entered the race this year each with twelve to  sixteen dogs on their team.

The race consists of over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain from Anchorage to Nome. It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth” and it is said to be a “race extraordinaire” which can only be possible in Alaska.  The race covers jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coasts.  Temperatures reach far below zero and winds can cause complete loss of visibility as does long periods of darkness. These treacherous conditions will be covered by the musher and his/her dogs within ten to seventeen days.

In the early 1920′s, settlers had come to Alaska following a gold strike. The  Iditarod Trail, which is now a National Historic Trail was used as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knick to the mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities.  Mail and supplies went in and gold came out.

In 1925, Nome was threatened by Diphtheria and was in need of serum.  Part of the Iditarod Trail was used as a highway by the mushers and their dogs to deliver this life saving serum.

Today, Alaska is the world Mecca for sled dog racing. Mushers from more than a dozen foreign countries have run the Iditarod.  It has become Alaska’s best known sporting event and some Alaskan mushers have run races in the Russian Far East.  The Winter Olympics are even considering adding sled dog racing as an event.

The Iditarod is a commemoration of those early days of the trail, a past that the Alaskans honor and are very proud of.

The 2010 Olympics were great. I really got involved in sports that I have never watched before such as the Skeleton and Curling. Since I have begun my internet marketing business, I have been blogging like crazy and that has pushed me to research and read about new and exciting things. I never thought I would have anything to say about the Norwegians and their crazy pants , but I found myself writing about them and then joining their Facebook fanpage!

One thing I have always wondered about but never had the motivation to look up is how the host city is chosen for the Olympics. Of all the cities around the world, how do they choose one? So, I started researching and this is what I found.

Any city that feels they have what it takes to host the Olympics can apply to the International Olympic commission (IOC).  The IOC will then investigate that city over the next ten months.  They will look for things such as:

1. The city must prove that it is big enough to handle Olymp ic games and the huge number of tourists, athletes, journalists and politicians. They must be able to host the games in new stadiums and must be able to house all the people in hotels and provide transportation. They must also be able to provide adequate security.

2. The residents of that city must be convinced that the expenses of covering the Olympics are worth it. The city may raise taxes in order to  cover this endeavor.

3. The media coverage in that city must be highly positive.

If the IOC decides that the city has fulfilled all three points above, it is considered a “Candidate City” and it will move on to the second phase. In this phase, the city sends in an application and fee which can cost up to $150,000. If a city is chosen to host the Olympics, it is a great honor. The city not only is able to show pride for their city and country, they are in the international spotlight and they have the opportunity to bring new jobs to the community and build up tourism.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London from July 27 through August 12, 2012.  They will be the first city to host the Olympic games three times (it was previously held there in 1908 and 1948).   Applications were submitted in July of 2003 and there were nine cities that submitted bids. These cities were Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

By July of 2005 it was narrowed down to Paris and London. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes, defeating Paris’s 52. Various French publications blamed the Paris loss on French President Jacques Chirac‘s statements before the vote that “We can’t trust people [the British] who have such bad food. After Finland, it’s the country with the worst food.” Two current members of the IOC are from Finland!

What would entice someone to join a sport named the “Skeleton”? The name alone would cause me to re-think any thoughts I might have that entertain lying belly down on a small sled while enduring forces up to 5g’s as I rocket down a frozen track. The Skeleton, how did they come up with that name? Leaves a lot to the imagination. Could it have to do with the fact that the sleds used in Skeleton have no steering or braking devices? I think Curling would be a better sport for me!

Actually, the sport was named when someone commented that a new metal sled, first used in 1892, resembled a skeleton. The bare-bones design provided a compact sled with metal runners, and the design caught on quickly.

How does one play Skeleton? To start, a skeleton slider grasps the handles on either side of the sled, runs as fast as possible for approximately 55 yards then dives head first onto the sled and speeds down the Labyrinth. Sliders lie on their stomachs and steer by shifting their bodies very slightly and dragging their feet. Wow, how does that sound for fun?

Of course, the equipment the sliders use plays an extremely important role in the sport. Not only is the apparatus of the sled critical, the suit and helmet are paramount in shaving hundredths of a second off the final time. It has been determined that different helmet styles work better for different sliders, which means it is important that each slider find the helmet best suited to the way they ride the sled. It seems that our 2010 Olympians have taken great pride in their helmets this year. There are some very unique and and creative helmets out there. You had better watch closely to see the decorations, as they are traveling at speeds of up to 77 miles per hour down the track!  Check these out!

I am sure by now everyone has had a chance to see with their own eyes, or at least hear about Tiger Woods’ news conference last week.  The one where he apologized for causing the scandal that has torn his family apart.

That should have been good enough. Let’s get on with our lives. You see, my life doesn’t revolve around what happens in Hollywood or what our overpaid sports icons do with their lives. And contrary to what a large population of Americans believe, I think we should get out of the man’s private affairs.  Just because he is in the limelight doesn’t mean that we have to know every tid-bit of scandalous information the media can pick out of his personal life. But, there are some who just can’t let it alone.

Emily Miller, columnist from Politics Daily states, “As for this female, I think if Tiger Woods wants privacy for his personal life, he should give back all the money and quit golf. Then, he can have all the privacy he wants.”

Even though Tiger apologized to the appropriate wounded parties (his wife, his family, his fans and his sponsors), that apparently wasn’t good enough for everyone. Almost immediately after his speech, attorney, Gloria Allred held a news conference in Los Angeles and called his apology “a public relations stunt” and a “disgrace.”

There always has to be those who have to keep things going, can’t let it go. So America, hold on because this Tiger Woods thing is going to be in our faces for quite a while.  I say, “Get a life America and mind your own business!”

Leave me a comment, I would like to see what America thinks!

In my last post that covered Curling, I admitted that I had never watched the sport before. I had no desire to because it seemed so unexciting. I mean, no one was flying through the air on boards or hurtling full-throttle down an ice tunnel. In Curling, there are just stones and brooms.

But now, since the Norwegians have spiced things up a little with the crazy argyle pants from Loudmouth Golf, I have to say I am ready to give it a chance.

Usually the teams are making the tough choice between wearing dark gray, black or blue, but red, white and blue argyle? I don’t think there is anything wrong with calling a little attention to yourself, and Thomas Ulsrud and his Norwegian curling team are also showing they have the shots to back up their look.

Almost 400,000 people have joined a Facebook Fan page dedicated to the trousers. And golfer John Daly, who is sponsored by the pants’ creator, Loudmouth Golf, and wears a wide array of the colorful pants on the PGA Tour, give his support to the team. Daly also offered up some advice for his struggling American curlers.  “We do make colors for the American team. Maybe they should consider wearing them. It might bring them some luck.”

Obviously they are not in it just for the fashion. The Norwegian curl team is focused on the gold. Their 6-3 win today over Denmark and the loss from the Swedish team has moved them into sole possession of second place. Only the top four teams at the end of the round robin tournament will have a chance to win a medal. Canada is the defending champion, but by the looks of things, Norway is hot on their heels.

I have watched many winter Olympics, and I have to admit that I have never watched Curling. I know nothing about it. So, this post is dedicated to those of you, who like me, are behind the Curling times. I will give you a little history, catch you up on the correct terms to use and tell you how the sport is played. So, next time the topic of Curling comes up, you might have a little something to add to the conversation!

It all began around the 16th century in Scotland. Odd-shaped rocks called “loafies” were slid across frozen marshes and lochs by brawny Scots. The oldest known curling stone was found in Scotland and bears the date 1511. Scottish immigrants organized the Royal Montreal Curling Club in 1807 and when Scottish Soldiers and settlers brought the sport to Michigan, the Orchard Lake, Michigan Club was formed in 1832. Soon, the Scottish city of Perth became home to the World Curling Federation. The first Canadian national championship was held in 1927.

After World War II, the sport grew and the U.S. Women’s Curling Association was founded in 1947, and the first world championship tournament was held in 1958. Canadian teams have dominated the event, which is now conducted by the International Curling Federation (ICF), founded in 1966 and based in Edinburgh. There are more than 30 nations in the ICF, which estimates that about 2 million people worldwide regularly participate in curling. It became a full-fledged Olympic sport at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

There are specific terms that must be used when talking about Curling in order to show your comprehension of the sport. Here are just a few:

• Bonspiel – A curling tournament.

• Button -The one-foot diameter circular area at the centre of the house.

• Curl – The curve the rock makes as it travels down the ice.

• Hack – The footholds mounted onto the ice at each end of the sheet. Used to push off from when the stone is delivered.

• House – The rings or bull’s-eye toward which play is directed and points are scored. The outside ring is 3.66 metres in diameter, the next ring is 8 feet in diameter, the next ring is 4 feet in diameter, and the inside ring (button) is 1 foot in diameter.

• Lead – The player on a curling team who throws the first two stones of an end.

• Port – An opening between two stones in play

• Skip – The player who determines the strategy, reads the ice, and plays and directs play for the team. Generally the skip delivers the last pair of stones for his team in each end

• Splitting the House – A play where two stones belonging to the same team are placed at opposite sides of the house.

• Third – Also known as the vice, vice skip or mate, this is the player who delivers the fifth and sixth stones in each end. When the skip delivers, the third holds the broom as the target.

• Whoa – The command given to the sweepers to stop sweeping.

How is the Game Played?

At the Olympic Winter Games, curling consists of two events: a women’s tournament and a men’s tournament. Each tournament starts with 10 curling teams. Two teams play against each other at a time. The game is played on ice, and the two teams take turns pushing 42 pound stones towards a series of concentric rings or circles. The object is to get the stones as close to thecenter of the rings as possible.

One game consists of 10 “ends” (similar to innings in baseball). During each end, each four-person team “throws” (in fact, slides along the ice) eight stones — two stones per person and 16 altogether. Team members sweep the ice clean in front of each stone to control the stone’s direction, known as its “curl,” and the stone’s speed. The team with the most points — more stones closer to the center of the rings — at the conclusion of 10 ends, is the winner.

Now that you know a little more about the sport of Curling, I hope you will enjoy it more often and take part in cheering on your favorite team during this 2010 Olympics!

Out of retirement and into the gold! After eighteen years, the husband and wife duo from China finally realized their Olympic gold dream and won China’s first title in figure skating. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo broke Russia’s 46-year stronghold on the Olympics figure skating pairs event on Monday night with a mesmerizing performance.  Their romantic free skate performance was full of many difficult moves, including the triple toe and double Axel-double Axel sequence. It was truly a beautiful performance.

You could see that the couple is truly connected when they skate. They are husband and wife and their chemistry on the ice is amazing.  “When I hold her in my arms, I don’t have to pretend I love her,” said Mr. Zhao, in an interview session in Beijing before leaving for Vancouver. “I do.”

For twelve successive Olympics, stretching back to the 1964, the Russian or Soviet figure skaters have dominated the pairs event. The gold medal also made the Chinese pair the first-ever non-European couple to be crowned in Olympic figure skating history.

Zhao is the oldest athlete among the whole Chinese delegation to the Vancouver Games.  He is 36 years old. He is also the second oldest Olympic champion in the event’s history. He was preceded by Walter Jakobsson of Finland, who won the event in 1920 at 37.

The silver medal also went to China. Pang Qing and Tong Jian actually earned the highest marks of the evening’s free skate.  Their perfectly synchronized spins and leg angles were outstanding, but they were five points behind Shen and  Zhao after Sunday’s short program. After their silver-medal winning performance, Mr. Tong bent down and kissed the ice.

It looks like great things are on the horizon for Shen and Zhao, but they may not include skating. After their Vancouver win, Mr. Zhao said he would now move on. “I think it is hard to continue skating, so maybe it is time to have a baby,” he told reporters on Monday night.

Tonight, Friday, Feb. 12, with seven years of planning in the rear view mirror, the lights will dim inside Vancouver’s BC Place. Nearly 55,000 people in attendance, and hundreds of millions more watching on televisions around the world, will wait eagerly in anticipation. What can we expect from the first Opening Ceremony to be held indoors? That is any one’s guess! Despite 4,000 volunteers, the Ceremony is still a secret.

“Officials promise that the performance will unite passionate Canadians, thrill the world’s best winter athletes and bring hope to the world over,” said John Furlong, the head of Vancouver’s organizing committee in an NBC interview.  “The Opening Ceremony is our biggest chance to speak to a global audience and tell the story of a contemporary Canada that will inspire the world.”

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will join the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, and Furlong. Each will have an opportunity to speak, thus beginning the Opening Ceremony.

Traditionally, the world’s best winter athletes will then enter to greet a roaring crowd during the parade of nations. Many veteran Olympians say that nothing replaces this feeling. Then,one athlete from each country will be honored as the flag bearer. Each delegation will  enter in alphabetical order, with two exceptions. Greece, by tradition, always enters first and the host country, Canada, will enter last.

Each contingent will be dressed in its official uniform. Only those athletes participating in the Games, and no more than six officials, are permitted to march.

Another important aspect of the Opening Ceremony is the Olympic Oath, which will be taken by one athlete and one official.

To the strains of the Olympic hymn, the Olympic flag will be brought into the stadium and raised. Anticipation will be building once again for a tradition that first started in 1936 during the Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – the lighting of the Olympic flame.

2010 Olympic Torch

Who will light the flame? After more than 100 days of criss-crossing Canada, the Olympic torch will arrive inside the stadium. Typically the torch will then pass to several people in a relay before it’s taken to the cauldron. Only three people are thought to know who will perform the honorable task of lighting the flame.

As you see, we are in for an amazing night of entertainment and awe. Tune in tonight as the world comes together in the 2010 Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn holds the record — among both men and women — for the longest jump off of Whistler, B.C.’s normal ski jump, built for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She is the first American woman to win back-to-back overall World Cup championships, doing so in 2008 and 2009. She has also won World Cup discipline championships in downhill (also back-to-back) and Super G (the first American woman to do so). With 31 World Cup wins in four disciplines (downhill, Super G, slalom and super combined) and two World Championship gold medals, along with two World Championship silver medals, she has become the most successful American woman skier in World Cup history.

Regrettably, the  women’s ski jumping world champion will be nowhere in sight when the competition begins in the 2010 winter Olympics.  Lindsey trains six days a week, 11 months a year and has been jumping for the past 19 years, but she won’t be competing. What a travesty!

Why you ask? Because Olympic ski jumping has no place for women – they aren’t allowed to compete. But, it’s not for lack of trying. Women ski jumpers have petitioned to join every Winter Olympics since Nagano in 1998, and each time they have been denied by the International Olympics Committee (IOC). In fact, ski jumping is the only Olympic discipline to remain men-only. (Technically, Nordic combined is also limited to males, but that’s because it includes ski jumping.)  Women are now recognized and included in the summer Olympic’s boxing. Why boxing, but not ski jumping?

According to NPR, Lindsey is quoted as saying, “[It's] just pretty painful to watch [men] I grew up training with be able to have that opportunity and me sit there knowing that I don’t even have that opportunity because I’m not a male,” says Vonn, of Park City, Utah, who has been ski jumping since she was 7. “It’s depressing to tell young girls that you don’t have the same opportunities just because they’re girls.”

The great news is that we get to watch Lindsey compete in other sports this Olympics, such as women’s downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G and women’s super-combined. One day I hope to see Lindsey flying off the mountain in the women’s ski jump competition!

Olaf Rye, a Norwegian lieutenant was the first known ski jumper. According to Wikipedia, he launched himself 9.5 metres in the air in front of an audience of other soldiers in 1809. Ski jumpers began tackling larger jumps in1862,  and were traveling longer distances. Norway’s Sorndre Norheim jumped 30 meters over a rock without the benefit of poles. His record stood for thirty years..

Olaf Haugann of Norway set the first world record for the longest ski jump of 20 meters in Oslo in 1879. The first widely known ski jumping competition was the Husebyrennene, held in Oslo during 1879, with Olaf Haugann of Norway setting the first world record for the longest ski jump at 20 meters. The annual event was moved to Holmenkollen in1892, and Holmenkollen has remained the top of ski jumping venues.

Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down an “inrun” with a take-off ramp, attempting to fly as far as possible. They reach speeds up to 95 kilometers per hour. In addition to the length that skiers jump, judges give points for style.

The skis used for ski jumping are wide and up to 8 feet long. Competitors are evaluated on distance and style and while there is a very close relationship between the two, the skier with the longest jump will often have the highest style points.

An exception to this can be found in the landing portion of the jump.  Long jumps can make landing in a controlled position more difficult. The quality of landing can be a determining factor in deciding the finishing place when the distances are similar.

Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer is one to watch this Olympics. He recently turned 20 years old in January and had already racked up 28 World Cup successes while he was still a teen and has 32 wins total under his belt. Schlierenzauer has recorded jumps of 142 and 137 meters for a total of 273 points, beating Norway’s Anders Jacobsen (269 pts) and Germany’s Michael Neumayer (264 pts).

Watch for the 2010 Winter Olympics Ski Jumping to begin February 12th, 10:00 AM. This should prove to be a close competition and as usual thrilling to watch!