Snowboarding continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It first became an Olympic competition in 1981 with its newest event being introduced as recently as the 2006 Torino games. The snowboard competition consists of three events for both the men and women. Parallel Giant Slalom, Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross. Overall this is one of the more exciting events in the Winter Olympics.

The halfpipe is an event in which each snowboarder takes a turn inside a half cylinder shaped ramp. They perform a routine filled with many twists and tricks while moving from one side of the ramp to the other.

In the Parallel Giant Slalom, two snowboarders race against each other down a course. Throughout the course, the riders must turn through a series of gates. The fastest racer moves on to the next round. The top racers will compete in a total of nine runs.

Snowboard Cross is a race between four snowboarders. The four racers travel through a course that includes a series of ramps and jumps. The fastest two racers from each race move on to the next round until one winner is found.

This years snowboarding events will take place at Cypress Mountain.
In 2006, the United States had the highest medal count, winning 7 total. They were tied with Switzerland for the most gold with each country receiving 3 of those. The United States holds the all-time record with 14 total medals earned, including five golds.

Some of the names you should look for on the United States side are, Mason Aguirre, Nick Baumgartner, Gretchen Bleiler (pictured above), Lindsey Jacobellis, Hannah Teter and the always entertaining Shaun White.

Bobsleigh

Three events make up the Bobsleigh competition. Two-man, Four-man, and the Women’s events. Bobsleigh became an Olympic event in 1924, however the Women did not compete until 2002.

The Bobsleigh is a fun event to watch. Each event starts with the competitors pushing off and run while pushing the sled as fast as they can for about 50 meters. They then jump into the bobsleigh and take their seat. A driver controls the bobsleigh as it makes its way down the track. At the end of the track, the brakeman stops the sled.

In each of these events, four heats are held over two days. The times are combined and the team with the lowest time wins the gold medal.

The Whistler Sliding Center will host this years Bobsleigh competition.

In 2006, Germany took home three gold medals and help the overall medal lead. The United States earned one medal in those games, a silver. Switzerland is the all-time leader in medals with 30. United States is next with 18.

Short Track

Short Track is a version of Speed Skating but on a smaller scale. Short Track takes place on a 111.12 meter oval inside a hockey rink. It’s possible to see many spills or accidents in these events as there are some sharp turns do to the short track. Participants in the short track events compete against each other, not the clock. Each event starts with a series of heats involving four to six athletes. The first two finishers in each heat advance to the next round. The final consists of the final four remaining competitors.

There are three different distances. 500 m, 1,000 m, and 1,500 m. There will be a Men’s and Women’s competition for each distance.

There is also a Men’s and Women’s Relay. The relay events take place over two days with semi-final and final competitions. Eight teams of four skaters take part in the relays. Each team can determine how many laps each skater will skate, but the final two laps must be run by the same skater. Each skater must tag his or her teammate after each run. The Men’s Relay is 5,000 m, while the Women’s competition is 3,000 m.

In the 2006 games, Korea was the easy leader in total medals with 10, including six of the eight possible golds. The United States earn one gold medal and two bronze medals in those games. Korea is the all-time leader with 29 medals. The Unites States is currently fourth with 12.

Some names to watch for on the US team are: Allison Baver, Alyson Dudek, Travis Jayner and Apolo Anton Ohno.  Ohno needs just two medals to surpass Bonnie Blair as the Unites States most decorated Winter Olympian in history. The United States should have a very strong short track team this year. 

Tomorrow’s preview will include, Ice Hockey, Freestyle Skiing and Skeleton.