What's your favorite Winter Olympic event and why?

Soufre
Soufre Posts: 236 Member
Figure skating, single and pairs, is my favorite. I like it because of how deceptive it is. While strength and endurance is apparent in other sports such as hockey and skiing, I think it's a bit more subtle in in figure skating. Most of the skaters are TINY. When they skate, they seem so delicate. But the amount of power, balance, and control needed to launch yourself into the air, spin 1080 degrees, land on what's basically a fillet knife attached to your shoe, and NOT barf is beyond me. What's just as impressive is not landing properly. When I slip and fall on ice, I need to sit there for a few seconds to recover. These individuals crash back down onto the ice but still mange to recover and continue their routine fairly quickly and seamlessly.

Don't even get me started on pair skating. I mean just look...
_49616060_010471591-1.jpg
HOW.

2014-winter-olympics-russia-pairs-figure-skating-twist.gif
Come on.

That is why figure skating is my favorite event.
...and it's the prettiest (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

julia-lipnitskaia-spinning.gif
tumblr_mic91aOrzB1raas5xo1_500.gif
tumblr_mg5yveP57z1rxcv7xo2_250.gif

Just don't let those sequins fool you....


What's yours and why?
«1

Replies

  • AmyBecky74
    AmyBecky74 Posts: 437 Member
    I love figure skateing. The men with their strength in jumping and dance for the pure beauty.
  • Sinisterly
    Sinisterly Posts: 10,913 Member
    Almost said swimming.
    But hey, I've swam in ice before.
  • bd0027
    bd0027 Posts: 1,053 Member
    I'm sure I'm alone here, but I love Curling.

    alg-olympics-curling-jpg.jpg
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    Hockey (& curling too sometimes a little yes)

    because I'm Canadian
  • Bobsled. The athletes are huge! And of course being Canadian , hockey!
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,244 Member
    Biathlon hands down. Strength, endurance and the ability to control such basic body functions as breathing even when you are desperate for O2. Those guys and gals are amazing!!
  • Hockey

    Die hard redwings fan. Love the sport.
  • LavaDoll
    LavaDoll Posts: 595 Member
    figure skating - absolutely beautiful.

    =^x^=
  • This content has been removed.
  • HDHogger
    HDHogger Posts: 764
    Hockey because of the competitiveness.
  • bd0027
    bd0027 Posts: 1,053 Member
    I'm watching curling right now, and it's actually awesome to watch. But hockey obviously.

    I'm jealous.
  • Justintyme328
    Justintyme328 Posts: 54 Member
    Men's hockey, only because I played with/against a few of the guys competing. Other than that ski jumping, I can't turn away
  • ArchangelMJ
    ArchangelMJ Posts: 308 Member
    Figure skating hands down! They are SO beautiful, I just love it and am so envious of their grace and strength.
  • sufferlandrian
    sufferlandrian Posts: 8,244 Member
    OK, someone is going to have to explain the scoring for curling. It looked like Canada had nine points and could have put the game away with four stones in the rings but when I looked back it was still 9 to 5 and now they had switched to the seventh set and Germany had the last weight. Did I miss something?
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    The snowboarding has to be a given, doesn't it? who wouldn't like watching the slopestyle, half-pipe and cross?

    And I love the hockey... but for me, though, you can't beat luge and skeleton. 90mph, in half an ice tube, on a sled that weighs practically nothing, with no protection on your body but a helmet. And in skeleton they do it head first.

    It's madness (there have been some fatal accidents). Exciting madness. And it takes a deceptive amount of strength to push off and steer those things.

    Some of the skeleton riders have broken ribs on a perfect run, because of the bumps on the track at such high speeds.
  • akoivisto
    akoivisto Posts: 141 Member
    Biathlon.

    Target shooting combined with cross country skiing; combines athleticism with mental and spacial control. Sounds simple, but when you realize what it takes to ski a course and hit a target? Blows my mind.
  • ibleedunionblue
    ibleedunionblue Posts: 324 Member
    Hockey! Obsessed with the sport. Columbus Season Ticket Holder. Rooting hard for Russia given their roster includes Tyutin, Bobrovsky, Nikitin & Anismov. Also rooting for the USA womens team,
  • This content has been removed.
  • Daisy471
    Daisy471 Posts: 409 Member
    Alpine skiing because being able to control your skis while flying down a mountain at those speeds is incredible. The cross-county skiiers are amazing athletes, especially those who do biathlon. Luge and skeleton are just bada$$ - especially skeleton.

    I'm not a fan of anything that needs judges - I prefer a clock or goal/score to determine who wins.
  • Rak0ribz
    Rak0ribz Posts: 177 Member
    Biathlon.

    Target shooting combined with cross country skiing; combines athleticism with mental and spacial control. Sounds simple, but when you realize what it takes to ski a course and hit a target? Blows my mind.

    In most of the Winter events, the athletes look pretty good in the middle of their run - like they're doing what they were born and trained to do. About halfway through the Biathlon competition (and a lot of the other cross-country competitions, for that matter), they look like they might be about to die.
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    Curling is just bowls on ice.

    You have a set number of games per end (usually ten, but sometimes eight), and eight rocks per game.

    The object is to push the rock as close to the house as possible... i.e. get your big stone closest to the centre of the target.

    It's harder than it sounds, it's not just a game of power... it's a game of judgement, cohesion and strategy. And if the rock hits another rock, it will usually stop moving immediately after. Usually the first rock is thrown trying to hold the house, and then the next rock is a cover rock. The opposing team will try to move cover rocks to create a path for their rock to get to the centre of the house, or use the other team's cover rock to help their rock on a path towards the house.

    The team mates with the brooms are there to alter the state of the ice in front of the rock. If they scrub and how they scrub is important to how fast or slow the rock moves, as well as what direction it continues to move in.

    It's boring to watch if you don't enjoy strategy games, really.
  • This content has been removed.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    I'm sure I'm alone here, but I love Curling.

    alg-olympics-curling-jpg.jpg

    We are not alone.

    I love Curling because my stomach gets all tight when they are scrubbing the ice so hard and the puck is almost there and it just might make it and........well it feels like an ab workout to me
  • akoivisto
    akoivisto Posts: 141 Member
    Biathlon.

    Target shooting combined with cross country skiing; combines athleticism with mental and spacial control. Sounds simple, but when you realize what it takes to ski a course and hit a target? Blows my mind.

    In most of the Winter events, the athletes look pretty good in the middle of their run - like they're doing what they were born and trained to do. About halfway through the Biathlon competition (and a lot of the other cross-country competitions, for that matter), they look like they might be about to die.

    Exactly. I'm not saying that snowboarding, skeleton, etc. aren't totally badass; just having someone complete with a great time and stellar shooting? Then, as they cross the finish line you realize they are basically tapped completely out? Major kudos from me at least. :)
  • SephiraRose
    SephiraRose Posts: 766 Member
    Figure skating, such strength and beauty. Gymnastics is pretty awesome to watch as well, men and women. They are all amazing athletes. I wish them all success.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    Hockey!

    I am Canadian and hockey is in our blood :drinker:
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    I'm sure I'm alone here, but I love Curling.

    not alone. i've never skied or snowboarded, never bobsledded. but i have curled. they actually took us curling for gym class so many years ago when i was in the 6th grade (in northern MN)!
  • Patovader
    Patovader Posts: 439 Member
    The snowboarding for sure, I think because I BMX I appreciate how difficult it is more than some people who have never tried an extreme sport :) I appreciate most of the sports though and enjoy watching them.
  • maz504
    maz504 Posts: 450
    I love slolum (sp?)... it just seems like they're having the most fun!! downhill skiing last night was pretty cool too though...
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
    I'm sure I'm alone here, but I love Curling.

    alg-olympics-curling-jpg.jpg


    Nope...no, you're not. This is my favorite, too. :)