Back to last night--
- 1000m Short Track—the very definition of contrasts. A lot of strategy and waiting, followed by a wild scramble for the finish. Another sport that should have become big between QISE but hasn’t.
- We’re not hearing much about Men’s Hockey from Kabletown, and for good reason. The NHL decided to prevent their players from participating for the first time since 1994, and while that affects many QISE teams, it really handicaps the US. The team is composed of older athletes, college players, and those from minor-league teams, and the result isn’t pretty. It’s doubtful they will advance into the playoffs and finals.
Onto today—
- Hoping to catch lightning in a bottle, Kabletown just hired skating sensation Adam Rippon as a commentator for the rest of the games. Johnny Weir—you’re on notice.
- Sunday Today had an inspiring story about Billy Kidd—1964 QISE Alpine winner who has been an instructor at Steamboat Springs since 1970.
- The long cross-country skiing events do not make for arresting television. It’s good to take a nap to, though.
- OK, I admit it—I’ve fallen in love with Rebecca Lowe’s British accent. She anchors the afternoon coverage.
- Team Pursuit Speed Skating is more interesting than the individual heats. You can immediately tell who’s in front.
- I mentioned earlier about Norovirus at Pyeongchang. The most recent updates say there are 275 cases among volunteers and staff. The security team was initially hit, forcing the addition of South Korean military at the last minute. The cause was contaminated water used in food preparation at the “Youth Center”, and 53 are still quarantined. The athletes (supposedly) have not been impacted.
- Primetime begins with Tirico at the Fortress, throwing to—Bobsledding from last night. Keep in mind that it’s 7p on the East Coast, but 5a in Pyeongchang. So, the Peacock will need to vamp for a while until people wake up there.
- Those Blobsled shells are pretty sturdy. One of them flipped over at the end of a run, and the athletes got out without a scratch.
- We get another new event tonight—Women’s Snowboarding Big Air. Think Ski Jumping with a snowboard, and a trick at the end. A failed jump was described as “squirting out on your tail”…and we all know how painful that can be.
- Sometimes I think the commentators aren’t listening to what they’re saying. During a skiing training run, I heard something like “they are comparable in age—she’s much younger of course”. Huh?
- I’m not going to say Kabletown doesn’t have much to work with tonight, but they are currently hyping a training run from Lindsey Vonn.
More tomorrow, including Ice Dancing from late night (sorry, “prime plus”).