Gretchen Bleiler Interview on the TODAY Show

It’s been pretty quiet on SnowboardGo lately but for good reason (read: mountain hopping). In any case, this was submitted to me via email and thought it would be a lazy way to update the site. Don’t be fooled though, the video is pretty good.

Yes, I know posting the interview this late is ironic, but better late than never.

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2010 Winter Olympics Recap and Highlights

With women’s Alpine training runs again delayed by heavy rain and snow, American favorite Lindsey Vonn successfully tested her bruised right shin on her own rigorous slalom training session, and her husband declared her ready to race.After a weekend of Winter Olympics goodness and action, it’s time to put up a post to recap the weekend’s highlights. This might not include everything, but I’ll try my best.

Opening Ceremonies

• The opening ceremonies began with a pretty impressive shot of a snowboarder coming down a mountain while listing the previous 21 Winter Olympic games years.
• The snowboarder entered a Maple leaf (the Canadian national symbol) design made with torchbearers and ended with the snowboarder coming down a ramp into the stadium.
• The underlying theme was mostly related to the First Nations of Canada.
• This was followed by a 4-part celebration, with the first part showcased Aurora Borealis on circle screens which came down from the stadium’s ceiling. The most spectacular part was when the display of orcas moving across the floor and water spouts shooting out of the floor.
• The second part of the show was related to Quebec, featuring a fiddler in a canoe coming from the ceiling.
• The third part was about the prairies of Canada. It was a simple one man acrobatic show, with the the floor featuring the prairies as the acrobat performed.
• The final part of the show featured the Canadian Rockies, where skiers and snowboarders came down from the ceiling as to appear riding the awesome rockies.

Medals Overview

• USA now has 8 medals, followed by Germany with 5 and France with 4.
• Switzerland has 3 Golds, followed by USA with 2 and France with 2.

Snowboarding

• Kelly Clark who won a gold medal in the last Olympics can do a 900 degree spin which is basically spinning in the air and rotating more than 2 full times around. If she lands that, she will most likely receive the gold medal this year.
• Her counterpart on the men’s snowboarding team, Shaun White is no small contender either. He won gold in the last Olympics and is expected to medal again. U.S. snowboarding is quite dominant and it is a fun sport to watch.

Men’s

• Alexandre Bilodeau won the gold medal in men’s moguls, the first time a Canadian has won an Olympic event on home soil. Canadians failed to win a single gold at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. Congratulations Alexandre!
• Jason Lamy Chappuis who competes for France, edged Johnny Spillane of Steamboat Springs, Colo., to win the Nordic combined. Spillane’s silver was the first medal for the U.S. in 86 years of competing in the sport that combines ski jumping and a 10-kilometer cross-country ski race.
• Five-time Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjoerndalen struggled with his shooting in failing to win his sixth gold medal. He still has four more opportunities at these games.
• Jung-Su Lee from S. Korea, Apolo Anton Ohno from the USA, and J.R Celski from the USA win the Men’s 1500m Gold, Silver, and Bronze respectively.

Weomen’s

• With women’s Alpine training runs again delayed by heavy rain and snow, American favorite Lindsey Vonn successfully tested her bruised right shin on her own rigorous slalom training session, and her husband declared her ready to race.
• Martina Sablikova gave the Czech Republic its first speedskating medal by winning the women’s 3,000 meters.
• Jenny Potter scored three goals in the first 22 minutes as the U.S. opened the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament with a 12-1 romp over China.
• Hannah Kearney from the USA, Jennifer Heil from Canada, and Shannon Bahrke from the USA win the Ladies’ Moguls Gold, Silver, and Bronze respectively.

Misc

• The Chinese pair, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won the gold for the the pairs free program figure skating competition.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Snowboarding Guide and Schedule

A lot of people are aching to watch the snowboarding portion of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics so I thought I’d explain the various competitions taking place and provide you with the snowboarding schedule so you don’t miss a thing.

If you have any questions or comments just let us know by leaving a comment or contacting us directly.

Schedule

February 15 2010:

• Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross Qualification
• Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross 1/8 Finals
• Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross Quarterfinals
• Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross Semifinals
• Snowboard – Men’s Snowboard Cross Finals

February 16 2010:

• Snowboard – Women’s Snowboard Cross Qualification
• Snowboard – Women’s Snowboard Cross Quarterfinals
• Snowboard – Women’s Snowboard Cross Semifinals
• Snowboard – Women’s Snowboard Cross Finals

February 17 2010:

• Snowboard – Men’s Halfpipe Qualification
• Snowboard – Men’s Halfpipe Semifinals
• Snowboard – Men’s Halfpipe Finals

February 18 2010:

• Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe Qualification
• Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe Semifinals
• Snowboard – Ladies’ Halfpipe Finals

February 26 2010:

• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS Qualification Run
• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS Elimination Run
• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS 1/8 Finals
• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS Quarterfinals
• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS Semifinals
• Snowboard – Ladies’ PGS Finals

February 27 2010:

• Snowboard – Men’s PGS Qualification Run
• Snowboard – Men’s PGS Elimination Run
• Snowboard – Men’s PGS 1/8 Finals
• Snowboard – Men’s PGS Quarterfinals
• Snowboard – Men’s PGS Semifinals
• Snowboard – Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Finals

Competitions Explained

• Parallel Giant Slalom: two snowboarders race head-to-head down a course while turning through a series of gates. The fastest of the pair goes through to the next round.
• Halfpipe: one competitor at a time performs a routine of jumps, tricks and twists while moving from one side to the other in the half cylinder-shape halfpipe. They are judged on the height, style and perfection of their routine.
• Snowboard Cross: the race starts with four competitors in a pack riding down the course while coming up against a series of jumps and ramps. The fastest two from each heat go onto the next round.

Reigning Olympic Champions:

Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom: Philipp Schoch (Switz)
Men’s Halfpipe: Shaun White (USA)
Men’s Snowboard Cross: Seth Walcott (USA)

Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom: Daniela Meuli (Switz)
Women’s Halfpipe: Hannah Teter (USA)
Women’s Snowboard Cross: Tanja Frieden (Switz)

Useful Snowboarding 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Links

• Official 2010 Vancouver Olympics Website
• Official 2010 Vancouver Olympics Snowboarding Page
• Official 2010 Vancouver Olympics Snowboarding Schedule
• 2010 Winter Olympics Wikipedia Page