See What You Haven't Seen Before at Winter Olympics

2/24/10--The end to the 2010 Winter Olympics is beginning to come into view and I'm curious if some of my observations sync up with yours.

Who knew that skater dudes had such an impact on the world, and the world of sports? It's amazing that what once began innocently on residential neighborhood sidewalks and driveways, then grew in popularity such that community rec departments built skate parks, has now crept its way into an Olympic version of the sport which is played out in an icy "half-pipe". Are these kids, who perform incredible acrobatic moves 20-feet above the side of the half-pipe while their feet remain attached to their board, talented? Absolutely! Are they courageous thrill-seekers risking serious injury while attempting these death defying acrobatics? Indeed. Are they traditional athletes, like the various competitors from around the world who train for four years to chase an Olympic medal in other sports...cardio training, strength training, long hours in the gym, diet...? Uh, not that I am not impressed, but no, I don't think so. Admit it though; they are entertaining.

On the surface, what might be sillier than the winter biathlon? In America, when we hear of triathlon we conjure up warriors who torture themselves while competing in a continuous chain of events--swimming, biking and running, all in warmer temps. The Winter Olympics biathlon is composed of cross-country skiing and riflery! Why do we want cross country skiers running around the the snowy, wooded mountain areas with weapons strapped on their backs? When you boil it down, seriously, this event is brutally tough. Skiers navigate their way on a cross-country course up and down challenging inclines only to settle at one of several shooting stations along the way where they step up to fire five shots at a target about the size of a grapefruit at 50 yards. The ability to aim a gun steadily, while their body's muscles are crying out with burning fatigue, cannot be appreciated until you see them. It's not just who is the master of the course as a cross-country skier. It's a strange combination of being an incredibly well-conditioned athlete with exceptional technique on skis, who can focus his attention attempting to steady his shaking body, and fire five accurate shots at the target before hitting the trail again. I have new-found respect for these guys just like I do the skater dudes, although in a much different way.

The classic ice skating/ice dancing competition has always been revered as a top winter attraction. Even in non-Olympic years our TV networks offer various world competitions to whet our appetite for the next edition of the Winter Olympics. Can I stay glued to all of the skating--men's, women's, pairs...short, long, free-style, etc.? No, but I do try to catch the finals, the best of the best.

Although it may not be totally strange, one thing that I did find a little hard to watch was the pairs competition when two Scottish skaters representing Great Britain skated through their routines. They are good, very good skaters who sell their character portrayal better than most others. I think we all agree that, to a large degree, pairs skating inherently projects some kind of a male-female relationship. I understand that not all skating pairs are actually "a pair", but some are and the others project that relationship as they skate, hoping to dance their way into the judges' hearts. Back to the Scotties. Their last name is Kerr, and as I said, they are very good. They are so good that unless you pay attention to wealth of background info on all of these skaters you would never sense that they are brother and sister. But, when you are educated to this fact, and you watch them work together as if they were not siblings, though fully knowing that they are...it's a little weird. They have to be very good skaters and even better thespians to pull that off, and for the most part, they do.