Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Blog - Days 1-3 (Or is that Pre-day-Day 2?)

As big a fan of the Olympics I have been--enough so to all but shun anime, boxing, and anything else I normally watch--I really have not had the time to get pumped up for either the London 2012 Summer Games or this most recent one in Sochi. Regardless, I somehow managed to watch more of the former than I thought I would be able to, but still never had any real chance to write about it, Twitter notwithstanding (and I was chomping at the bit on the (mind-numbingly stupid) subject of Gabrielle Douglas' (just fine) hair and the-sport-that-was-boxing-in-name-only). I may not have been able to develop the kind of connection I had wanted to with it, but it was a great Olympics, nonetheless.

Even though I have, to my best recollection, only visited the website once or twice since the preview showing in the Vancouver 2010 Games--despite the address being in its own logo--the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games of the XXII Olympiad (psych, it's not really that long…) is finally here! It is the largest Winter Olympics ever, playing host to the largest number of participants (individually and by country) and the largest number of events. It is also the most expensive Winter Games ever ($50+ billion--or more than all of the other ones combined) and is being held in the largest country in the world--both spearheaded by the biggest ego in the world belonging to a world leader, Vladamir Putin. With him, the swirl of politics and ethics (both foreign and domestic), the cronyism, and the runaway costs, the summer resort location, and much more, this is likely the most controversial Winter Olympics, as well (perhaps third overall to the Berlin and Munich Summer Games. At least the Moscow one avoided greater conflict with the boycott…).

Nonetheless, we solider on and try to make the most of this 2.5 weeks of world-class athletic competition and hopeful world unity--and it is my hope to keep up on it and tap out my time of watching it here. I've always wanted to do a day-by-day type journal for the Olympics, so I'll try and give it a shot with these Games. Similar to previous Olympic write-ups, it will be a mix of loose, candid thoughts, observations, and commentary on the various going-ons of the Games, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes snarky, but hopefully fun for you. And so…game(s) on!

In The Beginning…

--No/Missing: doorknobs, lightbulbs, manholes, toilet stall dividers (by design?), clean water? Some things $50B can't buy…

--Nothing terribly different from past Games according to veteran journalists, but all things considered…

--The stories on the funding of and ambition behind the Sochi Games are concurrently funny and sad--and not that surprising. These types of governments breed this…


Day 1, I Guess…

--The Winter Olympics got something of a head start by holding slopestyle snowboarding qualifiers and the beginning of team figure skating. Does it really count as "Day 1" if the Opening Ceremony didn't happen yet? This has happened before in the Summer Games, as there are so many events to squeeze in and certain sports have to share venues with others, but was it really that necessary this time?

--Perhaps, but cynically, I wonder how much NBC played a role in the decision, because who wouldn't like to provide a little taste of the new figure skating event to the lucrative American audience? The sport is ratings-gold in primetime, and the more, the better. If you doubt the network's influence and power, just ask the IOC about Beijing. They get their billion-plus dollars worth out of that contract and besides, wouldn't the network just have loved to have a great lead-in for Jay Leno's final night on The Tonight Show?

--Remember, you're not NBC's b!tch as much as you are their sugar daddy or boy-toy. Comcast owns them outright, but who's logo is on top (*cough*) of their name?

--That so had to hurt for that Norwegian snowboarder…

--One of my all-time favorite skaters in Evgeny Plyuschenko (Russia) was in prime form, even after the surgeries and at 31, but Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) looked liked his second coming. He was crazy good and had that similar air and mix of skilled showmanship and artistry. Can't wait for a showdown in the men's event…


Day 2/1: The Opening Ceremony

--A brilliant Opening Ceremony, marked by excellent artistry, film segments (great direction), and music. I was expecting a good chunk of propaganda, but beyond some smoothing over on the rougher aspects of Russian history, it was surprisingly free of it, just a straight-forward chronicle.

--Given the perpetual truculence of Russia's image, it can be easy to forget how gifted and artistic its people and culture are. The ceremony involved a lot of international input, but it was thoroughly in Russian in feel.

--The projector system, with its 3D-style and integration with the marching and dancing, rocked. Very smart use and implementation…

--Also rocking: the music selection and playing (featuring a live orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev). Screw it: everything about the OC was awesome! (I even forgot about that early ring incident, until just now…)

--Surprisingly large amount of cordial cheers for the United States. Nice crowd, overall.

--Russia came out to a remix of t.A.T.u's "Not Gonna Get Us". Oh, sweet irony… (and, of course, if they were two guys…)

--Commentators: Please stop talking. I just want to enjoy the ceremony.

--What I Really Said The Whole Time: "SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO WATCH THIS!!" Maybe it's because I am used to watching art performances without someone talking at inopportune times, but aside from a few helpful items, I wish they would just show the event as is and only speak during moments like scene transitions. No fault of the commentators, as I wish the director had them keep the talking to a minimum.

--As much as I liked all of it, my favorite parts comprised of the middle section, from the imaginative boat scene to the trip through the 20th century. The men marching and the ballroom sequence through to the great "Propaganda Train" scene were particularly powerful.

--Who would have thought that a Soviet piece like Georgy Sviridov's "Time, Forward!" could kick so much butt? Like a lot of good works, it seemed so ahead of its time…

--Valuev Sighting!

--Really liked the integrated feel of the format, where the performances were interspersed between the traditional procedures and the latter was integrated into the former. I especially liked the touching torch relay, particularly when the two Russian legends ran between the two lines of OC performers, standing in historical order from past to present, waving at them…

--The Olympic Flag: Brought to You By Pals of Putin (who also happen to be great figures)!

--Valery Gergiev Sighting!

--Hard to beat Beijing's engineering spectacle, but I thought that Sochi's was the better one, artistically. It really made a great, lasting impression on me…


Day 3…or is that 2?

--Wow, what an excellent day of figure skating! I was not expecting too much from the team competition, where I thought everyone would be more cautious, save their best effort for the individual competition, and half-a** it, but everyone was giving it their best right off the bat and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Very pleased.

--Kaetlyn Osmond (Canada), Ashley Wagner (USA), and Mae Berenice Meite (France) impressed, but 15 year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya (Russia) threw it down. She hit it hard and it might have had the best performance of anyone, yet. Like Hanyu, it was a real "look at me" moment with much skill and graceful(ly-showy) artistry. Hope that translates to the actual ladies event, however. A Yu-na vs. Yulia 15-rounder is sounding mighty sweet, right now…

--Hope that will shut the Wagner skeptics. At least, for now it will…

--So Osmond's routine was too risque for some back home? Her outfit left little for the imagination below the belt line, but no…

--I initially didn't get why the team event came before the more "pressing" individual event, but now I see that it was a good idea, as everyone can work out any nerves or bad parts in their programs beforehand. I'm sure Jeremy Abbot (USA) and Mao Asada (Japan) are happy about that…

--Want to appreciate true athleticism? Just check out the cross-country skiing events, like the skiathlon (ladies' turn, today). Brutal…

--Biathlon: The Greatest Game of "Don't **** Up". One of my absolute favorites of the Winter Olympics. And Ole Einar Bjoerndalen's still pwning people at 40…

--Wait…we are using two different sets of commentators between the live coverage and primetime coverages (at least for figure skating)? Ok, NBC…

--It will take some time, but I can see Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir being in the commentary booth for a long time. Very good and knowledgeable without being too nitpicky or catty…

--Two-out-of-three for the three Dufour-Lapointe (France) sisters ain't too bad.  I know of what Hannah Kearney had to go through with her Olympic career, but a bronze is nothing bad, considering how she recovered from a near wipeout at the beginning of her final run…

--Shaun White didn't participate in slopestyle, but Max Parrot and Sebastien Toutant didn't medal either. Funny…

--Hard not to be too happy to see such a laid-back guy like Sage Kotsenburg win in slopestyle. Overcame the typical tough scoring in the event with a strong, error-free run and high-level moves.


EDIT [02/09/14]: Changed "alpine" to "cross-country". No knock on alpine, though… ;)