Olympics: Good news in nordic, bad news in giant slalom and hockey for U.S.

Finally, more than 85 years after the U.S. began seeking a gold medal in an Olympic nordic event, the drought ended as Billy Demong won the large hill Nordic combined. For good measure, Johnny Spillane claimed the silver. Read more.

Julia Mancuso of the U.S. ski team deserves to wonder “what if.” The women’s Giant Slalom was suspended on Wednesday owing to bad weather. Mancuso suffered more than most, when her first run was interrupted after Lindsey Vonn’s crash and her second came in slower. How much slower? Today she had the third-fastest time in the second run overall to claim eighth, more than 5 seconds faster than her first run. All she would have needed is to have skied .52 seconds faster on Wednesday to claim the gold — time she likely lost on a second run over a rutted course. What if, indeed.

The news also was tough for the U.S. Hockey women, who gave up a pair of first-period goals while being blanked 2-0 by Team Canada, which saw Marie-Philip Poulin score two goals and Shannon Szabados make 28 saves.

Everyone’s always so interested in who’s won the most at the Olympics, so here’s where to look for medal count standings. Once you’ve seen those numbers, though, look at The Real Winter Olympic Medal Count, an interesting twist from Fourth Place Medal, a Yahoo Sports blog.  The U.S might lead the official count, but things change dramatically when you throw out “judged” events. It’s a great place to start an argument.

Seen Olympic Pulse? It’s a cool graphic that NBC has created that shows you dynamically what’s being tweeted about on Twitter at any time. On Sunday afternoon, at least, the debut of ski cross was a huge hit. Check it out, way cool.

Remember: use Swany’s Olympic Guide if you want to keep up with the Olympics on TV, the web or in real-time. What else has happened during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

Olympics roundup: U.S. men advance in hockey, GS mess for women

Nobody said this would easy: Despite another stellar effort in goal by Swiss netminder Jonas Hiller (he starts for the Anaheim Ducks), U.S. Men’s Hockey continued its undefeated march with a 2-0 win that moved them into the semi-finals.

The women’s Giant Slalom was suspended after the first run owing to bad weather. Julia Mancuso of the U.S. may have suffered more than most, after her first run was interrupted after Lindsey Vonn’s crash and her second was slower.

TUESDAY

• Five seconds were all that separated the U.S. men’s nordic combined relay team from its first gold in the event on Tuesday, but they seemed happy enough with its second medal ever — silver.  Read how it came down to the last turn.
• The men’s alpine team, for the first time in this Olympics, settled for NO medals in the giant slalom. Three-medal winner Bode Miller missed a gate in the first run and defending gold medalist Ted Ligety could only manage a ninth-place finish.
• Both U.S. Hockey teams rested on Tuesday, but both face big games on Wednesday: the women are in the finals versus Canada in the gold medal game and the men face Switzerland in a quarterfinal matchup.

MONDAY

• It was a bad weekend for the host Canadians, which first saw its hockey team lose to the U.S., then benched certain Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. And today they admitted their Own the Podium program was not producing as many medals as expected.
• The Quebec Gay & Lesbian Council has demanded an apology from Canadian broadcasters who bashed U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir.
• And then everyone’s favorite whipping boy, the Olympic sliding track, was modified once again to help make it less dangerous.

SUNDAY

• Maybe we should have ignored Bode Miller at the last Winter Olympics? Perhaps he would have won three medals then, just as he has in Vancouver, adding a gold to his silver and bronze by winning the Super Combined on Sunday. Things didn’t go as well for Americans Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett in ski cross.
• And speaking of surprises, the U.S. hockey team won its biggest game of the Olympic tournament, dusting off highly favored and all-star laden Canada in a stirring 5-3 victory. And while we’re on ice, the news is better for Canada in the ice dancing competition, where Tessa Virtue and Scot Moir hold the lead with only the free dance program ahead. Read more.
• Much of the talk of the Vancouver Winter Olympics over the weekend has been about whether halfpipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago should have been sent home for some photos U.S. Olympic officials found suggestive. Take a look at the pictures. Should he have left? Vote in our poll.

Everyone’s always so interested in who’s won the most at the Olympics, so here’s where to look for medal count standings. Once you’ve seen those numbers, though, look at The Real Winter Olympic Medal Count, an interesting twist from Fourth Place Medal, a Yahoo Sports blog.  The U.S might lead the official count, but things change dramatically when you throw out “judged” events. It’s a great place to start an argument.

Seen Olympic Pulse? It’s a cool graphic that NBC has created that shows you dynamically what’s being tweeted about on Twitter at any time. On Sunday afternoon, at least, the debut of ski cross was a huge hit. Check it out, way cool.

Remember: use Swany’s Olympic Guide if you want to keep up with the Olympics on TV, the web or in real-time. What else has happened during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

More stories from the Olympics:

• Lindsey Vonn might not have earned a gold in Super G on Saturday, but a medal is a medal, right?
• Apolo Ohno’s bronze medal on Saturday was his seventh ever in Olympic competition. Does that make him the greatest?
• Bode Miller continued to surprise with his second medal of the games  on Friday, this one silver in Super G. American Andrew Weibrecht earned bronze.
• Yevgeny Plushenko’s still steamed about losing the men’s figure skating gold to Evan Lysacek on Thursday, but now says he won’t file a protest.
• Lindsey Vonn overcame her injury to win the Olympic downhill on Wednesday. Watch the medal ceremony.
• Favorite Lindsey Jacobellis was up to her old Olympic tricks on Tuesday, losing control and missing a gate, once again failing to win what seemed like a sure Olympic medal in snowboard cross. Read more.
• Despite the fact that the South Korean skaters knocked each other out of Saturday’s 1,500-meter short track race, they are saying that silver medalis
• Bode Miller continued to defy expectations by medaling in the downhill.

• Seth Wescott dazzled everyone with his amazing comeback win in snowboard cross (sorry, Canada). Watch the race and listen to his analysis.

Winter Olympics: Oh (no) Canada, U.S. women going for hockey gold, Bode hunts No. 4

Unless you’re huge fan of ice dancing (we’ll confess we’re not), Monday was a fairly quiet day at the Olympics. Oh sure, U.S. women’s hockey breezed by Sweden 9-1, reaching the gold medal matchup on Thursday with Canada, 5-0 winners over Finland. But really, what else was going to happen?

Look at it this way: Bode Miller’s back on the hill on Tuesday in the Giant Slalom along with fellow American and defending Olympic GS gold medalist Ted Ligety.

In other news on Monday:

• It was a bad weekend for the host Canadians, which first saw its hockey team lose to the U.S., then benched certain Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. And today they admitted their Own the Podium program was not producing as many medals as expected.
• The Quebec Gay & Lesbian Council has demanded an apology from Canadian broadcasters who bashed U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir.
• And then everyone’s favorite whipping boy, the Olympic sliding track, was modified once again to help make it less dangerous.

SUNDAY

Maybe we should have ignored Bode Miller at the last Winter Olympics? Perhaps he would have won three medals then, just as he has in Vancouver, adding a gold to his silver and bronze by winning the Super Combined on Sunday. Things didn’t go as well for Americans Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett in ski cross.

And speaking of surprises, the U.S. hockey team won its biggest game of the Olympic tournament, dusting off highly favored and all-star laden Canada in a stirring 5-3 victory. And while we’re on ice, the news is better for Canada in the ice dancing competition, where Tessa Virtue and Scot Moir hold the lead with only the free dance program ahead. Read more.

Much of the talk of the Vancouver Winter Olympics over the weekend has been about whether halfpipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago should have been sent home for some photos U.S. Olympic officials found suggestive. Take a look at the pictures. Should he have left? Vote in our poll.

Everyone’s always so interested in who’s won the most at the Olympics, so here’s where to look for medal count standings. Once you’ve seen those numbers, though, look at The Real Winter Olympic Medal Count, an interesting twist from Fourth Place Medal, a Yahoo Sports blog.  The U.S might lead the official count, but things change dramatically when you throw out “judged” events. It’s a great place to start an argument.

So how is Canada doing in the medals race, an area they wanted to dominate in their home country? Well, not so hot, but it’s better than it could be. And then, here is more news about the Olympics, courtesy of NBC.

Seen Olympic Pulse? It’s a cool graphic that NBC has created that shows you dynamically what’s being tweeted about on Twitter at any time. On Sunday afternoon, at least, the debut of ski cross was a huge hit. Check it out, way cool.

Remember: use Swany’s Olympic Guide if you want to keep up with the Olympics on TV, the web or in real-time. What else has happened during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver? A quick look back:

• Lindsey Vonn might not have earned a gold in Super G on Saturday, but a medal is a medal, right?
• Apolo Ohno’s bronze medal on Saturday was his seventh ever in Olympic competition. Does that make him the greatest?
• Bode Miller continued to surprise with his second medal of the games  on Friday, this one silver in Super G. American Andrew Weibrecht earned bronze.
• Yevgeny Plushenko’s still steamed about losing the men’s figure skating gold to Evan Lysacek on Thursday, but now says he won’t file a protest.
• Lindsey Vonn overcame her injury to win the Olympic downhill on Wednesday. Watch the medal ceremony.
• Favorite Lindsey Jacobellis was up to her old Olympic tricks on Tuesday, losing control and missing a gate, once again failing to win what seemed like a sure Olympic medal in snowboard cross. Read more.The American women’s hockey team thrashed Russia13-0.
• That sort of result won’t happen on the men’s side, but the U.S. did beat Switzerland.
• Lindsey Vonn rested on Tuesday but is ready to ski in the downhill on Wednesday.
• Despite the fact that the South Korean skaters knocked each other out of Saturday’s 1,500-meter short track race, they are saying that silver medalist Apolo Ohno is the villain. Here’s why.

• Bode Miller continued to defy expectations by medaling in the downhill.
• Seth Wescott dazzled everyone with his amazing comeback win in snowboard cross (sorry, Canada). Watch the race and listen to his analysis.
• Figure skating saw a gold medalist(s) crowned from China.
• TV ratings continue to be strong, even if a lot of people are upset that NBC didn’t show the downhill live on Monday when many people were home for the President’s Day holiday.
• So what’s it like to work with Lindsey Vonn? Here’s one person’s point of view.

Olympics update: Jacobellis flops, U.S. hockey rolls, Vonn ready

Favorite Lindsey Jacobellis was up to her old Olympic tricks on Tuesday, losing control and missing a gate (see animation at right) during her semifinal, once again failing to win what seemed like a sure Olympic medal in snowboard cross. At least it was accidental this time. Read more.

Have you seen Olympic Pulse? It’s a cool graphic that NBC has created that shows you dynamically what’s being tweeted about on Twitter at any time. Check it out, way cool. Interestingly, the Jacobellis snowboard pratfall is well behind curling.

What else happened on Tuesday? Glad you asked:

• The American women’s hockey team thrashed Russia13-0.
• That sort of result won’t happen on the men’s side, but the U.S. did beat Switzerland.
• Lindsey Vonn rested on Tuesday but is ready to ski in the downhill on Wednesday.
• Despite the fact that the South Korean skaters knocked each other out of Saturday’s 1,500-meter short track race, they are saying that silver medalist Apolo Ohno is the villain. Here’s why.
• The medal count standings have the Germans at the top with 9 in all, followed by the U.S. (8) and France (7).
• Find more news here about the Olympics.

Check out these Monday happenings:

• Bode Miller continued to defy expectations by medaling in the downhill.
• Seth Wescott dazzled everyone with his amazing comeback win in snowboard cross (sorry, Canada). Watch the race and listen to his analysis.
• Figure skating saw a gold medalist(s) crowned from China.
• TV ratings continue to be strong, even if a lot of people are upset that NBC didn’t show the downhill live on Monday when many people were home for the President’s Day holiday.
• So what’s it like to work with Lindsey Vonn? Here’s one person’s point of view.

Remember: use Swany’s Olympic Guide if you want to keep up with the Olympics on TV, the web or in real-time,

Jacobellis bombs out of Olympics again

Seth Wescott's golden moment.

Talk about Ground Hog Day: Favorite Lindsey Jacobellis fell during her semifinal on Tuesday, once again failing to win what seemed like a sure Olympic medal in snowboard cross. Read more.

Otherwise, the Olympics are in full gear — well, at least when the weather allows it to be, the men’s super combined was canceled today.  But there are plenty of other things to occupy your time. Go here for today’s news, or check out these Monday happenings:

• Bode Miller continued to defy expectations by medaling in the downhill.
• Seth Wescott dazzled everyone with his amazing comeback win in snowboard cross (sorry, Canada). Watch the race and listen to his analysis.
• Figure skating saw a gold medalist(s) crowned from China.
• TV ratings continue to be strong, even if a lot of people are upset that NBC didn’t show the downhill live on Monday when many people were home for the President’s Day holiday.
• So what’s it like to work with Lindsey Vonn? Here’s one person’s point of view.

Remember: use Swany’s Olympic Guide if you want to keep up with the Olympics on TV, the web or in real-time,

Here’s how to keep up with Winter Olympics

Opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics take place tonight in Vancouver, with an avalanche of events to follow in the next two weeks. It’s a challenge to keep up with it all, even if you’re commited. When it comes to overall coverage, you can either follow it through the Vancouver Olympics web site or via NBC. Want more guidance? Here are three more ways to keep track:

Television: NBC is your main outpost for primetime and weekend coverage, but as they have in the past, you can also find a wide variety of events being broadcast live during the day on MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Universal Sports and Universal HD. Just visit the page, customize it with your zip code, and you’ll have all times and channel available at a glance.

Internet: It’s hard to beat the NBC Olympic web site, which offers a terrific, intuitive grid that shows you everything at a glance, then allows you to click through to various events for times, links to replays and the like. You can even ask it to alert you via e-mail when your favorite event comes up. Check it out. Or use the schedule on the Vancouver Olympics site. Looking for reporting? Sports Illustrated has you covered.

Real time: Want to keep up with the Olympics as they happen? One of the best ways is to follow the various athletes using Twitter. NBC has assembled a list of athletes that range from superstars (Lindsey Vonn) to lesser known stars (Nicole Joraanstad, American curling team). If you already have a Twitter account, just sign up for this list. If you don’t have a Twitter account, this is a great opportunity to sign up and see the value of its real-time news delivery. You can also use NBC’s terrific Olympic Pulse, which aggregates Tweets in real-time to create a graphic image that tells you which events and news are generating the most Tweets

Follow Swany Gloves on Twitter or become a Facebook fan for the latest from the Olympics and other outdoor events.

Stormy weather keeps Vonn’s outlook sunny

So much for worries about snow conditions at the Olympics and so much for another day of training runs for Lindsey Vonn, who gladly accepted another cancellation of an Olympic downhill training session on Friday. The perfect scenario? It might be another cancellation on Saturday: find out why.

PREVIOUSLY: Good news for Lindsey Vonn: Thursday’s first women’s Olympic downhill training session was canceled  due to bad weather at the course in Whistler, B.C., a development that her husband, Tom, called “fantastic” since it gives her injured shin more time to heal. Read more.  Even before this news, a Washington Post story suggested she still might ski all the events she previously planned to at the Vancouver Olympics.

PREVIOUSLY: Lindsey Vonn is injured, now? Before the Winter Olympics she was supposed to dominate?

Say it ain’t so. Too late: the American alpine superstar told Matt Lauer on the Today show this morning that she sustained an injury last week in Austria while doing some slalom training. In fact, the winner of four out of five downhill races on the World Cup circuit so far this season says she hasn’t even skied since the injury. Read more.

Jimmie Heuga dies: first U.S. alpine Olympic medalist

RIP: Jimmie Heuga.

The first American, along with Billy Kidd,  to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing, died Monday at age 66 in Boulder. The California native, who won the NCAA slalom championship in 1963, won the bronze medal in slalom to Kidd’s silver medal during the 1964 Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria.  Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1968, the same year he was named to his second Olympic team, Heuga entered a long second act in his life during which he raised awareness of the disease, as well as attacked it through vigorous exercise that previously had been thought counterproductive. He established the Jimmie Heuga Center in Edwards, Colo., and it continues its work today as Can Do Multiple Sclerosis.

Read more about Heuga, who died 46 years to the day after winning bronze, at the Denver Post and at First Tracks Online.

Big Air Bobby Brown ends Dew Tour flying high

Andreas Håtveit, left, Bobby Brown and Sammy Carlson at Mt. Snow

Bobby Brown has come a long way from the teenager who moved to Breckenridge from Denver with his mother two years ago to pursue a slopestyle dream. How far? In the past two competitions he’s won double gold in big air and slopestyle at the X Games and then gold again this past weekend at the final Dew Tour event of the season at Mt. Snow in Vermont.

Amazing as the season-ending effort was, the Denver native fell just short of catching Andreas Håtveit, who took silver in Vermont and, as a result, won the season championship. Check out Freeskier’s story from the event, which also includes a nice slideshow. And check out these photos from the season-ending party/awards ceremony.

Have you entered Swany’s Outdoor Adventure Video Contest? Hurry, time’s running out. Entering is easy; take a look at our latest winner from Vancouver, which earned a helmet cam for a prize.

Burton really WAS at snowboarding’s start

Jake Burton, in 2002, shows off an early model, right, and one of the newer snowboards.

Funny how times change. When the Winter Olympics open this weekend in Vancouver, events featuring snowboards will be plentiful. But it’s worth noting: this will be only the fourth Olympics at which snowboarding has been included. And as recently as the mid-’80s, snowboarders were largely related to the backcountry, unwelcome at any ski resort. And as this ABC News story notes, while a lot of people claim they were there at the beginning of snowboarding’s rise into mass aceptance, few have the evidence to prove it like Jake Burton, who started making boards back in 1977. Check out the story.

Andrew Emmerson is the first monthly winner in Swany’s Outdoor Adventure Video Contest, so he scores a helmet cam as a prize. Emmerson and some friends starred in a video tearing it up in Revelstoke, British Columbia. See for yourself. Hey, it’s easy for you to enter the video contest, too. Here’s how.