39.0°
Marco Sullivan, a Tahoe City native, will compete in alpine events for the U.S. Ski Team. Photo by Harry How |
Comments (1)Follow Local Favorites at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
Viewing Guide
By Olivia DwyerPublished: February 11, 2010
click for slideshow
**UPDATE** We will post updates with event results as they occurr.
Hey, did you hear? There’s this small event called the Olympics happening north of us this month. It’s been the hot topic all winter around Truckee/Tahoe, what with it being the golden anniversary of the same event happening out at that little resort known as Squaw Valley.
But now, it is no longer about heritage celebrations or future speculations — it’s about moving at dangerous speeds across ice and snow, flying high and skiing far, shooting true, and landing impossible jumps and spins. Why should you watch? Sure, to see who wins which medal. But more importantly, to see the joy and tears when the dream of a lifetime comes true.
Here’s a guide to NBC’s primetime coverage to follow the athletes that started dreaming in our own backyard. Visit nbcolympics.com/tv-listings for a full viewing schedule.
Read interviews with local hopefuls Shannon Bahrke and Nate Holland.
Friday Feb. 12
Opening Ceremonies Since the 21st Winter Olympics are in the Great White North, the powers that be are trying to keep everyone warm by having the ceremonies indoors for the first time in Olympic history. Expect lots of bells and whistles.
Saturday Feb. 13
Men’s Downhill and Women’s Moguls Two Tahoe City natives will be competing in their third Olympics. Catch 2002 silver medalist Shannon Bahrke trying to make her way back to the podium in the moguls, while Marco Sullivan hopes the third time’s the charm in men’s downhill.
**UPDATE** Bahrke won the bronze medal in women's moguls. Sullivan crashed in the bottom section of the downhill race and was disqualified from the race.
Sunday Feb. 14
Women’s Super Combined and Men’s Moguls Lindsay Vonn is getting all the hype for Team USA, but don’t count out Julia Mancuso, who calls Olympic Valley home and won Olympic gold in the giant slalom in 2006. Jonny Moseley, the 1998 gold medalist in men’s moguls and Squaw Valley ambassador, will be doing color commentary on NBC for all freestyle skiing events.
** UPDATE ** The women's super combined was postponed to Feb. 18, when Mancuso won her second silver medal of the Vancouver Games with a combined time of 2:10.08. Germany's Maria Reisch was .94 ahead of her for the gold medal, while Sweden's Anja Parson took the bronze.
Monday Feb. 15
Men’s Boardercross Nate Holland, a Squaw Valley rider and member of the Porters Tahoe Team, just set a record with his fifth consecutive gold in the X Games. He’s still looking for his first Olympic bling. Watch it live from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
**UPDATE** Holland advanced to the finals, where he finished fourth after a misstep early in the course.
Wednesday Feb. 17
Women’s Downhill and Men’s Halfpipe Julia Mancuso is in the top 10 for downhill on the World Cup, and Truckee native Stacey Cook took 9th at the 2009 World Championships. No locals in the men’s halfpipe, but Shaun “the Flying Tomato” White is expected to unleash never-before-seen tricks in defense of his reigning champion status.
**UPDATE** Mancuso will bring home a silver medal from the women's downhill after finishing .56 behind Vonn, who won the gold with a time of 1:44.19. Cook skied a time of 1:46.98 and finished in 11th place. White slayed the competition in the halfpipe, winning the gold medal with his first run.
Thursday Feb. 18
Women’s Halfpipe 2006 Olympic gold medalist Hannah Teter, who trains at Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Elena Hight, who grew up in South Lake Tahoe, represent the U.S. in the halfpipe competition.
** UPDATE ** Teter took the silver medal, while Hight finished 10th. Australia's Torah Bright won the gold with a score of 45.0, while Teter's teammate Kelly Clark brought home the bronze.
Friday Feb. 19
Men’s Super-G Marco Sullivan is 18th on the World Cup circuit, and will look to move up the rankings at the Olympics.
** UPDATE ** Sullivan finished 23rd with a time of 1:32.09. Aksel Svindal of Norway won gold in 1:30.34, while Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht of the U.S. finished second and third, respectiviely.
Saturday Feb. 20
Women’s Super-G Julia Mancuso was happier than most to wave goodbye to 2009, a year in which she struggled with a back injury and equipment adjustments. She’s bounced back to stand at 21st on the World Cup in this event heading into the Olympics.
** UPDATE ** Mancuso's time of 1:21.50 was good for ninth place, 1.36 seconds behind gold medalist Andrea Fishbacher of Austria. Slovenia's Tina Maze won silver and Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. took bronze.
Sunday Feb. 21
Men’s Skicross Sugar Bowl’s Daron Rahlves dislocated a hip at the X Games on Jan. 31, but is still set to compete in the Olympic debut of this sport at his fourth Olympics. Truckee’s Errol Kerr will race for Jamaica in this event, hoping all his hours of training at Alpine Meadows pay off.
** UPDATE ** Daron Rhalves and U.S. teammate Casey Puckett were both eliminated in the 1/8 round. Jamaica's Errol Kerr advanced to the quarterfinals but finished third in his heat and was eliminated. Michael Schmid of Switzerland won the gold medal, while Andreas Matt of Austria won silver, and Norway's Audun Groenvold claimed the bronze.
Wednesday Feb. 24
Women’s Giant Slalom It’s Mancuso’s time to shine as she looks to defend her 2006 Olympic title.
** UPDATE ** Mancuso ran into trouble on her first run, when race officials let her start the course although teammate Vonn had fallen. Mancusohad to stop her run and redo it 18 racers later, when course conditions had worsened. She was in 18th place after the first run. The second run was postponed to Feb. 25, when Mancuso turned in the third-fastest run of the day to move up to eighth in the final standings.
Sunday Feb. 28
Closing Ceremonies Bask in the winter Olympic glory for the last time until all eyes turn to Socchi, Russia, in 2014.
1 Reader Comment so far ...