Modern Mom is loving the Olympics this year. Watching the Olympics is a great way to get the family together for a fun activity. In my house, we love to hoot and holler at the television screen. Modern Mom has been following The Games and bringing you all the highlights. Listed below are this winter’s Olympic hot topics. Check out the ups, the downs, the celebrations and the controversies as Modern Mom originally reported them in chronological order. We will update this article as the Olympics progress. Feel free to add your favorite moment by posting a comment.
Olympics Opening Ceremony Performer Prepares
Kayleigh Jeffers has been kept a secret over the last three months. Why? Jeffers is a main performer in the Vancouver Winter Olympics opening ceremony. There will be over 4,000 people involved in the performance. According to the Bellingham Harold, Jeffers said in a phone interview, “It’s going to be amazing. I’m super excited about it.” She is not revealing much about the ceremony. The budget for the opening and closing ceremonies is $40 million. David Atkins, the executive producer of the event discussed the event’s secrecy with the Canadian press, “I think people have really bought into the fact that they don’t want to ruin the surprise. This is something that everyone is waiting for, and if they know what it is that is going to really diminish the experience for everyone.” Pam Jeffers, Kayleigh’s mother, finally got to see a dress rehearsal of the performance. She was blown away. “We had no idea what to expect,” she said. “Kayleigh wouldn’t tell us anything. We didn’t know what style of dance she was doing or what her costume looked like or anything.” We can be sure that the opening ceremony will be incredible. The international ceremony will be held today, Friday, 12 February.
Olympic Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili Dies in Sled Crash
Nodar Kumaritashvili, an Olympian Luger from the former Soviet republic of Georgia crashed during training Friday. According to the Associated Press, he lost control of his sled towards the end of this run, ran over the track wall and struck a steel pole. He was practicing on the Whistler Sliding Center in British Columbia. Rescue officials performed chest compressions. He was airlifted to the nearest hospital just 8 minutes after his crash. His track speed was unknown, although other lugers on that same track have gone upwards of 90mph. ABC just reported that Kumaritashvili died in the hospital.
Hannah Kearney Wins America’s First Gold Medal
Congratulations to Hannah Kearney! The skier won the first gold medal of the Olympics for the U.S. Kearney scored 26.63 pointes in the women’s moguls by defeating Jenn Heil from Canada. Go USA! How great is the Olympics??
Apolo Anton Ohno Ties USA Record
Apolo Anton Ohno won his 6th Winter Olympic medal. He won the silver in the 1,500-meter speed skating final to tie American Bonnie Blair for most medals won by a U.S. Winter Olympian.
Ohno barely won the intense race when two Koreans crashed on the final turn. This allowed fourth place Ohno to come in second and American J.R. Celski to place third.
Korean Lee Jung-su won the gold.
Olympic Medal Count: Winter 2010
According to the Vancouver 2010 Website, the medal count is close in the first week of the Olympics.
Germany leads the world with 9 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze). The United States is in a close second with 8 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze). France is third with 7 medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze).
Snowboarder Seth Westcott and freestyle skier Hannah Kearney have won the USA’s gold medals.
Canada (5), Korea (4) and Switzerland (4) round off the top 6.
Don’t Miss Your Favorite Olympic Event: Download the Free Organizer
There’s nothing more inspiring than watching great athletes go for the gold. But when you’re in the midst of the daily grind, you may inadvertently miss an Olympic moment or two that you really wanted to see. Sarah Welch & Alicia Rockmore created this free printable 2010 Olympics form. Check off the events you want to see and give it to the DVR programmer in the house. Then gather friends and family, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and watch your favorite athletes compete. The link to the fun and popular form is listed below.
Lindsey Vonn Wins Gold!
America’s skiing sweetheart Lindsey Vonn lived up to America’s expectations Wednesday. The skier won the downhill race by .56 seconds. Her US teammate Julia Mancuso earned the silver medal. Austria’s Elisabeth Goergl snagged the bronze. She finished 1.46 seconds back.
“This is everything I’ve wanted and hoped for,” Vonn said to the Associated Press. Good for her! The 25-year-old had a bruised shin going into the race that caused some worry. It did not seem to be a problem as the world champion raced down the track.
Add a gold and silver to the USA’s medal count. 10 total!
Shani Davis Wins Gold Medal
USA’s Shani Davis won the 1,000 meter speed skating gold medal Wednesday.
Davis finished the race in one minute 8.94 seconds. According to Reuters, he is the first man to win two Olympic 1,000 meter gold medals.
Mo Tae-bum of South Korea finished in second place.
Chad Hedrick of the USA finished in third place to round out the medals.
Olympic Medal Count: Winter 2010
According to the Vancouver 2010 Website, the United States is leading the world in medals Thursday morning.
The United States leads the world with 14 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze). Germany is next with 10 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze). France is third with 7 medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze).
Snowboarder Seth Westcott, freestyle skier Hannah Kearney, Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, speed skater Shani Davis, and snowboarder Shaun White have won the USA’s five gold medals
Canada (6), Korea (5), Austria (5) and Norway (5) round off the top 7.
Skiing Gold Medalist Lindsey Vonn Crashes
America’s favorite skiing sweetheart, Lindsey Vonn, had some trouble today in the super-combined Olympic event Thursday.
According to CNN, Vonn looked great in the start of the slalom but went around a gate a little too tightly. Her ski grabbed, and she fell. She was close to the race’s finish when she took a tumble. Vonn has had some trouble with her shin, but it was a tactical mistake that cost her the gold. The Associated Press reports Vonn’s reaction, “I was disappointed, but I went down fighting. I had to give it everything I had and, in slalom, anything goes.” Great attitude Lindsey!
Maria Riesch of Germany won the women’s super-combined gold. Julia Mancuso of the U.S. took the silver (her second silver of the games) and Anja Paerson of Sweden the bronze.
American Evan Lysacek Won Gold Medal in Men’s Figure Skating
Congratulations to American Evan Lysacek! He won the gold medal in men’s figure skating! This win over Russian defending champion Evgeni Plushenko is huge!
Lysacek is the first man from the U.S. to win the Olympic gold medal way back in 1988 when Brian Boitano took the title.
Go Red White and Blue!
Apolo Anton Ohno Wins Seventh Olympic Medal – New Record
Congratulations to Apolo Anton Ohno, who won his 7th Olympic medal Saturday night after receiving the bronze in the men’s 1,000-meter short-track speedskating event. Ohno now holds the record for the most Olympic medals by America of the Winter games. He beat out American speedskater Bonnie Blair.
Ohno has now won the most medals of any short track speedskater from any nation.
GO USA!
