By Michaella Lesieur, Staff Writer
The Pyeongchang Winter 2018 Olympics is ready to take flight February 9 and run through February 25 and I am so excited! Over two weeks of pure excitement right on your television screen!
There is nothing like routing for the USA in the various events and sports featured throughout the next couple of weeks.
The opening ceremonies are always a must watch, as you see all the athletes stroll in proudly. It’s incredible seeing all the different countries participate and to see talented athletes who we may have never seen otherwise. Plus, this makes for a great night with the family, your roomies and besties.
That means bring out the munchies and appetizers for a fun filled night. Plus, football season will be over so all attention will go over to our USA Olympic teams, so why not throw a celebration?
One of my favorite competitions would be hands down, gymnastics. I know, I know, I have never participated in the art of flips and back handsprings; however, I find it fascinating on how one can craft themselves into these beautiful routines.
The USA is known for having elite gymnasts and all I can think of is the “Fierce Five,” from the 2012 Summer Olympics,” those girls had natural born talent. So, my expectations for the winter categories stand very high.
I remember being in New York City with my family for the weekend and going to Good Morning America and seeing the gymnasts such as Aly Raisman, on the show and talk about their experiences, which was amazing.
Even though there aren’t any gymnastics in the winter edition of the Olympics, the most recent news of Dr. Larry Nassar assaulting the gymnasts of the “Fierce Five” and the girls standing together during his sentencing shows the power of the sportmanship and teamwork between the girls and all the athletes of the Olympics.
This really makes me excited for the Olympics this winter and seeing the athletes work together again.
And plus, the Winter Olympics features a wide array of sports that is sure to captivate the attention of anyone.
I mean how can they be boring, when there is so much action going on?
There is literally a category for everyone: figure skating, speed skating, skiing, luge, snowboarding, you name a winter sport, and they most likely have it.
Figure skating is my all-time favorite to watch; the way they skate so gracefully around the rink is impressive. This year’s competition is looking good as I feel we have a strong team that can take the lead and bring the medal home to the U.S.
According to Time, “A rising figure skating star, Nathan Chen was the first U.S. man in eight years to win the ISU Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan — the last big-ticket international competition before the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He beat Japan’s Shoma Uno by less than 1 point.”
With this being said, I will definitely be watching his game moves and hope he has what it takes to win the Winter Olympics too. Only time will tell.
There is a strong passion for these sports in our athletes, a true dedication.
And a lot of times, there is a true sportsmanship between athletes based on the love they have for their sport.
They know what they need to do, when to do it and how to do it, while showing the world their character through it all.