Winter Olympic events (alpine skiing,biathlon,bobsleigh, cross country)

Alpine skiing 

Combined Downhill

This event is a combination one downhill and two slalom runs. All three runs are added together. The runs are a little shorter than in the regular race. The racer with the fastest time wins the gold medal. There is an event for women and one for men.

Downhill Racing

It is time for the race. Bang, and you're off! Here you go, faster and faster until there's a flag on a pole. You turn your body through the gate trying not to lose speed. You are Downhill Racing! Would you like the wind in your hair, lots of snow, and going fast on long skis? Then the downhill is for you.

Downhill is a very popular sport for the Winter Olympics it is also has the longest course in Alpine Skiing. To be a downhill racer you need skis, poles, goggles, a special suit, a helmet and no fear. Skiers travel down steep slopes turning when they see red flag. They can go as fast as 80 miles per hour or maybe more.

There are two training races. They are for safety reasons. Then comes the big race. Your skis are waxed and bucked tightly to your boots. Your poles are in your hands, ready to help you push off. Your goggles are on nice and tight, then you're off. Poles dig into the snow helping you go faster. You tuck your poles under your arms. You crouch down and make yourself as small as you can. You want to make your body aerodynamic. You need to go even faster. You turn at each red flag and go as fast as you can to the finish line.

Each skier gets one try and the fastest time wins the gold medal. The hardest part of this tricky sport is keeping your balance and not breaking any of your bones.

Slalom

In the slalom racers go down the hill one at a time weaving through gates. The object in the slalom is to go in and out of gates that are set up and get down the hill faster than any other competitor. They wear short skis to make turning easier. The binding hold the boots tight to the skis. The skiers try to get as close to the gates as they can without missing them so they wear padding on their arms and legs and to protect themselves from the gates. They also wear helmets, goggles and gloves. 

Slalom can be a very dangerous sport. Skiers go straight down a hill making really sharp turns on skis in the snow. If the snow is deep and soft it is harder to go down the hill because you can sink into the snow. If the snow is thin and smooth you will go faster because your skis skid over the snow and it is easier to turn the skis in and out of the flags. You just don't want it to be icy, that's really dangerous. There are officials that make sure nobody cheats by not going in and out of all the gates. If any of the participants doesn’t go through all the gates they are disqualified. The gates are stuck into the snow so they do not blow away in the wind. The gates are tall enough for the participants to see but not too tall because the flag might bend down and the racers could trip on the flags.

There is a men's event and a women's event. Each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. There must be a total of 55 to 75 gates fro men and 45 to 65 gates for women. The times get added up and the fastest time wins!

Giant Slalom

Did you ever hear of the sport Giant Slalom? Some people call it the GS. It is a skiing race, very much like the slalom except it is wider and has fewer turns. Skiers make two runs on the same slope but the course is different each time. Skiers usually do the first run in the morning. Then the course is changed and they do the second run after that in the afternoon. The best time (when the scores are added together) decides the winner.

The first Olympic Giant Slalom races were held in 1952. Alberto Tomba, Jean Claude Killy, and Stein Eriksen, Debbie Armstrong, and Deborah Compagnoni are five famous Giant Slalom Gold Medal winners.

For more details visit  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36rOxEcaSJg

Biathlon 

  The word biathlon comes from the Greek word meaning two contests. At the Winter Olympics it means joining two sports together. Those two sports are cross country skiing and rifle shooting. The skiers have to go as fast as they can for a certain distance, then they have to shot at a target. It is really hard to do because your heart is beating fast from skiing so hard and then you have to try slow your heart down so you can hit a target that is about the size of a coin. I don't know how they do it. It sounds really difficult.

Racers wear cross-country skis, ski suit, and boot. They have a harness to carry the rifle. Also they have an arm sling that is used to stabilize the rifle while shooting.

There are four different races for men and women. There is the sprint, pursuit, individual and the relay. Each race is a different distance and has a different number of targets to hit. One has a penalty loop for every target the racer misses. One minute is added to your time for every target they miss. So it's important to hit all the targets

Bobsleigh

 Bobsleighing started in Switzerland in the late 1800s. It is one of the original Winter Olympic sports. A four-man event was included in the very first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 1932, a two-man event was added. Women will be competing in the bobsleigh event for the first time in Olympic history. The women's event will be a two-woman event.

Bobsleighs have runners, a main hull, a frame, and a front and rear axle. The hull is made of fiberglass and the runners are made of steel. It can go 90 miles per hour. The events consist of two runs both done on the same day. The winner is the sled team with the lowest time.

To be a bobsleigher you need a helmet, a bobsled, suit, and a number on the car. The start for sleds is very important. The three men in the back push the sled to get it started, after the sled is on its way they jump in. They only have 60 seconds to get started. Steering is also important. The driver of the sled steers by gently pulling on two pieces of string that are connected to a steering bolt that steers the sled. In the sled you will need a brake to stop you when get to the finish line. Each team is from a different country like Jamaica or Canada. There was a movie made about the Jamaican bobsled team a few years ago. They were very famous for a while. Prince Albert of Monaco will be competing in the 2002 Winter Olympics. But when he is in the sled, on the course he will be known as just Albert Grimaldi, driver of Monaco.

The bobsleigh event is a wonderful sport to watch and it is exciting and fun.






                                                                           Cross country 

Hundreds of years ago people used cross country skies to travel and hunt. Today people cross country ski because it is lots of fun and great exercise. In Salt Lake City cross country skiers will compete for gold medals. Cross country skiing is like walking or running on long skies. The skies are long and narrow with front tips that curve up. The ski boots lace up and look like running shoes. Cross country skiers use long ski poles to help them push off. The wax that the skiers use is very important. It goes on the bottom of the skies to help them either slide better on the snow or not slip depending on the condition of the snow. There are many races. The shortest is 5 km long(about 3 miles) and the longest is 50 km long(31 miles). The courses have parts that are flat, parts that go uphill and other parts that go downhill. Men and women race in individual events and as part of a team. Cross country skiing is a sport for any age.