Spotlight on Sochi
Of course, during such a large international event, you need to be careful of your surroundings.
Reminder keep eyes on road or you may fall into big gapping hole. #SochiProblems #Sochi pic.twitter.com/Xb7GLSK53B
— Sochi Problems (@SochiProblems) February 5, 2014
And the decor is a little questionable.
#Sochi2014 because who doesn’t want to use a public restroom with completely mirrored ceilings? thanks shayba arena! pic.twitter.com/dTcFWseIAu
— Steph Stricklen (@StephStricklen) February 6, 2014
— Steph Stricklen (@StephStricklen) February 6, 2014
And then there are those new events.
New Olympic sport, come enjoy fun. #SochiProblems #Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/DJXzi0gEMn
— Sochi Problems (@SochiProblems) February 4, 2014
But not all the stories are so bad. Here’s a few inspiring tales to get you in the Olympic spirit
Jamaican Bobsled
A story that was put into dusty history books has come alive again after laying low for close to 8 years. 47 year old Winston Watt is has spent the last 2 years working hard in the gym and paying all the expenses out of pocket to qualify for Sochi. Once they were in the running, a crowdfunding platform and lots of positive media attention helped push them over their final hurdle-raising the $80,000 it takes to compete in the Olympics. Winston’s strong will and determination have paid off to the tune of $130,000 in crowd funding to support the team.
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Wayne Blackwood, Winston Watts, and Marvin Dixon have been working tirelessly for 2 years to qualify for Sochi and represent their country[/caption]
Larisa Yurkiw
Belief takes you a long way. Just ask Larisa Yurkiw, who was informed last year that the Canadian Alpine Team had decided to drop the women’s downhill program entirely. Having crashed and injured her knee prior to 2010, Larisa was determined to make a comeback and represent her country in the Olympics, so she set out on her own to raise the $150,000 to compete and try to earn points for the Olympic season. She was not only successful in raising the funds, but had the best season of her career and qualified for the Olympics.
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Larisa Yurkiw slides into a qualification for the Olympics[/caption]
Lindsey Van
That’s not a typo; Lindsey Van — not Vonn — is a force with which to be reckoned. Unlike Lindsey Vonn, who’s made an estimated $3 million in endorsements and is an Olympic Gold medalist, Lindsey Van makes $10 an hour at her job in Utah, and her sport was never in the Olympics-until now. After years of fighting to get women’s ski jumping in the games (the men have been competing since 1924), the girls are finally getting some airtime — literally. Lindsey has been persistent in following her dream and successfully led her peers into petitioning the IOC for the event.
The Volunteers
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Some of the volunteers on course in Sochi[/caption]
In addition to the many athletes that are arriving in Sochi, there are volunteers from around the world who have paid their own way to provide the support the games need to happen. Coming from venues and events that are the standard in executing these games, this devoted group of fans mostly use vacation time to work around-the-clock for no pay. I was touched by one particular story about a volunteer named Aniya. Adopted at the age of 8 by a loving French couple who supported her skiing career, she is a former ski racer, now ski instructor working on the alpine ski racing events in Sochi. In addition to her time volunteering, she is finally going to meet her birth mother while she is in Russia. Pretty cool if you ask me.
