LANDED JFK

Parting shot of apt 70605.

Sochi Olympic coverage in Russia has been pathetic: only 2-3 hours of evening coverage (of Russian-dominated events).  German ZDF has been my go-to and I figured they would have the women’s slalom.  Wrong.  A cooking show.  I was forced to “watch” Mikaela Shiffrin’s first run as her interval times popped up on the FIS live-timing web link.  With her 0.49 sec lead after first run I knew where I needed to be for the second. 

Mix zone at slalom venue.

I have been doing most of my studying and research in the media centers both at the jump and in town.  Great web access, printed results, flash quotes, training summaries, and a Sochi-specific database for all athletes.  Monitors with live coverage of all events and rows and rows of desks.  The media centers were where Paul Robbins, journalist and friend of all things skiing, camped out for these events and even though he’s been gone for 6 years I have not walked through one since without keeping an eye out for his signature tam atop the biggest pile of junk.  When I arrived at the slalom venue with still 90 minutes until the second run I sought refuge in the alpine media center and was finally rewarded with a glimpse of Paul.  Someone is still looking out for him and I, for one, appreciated it.

Paul Robbins photo in alpine media center- caption reads "Hey, take the rest of the day off."

Mikaela was Mikaela.  Unbelievable that it was so obvious even at age 6 and frankly more incredible- to me- that nothing derailed a path that was so obvious.  And an eerie feeling to witness the final metamorphic transformation from the talent that was treasured (and possessed?) locally to something that is now treasured (and possessed?) globally.

In both the women’s slalom and figure skating it was great to have youth served in an Olympic movement that is trending heavy toward veterans.  It used to be only the athletes from the Eastern Bloc (where the state used, and invested in, athletic success to validate political systems) stuck around for more than one, maybe two bites at the apple.  Now, the Olympics have become a career path even (especially?) in the free world where our brilliant market forces pool money (collected in surcharges on cereals, mutual funds, and energy drinks) to fund our favorite athletes so they can extend their careers.  Curious that capitalism trailed communism on this front.  But we’re certainly kicking butt now that we’ve cracked the code. Red Bull our Red Party.

Taking watch.  Canine welcoming committee works in shifts- 4 hours on, 8 off.

And speaking of communism, the rat bastards at Moscow airport first sold me vodka (after scanning my boarding pass) then confiscated it at the gate when I tried to get on the plane.  “Temporary policy,” I was told and that was the end of the conversation.  Vodka gone.  I can’t help but think that flights to USA were targeted and that this is Putin’s way of saying f-you to the US.  If we were better guests we would have let them win in hockey and this mess could have been avoided.

But don’t blame the messenger, right?  Russians (vs. Russia) were great.  Individuals are vulnerable and human… in groups they are less vulnerable and behavior, accordingly, becomes less humane.  There is both safety and danger in numbers.  And good to be sitting in JFK among numbers that play by rules I understand a little better.

THAT'S A W/RAP

Rain on Tuesday was snow at the summits.  Great skiing Wednesday.

Things have gone well for Sochi.  If barely.  In the mountain cluster there are at least 8 huge, brand new trams that ferry people from the valley floor up to venues or skiing.  Free to anyone with a spectator pass.  Truly spectacular, but one gets the feeling that things are hanging by a thread here.  Thin veneer.  There was a growing sink hole outside the media area at our venue and general consensus is the jumps will eventually wind up 400m down the mountain in the river.  Not that they would be missed by many.  And then yesterday there was no PA for the trial round of the K125 Nordic combined team event.  Eerie silence.  Turns out the company that had installed the PA system 2 years ago had still not been paid and was using the last event (and their inside knowledge of the system) as a lever.  Ballsy move at Putin's Olympics.  Venue producer Kris Severson sat and waited while Sochi organizers urgently worked the phones trying to make a deal.    In the end the microphones were live and working for the first round of competition and whether the PA company was paid or not one can only hope they (and their families) are in a safe, undisclosed location.

Ski day was interesting with music pumped in to an empty, snow-filled bowl.  And what was the music...

Before the NC team event with team doc Jim Stray-Gundersen (wearing obligatory r/w&b moustache tattoo)and venue voice, Peter Graves, who is now working the alpine venue.

Men's Nordic combined went as everyone expected but not as US Team had hoped.  Super powers Norway (GOLD) and Germany (SILVER by less than 1 sec) barely edged out an aging Austrian team that jumped well and managed to catch a ride through the XC and pester to the end.  Bill Demong did a nice job in the 4th leg moving USA up from 8th to 6th, but nothing like the silver medal effort of 2010.  Dr. Jim Stray-Gundersen (who was USST doc in my day and has son Sten playing soccer at Dartmouth) did a great job of helping Todd Lodwick get to the starting line where Peter Graves was making the call on the (newly re-connected) PA.  Peter has been moved from medals plaza up the the alpine venue to fill in for a fired announcer (French) who was making too  many sarcastic comments (like telling the crowd to all get naked together- tres jolie!).  Peter will be on the PA for Mikaela Shiffrin's slalom event later today.

My Norma Rae statement- thank you Jodi..

The bittersweet feeling of the last day at the venue.  A beautiful day in every regard.  The event called live for NBCSN and a chopped up version then aired in late night (or so I understand).  With no US stand-outs there has been virtually no ski jumping shown in prime time.  Curious that we began the Olympics by showing training jumps of the women whose main event (with no US medals) was then pushed to fringe times/outlets.  Below, a shot of the NBC team at the jumps.  Many people behind the scenes even with 98% of the pictures coming fromthe host (not NBC's responsibility).  Great group that treated every show as though it was going prime time.

The NBC jump family in Sochi.

NC events are in the afternoon (vs. special jumping at 9:30 pm) so plenty of time to get to women's figure skating (riding xc announcer Chad Slamela's coat tails to get tix) and the end of USA-CAN women's hockey.  Arrived at game with 8 minutes left, USA up 2-0... left 45 minutes later having witnessed an incredible reversal of fortunes.

In figure skating I had to wonder if the home field advantage of Adelina Sotnikova played a role.  Admittedly HEAVY pressure, but the eruption of the crowd and raining of flowers seemed almost like an extra judged element of her routine.

Awoke to pouring rain Friday morning.  A good day to pack.  3am pick-up Saturday.

THE STORY vs THE STORY TOLD

View of the LH Nordic combined event from the booth.  Pouring rain.

K125 team event Monday night and then Nordic combined large hill event Tuesday afternoon was a whirlwind.  As usual everything was called live with bridges and "wild lines" recorded so the main studio down in Sochi can piece things together to to fit whatever programming holes they had to fill.  In both cases the live feed also went out over NBCSN during the day.  Virtually all the pictures we talk over are provided by the host broadcaster who is producing what's called the world feed.  NBC only has two cameras at the jumps that they can rely on, usually one at the top showing athletes getting ready and one in the mix zone at the bottom where athletes can be interviewed.  The host has made a number of mistakes- wrong graphics (labeling Morgenstern as Hayboeck), focusing on 2nd place athlete celebrating instead of winner (Kasai instead of Stoch in K125), but by far the biggest party foul came during the team event.  GER Freund was the last to jump and it was unclear whether he had jumped well enough to beat the current leaders- the AUT's.  World feed held the shot on German team watching the scoreboard and when points were posted laid in a graphic with the AUT point total.  Bob saw the AUT points go up and assumed they had won (and said so emphatically).  Such are the perils of live tv.  We mopped up the mess live and then recalled the finish so that the late night viewers would not be as confused as we had been.  It took until 2:45 am.  Below- short clip Al Trautwig and Chad Salmela in our booth calling XC portion of NC.

But speaking of TV- I've been interested that many people whom I respect and consider thoughtful have been weighing in that Kristin Cooper went too far in her interview with Bode (link here).  With TV there is always the story and then the story that is told.  The Bode interview is actually the compilation of two interviews.  He came back to Kristin because he felt like he had short-changed her initially (or maybe had more to say).  You notice in the opening that silver medalist Andrew Weibrecht is to Bode's right.  There's then a cut to another camera just on Bode, then a return to a Bode frontal shot, framed similarly to the initial tight shot they'd left.  When Bode walks away in tears Weibrecht is nowhere to be seen.  This interview took place at +/-3 pm local time for a show that was shown to USA audience some 15 hours later.  Long/short- it was a highly produced piece that was well scripted (tampered with?) to be shown as it was in order to tell a story.  I share none of this to defend Kristin but to say that while TV may indeed feed on our weaknesses, it does not create them.  The response to the interview is further proof.  While some of it is civil, alot of it, just based on language used, is 20X worse than the initial alleged foul.  Jumping way off point here- both reality TV and Congress are a mess, but also a reflection of who we've become.  They are simply the messengers for our voices (which could use some work).  Someone get me off this #$#@! soapbox.

Another point- on whether it was invasive to mike Bode's wife.  Bode's wife had to say yes to being miked.  In the end she is the one seeking the exposure that NBC offered.

Final point- assessing winners and losers in the deal.  Bode- HUGE winner... people love him more and are 100% in his court, plus he gets to look gracious in defending KC.  NBC- BIG winner- people are talking about their coverage.  Kristin Cooper- TBD- under the bus for now.

Another guest to the list for Apt 70605 as alpine researcher and new friend Tik Root (friend of Jeff Colt, Middlebury '12) got a brief respite from the IBC in Sochi (where researchers are on the job 24/7) and came to the mountains to ski a bit, watch bob sleigh and the team jump.

LAUNDRY DAY

Laundry day.  Brings back memories... none fond

A day off from the venue and visions of skiing or heading into Sochi for some hockey fell to domestic obligations.  The half life of Darn Tough socks is amazing.  Four days on then rest one, then two days on and rest one and then you can still get another day before they're beyond tolerating.  And I would never use the Russian shampoo on my head but seemed perfect for a load of socks and delicates.  Enough.  Figured all that hard work deserved a quarter pounder and had heard how bad the lines were at the McD's in Rosa Khutor but hoofed the 2 miles up in hopes of catching a lull.  Anxiety attack.  Narrow stairway up into jam-packed restaurant area and if someone had yelled "OGON!"  ("fire" in Russian) lives would have been lost.  Despite generations of practice, modern Russians (it turns out) have little expertise in queuing or need for order whatsoever (and a high tolerance for dis-order).  The lack of lines and pure mayhem did not suit my ever growing OCD.  I left burgerless.  No bread at the Subway (pita only) and lines just to get in to the Bosco store (what  Roots was to 2002, Bosco is to 2010).   The Olympics have made it to the mountains.  Thank god for Cinnabon.

Does anyone see a line here?  The McDonalds at Rosa Khutor.

Russian fare cooking in the streets smelled good but no spec sheets on nutritional value and only slightly shorter lines-  pass.  

Something liquid and hot and for sale comes out of this urn.  Didn't see anyone else partaking and was not going to be the first, so another pass.

Great dinner, though,with Tiger and Dexter Paine at a small place in the middle of nowhere that served Georgian food- the country, not the state.  Discussion on all things family and how ski jumping might fit into the bigger picture with USSA/USST.  Many circles recrossing at these Games.

Dexter and Tiger at Georgian place.

Just hearing about the Kristin Cooper interview with Bode and all the negative feedback that she pushed too hard.  Kristin is a gentle soul with a huge heart (started a movement to bring clothes into Sarajevo- her Olympics- after it was war-torn) and is extremely humble, generous, and kind.

K125 Team event tonight.  Was gong to be prime time but now kicked to late night.  Will also show live on NBCSN in the day time.  Austrians were heavy favorites coming in but based on results in individual would have finished 6th.  Japanese would have won, Poland 2nd and Slovenia 3rd.  Six nations with legitimate shot at medals when you include Norway and Germany.

ALONE IN 70604

The crew in front of our breakfast spot, the Moscow, ready for travel.

Just sent Signe, Leon, and Pat off to the airport; an event for which I made a rare appearance at breakfast.  Back in the apartment now and immediately a different feel.  And clouds for the first time this morning.  Nils gone, too.  At least I'll be able to use the bathroom again.  With high occupancy, the fanless one in 70605 was only appropriate for showers and peeing.  A house rule (not mine, just evolved) that was thankfully honored by all.

The last of the Lagunitas Sucks is used to toast the moment.

K125 event went late last night... crazy air moving around and some big names kicked to the curb in both rounds but in the end it was still the best jumpers who were on top.  Funny how that works.  So obvious was the outcome that I had the winner and next three jumpers picked correctly in the NBC pool (100 rubles- $3) just not in the right order. Pappa nailed top three in order and won for the second time.  The guy is on a roll and is about ready to be both analyst and play by play.  News beyond Pole Kamil Stoch winning second gold was 41 year old Noriaki Kasai (JPN) taking silver.  Proof positive that mediocrity isn't necessarily terminal if you stick with it long enough.  Tough conditions, tough field- very impressive.  Coverage a bit of a mess with winds, starting gates, and fortunes changing  at every turn.  Challenging to tell the story with the staccato format we favor.  Basically making a module of each athlete so it can be cut and pasted if/as needed.  Stark.  

Pat the big bowling winner with his PBA hook.  And YES they have black-light bowling in Russia.  #timeforepilepticseizure

So didn't get to the bowling send-off until after 2 am.  Fairalls (Nick = US jumper and his father, Martin, and sisters Gewn & Beth), Sharyons and Signe just finishing first round (of bowling, certainly not beers of which it appeared there had been more than one round).  Leon smuggled in the last of his cherished Lagunitas stash and we closed the night with another round of bowling (career best 124 for me, Leon over 140 and Pat coming up huge at 168) and fresh-from-the-factory Lagunitas Sucks.

A couple of shots:

One of seven meters that monitors wind direction and velocity.  Skiers with better conditions get points deducted (7 pts for 1 m/s = 2.2 mph) while skiers with bad (tailwind have that and 20% more added).  Confusing?  Uh huh... but better than nothing.

Weather forecast in Rosa Khutor (mountain cluster venues).  Luckily I got sun block in my make-up kit.

64F & SUNNY

More pano madness... Leon driving.  Checking out the beach club on 4th (top) floor of the mall.  Board shorts have not arrived.  9 of 10 Russians still prefer Speedo cuts.

Weather has been crazy nice.  Day after day of sunshine in the mountain cluster- highs in upper 30's at first but recently mid 60's.  Cooler up at the higher venues but still spring-like.  Forecast is always the same: sunshine today with rain forecast for tomorrow.  But in Sochi, tomorrow never comes.

The mall next door continues to evolve.  In addition to the beach club shown in photo above there is also a bowling alley that is now open (until 5 am... with black-lights, bar, and killer onion rings).   Big plans for post K125 event bowling goodbye party with room-mates and jumper families tonight as all, including Nils, who was called back to kite board factory, head out Sunday.  Damn.

1:30 am at the bowling alley.

The schedule gets a bit whacked with jumping events that start at 9:30 at night and don't finish until much later.  And then NBC folks need to hang around for an extra hour plus to make sure there aren't any last minute "fixes" needed.  Everything is called live and shot down to the IBC where NBC can still cut it up a bit to fit whatever they want.  It makes for some awkward (to me) commentating.  There is no talking until we see the graphic with the jumper's name and on the back end we need to be out by the time the scoring graphic is wiped off the screen.  No room for conversation or segues. References to other jumpers or previous happenings in the event (wind shift, etc.) are frowned upon 'cause there's a good chance it won't be shown.  Live tv always a risk and got a lesson on fact checking from an disappointed viewer who called me out (to NBC brass, cc to me) for incorrectly saying AUT NC skier Gruber was silver medalist in 2010 (he was bronze).  Good to have people who care.

But winding back to the point- we never get back to the hill before midnight and god knows you can't go from 60 to 0 without a little group wind-down session so it's rare the apt 70605 has had lights out before 3 am.  And on the other end, rare that anyone is up before 10 am.

Russians bringing the love.

Valentine's Day yesterday and you have to hand it to these Russians- they are trying hard to make us like them.  And if it seems a bit scripted, well- you got to start somewhere.  Walking in to the venue last night we found many of the women volunteers wearing placards that read Free Hugs.  I came in here wondering what the hell the IOC was thinking giving the Games to this non-alpine, backwards thinking backwater, but am now wondering if it wasn't a stroke of genius.  It may be easy to dislike Russia, but it is very hard to spend time here and not come to really like the Russians.

3 out of 4 Americans qualified for the K125 event tonight- Nick Alexander, Nick Fairall, and Anders Johnson.  Peter Frenette just missed.

Couple of other photos

Power in the mall has been an issue.  Constant flickering and brief outages.  I got a kick out of this scene with a technician pouring over prints in front of the circuit boards.  #stillworkingthekinksout.

Plenty of information (in hard copy) at these Games.  Racks and racks of training results, frash quotes and even brief bios.  This is supplement to the on-line data.

VALENTINE'S DAY

Signe taking care of her charges this morning.

Got down to hockey yesterday afternoon which finally had that Olympic feel.  Seems like a momentum is building for these Games and the Olympic Plaza down in Adler (coastal cluster hosting flame and all arena events) was crowded with people and abuzz with all tongues.  Felt lucky to score a last minute ticket for Signe.  You can't get into the plaza area without a ticket to an event.  Once you're in, you can stay as long as you like and there's plenty to do and eat, etc.  Hopefully some of that coastal energy can seep up into the mountains.  

Olympic Plaza has a  global party feel to it.

USA blew out the Slovakians 7-1.  There were some empty seats but a full feeling, not bad for a first round game.

Selfie pano ad nauseum.  I can't help myself.  

 Someone in Sochi got the memo and there is now color coding to determine toilet paper from paper towels.  Phew.  Paper towels are blue... I think.

Qualifying for the men's K120 tonight.  Basically an excuse to sell tickets (and TV) for an event that pares the field from 61 to 50.  Must be a cheap ticket as all kiosks say it's sold out.  (You never take the first answer as gospel in Russia- whether it's the answer you want or not;  there are many ways to skin a cat here.)  But at this point we're ready to accept that we can't get a ticket for K120 qualifying).  In training the gold medal K95 winner Stoch looked good and SUI Ammann seemed to be coming around.  AUT Morgenstern a mess.  Nick Alexander best USA.  On the brink of top 30 which is striking distance.

Director Jason is adamant that I not use the term "I think".  The expert is not supposed to think, he's supposed to know.  I was unaware of how much I think... but am working on knowing.

DAY OFF

The day off started the evening before where (again- true to his word) Nils turned NO (NEIN)  to YES (JAWOHL) and got Randy, Signe, Leon, Pat, and I into the Austria House for all the wine, strudel, and Tyrolian fare we could stomach.  Austria has such a great winter sports tradition yet is really quite a small country and the connection to traditions and each other is striking.  Over the course of the evening our table was blessed with Franz Klammer, Daniela Irashko-Stolz (silver medal in SJ), the luge coach whose doubles team had just won silver that night (to the cheers of everyone on the house watching on tv).  All of these folks both revered by their fellow Austrians, but also family.  You got the feeling that anyone in the place would have been comfortable going up to Klammer and saying- "... dude, wipe your nose- you got a booger that's grossing me out."

Photographic timeline follows-

Lagunitas pre-game at the apartment.

8pm- arrive Austria House.

1 am- Signe gets cozy with Herr Lederhosen.

2 am- NIls gets cozy with Daniela Iraschko-Stolz (who is married... to a woman).

3 am- Nils assuring AUT House officials that he had nothing to do with column deflation.

10 am- Growler down!  Lagunitas post-game... Leon trying to save what he can of a precious Lagunitas that he kicked over.

Headed down now for some afternoon hockey (USA-Slovakia) with Sharyons and Signe before catching evening training on K120m before qualifications tomorrow.

BACK to BACK

Pre-meet press conference with Deedee Corradini, and parents of Sarah Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome.

The women made history last night (actually night before last now... missed a day)... sadly Shaun White tanked and US won a bronze in women's luge so nobody in the USA got to hear about it in prime time (was shown live on NBCSN).  The show was originally slated for 4 segments in PT, then dropped to 3 as the US hopes looked bleaker and in the end found the cutting room floor when Shaun and USA luge had their big days.  The evening started off with a press conference that included Women's Ski Jumping President, Deedee Corradini and the parents of Sarah Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome.  AP, ESPN, USA TODAY, New York Times, truly the world was listening to a pretty inspirational message about how pleased these parents were to have the women included and that they could care less who took home the medals... all the women had won.  

All 5' of Sara Takanashi who was favored, looked good, but came up 4th.  

Side story was the mother of Sara Takanashi (17 year old JPN jumper who was supposed to win) coming up to Deedee in the hotel they shared and, through an interpreter, thanking Deedee profusely for leading the charge that got women's ski jumping into the Olympics.  Waves of emotion everywhere that night expressed most deeply perhaps by surprise winner Carina Vogt of Germany who basically sobbed openly for 5-10 minutes after clinching gold.  Her interview never made air... it was 20 minutes after the moment and she was still very emotional and (admittedly in a second language) had a hard time finding any words, never mind the right ones.  American Lindsey Van said she did a good deal of crying as she walked and soaked in the opening ceremonies.  Americans Jerome 10th, Van 15th, Hendrickson 21st.  It's been a long battle for these women... but they put on a great show and have certainly arrived.

Booth before women's event- Bob and Nils.

I committed one of the NBC's 5 Cardinal Sins during Sarah Hendrickson's jump throwing everything but the pom poms at the screen with a "GO SARAH" as she came over the knoll on her 2nd jump.  Not sure where that came from but cheer leading strictly verboten.  Had the show made prime time my compatriots in the truck had been kind enough to scrub the line from version that was sent to the IBC.  In this digital age I am assured that this will turn up again to haunt at some point.

SOCHI PRIMER- Discerning paper towels from toilet paper in Sochi.  Paper towels on the left... no, actually on the right... damn. it's tough to tell from this distance.

Normal hill Nordic combined yesterday and things beginning to go a little more smoothly with the coverage.  Americans had trained poorly on the hill and did not do themselves any big favors in the competition.  Todd Lodwick used the comp to get another two training jumps before heading to the large hill.  He's now had a total of +/- 8 jumps since wrecking his shoulder in a fall in France in January.  He did not ski the XC portion event and is putting all focus on getting ready for the team event; an event where the US tok silver in 2010 and bronze at 2013 world championships last year.  Based on yesterday's results they will be hard pressed to be anywhere near the podium.

Chad and Al in for the XC portion of NC

 The XC portion of NC is held at the jump venue (a first in Olympic hestory) so the NBC XC team of Chad and Al came in for the call.  I managed to get out into the stands to watch with the Krass family whose daughter, Julia, made the slope style team (at 16!).  Julia (and the Krass fam) are soaking it all in and it was great to have a couple of hours to share stories.

In the stands with Krass fam from Hanover for NC XC!

Beautiful day (again) for an event and was tapped on the shoulder by Jens Weissflog who was also in the stands.  Jens won gold and silver in 1984 and gold again in 1994; one of the few skiers who won old style and then made the transition to V style to win again.  He owns a hotel in (East) Germany and now speaks perfect English.  Back before the wall came down the East German skiers were always friendly on the hill but tough to reach on a social level.  If they came out to a bar they seldom drank, preferring to keep their precious western tages geld (day money from the tournament host- maybe $10-$20/day) for something more meaningful than beers.  Like maybe a hotel someday.  Jens was with a big German crowd (and his new girl friend) and had plenty to cheer about when country-mate Eric Frenzel won gold in NH Nordic combined. 

Ran into Jens Weissflug (East) German jumper who won gold and silver in '84 SJ (and much more).

Lat night at the AUT House... to be continued.

WOMEN TAKE FLIGHT TONIGHT

Marriott bar at 3 am... alive and kicking.

The Soviet bug that was strangling my computer seems to be in remission so I include the photo above meant to accompany yesterday's post- a shot of the Marriott bar at 3 am.  Many of the events here are scheduled late in order to hit prime time in Europe and at least afternoon in (eastern) USA.  To walk into the Marriott at 1 am is akin to stumbling into an Irish pub on St Patrick's day.  Much steam to be blown off.

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz from AUT has been neck and neck with Takanashi (JPN) in training.

Three rounds of TRAINING for the women's ski jumping was broadcast live on NBCSN yesterday... this would be more amazing if NBC wasn't showing so much curling but still ranks up there with walking on water and Rush Limbaugh voting Democratic ticket for things you thought you'd never see.  Speaking of miracles- that Sarah Hendrickson is on skis at all is stunning but- entre nous- the dreamed of (counted on?) medal does not appear to be in the cards for tonight.  She has yet to take full speed on the hill (always starting from lower gate) and her best jump was 13m off the leaders.  Her knee is hurting and she has no time left to turn things around.  Asked about it last night she acknowledged it's been tough and that she is now here for the experience.  Fellow Americans Lindsey Van and Jessica Jerome have looked good in training; long shots for medals but top 10 a decent possibility for both.

Vehicle inspection area- vehicles going into any venue have to clear tight security.

Things seem to be going smoothly from a logistics perspective.  Plenty of buses, easy to get around.  Security tightened for a bit but now seems to be relaxing again.  Still the same procedures, but with less urgency.  Let's face it- it's boring to run a metal detector.  Enormous work force in their rainbow jackets (a state-mandated clothing allowance that will no doubt pollute Sochi long after the Games) framing consistently stern faces that melt on eye contact.  "Spasibo" means thank you in Russia and it is a sure fire way to light up the locals... a cheap trick that is hard to resist.  Venues and town have not been very crowded.  Those in the streets and stands seem mostly Russian or family members of athletes.

Julia Krass in Sochi database... Park City residence?? Wait a minute!

From results on the computer it looks like Julia Krass had a great morning in qualification, finishing 8th and earning a spot in the 12-woman final field, then finished 10th in the finals.  Hopefully she'll get some air time tonight.

Someone in Sochi got the memo on the bad water press... there's been a case of water delivered to the room for each of the last 3 days.  Running out of places to stack it.

Norwegian NC skier Magnus Krog has dyed the Norwegian flag into his hair... got me thinking about my own empty canvas.

Watched Nordic combined guys jump this morning and US boys are not looking good.  Todd Lodwick is coming off a broken humerus and wrecked shoulder but needed here for the team event.   He will not ski in NH event but is jumping to get some training (he now has 3 jumps since injury in mid January).  Fletcher brothers and Bill Demong all jumping under 95m with leaders (many) stacked tight between 98m-103m.  XC course is right at the jump venue which is nice but panned by athletes.  Mostly for the soft corn snow that crumbles like running on a sandy beach.  10km is going to feel like 20.

Peter Graves made a guest appearance at the jumps this morning, announcing the NC training and getting much (well deserved) love and adoration from his Russian co-announcers who appreciated his confident baritone.

Tripped into my first free event tickets since 1998 when such gratuities used to flow like water.  Granted the event was half over but still refreshing.  Signe and Leon managed to negotiate the bus system and get to the slalom portion of the women's combined in time to see Julie Mancuso win the bronze medal.

LIVE FROM SOCHI

First medal event at the venue- K95m men... 9:30 pm start but at the hill by 6.  Pre-game meeting then off for some last minute organization and cramming.  Everthing broadcast live in the afternoon on NBCSN and portions of that pulled and replayed for evening on NBC.  Bob Pappa a pro to work with and much traffic control handled gracefully on his part.

View from the booth... T minus 1 hour.

Decent competition... a couple of fluke jumps here and there brought on by nerves or air or both; but certainly the best man won- Pole Kamil Stoch whose thoughtful NBC  interview after the event did not make air.  It was his +/- 8th interview in his 3rd or 4th tongue and it ran long and did not match the energy of his finish.  Much meaningful tape winds up on the edit room floor and Stoch's interview the same.  Though coaxed to say that his victory (the first for Poland in ski jumping since 1972) was important to his country he spun it refused the bit and that it was important to him and his family... a bit of compensation for the time he has been forced to spend away from his wife, Ewa.

Midnight in the booth waiting for clearance from IBC.

Arrive back at the Marriott around 1 am and no one really ready to go to sleep.  Signe, Pat, Leon, and Nils already holding down spots in the bar.  Out until almost 4 am, a pace I do not intend to sustain.  Luckily we are on the western edge of the time zone and morning comes late.

More to say but there must be some #$#@!@! Russian spyware wreaking havoc with my computer.  Photos won't upload, files won't save.  Everything works perfectly over here... 80% of the time.

Headed to watch (and call) women's last official training this evening.  Another 9:30 pm start, just with no Marriott bar finish.