OFF AND RUNNING... OR OFF, ANYWAY

FOX NEWS ALERT- Photo above shows stray dogs that have been brutally slain and laid out in the street as a warning to other mutts.  The Russians are ruthless on mutts.  KIDDING... the strays in the mountain cluster are among the best fed and loved dogs in the world.  Here they catch some zzz's and rays just outside the media center (must admit that these dogs' proximity to the media center probably didn't hurt their odds). 

Finally some action.  We broadcast the women's first training jump and a few segments of the men's K95 qualification.  Nothing impressive or exciting but good to be out of the gate.  Most of the crew in the photo above.  A very relaxed and and friendly bunch and getting younger every four years.  Elyse in charge as producer and Jason the director.  Both forgiving.

I was given a make-up kit and told it was not for me but for everyone who would be forced to look at me.  I carry it like a hand gun... comforted to know I have it and hopeful that I'll never be called on to actually use it.  On the topic of looking good- the monitors in our booth are often showing action from other venues, including off-air time... I fumbled getting my phone to video mode fast enough to get the best parts of figure skating analysts Tara L and Johnny W during a commercial break, but you can get a feel for what I'm up against.

US woman Lindsey Van had a great 3rd training jump yesterday- 97m, probably top 5.  Lindsey won the first World Championships in 2009 but is not counted as a favorite here.  She's 30th in standings but has a grittiness that can/has deliver/ed surprising results.  Training suggested there's still some spring in her step.  Current World Champion Sarah Hendrickson has the distinct dishonor of wearing bib no. 1 (since she has been recuperating instead of establishing a rank on world cup).  Coach Alan Alborn wisely had her sit out the first round so they could see what the hill was like for other women first, and then had her start 5 gates lower than the rest of the field for a soft first look and to insure she didn't jump too far (and land forcefully).  Sarah looked like she was going easy and did not look great.  Regardless, she was very generous with press after her last jump though clearly not pleased with how things had gone.  I sense a vise it tightening but hope I'm wrong.  Got my first live look at wc leader Sara Takanashi and was blown away.  Oddly she was given a run for her money by AUT Daniela Irascho-Stolz, whose "Stolz" surname comes from same-sex spouse.  Daniela has been outspoken about Russia's stance on gays and the right to lay a wet one on her spouse if she wants to but was very generous yesterday in speaking with German press saying that the Russian people have been incredibly kind and welcoming at these games.

Hendrickson playing through the pain... generously obliging the press.

Nick Alexander had to jump first but scored the last qualification spot!

Friends are in the house!  Leon (cfo Lagunitas), son Pat, and Signe (dev dir usa ski jumping) all arrived last night.  Sleeping arrangements are tight but sane.  Midnight rummaging for sheets and towels was confusing.  Guard at the front door only too pleased to let me into laundry room and give me pick of any of the dirty towels or sheets.  Though desperate (and appreciating his can-do attitude), I hung tight in the pocket and finally scored fresh linen from front desk.

Leon, Pat, Signe in the house.

TV is in and out and I have seen nothing of the Games that surround me.  Finally thought I could watch the downhill and then... just as action was ready to go- NO SIGNAL.  The only channel that seems to have consistent service is Russia 1 whose programming doesn't seem to acknowledge Sochi's Games at all.  Soap opera instead of Bode.

Nils's down time-  using the Sochi database to run through women on the Brazilian team, looking for hot babes.  He starts with the high value targets and works out from there... a science he's perfected.

NILS COMES THROUGH

I feel like I am on the cutting edge of the panorama selfie and constantly push the envelope on this much maligned practice.  (ED NOTE- the selfie has been unduly scorned and will see a much deserved resurgence in the future.)  Anyway, I continue to innovate on this front and was quite pleased with my #DOUBLESELFIEPANO! taken in the incredible men's room at the Austria House last night.  Is nothing sacred?  BTW, click on photo above to get full pano effect.

with Ernst, matt, Stacy, and Nils at AUT House

Yes, the Austria House.  Which is to say that Nils was as good as his word and we enjoyed wine, schnapps, mushroom soup, traditional Austrian dinner, and schnitzel while watching the opening ceremonies surrounded by men in lederhosen.  Matt Vasgersian ('06/'10 jumping play by play and '14 freestyle pxp), Stacey Wooley (biathlon color) Nils and I were welcomed by former AUT jumper and current jumping program director Ernst Vettori.  The place was pretty empty with all athletes and coaches (and sponsors) down at opening ceremonies and I'm confident in my translation of the bouncer at the front door who said sternly "only tonight."  Nils is equally confident that "only tonight" is a first offer and that he can negotiate a deal from there.

Kris Severson in command central at the jump venue.

Have meant to pass on that former USA jumper Kris Severson is again producing the ski jumping venue as he did in '02 and '10.  The English voice at the venue is former NC skier Jeff Graves whose wife works for IOC.  Peter Graves (ironically, no relation to Jeff beyond passion for Nordic skiing) may be coming up to lend his voice on game days if he can get released from his duties at the medal plaza.

Pole Stoch looked strong in K95 training.

Last day of official training yesterday for men's K95 and the Americans are right at the threshold.  All looked good with both the Nick's (Alexander and Fairall) recording best jumps for USA.  Decent chance they will qualify top 50 tonight which would put them in the main event on Sunday.  World Cup leader Stoch from Poland looked strong and media darling Simon Ammann finished training with a decent one that makes me wonder...  41 year old Kasai (3rd in WC) has not shown up for one training jump which means his first look at the hill will be in the qualifying competition tonight.  No word from Japanese camp on why.  Since he's top 10 he is pre-qualified so no pressure to perform... but no chance to correct anything that might turn up askew, either.  Distances are very tight with 15 guys all in the hunt.

Women get their first look at the hill this afternoon and, testament to what a story they are, NBC will be showing their first day of training!  Baiting the hook.  Loved the Matt Lauer interview with Sarah Hendrickson and Jessica Jerome where he thought Sarah was Jessica and vice versa.  The girls, politely, didn't call him out on it, just answered to the other's name. (Jessica was only to happy to proclaim that her knee was doing great, thank you very much (it is Sarah who is making a remarkable come-back from ACL/MCL/meniscus surgery in late AUG). Click here to see interview (if NBC still has it up).

Back to work.

TRAINING BEGINS

First official training jumps for men on the K95 last night and everyone was pretty pleased with the hills and conditions.  Sochi is not close to anything else ski jumping and the Russians have not been overly generous in offering access so these jumps have not been skied by many besides the home team.  The large hill in particular has not had a world cup event at all.  That said, they are state of the art from every angle so it's not like there's any hidden challenges.

But every hill has it's own personality and ski jumping is a confidence game and the more comfortable you can feel with the hill the more you can let go and kick it.  Unique to the K95 is a very gentle in-run curve that starts almost from the moment you get off the bar.  So a gentle g-force the whole way vs zero to heavy to zero again that you find on older hills.

Youth movement is in force here- new Austrians Hayboeck and Diethart looked good as did Swiss Deschwanden, each of these guys in the shadow of bigger names Schlierenzaur (AUT) and Morgenstern (AUT) and of course Ammann (SUI) who are all jumping well enough, too.

Falls by Kranjec (SLO, 10th in standings) and Jacobsen (NOR) were spectacular and punishing, respectively.  Both are back at it and word is Kranjec's fall will only wake him up and make him tougher.

The tagline for these games appears to be- HOT.  COOL.  YOURS.  In English... the first language of commerce.  It is on all buses, cars, billboards, and venues.  Everywhere.  I can't be sure if there are translation issues or if it's supposed to be vague.  It seems like and Eastern European attempt to be western.  Has someone been bootlegging Madmen?  It must be an attempt to sell something.  A conundrum.  It's Russia.

And more confusing was the graphic that says QUESTION MORE.  Doesn't this imply that a first question has been asked?  By whom, exactly?

Security has kicked into a higher gear.  Metal detectors and guards at every hotel entry. The guard at my entry more Sgt. Schulz of Hogan's Hero than central casting KGB.  I think we're developing a bromance.  And new today- security tape on doors, window, gas caps, hoods, and trunks of vehicles parked in the street.   Everywhere I go I'm channeling Homeland.


This is the new FACEBOOK STALKING section of the blog.  Yesterday it was Irina Avvakumova's tatoo; today something for the ladies: Jernej Damjan's (SLO) haircut.

And finally- cool technology here.  These beauties will make snow in temperatures as high as 70F!  It's like an oversized snowcone machine that runs 24/7.  Perfect for Snochis! (Edie Morgan's brainchild- a Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, simple syrup, lime juice) over snow.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

Master of waiting- a friendly stray in mountain cluster

Weather continues to hold and is supposed to through the weekend.  The K95 was prepped in time for the first jumps by fore-jumpers on Wednesday night.  All camera crews were in place to run through shots, angles and timing.  Bob Pappa is the lead play by play NBC announcer for ski jumping who was covering the Super Bowl and so just showed up late Tuesday night.  He and I were in the booth and sideline reporter Randy Moss in the "mix zone" at the end of the outrun to check lights, sound, and communication links to the truck and main IBC.  All went swimmingly.

The K95 seems to ski very low which really shouldn't make any difference one way or another but gives the skier the sense that the smallest hiccup will bring him/her down.  This is a hill where faith will be rewarded, doubt punished mightily.  First official training for men is Thursday night and it will be great to finally see some action and get a feel for who is showing up with what.

There has been some talk of stray dogs and I can assure you they exist and continue to exist.  But they seem to be more like communal companions than stray mutts.  Always friendly and obliging to the paparazzi.  Freakishly agile through traffic.

Been spending alot of time researching and crazy what people are putting out on twitter/facebook, etc.  There's a brand new perspective, huh?  But it's crazy to me how I can again and again be struck afresh by it.  Will it ever stop accelerating?  Rhetorical question and getting back to the point- I'm becoming a fan of Russian jumper Irina Avvakumova who at 22 has come out of nowhere and won a world cup this year and sits in 4th in the overall tour.  If she gets a medal it will be the only medal Russia gets in ski jumping (men are not a threat) AND it would contrast nicely with the quote from the Russian men's coach who said women should not be jumping but tending home fires!  In two clicks of the mouse from the official Sochi database I was rewarded with this shot posted on Irina's facebook page:

Is this the abdomen of a home fire tender?  But more to the point, should I be seeing this?  Should I be sharing it?  Too late now.

The take-away for me from Irina's page and others' women's tweets, postings, and bios is this- there is no milk-toast in this women's field, just a metric poop ton of attitude.  I'm hanging on by a thread.  And can't wait to fall.

SITE VISIT

Looking up at the jumps from the outrun.

Day 2 and another beauty.  Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures right around freezing- pleasant in the sun, cold in the shade.  Nils and I jogged (hiked) to the hills, maybe a mile and a half from the Marriott.  Plenty of snow though they were still blowing it on the K125 knoll.  Crews working on the K95 landing hill where they hope to get forejumpers off Wednesday ahead of first official training for men on Thursday.  Beautiful site facing pretty much due east (vs. north which is preferred for minimizing exposure to sun), and not set  along the natural grade but across it looking up the valley instead of down.  The in-run and entire landing hill are raised trestles on massive steel girders.  Another chunk of the $50B spent for these Games accounted for.  In-run is refrigerated rail with white carpet surrounding.  No snow whatsoever.  Should be smooth and fast for all and no crampons or rakes needed.  There's a unit that cuts contour in the track to further minimize the resistance and to shed any melting to avoid a suction condition with the ski.  Winds in the area tend to be up the valley which is from the back of the hill but they have installed a netting system that will control this, at least partly.  Also- the jumping events are all at night which tends to be quieter anyway (and gets the events to prime time for European audience and midday in NY time zone.  Looks like seating for maybe 7,000 max, but in an auditorium fashion that should bring a great energy if they fill the seats.  Long/short- it looks like organizers have done a beautiful job.

Milled ice track, carpet surround.

Amazing to see how fast other things are coming together around the mountain village.  Trucks full of restaurant equipment and retail racks were crowding the streets last night with folks running goods into formerly darkened (brand new) store fronts.  The mall that was dark has opened most of the first floor shops in the last 24 hours and lines at the grocery store were long but tempered by costumed sales reps for Russian chocolate and beverage companies giving out free samples.  How natural the act of profit maximization... how fast they have learned!

Adidas store yesterday.

Adidas store today.

From twitter feeds, etc. I hear athletes are arriving and that they are impressed with their settings as well, though all I see in the streets are the press and logistics teams that will support them.  Strangely Hunger Games.

Just when you thought things might be different in Russia.  Cinnabon at the mall entrance.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Medals Plaza and unlit torch at sunset #sochiselfie

The entire day spent down on the coast in the NBC headquarters of the IBC (international broadcast center) getting outfitted and reoriented with the do's and don'ts of the NBC on-air formula: tell the story, be the expert but don't speculate outside your expertise or cheer-lead.  A three hour seminar which was highlighted by a panel discussion on the history and politics at play in Russia that included David Remnick.  It was fascinating.    Key take-away for me was how arrogant the USA seems to this eastern part of Europe- that we are so young and quick to judge their shortcomings yet so willing to ignore some of our own darker history.

Met up with Nils last night who will be doing research for jumping.  It's been 8 years since we worked together and 30 since we were team-mates; already his history with all things Austria is bringing a torrent of great intel.  Like where the Austria House is located and how he plans to get us in.  He cooked pizza in the apartment last night and though he is admittedly damn good around an oven and appears to have breasts in the photo below he is actually a very ripped kite-surfing dude who is living the dream designing boards and riding and marketing them around the world.  His flight from Thailand to Sochi was via Siberia where they didn't buy that his NBC accreditation was also his Russian visa.  Will someone please let Siberia know that the Olympics are in Sochi and start in 3 days.

Dinner with Nils in apartment.

Got a chance to see where most of the $50 billion went this afternoon as I walked around the coastal venues with xc/biathlon analysts Chad Salmela and Stacey Wooley and was blown away by the beauty and magnitude of the facilities.  In contrast to much of the commercial and residential building in the mountains which does not seem completed, these venues look stunning and ready to go.

Yup- palm trees outside the speed skating oval... snow covered mountains in the background.

Rings outside one of the rinks.

I have been warned that all communications in and out of XXXXX are being  XXXXXXX  and to be careful what I say.  So sometimes I may be a little dodgy or use code.  Like !yenom dneS !em  pleH  kidding.

Every car and bus in Sochi is rolling around with this logo on it.

It is beautiful but am I the only one who sees the irony here?  Should someone alert ?nituP tnediserP
Entre nous for  now.

CAMP DROP-OFF DAY- SOCHI

IT FEELS LIKE the first day of summer camp... people all ages, sizes, from all over- not yet a team or many even having met before- trying to find that middle ground between not looking too desperate yet not too aloof, either.  A narrow landing strip to hit at Newark Gate C102 as United boards  the NBC charter for Sochi.  But pretty quickly the champagne is flowing 'cause if a black widow is going to drop flt 1804 in the Black Sea you might as well  drink until then and the growing din suggests the bubbly is working.  And that people are excited to come together and start sharing the stories.  Smooth flight, friendly, smiling, welcoming people on the other side and you wonder is this the same place you're hearing about on NPR? 

Ready by Saturday?

The mountains around Kasnaya Polyana (the mountain cluster that will host snow events 40+ mi from Sochi) sharp, soaring, and spectacular... snow covered, but anything man-made looks brand new, half finished and mostly empty.  My room was still under construction when I got to it- sawdust, cigarette butts, furniture strewn like a dog's breakfast.  Profuse apologies, an invitation to lunch, and cleaned and put together in that 2 hours (no light bulbs, tv remote, or coat hangers but hot water and clean sheets!).  Amazing.  The grocery store in the brand new mall is open and well stocked (4 oz caviar $1) but storefronts in the rest of the 4 stories are still dark.  Scrambling here and there with signs that at least some will be open in the next week.  It has the feel of an all-night cram session that is not going to end well, though I'm not sure anyone will care.  We can eat Subway when we get home.

Do not lean against sign poles

And the locals so excited to be a part of the festivities.  All smiles, and more English that I would have guessed (more than Torino for sure!).  It gives me faith not that things will be ready to go by the weekend, but that it won't matter if they're not.  Everything critical is already in place and ready to go.

SIDE NOTES-  The women are jumping for the first time in the Olympics and the USA has a great team in Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome, and Sarah Hendrickson.  Their success has attracted a great deal of attention and helped everyone in the sport regardless of gender.  It was fun to see Sarah Hendrickson's likeness flying through Newark Liberty Airport.  

Sarah Hendrickson in United ad in Newark.

I blinked again

... and the Olympics are ending. Walking to dinner last night I noticed the 3/4 moon and recalled the sliver that first greeted me in Whistler; and how much else I've seen and lived in that time. Sitting in the airport now and even yesterday seems a different life. What a life:

Beginning with Paul Robbins who is no longer alive and whose absence at these games has brought both a haunting and a richness. His son DC showed up at the announce booth yesterday with both Paul's tam and some of his ashes (in a Dunkin' Donuts cup) which we perched in the window, the best seat in the house. I have no proof that Paul's spirit had any influence on yesterday's results but know that he would have gotten a kick out of how things played out for the US Nordic combined team that he so loved. Fickle winds basically washed the top 5 in world cup standings completely out of the competition. Luck? Fate? Spring Robbins? Who knows. And very tough that an event for which all athletes have trained so hard could be so affected by weather, but that is the world they live in. The US has traditionally felt like they've gotten the short end of the luck stick but head coach Dave Jarrett signs every team update with the mantra "no excuses", the understanding being that if you do your homework, you make your own luck. The US was in position to take advantage of their open window (which was in no small part advanced by the fact that they did not focus on world cup this year so were not seeded among the top 5) and when Billy and Johnny jumped to 6th and 2nd (and were surrounded by second tier competitors) it was pretty well assured that the US was in for a banner day. Paul's ashes made their way up the the xc venue where later in the afternoon Billy took gold and Johnny silver. It was disappointing for me that I was voicing the jumping segments down in Whistler while the xc was taking place, so missed the moment (and then missed the NBC coverage, too). Chris and I begged our way into the US Ski Team/Spyder house (humbling how quickly you're forgotten) to say congratulations to the boys... Billy deflecting all pats on the back with thanks to those who supported him. It's a tight community- Hollands have given skis and suits to these guys, Chris coached Billy for 6 of his early years- and wonderful to see Billy still such a member of it; so appreciative of the roots and those who watered them. He surprised the crowd by taking the microphone and first introducing his girlfriend, Katie, then proposing to her in front of the party, presenting her with a ring and his gold medal which she wore the the rest of the evening. Billy said later he'd been carrying the ring with him for the past two months waiting for a moment, even had it with him at the xc venue yesterday in his backpack. Oh, yeah, and he was asked to be the USA flag bearer for the closing ceremonies. Good day to buy a lottery ticket, as they say... but good fortune that was paid for up front.

Need to again recognize Brett Camerota, the 4th NC'er who really kicked things off in the team event and who yesterday didn't even ski but contributed mightily by giving his start to 5th man and first time Olympian Taylor Fletcher; planting the seed corn for Sochi and beyond.

Loved the NBC images of NC jump coach Chris Gilbertson in the coaches' stand holding on wind and reacting as, for the most part, his charges kicked butt. Fun talking to him last night, he too deflecting all praise for what he's done. They say success has a thousand fathers but I couldn't find one at the party last night. Recalled for me the night Kerry Lynch won silver at '87 world championships in Obertsdorf and I was the jump coach- it had never occurred to me that I could feel such joy over someone else's success. Chris G was feeling that last night, as well (hell, all week!).

The power of Al Trautwig shone through yesterday- Nordic combined the benefactor. NBC had originally slotted the Nordic combined for 2 segments of jump and 2 for xc. Al said no way and twisted arms and wound up with 3 segments for xc. Fun to see him operate and be so passionate for NC boys.

Goodbyes a big part of the wind down and how to convey in one handshake the appreciation you feel for all that was shared over these three weeks. Impossible. And physical contact not even a possibility with producers Mitch and Kaare who were stuck in Vancouver the entire Games and with whom our only communication since the cauldron was lit has been through email or headsets. Unbelievable how smoothly they ran things without ever seeing our faces.

These Games and especially the Canadians who hosted them have given me a renewed faith in humanity. Always clear that evil begets evil, but never sure how contagious goodness might be. But somehow- whether through genes, expert coaching, or lack of vitamin D- every volunteer was going out of their way to make things right for folks- always with a smile, always with an offer for alternatives if the answer was no. Even more amazing for me was the effect this had on everyone else. The mass of us treating each other better as the weeks progressed despite the challenges and proximity. The Canadians literally drew the goodness out of everyone and in doing so created a very peaceable kingdom; one I will miss.

Cashing the check

US Nordic combined team took the silver yesterday. Many emotions and thoughts on this one... chief among them what a beautiful job the coaches did in seeding the event and- especially- what a great job the athletes did in delivering in their assigned roles to the point where the silver medal looked easy. The importance of Brett Camerota's big jump to kick things off can not be overstated. There was HEAVY weight on his shoulders, particularly as the youngest and least decorated of the team, to start the momentum rolling. He did. He made things easy for Todd, who followed (big), which in turn made it easier for Billy and Johnny. Brett did equally well as the first seeded skier in the XC portion as well, moving ahead of the Finns and maintaining a decent portion of the lead that the US held over the rest of the pack after the jumping. In the end AUT took the gold. Billy D in final leg vs Mario Stecher of AUT trading the lead and neck and neck as they crested the last hill and came into the stadium. Stecher's skis were clearly faster coming down the hill and Billy toasted from a couple of failed attempts to bury Mario before the stadium. Valliant efforts but Stecher (on great skis) wouldn't let it happen.

Other genius move by coaches was focusing Camerota's xc training on a 5k distance. We saw Brett fall from 10th in the jumping on the NH individual event (where they ski 10k) down to 30-something. In the team event he was full on for the 5K. He should be around for Sochi and can go for an individual medal in 2014.

Cell phone rang immediately after the finish- Doug Peterson from Hawaii who'd set the satellite dish to pick up a live Euro feed and knew the results. Doug,the head coach of the Nordic combined team back in 1988 when I was their jumping coach- so proud of what they'd done and wanting to be sure his congratulations made it to the coaches and athletes. No one on this year's team would have been out of grade school in '88 but Doug clearly tracking the lineage of efforts that were put in motion before us- Steve Gaskill, Walter Malmquist, Pat Ahern, Kerry Lynch- and were carried on after by folks like Alan Johnson, Tom Steitz, Rob Powers, Lasse Ottesen, Bard Elden, Greg Poirier, Dave Jarrett, Corby Fisher, and many, many, more. It has been a long road getting the Nordic combined program to where it is and it was interesting for me to see how easy this year's team made it look.

Paul Robbins another person who should have been here to witness and record the event as well. Son DC (here working xc stats for NBC) and I sharing a hug to toast him before the xc portion and DC pointing out that Paul was there: his signature tam sitting with the best view in stadium in the NBC xc call booth between Al Trautwig and Chad Samela.

Jean Seguin scored tickets for the medal ceremony for Chris and me. Cold drizzly night, not the kind of night you wanted to be out in, but very glad I did. Wow. The organizers do a wonderful job of making the moment, and of course watching the US guys get their silvers was moving. One of those moments where TV can not capture the moment as it's not action but emotion, invisible to the camera. Videos below are of Stecher/Billy finishing and US getting medals. The Fray playing after the medals but not able to stick around for that as I joined Bob Babinski and a few fellow Canadians involved in either CAN TV or CAN Olympic Committee where discussion ranged from whether Tiger would will ever win a Masters again (Bob- no, the rest of the table- yes) to Vancouver 2010's effect on Canadian patriotism (they seem to envy ours, the effects of which- US patriotism- have often been an embarrasment for me) and whether it will serve as a pivot point in CAN culture (general agreement- no), to costs/benefits of contact sports. Alot covered over only 2 beers. Met the mom of Margaus Sharp who's a freshman (no. 2) on Dartmouth's womens hockey team. An excuse to become a fan.

TV stuff called live and sloppy (by me, not Matt). Shifting wind wreaking havoc with timing and Jeff breaking the CARDINAL rule of NBC in using (twice, I believe) the term "we" when referring to the Americans (I'm supposed to be a journalist, not a cheerleader). Thanks to producer Kaare Numme who with very little time to turn things around, managed to wipe my gaffes. All good.

Sure thing

Austrians took the team event as expected. Germans with no stars but no duds- silver. Norwegians were thankfully not shut out at the venue and squeaked ahead of the Finns for bronze. Tight, though, and FIN Ahonen's absence due to injury from fall in trial round on Saturday was probably the difference.

Today's event was taped and re-voiced later in the afternoon. We didn't find out what the deal was until after leaving the hotel this morning and the assumption was it would be a live to tape with a little post event editing and mop-up. In the end we decided to make all the calls after the event. The opening on-camera was a blindside, particularly for Matt who had not shaved and, as a professional and young, eligible male, needs to look good for both professional and personal reasons. No razors in sight but one of the runners got to the XC venue and found that XC color dude Chad Samela had brought his NBC-issued make-up "man bag" (un-used, I might add, but isn't it like an XC guy to be so prepared). Matt's complexion didn't do well with off the shelf make-up (cadaver look according the Michele), but rubbing most of it off beat down the 5 o'clock shadow to maybe a 2:15 shadow.

Great dinner last night with Nick Alexander. Very impressive what he and the other special jumpers Peter Frenette and Anders Johnson have done here with completely self-funded efforts. Not only do they have do buy their own plane tickets, but even their own equipment, which I can't believe. College racers in the US get free equipment but the top US jumpers in the nation pay full retail (and no doubt get the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality). Even the suits they bought from an Austrian source were a hassle as Austrian program director Toni Innauer was upset that the manufacturer had sold to non-Austrians. The Americans have shown here that they're passionate, committed, capable, and within striking distance of the top. They are diamonds in who have been through and been strengthened by a de facto hazing. It's time to get them some resources (and their parents some financial relief).

Caught some of the skier cross last night. Are you kidding me? First curling and now this... and women's ski jumping still on the sidelines. Unbelievable. What's next- Olympic scavenger hunt? Thank heavens they have a chair lift to get those dudes back to the top or it could really be a dangerous sport (need an AED and strong cardiac staff on site).

Ammann again

As spectacular as it was anti-climactic: Simon Ammann took gold on the LH and was on a level all his own. "Level all his own" a bit of a cliche but quite amazing to witness first-hand and ponder. This is the same Simon who (gracefully) struggled with mediocrity 4 years ago. Who by all but current standards (which allow "amateur" athletes to make 6/7 figures) would have retired to a career in banking or begging and never known the exaltation of re-rising to the top. Imagine if Ammann had gone out the goat after 2006. Such a different arc. Video link below is post-event Ammann thoughts on his jumping.

Pole Malysz in silver position was likewise separated from the field but still a couple of floors below Simon. Young AUT star Schlierenzauer again hitting big in round 2 to sneak up for bronze. The kid that arrived happy go lucky was less so in the days leading up to this event. Happy or not (and he appeared to be after today's comp) the heavy lifting is over for him as he now gets to partner with fellow AUTs and go through the motions required to collect gold in the team event. Motions that should not require much perspiration at all.

Everything on TV live today, that now familiar thrill ride down the double-edge sword. I need to come clean and thank both Doc Donohue for his "oh doctor!" suggestion that made the NH show and the Meyer/Colberg syndicate for the "that dog'll hunt!" line used today, both surreptitious shout outs that improved coverage and elevated moods in the booth!

Down in the "mix zone" at the end of the outrun (press gauntlet athletes have to navigate to leave the jump) I have met and enjoyed a kind and thoughtful Canadian (redundant, I know), Bob Babinski- a journalist, producer, director, broadcaster, teacher who has a provocative sports blog- http://good4sports.wordpress.com/ Check it out.

Back to solo

Room 2216 at the Delta is again a single. T, Sam, Kath left 2 am to catch 6 am flight home today. Max capacity was 7 the night Gunnar, Rob and George Cone crashed late. George in the entryway, Rob on the kitchen floor and Gunnar beside the pull-out couch with torso in the living room and feet through the door into the bedroom. Luckily no one got up to go to the bathroom. Not sure who left the fancy Bioluxe shampoo, but it's a welcome break from the standard hotel fare. Thank you.

Been a few days off from the TV stuff which gave time for some great skiing. Wonderful the way the organizers have allowed folks who are skiing at Whistler to watch the downhill slopeside. We took advantage of this to catch bits of the men's and women's DH events. Also caught women's luge finals: 27 sliders from a handful of nations- so a 1 in 9 chance for a medal. Seems like pretty good odds to take home pretty precious hardware. It seems crazy to me that women's ski jumping with 80 competitors from over 14 nations is still on the Olympic sidelines, largely, I'm told, because IOC chief Rogge took an early negative position (buttressed with pathetic antiquated arguments about female anatomy and compatibility for ski jumping- god bless the Euro male) and doesn't want to appear weak by wavering (again, god bless the Euro male). I didn't get it in to the NH coverage but until Adam Malysz jumped 109.5 meters last weekend the previous hill record was held by US woman ski jumper (and 09 world champion) Lindsay Van who will be watching the Olympics from her couch. The announcers at the venue were prohibited from mentioning Lindsay's record. God bless big brother.

Which brings me to dinner last night at the Mongolie Grill with brother Chris and Peter Graves where we ran in to Alissa Johnson who stands 5th in the world in women's ski jumping and is here to cheer on brother Anders. This is the second Olympics she's attended... as a spectator. Time for a change here.

Speaking of Anders, he just missed qualifying for tomorrow's LH medal event. Top 50 made it, Anders was 52nd, ugh. Peter Frenette, 17 from Lake Placid and Nick Alexander, 21 from Lebanon both had great jumps (some of their best on the hill) and will ski tomorrow. Touching text from Pete's mother Jennie who was here for the NH comp but home now. In the NH coverage I told the story of how the Frenettes went lean on Xmas to get Peter to a comp in Japan that would help him qualify for Vancouver. She said she arrived home to a pile of Christmas presents at their front door. Today I mentioned that the unfunded US jumping team basically supports themselves with bake sales. Jennie says the phone is now ringing with orders for brownies. Touching my heart.

Speaking of mothers- Proctor & Gamble gave a $3,000 gift card to the mother of every US Olympian. I haven't seen P&G publicize their generosity but do see the obvious tie with the poignant ad campaign they're running that shows moms watching little kids suit up like Olympic athletes.

While we're on athletes, I find it curious that the Nordic combined team finished the NH comp, did the medal ceremony and Matt Lauer the next morning then played rock stars and caught a private jet to chill back in Park City. Maybe that's the professional, highly managed program they need in order to succeed at the Olympic level. Seems disappointing to me that they feel so much pressure that they'll leave the world's most meaningful gathering in pursuit of results. And I've never really bought the idea that you can get away from the challenges of a venue by leaving the venue. I did the math on the NH results and if it were a team comp the USA would have won gold easily. If these guys do win gold they should really relax... and if they do really relax for the LH individual event, better bar the door Katie. Could be outstanding.

Interesting scene in the coaches' meeting yesterday. The Austrians protested Ammann's binding system which is a slight modification of the same binding that half the field is using. Pointner, the AUT coach, said his protest was purely for safety and fairness reasons and did not name Ammann, per se, but the Swiss team. When I asked the Swiss coach if he thought he had a problem, his response was perfect- "no," he said, "it's the Austrians who have a problem." Very many ironies to this protest not the least of which the Austrians are faltering on the jumps and tend to lead the field in both innovation and stretching compliance. Most ironic is that, post announcement, Ammann seems more relaxed and on top of his game than ever and the Austrians seem to be struggling. Isn't that a sweet piece of karma.


The Olympics are all about minting celebrities and then collecting sitings of them. Kath was quite sure she saw figure skater Johnny Weir in ski boots at the top of Whistler (between short and long program). It was not Johnny. Bare Naked Ladies were actually sited- a free concert in the square. Wasn't a fan before but am now.

Nordic Combined Medal

Fun to watch Johnny Spillane break the 86 year medal drought for US Nordic combined and come home with a silver in normal hill event. Quite stunning that he did it. In the final training session conditions were crap and very few people took their last jump. Johnny was struggling, still looking for something to turn things around. He'd just broken his skis a couple days before and was on new ones that he felt were slow. His last training jump was not good. It was painful to watch him experimenting with in-run positions before he took off his skis to call it a day. Learning to walk all over... like he was starting from scratch. There seemed no chance he could turn it around on one night's sleep. But he did. There was some funky air moving around for the last guys in the jump portion of the event. Not sure how much it affected things.. certainly played with heads if not skis. Lodwick jumping to second was huge for him as he, too, had been struggling but gone back to old boots and had turned things around a bit in training. He also had a great trial jump the morning of the comp so was on an upswing. Bill Demong had been jumping very well in training all week but was among the group that seemed affected by conditions. His 24th in the jump sealed his fate for this competition. Interesting to me that he didn't take it easy and rest himself for the team comp and LH comp, both of which are medal shots for him. He doesn't seem to have low gears and it was amazing to watch him come through the stadium 3 times, each in a much better position than before and finally winding up in 6th. No one expected Ryyneanen to hold on the his lead and he fell (literally and figuratively) early. Todd led a good portion of the race and may have done too much work in the role. Spillane broke from that pack of 7 leaders late and came in to the stadium with what seemed like an insurmountable lead. Lamy Chappuis from France held the lead for only 10 feet of the 10K course... just happened that it was the last ten feet.

TV stuff on NC was live and at times sloppy. Issues with the wind made things very funky and there was a tight window that NBC had to hit with the programming. In the end we were on commercial break when the FIN Ryynaenen came down with by far the longest jump of the day. He'd been mediocre at best in training so no one saw it coming. By the time we came out of commercial things were so hot and heavy with big names coming that we never got a chance to show his jump. At least I don't think we did. As I said, a blur.

Amazing that Kath, T, Sam show up at 3 am thanks to shady (handsomely paid) van driver who stopped at McD's @ 2:30am to comb hair and put on more deodorant to impress estranged wife who he planned to visit unannounced after dropping off K, T, S (loved to have been a fly on that wall!)) and get on the bus to Nordic combined event at 7:30am. Security here lax enough and Canadians friendly enough that in his 3rd time at the Olympics Sam finally got to see what an announce booth looks like- a closet (from which I can not see the NH take off without standing up.)

I was interested to watch some of today's NBC xc coverage with Al and Chad. Obviously NBC was desperate for programming 'cause Al Michaels kept throwing it out to them even when it was just equatorial skiers finishing. Skiers with last names stacked with unthinkable combinations of vowels and consonants no one should have to try to pronounce without Rosetta Stone. Clearly, too, things were live and whoever was producing the world feed (that the Nordic venue is forced to take) had assumed no one could possibly still be watching. The shot moved to a random pine bough and just hung there focusing in and out, first on the bough and then mountains behind, while Al and Chad gamely managed to make some kind of conversation that frankly didn't seem too out of place.

Path-crossing gods continue to shine: Jeff and Megan decided they needed another night in Whistler to complete the experience and Gunnar Shaw and friend Rob Cone put aside shopping at Roots, Lulu Lemon, and Olympic Boutique long enough to join for dinner.

Day 1

Things have begun. They actually began before things had begun. We had the K95 qualification yesterday which miraculously coincided with the only 3 dry hours we've seen here to date. Americans skied well, all qualifying top 50 and making the medal event that was held today. Peter Frenette, 17, saved his best jump for when it mattered and was the top qualifier. Impressive considering that none of his training jumps would have done it for him. Nick Alexander from Lebanon saved his best jump for the trial round this morning- he had the 4th longest jump in the round (a warm-up not scored)! Admittedly thhe later/better jumpers were coming from lower starts as the jury made final adjustments but it was a thrill to see such a high caliber (and also USA on the scoreboard). Anders Johnson, is a story in himself comgin back from ACL surgery just 6 months ago. Bear in mind none of these athletes get any funding, support, or equipment from the US Team (the entity responsible for developing the sport) because they see it as a lost cause. Watching the opening ceremonies with Frenette's sister, Gracie, she confided that when Peter earned the chance to travel to Japan for competitions that might help qualify him for the Olympics the family decided they would "simplify" Christmas in order to fund the trip. Her Christmas present would appear to be the t-shirt she was wearing last night- the words "Proud Sister" below and image of Peter jumping. It's like a little league team trying to compete in the major league.

Swiss Ammann was in control of this hill from the moment he first set foot on it. I didn't think anyone was going to touch him and they didn't. Great to see the emotion he still has for success depite the two golds from 02. As dynamic as he was to watch on the jump, this paled compared to his joyful and extended celbration. Malysz at silver was better than he should have been hoping for coming in to these games but he, too, had a good feel for this hill and actually had the longest training jump of 109.5. I didn't think he'd hold of Schlierenzauer for silver but a slight miss in the first round for the AUT left the door open and even his great second jump couldn't make up the difference.

Jeff Colt is another inspirational off-air story. He traveled across the country to watch his friend Peter compete despite a snowstorm that paralyzed the entire mid-Atlantic and airlines who told him it would not be possible to make it before Sunday. A plane to Seattle and buses from there- he made it, and is bunked on the fold-out couch. Megan Cronkite finished her last exam at U of Victoria yesterday and caught the ferry to Vancouver and bus up to Whistler from there in time to find seats at the Irish Pub and catch KD Lang sing Haleluliah. A ruckus spot, the Irish Pub, with much good will but not peep during the one minute of silence for the Georgian luger. The Gretzky selection played well.

Best news on the TV front is the "live calls" that we did for Friday's qualification round were not needed for air and appropriately euthanized. No time for fixing anything at these Olympics which is proving a double edge sword. It's a one and done environment- check perfection and pride at the door.

K95 Nordic combined goes tomorrow. Story is 3 Americans, each a world champion, none an Olympic medalist try to deliver the first Olympic medal ever for themselves AND the USA. Hard to picture that one of them won't get it done tomorrow. Demong seems very calm and capable. Doesn't seem to be faking this like some folks do. He's my pick. Lodwick has been struggling a bit on the jumps but went with new skis and old boots today and felt and looked better. Nice to have this tailwind. Spillane has been struggling a bit on the jumps. Tough to pull it all together in one competition jump, but that's the beauty of ski jumping- anything can happen.

Family enroute: eta about 2 am this am. Spirits high.

Pre-games

Back down to Vancouver yesterday to meet with Dick Ebersol and David Neal, basically the head of NBC Sports and NBC Olympics, to discuss the the where, what, who of the Whistler Olympic Park venue that will host ski jumping, XC, Nordic combined, and biathlon. Al Trautwig (xc/biathlon play by play), Matt Vasgersian (ski jumping play by play), Chad Salmela (xc/biathlon analyst), and venue producers Kaare Numme and Mitch Green and me are in the meeting. We are basically told this: virtually everything will be live, and the only pictures we will have will be the world feed. Kaare and Mitch will be in the IBC (International Broadcast Center) in Vancouver and we will be in Whistler. This means we will be talking to pictures that are in no way controlled by NBC and will be directed by producers 75 miles away. Oh, and we will be showing over an hour of the K95 event on Saturday. A great deal of time to try to separate the shades of beige that differentiate ski jumpers and jumps that look remarkable similar, a challenge we are assured we can rise to. With over 800 hours of programming, every sport will have their stage. Frontier days. Also, we are cleared to discuss Project X and memorialize Paul Robbins (more on Paul's absence later) but not in the opening days.

This morning opened early with the traditional production pep rally, a distilled but frankly inspiring 4 hour primer on the does and don'ts on NBC sports: Tell the story, don't over-reach in speculation, let the big moments play, and don't cheer for the Americans. We are to be impartial journalists. They showed the opening tease for the Games which was beautiful... truly gorgeous, poignant, wish-I'd-thought-of-that stuff. Also a couple of features that, again, seemed outstanding: a piece on the role Canadians played housing rerouted plane passengers on 9/11 (I know, what's that got to do with Olympics... try to watch it and not well up) and profile on Norwegian downhiller Askel Svindal who I will now most certainly be cheering for. You will too if you see it.

Much of our programming will go straight to the daytime show which is being produced by Sam Flood who was a couple of years behind me at Williams and whose name I have often heard but whose hand I had never official shaken until yesterday. The main hosts on the daytime show are Al (do you believe in miracles) Michaels and Mary Carillo. A dinner was arranged with Al, Mary and the group from ski jumping/xc- Al T., Matt V., Chad, and me- something to build the "chemisry". It worked. A very nice restaurant- Bear Foot Bistro- with a zealot owner: a showman named Andre who had many tricks up his sleeve including a wine cellar with lessons in opening champagne bottles with a champagne glass (see video) and a walk-in freezer where, once donned in Norwegian Naval coats, shots of vodka were distributed (see photo). As good as the food and drink were they could not compare to hearing Al Michaels recount everything from 1980 hockey to Howard Cosell to Roone Arledge to Art Devlin.
All eyes and ears at the table in one direction, drawn unnoticed to some gap in the space/time continuum, a place we never knew existed and certainly could never return to.

I blinked...

and 4 years have gone by. Gracie Puksta must be in 9th grade. JD Salinger is dead. Blogspot, independent in 2006, is now part of the Google empire(or so I assume- I needed to give Google stats to gain re-entry to my old blog).

And Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Games.

Sitting in O'Hare awaiting flight to Vancouver on Super Bowl Sunday, the woman next to me in a baby blue Peyton Manning jersey (18) that would never fit shoulder pads. But drawing much more attention in the gate area is a woman parading around in the Ralph Lauren official Olympic team garb, leaving nothing to the imagination- in other words, no incognito here- 100% head to toe official uniform including the scarf with rings. All eyes on her, though pretending otherwise, wondering... she's a little older and pretty tall- a solo hockey player coming from her sister's wedding? A luge coach carrying the new racing suits that were lost by FedEx and rerouted to her home address? Anyway, definitely not a figure skater.

And so it begins: 20 days of speculation and storylines, of celebrating sport and minting new celebrities. I must say that despite my distant role, and the number of times I've played it, I'm excited- and very thankful- to be sitting on the edge of it once again.

And adding to the moment, ironically, the cell phone rings- it's not yet 7 am in Whistler but brother Chris is up moving window to window in his condo, giving me the view from Whistler. Stunning he says, I won't believe it.

Screw the Super Bowl and baby blue Peyton Manning jerseys... let the Games begin!