Anyone else already glued to them?! I almost cried when they reported on the lady moguls athlete that hurt her knee in a practice run when they said her parents said she asked if she would still be considered an Olympian!
The slopestyle was good to watch. They must have a rule about stickers and logos because, all the snowoards I saw ad no stickers and smaller sized logos on the bottom.
In Soshit every room comes with free puppy or kitten and water that looks like it came from gulag poop pool.
Looking forward to anything M S does.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/sochi/2014/02/06/mikaela-shiffrin-favorite-gold-medal-slalom/5266229/
I sent this to some family and friends. The quiz will be next week. :)
With the Olympics opening today I decided to google Sochi. The actual reason is that I had looked up mt. Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, and was surprised to see that it is 43 degrees north. Sochi is nearby and is also 43 N. That's north of Chicago and Boston, yet it has a semi tropical climate. That seems incongruous.
Then I looked at its history. It is tortured, convoluted and obscure, like the rest of the Caucasus. No other region in the world can match it for such long and bitter hatreds packed into such a small area. If this is too hard to read check the latest Sports Illustrated. They have a very good perspective article.
I hope these games go peacefully and well.
Main article: History of Sochi
Before the whole area was conquered by Cimmerian, Scythian and Sarmatianinvaders, the Zygii people lived in Smaller Abkhazia under the Kingdom of Pontus, then the Roman Empire's influence in antiquity. From the 6th to the 11th centuries, the area successively belonged to the kingdom of Lazica and kingdom of Abkhazia who built a dozen churches within the city boundaries. The Christian settlements along the coast were destroyed by the invading Göktürks, Khazars, Mongols and other nomadic empires whose control of the region was slight. The northern wall of an 11th-centuryByzantinesque basilica still stands in the Loo Microdistrict.[25]
From the 14th to the 19th centuries, the region was dominated by the Abkhaz, Ubykhand Adyghe tribes, the current location of the city of Sochi known as Ubykhia was part of historical Circassia, and was controlled by the native people of the local mountaineer clans of the north-west Caucasus, nominally under the sovereignty of theOttoman Empire, which was their principal trading partner in the Muslim world. The coastline was ceded to Russia in 1829 as a result of a Caucasian War and Russo-Turkish War, 1828”“1829; however, the Circassians did not admit the Russian control over Circassia and kept resisting the newly established Russian outposts along the Circassian coast (Adyghe:ÐÐ´Ñ‹Ð³Ñ Ñ…Ñ‹ аушу ).[8][26] Provision of weapons and ammunition from abroad to the Circassians caused a diplomatic conflict between theRussian Empire and the United Kingdom that occurred in 1836 over the mission of the Vixen.[27]
The Russians had no detailed knowledge of the area until BaronFeodor Tornau investigated the coastal route from Gelendzhik to Gagra, and across the mountains to Kabarda, in the 1830s.[citation needed] In 1838, the fort of Alexandria, renamed Navaginsky a year later, was founded at the mouth of the Sochi Riveras part of the Black Sea coastal line, a chain of seventeen fortifications set up to protect the area from recurring Circassian resistance. At the outbreak of the Crimean War, the garrison was evacuated from Navaginsky in order to prevent its capture by the Turks, who effected a landing on Cape Adler soon after.
The last battle of the Caucasian War took place at the Godlikh river on March 18, 1864 O.S., where the ubykhs were defeated by the Dakhovsky regiment of the Russian Army. On March 25, 1864, the Dakhovsky fort was established on the site of the Navaginsky fort. The end of Caucasian War was proclaimed at Kbaade tract (modern Krasnaya Polyana) on June 2 (May 21 O.S.), 1864, by the manifesto of Emperor Alexander II read aloud by Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia.[8]
After the end of Caucasian War (during the period of 1864”“1870) almost all Ubykhs and a major part of the Shapsugs, who lived on the territory of modern Sochi, were either killed in the Circassian Genocide or expelled to the Ottoman Empire (see Circassian Genocide). Starting in 1866 the coast was actively colonized by Russians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Greeks, Germans, Georgians and other people from inner Russia.[8][26]
In 1874”“1891, the first Russian Orthodox church, St. Michael's Church, was constructed, and the Dakhovsky settlement was renamedDakhovsky Posad on April 13, 1874 (O.S.). In February 1890, the Sochi Lighthouse was constructed. In 1896, the Dakhovsky Posadwas renamed Sochi Posad (after the name of local river) and incorporated into the newly formed Black Sea Governorate. In 1900”“1910, Sochi burgeoned into a sea resort. The first resort, "Kavkazskaya Riviera", opened on June 14, 1909 (O.S.). Sochi was granted town status in 1917.[8]
During the Russian Civil War, the littoral area saw sporadic armed clashes involving the Red Army, White movement forces, and theDemocratic Republic of Georgia. As a result of the war Sochi has become Russian territory. In 1923, Sochi acquired one of its most distinctive features, a railway which runs from Tuapse to Georgia within a kilometer or two of the coastline. Although this branch of theNorthern Caucasus Railway may appear somewhat incongruous in the setting of beaches and sanatoriums, it is still operational and vital to the region's transportation infrastructure.[8]
Sochi was established as a fashionable resort area under Joseph Stalin, who had his favorite dacha built in the city. Stalin's study, complete with a wax statue of the leader, is now open to the public.[28] During Stalin's reign the coast became dotted with imposingNeoclassical buildings, exemplified by the opulent Rodina and Ordzhonikidze sanatoriums. The centerpiece of this early period isShchusev's Constructivist Institute of Rheumatology (1927”“1931). The area was continuously developed until the demise of the Soviet Union.[8]
Following Russia's loss of the traditionally popular resorts of the Crimean peninsula (transferred away from the Russian SFSR to theUkrainian SSR in 1954 by Nikita Khrushchev), Sochi emerged as the unofficial summer capital of the country.[29] During Vladimir Putin's term in office, the city witnessed a significant increase in investment, although many Russian holidaymakers still flock to the cheaper resorts of neighbouring Abkhazia (Georgia), Ukraine, or to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.[citation needed] Additionally, Sochi has also served as the location for the signing of many treaties, especially those between the Georgian, separatist Abkhazian, and separatist South Ossetian governing authorities.[citation needed]
Quite an openning show!
May the Olympics remain safe!
The Colonel
Slope side has been great! How brave are those folks? I haven't seen a follow up on the young lady that broke her helmet and looked liked she was out for a minute. How tough is she that she got up and rode to the finish. I will probably google it while I am surfing this morning on TELCONS. Also the men's down hill was blazing fast and those jumps were just sick. I think Bode has a couple more opportunities, so hope he gets something!
The downhill is scary as hell. It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck just to look at them. I have stood course side to see 2 DHs, one at liberty 30 years ago, moderately scary, and one at Jay Peak, terrifying. The are far faster in real life than they appear on TV. Olympic and World Cup DHs have got to be way scarier still.
Too bad for the Bodeman.
In other news Jules is HOT!
Story of this Olympics (besides lingere-clad femmes which is never a bad thing) is the Men's Hockey Tournament. Canada, Russia, Sweden, the US and Slovakia (better if Gaborik wasn't hurt) have great chances for the Gold, plus Slovenia, Finland, Norway, Czech, and Swiss have several NHL'ers.
Watching the moguls. The weather was in the 50s/60s today and the course was looking a little sloppy. They say the warm weather is going to continue for the next week
Reminder that the snow events are not in Sochi but about 40 minutes high in the mountains. Still a bit warmer there than desired -low 40s.
The Colonel
What is up with Matt Lauers mustache?
I've been enjoying the olympics, but the snow conditions really do look like what we get to experience in the Mid-A during the Spring. Anyone catch the women's GS online last night? They were skiing in the rain at the bottom of the course.
OMG, G. Soukalova is the hottest thing on skis. Plus she shoots like a hawkeye.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Soukalov%C3%A1
