by Eliza Laden Mauro ’14
This being the first winter Olympic games that I was actually invested in, I thought that it was pretty amazing. Vancouver was four years ago, and as a thirteen year old I was neither excited nor did I care about the spectacle that was the Winter Olympic games.
My family sat down to watch the opening ceremonies that Friday, and though none of us could remember the previous one, I had to say that it was pretty amazing. It was incredible how they had all those dancers and everybody was on top of it. They also stayed true to the Russian historical pieces, like the ballet and the stories about princes and princesses. Of course, seeing all of my childhood heroes up close was pretty cool too! Chara carrying out Slovakia’s flag was awesome, all 6 foot 9 of him. And lighting the Olympic lamp was Vladislav Tretiak, who I actually recognized after watching Miracle and hearing about the 1980 olympics every year! Of course, the games were pretty spectacular too. They happened over February break, and if you were too busy to watch them, it was intense. It seems like the most popular events were the snowboarding, ice skating, and my personal favorite hockey. As a female hockey player, seeing girls who were only a little older than me play on an international stage was incredible. Other people thought that different sports really connected with them, too.
Marina Sweeney ’14 could connect with the skiiers, “I really liked Bodie Miller, because he skiied at the same mountain that I ski at.” But she also complimented other sports, “I liked when Merlie won gold.”
Merlie, for those who don’t know, is the figure skating couple of Charlie White and Meryl Davis. Others also gushed about the loved American duo.
The snowboarding was popular as well. “My favorite was Sage Kotsenburg because I snowboard a lot,” said John Le ’14. “It was pertty cool because he was the underdog and won the gold medal.”
Sarah Allison ’14 agreed, “I love snowboarding, but I also dream of being a curling player.” When asked why, she said, “The tricks are so cool.”
One winter sport was not played in the winter, basketball. Catherine Coppinger ’16, a basketball player said, “As long as it’s in the Olympics anyways it doesn’t really matter if it’s in the sinter or summer.” She also supported other sports, “I really liked it when the girls’ hockey players got into the finals and it would have been nice if they won, but it was an exciting game.”
One thing’s for sure, everyone thought the messup during the opening ceremony was one of the funiest moments at the games. Sarah Allison ’14 said, “The best part was when the ffth ring didn’t open up.”