3/15 Medal Count

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Pic courtesy of ChirsD.ca.

Dear Russia,
All right. You’ve had your fun. You’ve got more than double the medals of the second place nation. How about you take it easy for the rest of these Games? Rest up for when the Paralympics hit your home turf in 2014? We’d all appreciate it.

Yours,
Travis

P.S. Full results can be found here.

1. Russian Federation: 6G, 6S, 3B – Total 15
2. Ukraine: 2G, 2S, 3B – Total 7
3. Canada: 2G, 3S, 1B – Total 6
4. Germany: 3G, 2S, 0B – Total 5
5. Belarus: 1G, 0S, 3B – Total 4
6. Austria: 2G, 0S, 1B – Total 3
7. Norway: 0G, 2S, 0B – Total 2
7. United States: 0G, 1S, 1B – Total 2
7. Australia: 0G, 0S, 2B – Total 2
7. Italy: 0G, 0S, 2B – Total 2
11. New Zealand: 1G, 0S, 0B – Total 1
11. Slovakia: 1G, 0S, 0B – Total 1
11. Spain: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
11. Finland: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
11. Japan: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1
11. Poland: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1

Wandering Whistler

Travis Mushett    Articles    

If I ever start complaining about the sturm und drang of city life, please remind me to shut up and move to Whistler. Maybe it’s not always as vibrant as it is here in the midst of Games fever, but even absent that, I am pretty certain that this little ski town is as close to paradise as your going to find east of Waikiki. The mountains are lovely, the people are friendly, and it seems like every plot of Village real estate is occupied by a restaurant, bar, or coffee shop just waiting to charm you out of a few dollars.

After navigating the crowd at yet another concert in the Village Square, I checked out “Spirit in Motion – Discover What Moves Us,” an exhibit on the history and technology of Paralympic sport. Tucked inside of an igloo-like tent in the center of Whistler, the exhibit features a timeline of the Games from Stoke Mandeville, UK in 1948 to the present. Visitors can check out prostheses, watch video clips concerning the Paralympic movement, and even try taking shots from a hockey sledge, like this little guy here:

The only thing about British Columbia that is unpalatable is the weather. True to the Pacific Northwest stereotype, it has rained literally every day I’ve been here, and I have a feeling that the mountains would be even more picturesque if that mess of gray clouds ever lifted. Still, if anyone ever offers you a job visiting Whistler, watching some sports, wandering the Village, and writing up some blog posts about your adventures… well, you got a pretty good gig going.

Eight Teams Enter, One Team Leaves! The Mad Men of Ice Sledge Hockey Enter the Thunderbird

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Pic courtesy of Chicago Now.

The Vancouver venue that houses Paralympic ice sledge hockey is called UBC Thunderbird Arena, a name that evokes–for this fan, anyway–Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, one of the high points of 1980s kitsch cinema. In the post-apocalyptic world of the movie, leather-clad desert dwellers settle their differences inside the jungle gym styled structure you see above. The rules were simple: “Two men enter, one man leaves.” Now, if you change “Thunderdome” to “Thunderbird” and “leather-clad desert dwellers” to “icepick-wielding elite athletes on sleds,” you’ve got an idea of the tournament that’s unfolding up here. I was lucky enough catch some of the competition yesterday, and I doubt Mad Max would last a single period against any of the eight teams battling it out for Vancouver gold.

Courtesy of USA Hockey.

Canada is a nation that has hockey on the back of its five dollar bill, and Canadians–along with fans from around the world–have spent bucketfuls of these bills on sledge hockey tickets. 13 of the 19 scheduled matches were sold out before the Games even started. It’s no wonder. The play is as fast and aggressive as anything you saw in the Olympics. And with the home team and the American squad both undefeated, we could be looking at a reprise of the gold medal match-ups in both the men’s and women’s Olympic gold medal matches, but this time around, BlazeSports’ own Ann Cody will be awarding medals to the winning squad.

More hockey coverage tomorrow! Stay tuned!

3/14 Medal Count

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Pic courtesy of ChirsD.ca.

The first alpine skiing medals were awarded today, hence the Austrian and Canadian surge into third place. And with a pair of cross-country events handing out hardware, the Russians maintained their position atop the overall medal count. Full results can be found here.

1. Russian Federation: 4G, 4S, 2B – Total 10
2. Ukraine: 2G, 1S, 3B – Total 6
3. Austria: 2G, 0S, 1B – Total 3
3. Canada: 0G, 3S, 0B – Total 3
5. Germany: 2G, 0S, 0B – Total 2
5. Belarus: 1G, 0S, 1B – Total 2
5. United States: 0G, 1S, 1B – Total 2
5. Italy: 0G, 0S, 2B – Total 2
9. Slovakia: 1G, 0S, 0B – Total 1
9. Spain: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
9. Finland: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
9. Norway: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
9. Australia: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1
9. Japan: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1

A Word From Ricky

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Ricky is the main character of Ricky Played, the first in a series of children’s books published by BlazeSports’ own TorchRunner Press. He watched NBC’s coverage of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony on Sunday, and was a tad peeved by what he saw.

Hi everybody. I’ve been looking forward to the Paralympics for a long time, for months (just ask my Mom and Dad!). When NBC showed the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, my whole family got together in the living room to watch. Mom even made popcorn. For the most part it was really fun! I especially liked the part with Sumi the bear, and the part with the guys in wheelchairs doing flips. But I got a little confused when they showed all those kids dancing, and none of them were in wheelchairs. There were so many kids who got to play in the Ceremony, but they all looked like my sisters and none of them looked like me. I thought the Paralympics were about bringing everyone together, no matter if they have one leg or use a wheelchair or whatever. So why didn’t the people who put together the Opening Ceremony invite all kinds of kids to join the fun? I know the President of the Paralympics uses a chair like me. His name is Philip Craven, and he’s a knight! But NBC didn’t even show his speech. You’d think they’d have some respect for the President! Oh, well. There’s lots of sports to go, so I’ll still get a chance to see all my favorite athletes compete. I just wish the Opening Ceremony was more inclusive of kids like me.

Wheels on Ice: Curling Rocks the Paralympic Centre

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Speaking on behalf of my countrymen and women–especially those of us who spent our formative years below the Mason-Dixon–Americans often find their knowledge of curling to be, shall we say, a bit spotty. This is decidedly not the case for our northern neighbors. Canadians adore curling, and at major events like the Paralympics, their enthusiasm for the sport can be deafening. Every time their squad delivered a good stone today at the Paralympic Centre, the Canadian fans roared. And today they were not disappointed. Canada edged out the Norwegian team 6-5 and maintained their perfect record with a third consecutive win. That said, I think even the proudest Canuck would concede that the Norwegians sported the hippest pants:

Other results from today’s curling:

Italy 13
Switzerland 4

USA 6
Germany 5

Japan 5
South Korea 7

Sweden 1
Italy 9

Japan 4
Germany 12

Switzerland 2
Great Britain 10

The Paralympics Take to the SkyTrain

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Here in Vancouver, residents and visitors are carted around the city on a rapid transit system called the SkyTrain. This name is apt; the trip is so smooth and pleasant that you feel like you’re riding on air. I live in New York, where the subway is rickety rambling deathtrap, so I have a special appreciation for the clean easy ride of the SkyTrain.

I also have an appreciation for the ubiquity of the Paralympic-themed advertising in every SkyTrain station. Check it out:

3/13 Medal Count

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Pic courtesy of ChirsD.ca.

The first day of competition saw the alpine events postponed due to snow and fog, so all the medals awarded today were in the biathlon. It is no surprise then that the Russian Federation and the Ukraine continued their historic success in the sport and therefore got off to early leads in the medal count. What is worth noting is that Andy Soule of the US became the first American to medal in the biathlon in either an Olympic or Paralympic Games, and Vasili Shaptsiaboi is now the first Belarusian biathlete to win a Paralympic medal. The full results can be found here, but the medal count is as follows:

1. Russian Federation: 3G, 3S, 2B – Total 8
2. Ukraine: 2G, 1S, 2B – Total 5
3. Germany: 1G, 0S, 0B – Total 1
3. Finland: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
3. Norway: 0G, 1S, 0B – Total 1
3. Belarus: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1
3. United States: 0G, 0S, 1B – Total 1

Even as Fog Cancels Alpine Events, the Paralympic Spirit Finds Whistler

Travis Mushett    Articles    

I awoke this morning with dreams of alpine skiing, of seeing human missiles screech down the mountain with nothing but a plank or two of wood between them and the frozen track beneath. Unfortunately, the fog had other plans. After the fog only thickened during my wait beside the finish line, I’ve retreated to a restaurant just off Village Square in Whistler.

While the indefinite delay is disappointing—everyone was pumped to see athletes navigate a slope so steep that just looking at it makes you sweat—it’s still exciting to see how Paralympic fever has infected every corner of this lovely resort town. Legendary local band She Stole My Beer is scheduled to play in just a few hours on the giant stage erected in the Square, and until then, passers-by are stopping to watch broadcasts of the Paralympic events that are unaffected by the weather. Locals and tourists have been cheering curlers, biathletes, and ice sledge hockey players on an enormous TV screen. (I promise you all a full results post later this evening.)

And like in Vancouver, little touches make it clear that the town’s energy isn’t just a residue left over from the Olympics; Whistler seems absolutely psyched for the Paralympic Games. An image of Canadian sit-skier Brad Lennea graces a city energy box, and the mayor of Whistler, His Right Honorable Ken Melamed (who doesn’t love British honorifics?) just appeared on the big screen proclaiming the inevitability of the Canadian sledge hockey team’s gold medal.

I just got word that today’s cancelled alpine events have been rescheduled for tomorrow morning. So provided the weather chooses to cooperate, I’ll be bringing you some serious alpine coverage come the morrow.

The Flame Ignites and the Party Starts

Travis Mushett    Articles    

The 2010 Paralympic Games have begun, and, I might add, in spectacular fashion. Tonight’s Opening Ceremony was something akin to a rock concert mixed with a serious dose of inspiration and shaken up in a 60,000 seat snow globe. And the audience in this sold out snow globe was treated to a show that required a cast of 5,000 dancers, singers, and performers.

There were a number of “Wow” moments, including images projected on balloons, breakdancing by Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, and Canadian rocker Martin Deschamps dismounting his motorcycle to reveal  the congenital anomalies on all four of his limbs. The Parade of Athletes was, as always, a highlight for both athletes and spectators, and the noise that greeted the hometown Canadian team had me worried for the well-being of my eardrums.

Though the show was an honest-to-god spectacle from start to finish, the emotional highlight was a tribute to Canadian icon, athlete, and humanitarian Terry Fox. Fox lost a leg to cancer in 1977, and responded by endeavoring to run across the entire country of Canada to raise both money and awareness for cancer research. Unfortunately, after running almost a marathon a day for 143 days, Fox’s cancer reemerged in his lungs and forced him to cut his mission short. However, in the months following his run, he raised an astounding $23 million for cancer research, and a 1999 survey named him Canada’s greatest hero. Terry Fox served as the pitch perfect embodiment of the Ceremony’s theme, “One Inspires Many.”

Terry’s parents, Betty and Rolly Fox, carried the Paralympic Torch into the stadium at the conclusion of the tribute. After a few hand-offs to prominent BC athletes, the honor of lighting the cauldron was given to 15-year-old Zach Beaumont, an aspiring Paralympian chosen by Betty and Rolly as a representative of the future of disability sports.

So, sports fans, the Games are officially on, and I am officially exhausted. Check in tomorrow for the word from Whistler. Rumor has it they got 8 inches of snow last night, so the powder conditions promise to be an improvement over the shipped-in sludge the Olympians found themselves sliding down.

Pics courtesy of The Province.