09-10+10ELA+Olympic+Events+Essays

Emilio Montenegro Mrs. Obach ELA 20F 24 March 2010 Luge Imagine that you’re an astronaut inside a space shuttle, your about to take off. You’ve been in years of training for this very day. The space shuttle takes off at a high speed and you’re experiencing over 3 g’s of force. Now imagine you’re a Luge runner, as the runner takes off the start, you star experiencing an average speed of 140 km/h and an average of 7g forces. That’s how much more experience than an astronaut it’s needed in Luge. The participant could be an inch away from victory or failure, there’s no room for errors, the equipment can help or harm alike, the participant needs to know how to use it correctly. Now if that isn’t exciting, nothing is. This bizarre sport originally started in a town named St. Morzit, Switzerland. An owner of a hotel first started offering winter recreation for his costumers; he offered activities like skiing and sliding down a steep hill. As sliding down a steep hill became more and more popular, the owner of the hotel started to improve the slope, turn and the track on an overall basis. The first Luge race recorded happened on February 12 1883, this race was called “The Great National Sled Race”. The race had 2 competitors and they sledded down a hill which connected the two villages, Klosters and Davos, the total time was 9 minutes and 55 seconds. Luge made its Olympic debut in the 1964 Innsbruck Olympic winter games. Even after Luge became an Olympic sport, just like humans the sport wasn’t perfect. Nature gives us boundaries that we have to overcome, so people started to make human-made features and perfected the sport by making better new improvements to the tracks, this also leads to the boundaries of the sport and that’s how the rules for this sport started. First the participant starts by sitting on the sled at the top of the track, the participant then pulls on fixed handles on the ice in order to begin, the participant then goes at the beep which it’s a sound that is means start. As they start out with blazing speed they used special gloves that have little spikes at the top of the fingers that are used to gain extra speed by pushing on the ice. Then they lie down on their sled and try to make their shape as aerodynamic as possible. The Luge Runners normally steer the sled by flexing the muscles of the leg on one side to add pressure on the certain direction they want to go. The whole-event consists of 4 runs over the period of 2 days. In order to win the runner needs to have the lowest time combined over the 4 runs. Control of your sled is the key of success for this sport. Like in all sports participants are bound to lose control at some point in time, accidents are imminent in any sport, and Luge is no different. The most recent and tragic incident happened in the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics, the victims name was Nodar Kumaritashvili, he suffered an accident while going down the run in Whistler, British Columbia. At first it was suspected that the cause of the incident was an error in the track, later this theory was proven wrong but changes to the tracks were still applied to make sure this kind of incident did not happen again. The Whistler is run is the fastest in the world, opinions from other participants also confirmed this statement. Luge, although it isn’t the world’s most popular sport it probably requires the most mental and physical than any other sport in Earth. Astronauts are only half-way to become professional Luge-runners that defy the laws of speed and gravity, they put their lives at risk for the passion of the sport and the Olympic spirit. It is an extreme sport that is not for anyone, from the speed to preparation it all requires superb concentration and control. BIBLIOGRAPHY Maki, Alan, and Jeff Blair. "Luge." // CTV Vancouver 2010 //. N.p., 12/Feb/2010. Web. 20 March 2010. .

"Luge." // Wikipedia //. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 20 March 2010. . "About the sport." // Vancouver 2010 Olympics //. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr 2010. .

Kaitlyn Henderson Mrs. Obach ELA 20F 23 March 2010 Skeleton Can you imagine running down an icy track then going head first onto a sled? Then speeding down the icy track at blazing speeds. How about the chance of sliding off your sled? A thrilling experience is the sport called the skeleton. The skeleton was first invented in 1882. Soldiers made a toboggan track in between two towns in Switzerland. On this track, they added curves and bends. In 1884, Britons would race from St. Moritz to Celerina in Switzerland. Going head first on the track was introduced in 1887. The first skeleton competition was held in Styria in 1905. 1926, the International Olympic Committee stated that the skeleton was an Olympic sport. The first appearance for the skeleton was in the 1928 Olympics held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. In 1948, was the second appearance which was also held in St. Moritz. Finally, an artificially refrigerated track was made in 1969. In 2002, the skeleton came back into the Olympics, for good now. With the sport now invented, there has to be rules that go along with it. Athletes competing in the skeleton have to be in shape, you have to be a specific weight in order to race. For men, the sled can weigh up to 43 kilograms, and the total of 115 kilograms with the racer on it. The woman’s sled weight is 35 kilograms, and a total of 92 kilograms. Racers are not allowed to use any electrical devices or equipment on their sled. It is illegal to use any performance enhancing drugs. To start your race, you begin with a running push. The only way you can move along the icy track is to use the movement of your body on the sled. You have to stay facing down with your arms against your side. So what is the different equipment you need to participate? Well, obviously you will need a sled. After that, you will need to protect yourself. It is mandatory to have a helmet. You can use either an alpine racing helmet, or a skeleton specific helmet. To be able to run down the icy track, you will have to wear spiked shoes. In order to be very aerodynamic, you will need to wear a skin-tight speed suit. To protect your face, you will need to wear goggles or a face shield. If you want to be extra safe, you could put on elbow and shoulder pads under your suit. Participating can be hectic, but here is how. The skeleton is not very confusing so here is how. First, hold onto one side of your sled’s handle. Next you run as fast as you can for about 50 meters. Once you have run, you quickly dive head first onto the sled and lie down on your stomach against the sled. To maneuver your sled, you need to slightly shift your body. Many athletes participated in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but who ended out on top? In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, there were three males and three females that ended up on top of the podiums. From Great Britain, the gold medalist for the females was Amy Williams. Both silver and bronze went to racers from Germany, Kerstin Szymkowiak and Anja Huber. For the men, Jon Montgomery from Canada was on top with his gold medal. Finishing in second to get the sliver was Martins Dukurs from Latvia. Roundnig off the men’s podium was Alexander Tretyakov from Russia with the bronze. The skeleton is an amazing and exciting sport. Soldiers knew how to have fun since they invented the sport. Without rules and regulations, we would not have a safe or fair sport. Equipment for the skeleton is important so you need the right stuff. The skeleton isn’t the easiest sport; therefore there are specific ways to do the sport. At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, we witnessed to top athletes of the skeleton participate and they showed us why they were on top. The skeleton is a fact-paced sport, but it is more than just a sport, it is a life for many athletes.

Websites Consulted "About the Sport." //Vancouver 2010//. The Vancouver Organizing Committee, n.d. Web. Feb 2010. . "Women's - Heat 4." //Vancouver 2010//. The Vancouver Organizing Committee, n.d. Web. Feb 2010. . "Olympic Skeleton 2010." //Mahalo//. Mahalo.com Incorporated, n.d. Web. Feb 2010. . Brown, Gerry, and Christine Frantz. "Winter Olympics: Skeleton." //Infoplease//. Information Please, Pearson Education, n.d. Web. Feb 2010. . "Skeleton." //The Whistler Sliding Centre//. The Whistler Sliding Centre, n.d. Web. Feb 2010. . "Skeleton." //Winter Olympics//. Pocantico Hills School, 16/02/2010. Web. Feb 2010. .

Micheal Morden Mrs.Obach ELA 20F 23 March 2010 Snowboarding Snowboarding is one of the greatest growing sports in the world. Tom Sims made the first snowboard in 1977, but the sport was invented in 1963. The first form of a snowboard was just made of ply-wood and was called a ski-board. The years have passed and now snowboarding has over 10 different types. Each type of snowboarding is unique. Big Air is when people launch off a huge ramp and perform tricks while going over a huge distance. In Slopestyle competitors go down a course while going over jumps, Snowboard racing is a downhill race through tight turns and over obstacles. Snowboard Halfpipe is when competitors speed down a hill into a halfpipe then they go up and down the halfpipe and do tricks. With each different type of event there are different types of equipment. In Slopestyle competitors wear suck things as goggles, boots, pants, jackets, and most importantly, a helmet. It also depends on what you are doing to choose what snowboard you would ride. For instance if you’re at a resort you would ride a freestyle board, but if you are riding down mountains you would choose a Backcountry board, also if you are doing this you would need to have a avalanche safety kit with you. You need the right equipment to succeed. Two athletes that have done so are Shaun White and Todd Richards. Shaun White started his snowboarding career as a pro at the age of 13, he also was the youngest U.S Snowboarder to win the Slopestyle championship. As of today Shaun White has 28 medals 17 of them are gold, he also got his reputation for getting big air and he has got the best-athlete award. Todd Richards on the other hand is one of today’s most well-known snowboarders, he was the first snowboarder to participate in the Winter Olympics. For being known around the world for his Halfpipe skills he was the U.S commentator for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Shelby Medd Mrs. Obach ELA 20F April 5, 2010 Snowboard Cross You are flying down a hill, only a board strapped to your feet. The wind is whipping against your face. Three others are gaining on you. You go over a jump, around a turn and across the finish line. You have won! This is what it feels like to compete in snowboard cross. Sherman Poppen originally invented snowboarding in 1964. He was a surfer who wanted to surf down the Rockie Mountains. He created a “snurfer”, now known as a snowboard, out of two skis bolted together. A year later his board was put into construction. The sport gained popularity over the 1980s. Snowboard cross is one variation of snowboarding. It is widely known as “boardercross”. The first ever snowboard cross competition was held in the spring of 1991 at Blackcomb Mountain in the Whistler- Blackcomb resort in British Columbia. The Winter X Games adopted the sport in 1997 and the Winter Olympics added it as an official sport in 1999 in Nagano, Japan. This official sport has its own set of rules. It combines the sports of surfing, skateboarding, and skiing. The racetrack has multiple sections that contain many obstacles. These include jumps, moguls, waves and raised turns. Upcoming obstacles and course edges are shown with blue and red flags called gates. Each competitor has two qualifying runs with the track to themselves. The 32 fastest boarders advance to the next round. In this round, competitors race in sets of four. The boarders that place first and second advance to the next round. They continue this process until there are only four boarders left. The boarder that finishes first, wins. Do these athletes use special equipment? Yes, snowboard cross competitors use special equipment to leap ahead of the competition. The boards they use are not the typical boards you would use on a day at the hill. These boards are custom made and built for speed and carving. They are more narrow and stiff than regular boards. The bigger the rider is, the stiffer the board is. Since the market is small, the boards are quite expensive. Some athletes use anti-vibration plates. These raise the bindings off the board an inch making the ride down the course smoother. The base is specially built for more speed. Speed suits are not used in snowboard cross mainly for show reasons. Instead, they wear a slim fitting pant, jersey, helmet and protective body armor. The body armor is worn to protect the competitor if they catch an edge. Just imagine going 73 km/h and slamming into the snow-packed track. The speed involved in snowboard cross causes injuries. Probably the most common injury is wrist fractures. This is caused when the boarder falls backwards and catches the fall with an outstretched hand. Other injuries include knee and ankle sprain. Head injuries are surprisingly uncommon. The equipment worn by the athletes prevent any serious injuries. Despite the efforts of the gear, like all sports, serious injury is still possible. Luckily, this years Olympics had no major accidents in this event. The 2010 Winter Olympics were located in Vancouver, Canada. In the ladies, our very own Maelle Ricker of Quebec, won gold. France’s Deborah Anthonioz won silver and Switzerland’s Olivia Nobs won bronze. In the mens, Seth Wescott of the United States won gold. Canada’s own Mike Robertson brought home silver and Tony Ramoin of France won bronze. Snowboard cross is a fairly new sport and is growing more and more popular all the time. The rush of flying down a hill with very little equipment is a major attraction to many. Snowboard cross will be a popular Olympic sport for years to come. Works Cited "Snowboard." //Vancouver 2010//. 2010 The Vancouver Organizing Committee, n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . "Snowboard Cross." //Wikipedia//. N.p., 18 Mar 2010. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . "Snowboarding Facts." //eHow//. eHow Inc., n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . "Six Things to Know About Snowboard Cross and PGS." //First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine//. First Tracks!! Online Media, n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . "History of Snowboarding." //Bulgariaski//. Bononia, n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2010. . "Snowboarding Rules." //Fuzilogik//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb 2010. .

** The Biathlon ** Who was the first to want to combine rifle shooting with cross-country skiing? Well, it actually started out as a Scandinavian way of life. The old Scandinavians would use cross-country skiing to “cut off” the enemy in times of war before they got close in their cities in order to defend it. This was commonly used in the mid 16th century. This has since become a sport known as the Biathlon, which is a Greek word that translates to “two tests” which is quite suiting as the name. The first trial requires a very demanding physique. To even have a chance of competing against other contestants, you must be in peak physical condition. This includes a great deal of endurance and leg muscles for speed in power in every stride you make. Because this is cross country and not alpine, downhill or otherwise, there is a certain need for pliometric training involved. This training builds stronger muscle fibres in the calf and shin areas of the leg. For the target shooting test, there are many more objectives to complete. To start, you must only use a 22. Calibre rifle made specifically for the event. The shooter can choose to take one of two different positions­­. They can either stay standing and quickly pull off a shot and continue, or they can assume a prone position, meaning that the shooter lies down on their stomach, but cannot let their elbows or rifle to touch the ground. The only difference between the positions is that some find it easier to lie down; but the target they fire at decreases in size significantly as they do. In comparison, when the shooter is standing, the size of the target is about the same as a grapefruit: 115mm. When prone, the size decreases to approximately the same as a golf ball: 45mm. This is done so that people who are prone will face the same challenge as someone who would stand while taking their shot. Before the athlete fires, there is usually a period of about 25 seconds where the competitor takes the time to aim, compensate for wind and distance, and finally fire. Many more factors are involved but they are not as important as the ones previously mentioned. As time ticks by, the risk of losing their position on the podiums increases rapidly. If a missed shot is declared, the effects may be devastating. The competitor can choose one of two options before the shooting can continue. The first option is a 150 metre penalty loop. This choice is mostly chosen by the more physically fit because their speed and endurance saves them time to ready themselves for their next shot. The second is simply an added minute of time to the athlete’s total score. Much of the smaller and faster competitors choose this option because they may focus more on the shooting aspect of the biathlon and are quick to take their shot and continue. After all of the competitors have completed the tasks, the total times are compared and a winner is declared to the one with the fastest time. If there is a tie, those two must restart the event to decide who can be the faster a second time. The biathlon is a very demanding sport and can be very tiring but also quite fun when mastered. It has become one of the most important winter Olympics sports today. Work Cited: [|www.vancouver2010.com], [|www.wikipedia.com]

Jillian Hawkins Mrs. Obach ELA 20F 23 March 2010 Bobsleigh Imagine the thrill of speeding down an ice covered track in only a light-weight fiberglass capsule on steel runners. Many years ago, in the later 1800s, a sport was invented that eventually became a part of the winter Olympics. Bobsledding is an exciting sport that has evolved in many aspects, from the design of the sled, to the structure of the track. Originally bobsleds, referred to as toboggans at the time, were used as a means of transportation for delivering supplies to a winter resort in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Looking like they would be very entertaining, the guests decided to try them out. Soon after, a steering mechanism was added to the toboggans because of the reoccurring collisions with pedestrians. The first track was created and ran in a straight line. The term bobsleigh originated from the way the crew members would bob their heads in an attempt to gain speed. Appearing in the first winter Olympics in 1924 was the men’s four man bobsleigh and added in 1932 was the men’s two team. Finally the women’s two crew competition began in the 2002 Olympics. Now that the sport was being played regularly there were several rules that had to be enforced. To begin a race the members of the team stand behind the starting line and grasp the sled. After running for fifty meters the crew jumps into the sled, this action helps achieve a faster start. Steering is done by the member in the front, but is unnecessary after they reach the starting line because the sled follows the grooves in the track. The person at the rear serves as the brakeman who is responsible for stopping the bobsled at the end of the race. The time is calculated in hundredths of seconds and the team who achieves the fastest time after four heats is the champion. If you are not ranked in the tops twenty after three runs then you do not qualify to race in the fourth heat. Using the same sled for all races is crucial and may only be replaced if there is damage done to the original sled. Heating the sled’s runners with any solid, liquid, or gaseous substance is illegal. Protests must be verbally presented within five minutes of finishing the race and have a written copy completed within twenty minutes. There are also weight restrictions for each of the three types of bobsledding, and if the overall weight of the team is below the limit, weights may be added to the sled. What exactly are the sleds composed of? The sleds are built using light metals shaped to form an aerodynamic body and sit on steel runners. In length, a four crew sleigh must be 3.8 meters long where as a two team must be 2.7 meters. Sitting on steel runners, 67 centimeters in length, allows the sled to glide down the track with ease. Attached to the runners are cables which are connected to rings used to steer the sled. Pulling one ring even a little too much will send the sled crashing into the wall of the track. Modern bobsleigh tracks are composed of concrete and layered with artificial ice. Numerous sharp turns and banked walls are expected of this 1200-1500 meter course. Required on every track is at least one straight section and one labyrith, which is three quick turns in succession followed by a straight area. In total the track should consist of fifteen curves. Not only does this track work for bobsledding but can also function as both skeleton and luge courses. The Olympic committee built a track just like this to be used for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. The 2010 Olympic bobsled competition was held at the Sliding Centre located in Whistler, British Columbia. Unfortunately in the two man races Canada did not medal but came close capturing fifth place. Beating them out by just seconds were Germany, ranking first and second, and Russia taking third. However, the women’s two team competition had a different outcome as Canada won both gold and silver while the U.S. stole the bronze. Kallie Humphries and Heather Moyse had excellent races and had a total time of 3.32.28, beating out Helen Upperton and Shelly-Ann Brown by a whopping 0.85 seconds. Canada had success in the four man event as well, taking third place, while beating them out was the U.S.A. is first and Germany in second. Lydon Rush, Chris Le Bihan, David Bisett, and Lascelles Brown made up Canada’s four man team. Speed is the only word imaginable to describe this dangerous, crazy sport. It has evolved tremendously starting out as just a form of entertainment into an event in the Olympics. Throughout the years the rules, sleds, and tracks have all changed for the better. Hosting the 2010 Olympics was very beneficially for Canada as we won many medals, in bobsledding and the other sports too. Bobsledding is a thrilling sport not only for the competitors but for the spectators too.

Works Cited "A Brief History Of Bobsleigh." //FIBT//. FIBT, 23 Mar 2010. Web. 20 Feb 2010. . "Bobsleigh Rules." //CTVOlympics//. Canada Inc., 15 Jan 2009. Web. 01 Mar 2010. <http://www.ctvolympics.ca/bobsleigh/news/newsid=1774.html "About The Sport." //Vancouver 2010//. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 28 Feb 2010. Web. 10 Mar 2010. <http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-bobsleigh/>. "Bobsleigh." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 24 Mar 2010. Web. 10 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobsleigh>.

Erin Houck Mrs. Obach ELA 20F 23 March 2010

Hockey is one of Canada’s National Sport. Though many people believe it’s the only sport, it’s not. The sport of Lacrosse is Canada’s summer sport whereas hockey is our winter sport. Do you believe only hockey should be our sport? So do over 60% of other Canadians. Equipment is a big part of hockey. Without it, the sport wouldn’t be what it is. In men’s hockey, its full contact with body checking allowed. The equipment includes an athletic cup, shin pads, hockey pants which have padding in the butt area and a hard shield on the thighs, shoulder pads which protect the upper body like your chest and upper arms, elbow pads, a neck protector, a mouth guard to help protect you from getting a concussion and of course, a helmet. Goaltenders have a larger chest protector that covers more, a blocker that goes on one of their hands, a glove that goes on the other hand, and leg pads that are quite large. All of this is very important to protect the players from injuries occurring. The way you generally play hockey is by having six players, including a goaltender at each end, on the ice at once. The basic set up is having the goalies in their nets, two defense men that fight for the puck in deep in our end, but hang back to keep the puck inside their end, and three forwards that stay back in our end to be there when it comes out and fights in deep in the oppositions end. Each player has their own stick and tries to get the puck into the other teams net. Sounds simple, right? Now try throwing rules like off sides and penalties in there. Off side is when another player is in the opposing teams end of the ice before the puck. If they touch it, the whistle sounds and they start again outside the blue line. Penalties are like punishments when a player does something wrong in the game. There are many different ways why one can earn a penalty. When a player has a penalty, they’re set to the ‘penalty box’ and that team must play with one less player until that player has served their time in the box. You can earn a penalty because of a minor penalty (usually two minutes is served in the box), which is like tripping, elbowing, roughing, high-sticking, delay of game, too many players on the ice, hooking, or crosschecking. You can also have 4-minute penalties, ten minute penalties or even game misconducts when you’re out of the game completely and may miss even the next game. Everybody I’m sure knows the name Wayne Gretzky. He’s been nicknamed “The Great One”. Gretzky holds a great amount of NHL records with a whopping 61 records. He has the most goals at 1016 and the most assists, 2222. Combining those together he holds the title of most points, an incredible 2856. Throughout his career he’s played on several teams: Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 22, 1999. Men are not the only ones allowed to play this amazing sport. Women’s hockey has really bloomed in the last decade. There is the NWHL- National Women’s Hockey League, WWHL- Western Women’s Hockey League, Mid-Atlantic Women’s Hockey Association, as well as various European leagues. The 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan were the first Olympics to host Women’s hockey as a sport. Hayley Wickenheiser is a 4-time Olympic winner in the women’s hockey and has even played goal for Tampa Bay in some pre-season games.

As you can see, hockey is a sport played by both men and women, Canadian, American and even Olympic athletes. It has many variations and rules. To keep it safe you must wear the provided equipment. It’s a very fun and exciting game and we love it. That’s why it’s our National Winter Sport! Works Cited "History of Hockey Canada." //Hockey Canada//. Hockey Canada, n.d. Web. 23 Mar 2010. <http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php?ci_id=6755>.

"Wayne Gretzky." //Wikipedia//. Wikipedia, 25 03 10. Web. 25 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky#.22The_Trade.22>.

"Ice Hockey." //Wikipedia//. Wikipedia, 25 03 10. Web. 25 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey>.

"Ice Hockey: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics." //With Glowing Hearts//. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar 2010. <http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-hockey/>.