Fridays are normally Greatest Hits (i.e. rerun posts) here at GFE but today I wanted to do a quick Olympic news roundup today instead. Between many of you awesome readers and my trusty Google reader, I have a whole (metaphorical) pile of Olympic stories that I keep meaning to blog about and haven't had time to get to. But the Olympics are almost over and there are so many things to talk about! So here it is, quick and dirty:
Strong Triumphs Over Skinny. AGAIN. Tanith Belbin, an American Ice Dancer, has seen a major upswing in her skating career the last few years. Her winning secret? She gained 10 pounds! Yeah, you read that right. After talking about her disordered eating and hitting a low point with her skating where she says, "I [wasn't] eating anything and I [was] exhausted and cranky and stressed and all of those things that make you gain weight even more.” At first when her coach recommended she gain some weight, Tanith like any good American girl, freaked. But as she followed her coach's advice, she began to see the wisdom in it. She "changed her eating and training habits. She grew stronger, allowing curves and muscles to be a part of her body. [skating partner] Agosto said that their lifts have improved, as she can hold herself up more easily." (Thanks for the tip, Becky!)
Skating Makes a Funny. Speaking of Ice Dancing, the skaters in this year's Olympics provided most of the comic relief. Have you see Buzzfeed's "The 20 funniest Figure Skating Faces" yet? You must. MUST. And then there's this roundup of The Best "Skate Face" that are just as hilarious. And here's a look at some of the funniest costumes (yes the US snowboarding team gets a mention with their faux jeans and retro plaids). Plus someone did an analysis of the skaters' hair. Seriously.
Curling is a Sexxxy Sport. The sport of Curling has the odd honor of having both the only (admittedly) pregnant female athlete competing - Canadian Kristie Moore due in May - and its very own line of condoms called "Hurry Hard." I'm not sure what I could possibly add to that little tidbit of awesomeness.
There is a Condom Shortage Crisis. Speaking of sex, Curlers aren't the only athletes getting their groove on in the downtime. Apparently the Olympic Village is facing an epic condom shortage (who knew that free condoms were even a perk at the Olympics??) after handing out 100,000 of the little foil-wrapped souvenirs, about 14 for each of the 7,000 people housed in the village.
A Uniform Question: Reader Laura asks, "Why do the female skiers wear skintight uniforms (Charlotte's note: a star spangled Under Armor unitard thingy) while the female snowboarders wear baggy faux-jeans and a plaid coat? Is it just about the 'tude?" Good question, Laura. It can't just be about performance because presumably snowboarders need to go fast too.
What has caught your attention about this year's winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada? Anyone have a good answer for Laura? I sure don't - I've tried snowboarding exactly twice and cursed so much the snow melted in my path.
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