Kaszycki: From surprising skill to serious speeds, watch the Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics are often neglected compared to the Summer Olympics, which are more… The Winter Olympics are often neglected compared to the Summer Olympics, which are more telegenic — they have mastered the appeal of presenting young, attractive adults wearing a paucity of clothing. The Winter Olympics, conversely, buries its athletes under layers of clothing that would be appropriate for a trek to the North Pole.

Moreover, basketball, track and gymnastics are sports more familiar in our region of the world. Curling? Luge? Not so much.

Also, the Summer Olympics feature NBA players, who tend to be higher profile than hockey players — especially since many of the elite hockey players come from and thus play for countries other than ours. We all adore Sidney Crosby, but when he straps on the skates for team Canada, he’s our rival.

That explains why the Summer Olympics routinely draw higher ratings than their winter counterpart. The 2008 Summer Olympics averaged 27,690,000 viewers a night, according to The Nielsen Company. The most watched night of the 2006 Winter Olympics had only 25.7 million viewers, according to USA Today.

But let’s not neglect the Winter Olympics. The 2010 Winter Olympics offered snow cones of fun and shouldn’t be relegated to the back of the international athletic competition train. You will find incredibly dedicated athletes exhibiting exceptional skill at sports that don’t have million dollar professional contracts. These performers have a genuine love for their athletics.

Take curling — perhaps the most esoteric winter Olympic event. It’s actually an interesting strategic game played out in a most unusual manner. The athletes take it very seriously. Some of the teams talk very loudly, strategizing while the disc glides down the rink with the aid of the sweepers. Others remain intensely silent. It’s like a combination of checkers and darts, played out on ice.

The biathlon also fascinates me. It originated as a method for northern European hunters to hunt, which doesn’t surprise me. How else would one think to combine skiing and shooting? Because it combines two very different sports, competitors must master precision and endurance. After sprinting on cross-country skis, athletes must take aim and, as quickly as they can, hit targets 50 meters away with the rifles they carry on their backs. Superior athletes usually take 20-25 seconds to hit five targets — undoubtedly a difficult task when you’re out of breath and the clock’s running.

Some sports are legitimately harrowing. I can’t dream of hurling down a track at the 90 mph speeds that the lugers can reach. Actually, I can dream of it, though ‘nightmare’ would be a more accurate description. I only want to travel that fast in the comfort and safety of an enclosed metallic vehicle, such as a bullet train — certainly not on a sled. Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luger, was killed in an accident on the luge course this year, a tragic note on what ought to be a celebratory event.

Figure skaters sometimes get a bad rap — for a view of the stereotypes, see the Will Ferrell comedy Blades of Glory.

Figure skaters are incredible athletes, whose adroitness on the skating rink confounds me. The last time I attempted to skate, I fell squarely on my behind. And I cried. I was 6.

Yes, figure skaters sometimes fall, but generally it’s in the context of pulling off an incredible jumping and twirling landing move, as opposed to attempting to release a hand from the wall to balance one’s self. Unfortunately for figure skaters, the sheer grace of their routines makes even a slight stumble after that triple salchow overtly evident.

But figure skaters aren’t the only ones who work with precision. An errant turn can spin a skier out of control and result in severe injury for any of the sports played at high speeds. Even the games whose competitors don’t risk injury show outstanding skill. Also, unlike professional basketball players, their sports don’t define their lives in the same context of fame and popularity, even if they are no less passionate.

All of these athletes deserve respect. They’ve worked extremely hard to reach a high level of competency at sports that, for the most part, will not result in huge endorsement deals or parlay into lucrative television deals. Many of them have day jobs. When their Olympic careers are over, they will go back to their normal lives.

So, I’ll eagerly await the next Winter Olympics, and I’ll be sure to closely follow many of the sports — including curling.

E-mail Steve at sd13@pitt.edu.