The 2014 Winter Olympics are right around the corner, with 12 new events to captivate you. These additions make it the largest Winter Olympics to date. Which new events will you be watching?
Skiers, both men and women, finally get their shot at winning an Olympic medal in the halfpipe event. Will the ski halfpipe have the same level of excitement and creativity as the snowboard halfpipe?
Slopestyle skiing lets an athlete be creative and make an impression on the judges through the use of rails, jumps, boxes and other obstacles. Keep an eye out for Bobby Brown and Emilia Wint from the U.S. team.
The snowboarding slopestyle event is similar to the skiing event – with rails, jumps, etc., that shows off an athletes originality and skill. Chas Guldemond and Kelly Clark are well-known competitors in this event for the U.S.
This event is designed for speed and agility. Competitors compete by carving their way down the slope through flags on parallel courses. Justin Reiter is a U.S. hopeful in this event.
After being a men’s only event since the Olympics began, women are finally allowed to compete in the ski jump. This thrilling event has skiers reaching speeds of up to 60mph and jumping more than 100 yards.
Each team consists of two males and two females combining elements of cross-country skiing and target shooting. The men on each team will travel 7.5km, while the women will cover 6km to finish the race.
This event will break up six figure skaters into four categories: men, women, pairs and dance. The scores will be combined from each event to give an overall team score. Ashley Wagner will lead this years U.S. team.
This new event adds an exciting twist to the typical luge and relay race that most of us know. The team consists of a doubles sled, a woman’s sled and a man’s sled that all compete in a relay format.
