Sundays, Days Of Sport, Relaxing And Saturday Night Live.

No more spare time on Sundays.

The mighty sport Sunday with either alpine skiing or Formula One has just got another addition. The weekly Saturday Night Live skit on YouTube.

My admiration for these actors grows by the week, as they put on brilliant performances with only a few days to rehearse. Despite the short rehearsal time they are often spot on as the laugh barometer proves. How often does one laugh out loud these days? Soon they might have to either extend their show or perhaps put on a Wednesday Night Live.

The daily political antics must be like manna for the writers and producers of SNL and in the cut throat world of television it must be nice to know that the next four years will be spectacular and profitable.

Of course, the cynic in me is just waiting for a presidential decree, banning the court jesters as many a jest has a truth to it which could be too close for comfort. Ah, won't that be a bit of breaking news, real breaking news.

But enough of politics; my other Sunday treat apart from fried eggs on toast involves watching alpine skiing on TV. Slalom, Super G and Downhill. Nail biting stuff and addictive too. Bob and I have been fans since we got here and both have our clear favourites that we cheer and cry for.

The World Cup is being held at the moment in the spectacular mountains surrounding St. Moritz. Almost picture perfect apart from yesterday's men's downhill race which sadly had to be cancelled due to fog. Don't laugh, fog is a serious threat when one races down a steep mountain on waxed skis at over 140 kph. Seeing the piste is vital. Luckily it has been reschedule for this afternoon.

The women's downhill race is in the morning and the men's after lunch. I can't wait and just hope the weather is behaving today. If you have a chance, try and watch it. Those skiers are top athletes, seemingly fearless and considering the danger they face, dressed inappropriately. A thin spandex suit and a pithy helmet seem a bit meagre when one faces an icy piste at such speeds.

Yesterday, the race was at first postponed a few times before it was cancelled outright. In those two hours, they showed interviews with a few of the skiers and apart from the odd one, most of these athletes are friends and behave in a manner worthy of gentlemen and ladies...something that is sorely lacking in the world today.

Biggi

What Would Winter Be Without Any F.I.S. Skiing?

The season starts again tomorrow.

Hot summer days still being rather fresh in our memories makes it almost seem like a juxtaposition to think of snow and skiing but or should I say alas, time doesn't stand still.

Both of us are fans of alpine skiing, myself for the excitement of the sport and for Bob it is a combination of Anna Fenninger and skiing. His favourite skier on the women's skiing circuit who happens to be rather pretty too.

Only this morning I heard him talk to himself, or rather at the television;

" Hi, Bob here. "

and I didn't need to be a soothsayer to know that they were interviewing Anna on television. Well she has changed her name and taken that of her Gatten, so Bob's enthusiasm is waning a bit and leaning towards other young skiers.

I shouldn't really throw stones about, as I am just as bad about the male skiers. Or rather snow gladiators dressed in tight tights. Ooh la la indeed, but I would ban Bob from parading about in that get up!

Alpine skiing is a huge sport in most northern hemisphere countries. One of Bob's cousins has just moved with his wife to one of the meccas of alpine skiing in order to work there. Whistler Mountain in Canada...what lucky fishes indeed. As they are both chefs by profession, they might even bewitch Bob's goddess with their award winning food. They were both in the South African Culinary Olympic team for many years.

Perhaps not his wife's culinary creations, as she is a top notch dessert chef whose divine and mouth watering eclectic dishes are sadly off limit for the weight conscious athletes. But who can withstand that sort of temptation for long?

As they have both just arrived there I hope they'll like it. Granted, it is a change to go from sunny South Africa to the wild snow covered mountains of Canada, but also the chance of a lifetime.

Bob and I have been privy to the beautiful scenery of Whistler mountain as the ski-circuit travels to various countries in the world. In fact, you could call us weekend armchair travel enthusiasts.

Who said winters are boring, cold and dull? Winters, are cozy, snugly, full of sporting activities and a time to recharge one's soul with a myriad of reading, eating and sleeping.

Biggi

The Streif: A Dream Maker & A Knee Breaker.

An eventful and exciting skiing weekend.

Of course it was the weather that put a damper on it. The whole week leading up to the Kitzbühel racing weekend, the pistes were perfectly lit by a divine sunshine and appropriate amounts of snow. Naturally on the morning of the main and highly anticipated race, the weather changed, the fog set in and winds upped their ante.

In retrospect, a few skiers might have wished for the race to be cancelled instead of being held an hour later. Yes, the run was extremely dangerous, icy, pitted with bumps and required endless courage.

Somehow it resembled a roman gladiator spectacle and I am sure that most of the skiers at the start looked around and wondered who would take a fall, and be offered to the hungry Streif piste.

This time three offerings were made to the piste and it makes me so sad to know that these top skiers are now out of commission for the better part of a year. A year doesn't seem a lot to us ordinary mortals but for Olypmians it seems forever. A year spent rehabilitating knees and training to be ready for the next Streif...

Before the race, the camera panned in on the other spectacle of the day. The who's who of the celebrity zoo. Gosh, Arnie brought an entourage including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jason Statham. Might be fun to have been a fly on the dining room wall, because she doesn't eat a lot of the yummy stuff, does she? Did she succumb to the lure of a Weiss Wurst, Bretzen and a Mass of Bier that was on offer at one of the society events?

Please, I do hope she didn't fly into our part of the world kitted out with a range of vegan filled Tupperware... but on second thoughts, Arnie surely found a way to persuade her to taste the local specialties.

It was great to see Arnie being interviewed and sparkling with his love of and for Austria. He was praising the local cuisine, ambiance and people and it was absolutely fabulous the way he enthused about the country he grew up in. Albeit speaking German with an American accent, which is allowed after living in America for the better part of 40 years.

Biggi

It Just Feels Like The Other Day That It Was The Hahnenkamm.

That awesome Kitzbühel Downhill, also called The Streif...

One only realizes how fast a year has gone, when you compare dates or happenings. Take the annual Kitzbühel Classic men's downhill for example. Gosh, that year flew by at a gallop and yet at times the pace felt more like a slow ambling gait.

The buildup is huge and one could call it the Superbowl / Durban July / Kentucky Derby or Wimbledon Tournament of Austria. Alpine skiing is as important here as rugby is in South Africa. During winter, school classes have skiing trips during term time and most can ski.

The downhill discipline is of course the most exciting to watch and perhaps that is because of the speeds they reach gliding downhill on an icy surface at over 130 kph. Death defying indeed.

Last year they brought out a movie showing the blood, sweat and tears that make it possible to even compete in the race. On Wednesday they aired it on TV and I couldn't wait to see it...indeed, by 8.10pm I was in that notorious deep-TV-slumber. Never mind, Bob watched the whole movie and is now an even bigger fan.

Streif - One Hell of a Ride

Just like with any big sporting event, we have decided to spectate in style. You know, with a plate of chip & dip, perhaps a frankfurter or two. On Bob's plate everything might be covered in homemade chutney that a friend of mine has made for him. He is the hugest chutney fan. At the moment, everything I cook gets a portion of chutney on the side. The big jar is getting rather bereft of content and Bob's told me he would contact my friend for the recipe.

Bob likes to keep his cards close to his chest and I only got an inkling yesterday of how much he has morphed into a proper Streif fan, when he cheekily posted a message on Facebook. He told all and sundry not to visit while the race was on! Even this morning he has put his support behind Hannes Reichelt. I am in a bit of a quandary as my man Felix, is more of a Slalom man...

The race is famous in many parts of the world and celebrities are approaching en masse. In itself, the event has grown into fashion shows, cocktail parties and mingling of the rich and famous. Quite rightly, one man gets top billing. A man who grew up an hour down the road and has reached the pinnacles of politics and Hollywood. Yes, Arnie is back...

Biggi

A Weekend Tailor Made For This Alpine Skiing Fan.

Saturday and Sunday filled to the brim.

It can be rather stressful to organize my morning to be ready in time to see the first heat of the races. Yesterday I managed to still go by foot ( yes, it felt like I walked a hundred miles barefoot in the snow! ) to the Doc to get Bob's eye drops etc. Saturday they only open between 7 a.m and 9 a.m and I made it with ten minutes to spare. Gosh, you should have seen me motor...

I was treated to two lots of downhill races. Women and men downhill. When you consider that these gladiators of the snow careen downhill at speeds of over 100 kph, on icy pistes with waxed skis, one tends to question why they don't get the millions that are paid to soccer players. The only thing dangerous about the game of soccer is if a player is crushed by a group hug which always morphs into a rugby tackle of sorts.

Bob secretly loves watching the skiing but is usually quite scathing towards my favourite and will make silly comments until his Anna starts a race. This year, unfortunately Anna has injured herself before the season started and is out for the duration of it. Not such an insurmountable problem for Bob...he has found a different skier to support. An Austrian naturally

This morning the schedule has moved forward and the races start at 9.15 am and it is often a nail biting affair as the difference between first and second is usually just a blink of an eye. Milliseconds.

One of the all time great skiers on the circuit at the moment is Lindsey Vonn. She is breaking records and winning races. A few years ago she had such an horrendous fall that it kept her out of the sport for over a year. Yet, she is back and with aplomb. Luckily for the sport of skiing, she went out with Tiger Woods for a few years. I say luckily, because it made more folks start to be aware of this amazing sport. Aware and also watching it. If you can, take a look at these clips. Stunning and scary at the same time.

Biggi

Bob Made Bread Rolls For Our Sunday Fry-up.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions.

Sundays for us are always started off with a nice English style breakfast or at least part thereof, such as fried eggs on toast or bread of sorts.

At the moment, the Alpine Skiing World Cup is being held in Colorado. This World Cup is as important to us fans, as the Soccer World cup is to football fans.

However,there are several flies in the soup, starting with the time difference from Colorado and ending with the mistaken viewing times of the repeat races printed in the TV program. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado are simply stunning to see but frankly, when the races are so late in the evening ( last night was at 10 pm ), it is only with extreme effort that I stay awake for even the first 5 skiers.

On Saturday evening we were at the AGM of our Fire Department and fair enough, it was important and worth missing the Men's Downhill race for. But I knew that there was a repeat broadcast on Sunday morning. Goody. With determined dexterity, which did involve the manual covering of my ears when someone blabbed the results, I managed to avoid any and all news of the results and planned my morning to coincide with the 9.15 am start of the program.

At 8.35 I was ready to go to our local shop for a few bread rolls and which would still leave enough time to make breakfast on my return. For some reason, I switched on the channel to have it ready and set.

I nearly fainted when I saw that the third skier was already hurtling down the Raptor piste. Oh, steam was coming out of my nostrils and it took me a skier or two to relax and enjoy the event.

...if I hadn't listened to my inner voice, I would have missed it. Nice one indeed, Eurosport or
Die Ganze Woche. One of you needs to check your schedules!

But back to the breakfast scenario. Bob saw with one glance that there was no way I was going to fetch any bread rolls. With a second glance he realized that snow was falling in alarming proportions and made the decision to make our rolls.

While his wife was focused and unmovable in front of the television, he quietly but with determination made his first ever batch of bread rolls. Wow, isn't he great? The best part of it was that all I had to do, was show up at the breakfast table and sample the delicious rolls.

Biggi

Sorry Ladies...this man's spoken for!!!

Oh yes, it looks so scrumptious but tasted even better when a lashing of butter was added...

The 75th Streif Lost Its Bite.

One can't argue against nature but definitely against TV producers!

America has its Superbowl, England its F.A. Cup, South Africa the Curry Cup and Austria has the Streif. As most tend to assume that living in Austria is like living on the set of Heidi, you might understand that alpine skiing is a major sport here.

Last week I thought that only I set my schedule around the Streif run, but on Friday night, while out at the lake house, which is the headquarters for the Anglers of our village ( odd how Bob goes there on Sunday morning without any type of fishing rod ) just about everyone around the table was looking forward to the Streif. No one was going to stray even an inch from their TV screens.

Yes, the Streif is a big deal and even for those odd souls who don't care either way, the backdrop and background to the Streif is littered with the A-list, Arnold, celebrities and those wanting to be. Formula One sent a timely reminder for us fans by being there in the form of Nikki Lauda and Christian Horner. Even Geri Halliwell ( old spice ? ) was seen dangling on the periphery, as she always does!

The imminent race had me stay home the whole day. As nature gave us a big reminder of what matters, the persistent fog meant a start time that kept on moving further out. As annoying as this was, the safety of the skiers is top priority and once you see the ride they have to perform on waxed skies and at over 140 kph down an extremely steep, curvy and seemingly endless slope, you would agree with the delayed start.

What took everyone by surprise was how much the run was shortened because of the fog. Almost half the distance was slashed for the run. What was close to 2 minutes turned into just under 60 seconds. Again, fair enough, safety first.

The overall race time was now more or less cut in half. All over Austria, Streif fans were kept prisoners in their own home while awaiting this run. When the first skier finally flew out the starter gate, I was enthroned on our couch with all my creature comforts at hand. Wow, the excitement was here.

As that song from the 80's says: " I should have known better..." Each run was more or less a minute which already meant we were robbed of a minute of nail biting scenes. One could have hoped that the TV producers would be so kind as to let us see at least that left over minute...but no, they only showed the skiers when they were 22 seconds in the race.

You know, if I had had a phone number I would have called and complained bitterly.

. With only showing us this 30 second clip of some skiers, they took an all the air out of our feverish excitement.

This was ZDF, and when I quickly switched over to Eurosport they were stuck with the Australian Open. Next season we have decided to augment our viewing with all the ORF channels
( Austrian and worth the extra fee ) because they will understand what it means to be a Streif fan... I hope?

Biggi

Well Done, Lindsey Vonn!

Sharing 1st place for number of World Cup wins since yesterday.

The Alpine World Cup skiing season is only on for a few months each year. With our new reality of global warming, the season might even become shorter. To prove a point, this season, a few races have had to be cancelled or delayed for lack of snow. Yes, lack of snow!

Lindsey Vonn as of yesterday has won 62 World Cup races. A genius on skis. Wow. Bob and I have only been ardent alpine skiing fans since we moved to Austria. Let's face it, in South Africa hardly anyone even knows what it is to ski on snow. Fair enough, in Austria hardly anyone knows about the game of rugby.

Isn't it the same as American Football was one comment from a colleague in Bob's volunteer fire brigade

.

Should a famous rugby player read this, I can only say that should you want a divine holiday without being recognized...come here. Vice versa is true too, I suppose?

Strange how geography determines sports conversations. Bob's father and brother routinely ask him whether he had seen the brilliant tackling / kicking / scrumming etc of a recent rugby game. Sorry to say, Bob's out of the loop and actually is quite fond of the skiing league. As rugby has Percy Montgomery, football has Schweinsteiger, so Alpine skiing has Anna Fenninger. Sorry, but that is the only gal Bob is fond of watching as she bullets down a slope.

It turns out that in our village Bob is not the only one...all the men are ardent Anna Fenninger supporters. She is Austrian and rather pretty, which might be the determining factor for these guys...

But, back to Lindsey Vonn. One of her disciplines is the Down Hill race. For those not aware of skiing, it is a race down an often icy and extremely steep hill, with skis that are waxed to perfection at speeds of over 100 kph. Definitely not for the faint of heart. A couple of years ago, Lindsey had a terrible fall while in a Down Hill race and injured her knee so badly that she was out of skiing for a few seasons.

A comeback sounds so cliche. Imagine having to ski down a slope at such a high speed and remembering the terrible fall you had there before? It takes a courage, strength and determination to overcome this and Lindsey Vonn has not only overcome this fear, but she is skiing so well
( with all the risks it includes ) that she is winning races again.

A true champion like this is very rare. It is a treat to watch her skiing and I am certain that she will easily set a new record for the number of World cup wins, that maybe only her fellow American, Mikaela Shiffrin might be able to get close to.

Congratulations Lindsey!

Biggi

Update: After writing this blog story, there was another alpine ski race a few hours later. Can you believe it, Lindsey Vonn won it too. She has now 63 wins and is the all time world cup wins record holder. Congratulations to Lindsey Vonn.

Sebastian Vettel, Tina Maze & Man United Are Sans Pedestal.

Favourites falling out of favour makes it fun for them and us viewers again.

Last year's season of F1, Vettel won almost every race he started. Great in one way but not very exciting for us to watch. What is the fun of it when you sort of know the outcome already. Now this season ( 2014 ) has had changes in engine etc and Sebastian is not winning races. So far.

That is one of the incentives to watch the next races because we know that now he will fight his way back to winning. It makes him a human sports hero. You see, just like us, he has ups & downs.

Take soccer for example. Manchester United has had a change of trainer. The idol has left or rather retired and is it really fair to assume the man stepping in his shoes will do exactly as he did? Yes, Man United is not winning matches. Yes, at times it seems like they are jinxed. But if you are a proper fan, you need to be even more supportive of them now than at any other time.

For all of you true Man United fans: When your club starts winning again, your chests will swell as if you had scored the goals yourself. Wait, it won't be long..

In the sport of alpine skiing Tina Maze seemed to win every race she skied in the last season. Fantastic for her, but at times rather a let down to watch. When one person is so good and winning every time, it takes away the fun of seeing the underdog / newcomer or old & written off, win. This season, Tina didn't ski so well (apart from the Olympics, of course) and you should have heard the hoopla around it...yet, I loved watching her ski because she tried like blazes to gain an extra milli second or two. Gosh, she smiled a lot of the time and was pleased as punch to get a good result. Yes, she had fun at the office again!

Of course it is oh-so-easy being a fan ( or a spouse for that matter ) when times are good. The trick to being loyal, supportive and growing in character is to accompany our sports heroes through bad times too. Believe me, they feel bad themselves and booing a performance that is not to your expectation, is just plain rude.

As a society we tend to be hung up on winning and being the best. But how fatiguing and silly. Being normal and going through ups & downs of our lives...is life. Being normal is good. Being normal lets us rather enjoy what we have without always feeling the need to strive for more.
If the " fans " in your life are complaining that you don't win every race, maybe it is time to find new ones...

Biggi

Lara Gut Shows Her Mettle Along With Her Underpants!

Alpine skiing takes a break for the summer.

One could almost call yesterday a day of changing the guards. That is the sports guards. Rather a fitting viewing finale for us lounge lizards...watching two major sports on the same day. The start of the Formula 1 and the end of the alpine skiing season. Viewing kick-off was at 7 am.

The men's slalom run ended with a huge controversy almost made to order so that we wouldn't lose our enthusiasm for the new season. Gosh, everyone from the presenters to most of the skiers complained about the course setting ( 1st run ) undertaken by the Austrian trainer. Unfair advantage? Oh, I'd say - Yes. So much so that in fact I thought that Marcel Hirscher would maybe forgo the second run as a sort of fair sportsman's exhibition. Of course, that only happens in my imagination.

Who ordered this advantage to the 1st course setting? The trainer or the skier? I'll always be wondering. By the way, did you see how my favourite ( Felix Neureuther ) showed his fabulous gentleman fairness? Wow, what a guy. Can't wait for the next season to start.

The F1 on the other hand started with rather tepid enthusiasm. Surely by now the drivers and mechanics would have sorted out the new specs of their fast chariots? Exciting to watch...not so much, but maybe I am still on an adrenaline rush from seeing the downhill skiing etc on the telly. Tough to beat.

When you watch a lot of sport on TV you get to notice a general trend. It used to be the WAGS in English Soccer but now there are the girlfriends / wives in Skiing and of course F1. Can anyone tell me why most of the above are Models? Wouldn't it be refreshing to see a normal gal waiting for her man?

This last alpine season, the American skier ( Bode Miller ) always had his new wife in tow. In fact, as soon as he crossed the finish line, there his wife Morgan was giving him a hug / kiss or both. Eh, rather often it was a case of T.M.I. or G.A.R. ( too much information / get a room ).

Well, this weekend we saw another case of T.M.I. & G.A.R. on the circuit. Marcel has a girlfriend and surprise surprise, she is a model as well; complete with the obligatory dark sunglasses teemed with a bored expression. What is happening and why are the cameras always panning to these girlfriends / wives?

At least Bob had a little surprise ( actually his eyes were like saucers ) earlier in the week when a cameraman zoomed in on Lara Gut getting changed - of course, this has also gone viral according to Bob. By the way Lara, this was definitely a case of Too Much Information. There are changing rooms you know...but at least Bob will watch every race next season!

Biggi

Bragging, It Shouldn't Be Done, But It's Such Fun!

Speeding shouldn't be done either, but...

We are armchair enthusiasts. Of what you might wonder? Oh, of just about any sport that is being shown on TV. Maybe not all and sundry. I draw the line at Darts and Snooker which infamously Bob doesn't ! Personally I don't see the magic of throwing a little dart at a round target or trying to hit different coloured balls. Where is the exercise and what do you firm up?

Bob and I have had a long winter of alpine adventures. We stopped short of pretending to stand on skis while the races where shown on TV. Both of us have our favourites and show a ruthless competitive streak at times.

" Your guy is a weakling. He never does the Downhill race! My gal shows no fear & downhills like a champion."

Bob's Skier ( Anna ) is so far trumping my Skier. In fact, his star garnered a few medals recently! Naturally, we would have done & know everything much better. As I said, armchair enthusiasts.

After a long hiatus, the Grand Prix season is finally on the near horizon. A few weeks to go. Bob and I have a set routine for all the races. Depending on the continent it is held on, we go for early or late walks and always end our walk with a pop-in at the local tearoom. They have fresh bread rolls ( from a real baker ) on Sundays. They do cost much more, but a treat is a treat.

When the race is ten minutes away, we have breakfasted and are ensconced on the couch and armchair. There is nothing better than watching a Formula 1 race on Telly. Except...

...Watching it live must be a kicker of note. Of course ear-plugs should be standard issue for all spectators. Moving to the heart of Europe ( yes, since 1989, Burgenland is in the middle ) has so many extra benefits. Can you believe it, this year there are two Formula 1 races held within a 90 min drive from us. Give or take. Isn't that just too marvelous. In case you are wondering which ones: The Hungarian GP & Austrian GP.

The other day I tweeted this little fact to a Formula 1 fan. It wasn't meant as a brag but more as a matter of fact. He was rather envious I think. But the real brag would have been that I live in the midst of a wine producing area. One could say that I could walk to most of the vineyards to buy a bottle of wine...Now that is fabulous and worthy of bragging about!

Biggi

Superb Sochi Closing Ceremony!

Were they the best ever?

Wow, what a wonderful end to the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. Did you watch it? If you did, I am sure that you also made a little note in your mind to listen to more classical music. In particular the Russian composed ones.

Nostalgic, soul soothing classical music formed a bit of a backdrop to the interesting history lesson. It must be true what they say about classical music. Listening to it will put you in a better frame of mind...a positive influence indeed. Much better than listening to Bieber and so forth.

What a shame that so many of the athletes had left already. Apparently even the NHL had sent a private plane tout de suite, to ferry back their players. A case of protecting their investments? If the USA had won they might have stayed till the end! But across the disciplines a lot of the stars had left. A bit on the rude side perhaps?

The various national teams are made up of individual sports Prima Donna's and it could not be easy for the various team managers to control those stars. Naively I thought that they would all arrive together and all leave together. Not so it seems. Some stars only arrived a week after the start, but maybe that was how the team managers planned it all along. Possibly more practice at home?

Writing this, I am wondering how many bottles of our local wine were had. Austria house had many wins to celebrate and also some defeats. Yet our local wine did accompany those occasions. For the near future, there might be a spot the Olympians alert in our village. Why shouldn't they take a week or so to sample more divine wine from our area / Gemeinde...

Russia should be very proud of these last two weeks. We were all awed, all inspired and most of us have earmarked Russia for a further look see in person.

Biggi

Alas, 2 Weeks Of Sochi Is Almost Over!

Yet another measure of time...

One second, one hour, one day or one week sometimes seem to just morph into a blur. A blur of time rushed past us. A blur that we could really not identify in detail yet we know it happened. We cooked, slept, had arguments, drove the kids to school, shopped while all the time keeping an eye on the Olympics.

For some reason I remember the afternoon of the opening day and what I did then. The other 12 days were a happy yet " I couldn't tell you what or when I watched certain events " time phase. Of course I am a mere armchair Olympian.

The real Olympians can tell us stories of how the last 4 years morphed into one long blur of training for them. When you consider that some of the athletes, not the all-rounders but the one's with only one discipline, train for this single moment of glory for four long, hard and certainly painful training years,you gain a new sense of respect for them.

We might have boogied the night away while they sensibly went to bed early. We ( eh, possibly Bob ) slunk home at the crack of dawn while they were already up and running. We got married, had children took up daring hobbies ( gardening in Bob's & my case! ) which they couldn't in case of injury. With gay abandon we ate sweets, treats and hamburgers while they kept to a strict meal plan. Gosh, I am rather envious of that will power and discipline...

Yesterday was the Men's Slalom. A two stage / run race. Each stage takes only about 50 seconds of the athlete's time & effort. Imagine, training for 4 years to do a run that lasts only 2 min...What if the day of your race you aren't feeling great? Or have a touch of flu? Or had a fight with your spouse? Or the weather isn't nice for your discipline?

Yes, in between the Olympics, the athletes compete in other events and leagues but if you ask most of them, they will admit that the Olympic medal is what they all secretly dream of earning. It is the prestige of this elusive Olympic medal / metal!

A few times in my Olympic blur I reminded myself of the fact that even those who came last in certain races and categories, are the best in the world. A minor league athlete won't even crack the nod to wax a ski yet alone wear it! A few of you might have wondered:

' Why do they bother if they don't have a snowball's chance in hell to win? '

but don't forget that any race needs more than the top 3 contenders.

For one, nobody would watch a 3 man race and it wouldn't be much fun for the athletes to shine and show the results of their hard training. Oh, and the most exciting fact of all... now and again an old / forgotten / written-off athlete outshines the favourites with pizzazz, aplomb and a best-time!

Olympians, thank you so much. It was simply divine being able to watch your triumphs and even defeats. Thank You.

Biggi

Oh My, Isn't Sochi A Feast For The Eye!

Russia, snow and men in cat-suits, need I say more?

Can you believe it, for some reason we can watch a whole 12 hours of Olympic sport on the trot daily ( public TV not Satellite ) with hardly an ad break in sight. Gosh, lavatory breaks get scheduled around the odd news casts. A visual feast indeed. We don't get an athletes performance chopped off half way to show us the latest " This that & other product "...

Like everyone else, I had preconceived ideas of these Olympic games. Wow, have they been blasted away by the stunning backdrop of the Russian countryside. Catching a glimpse of the mountains as the alpine skiers stand at the start is breathtaking. Stunning and oh so on the list of places to visit.

At first I did wonder why they chose Sochi with its rather Mediterranean climes. Winter sport should be underscored by athletes shivering and having icicles form off their noses. By the way, have you seen some of those tight cat-suits? Of course it lessens wind resistance but lets face it, they are not often very flattering. Good golly, the other day I caught a glimpse of a 6-pack stomach as one of the skiers changed out of a hot cat suit. Every cloud has a silver lining!

The Russian government was clever in its choice of Sochi even though there are plenty of locales in Russia that have oodles of snow and ice to offer. The Siberian area comes to mind. But for me, the many, many years of seeing movies in which offenders of all sorts were shipped of to Siberia have left a mark. There would have been no way that I would even consider visiting Siberia.( I know it was mostly make - believe, but still! ) Sochi on the other hand, looks inviting to visit. The fact that you can walk around in a t-shirt in winter is an added bonus.

The Olympics themselves are inspiring indeed. Even as an armchair spectator you tend to get a fresh bout of enthusiasm to start a sporting activity. It's such fun to support the various athletes and or countries. Bob and I often throw our fan - might behind opposing teams / athletes. Nice bit of friction at times!

My favourite types of winter sport are:

1. Alpine downhill skiing. Wow, these guys ski faster than the maximum speed allowed on most highways. Downhill on an icy hill and with wax-bottomed skies. Pure adrenaline.
2. Super G / Giant slalom + slalom.
3. Cross country skiing. This is the one sport that I could actually see myself doing!!!
4. Ski jumping...Bob is rather keen to try this - although I think he'd drop like a stone!!!!
5. Ice hockey...to be honest, this game is so fast, that I don't often see where the puck is. They should perhaps colour that puck in luminous yellows or oranges...

As fabulous as Sochi is, the sad fact remains that it is more than half way over already. The end is near but Bob and I will be watching until the last finish line is crossed. If you don't get to see it on your regular TV stations, remember these Olympics are at the cutting edge of technology and you can see it streamed live on your computer / laptop or mobile device. Enjoy and let me know which category of winter sport is your favourite....

Biggi

Schladming's Night Race Drives The Fans Wild.

Our alpine gladiators put on a breathtaking show.

We have just had the most amazing weekend of alpine races in Kitzbühel and I didn't think it possible to get any better. But last night in Schladming, the stadium erupted in a frenzy of noise, flag waving and just pure joy as each skier hurled himself towards that red line in the snow.

Alpine slalom is a discipline that can only be described as a feast for the eyes. The skiers are quick and agile. So agile their bodies twists can hardly be seen with the naked eye. Often they show a slow motion re-run of certain twists around the poles, and let me tell you it is unbelievable. Those poles ( they have to ski as close as possible around them in a certain order ) are one on top of another. A case of hesitate and you are out.

Oh, did I mention that they go at quite a speed as well? Some of those downward slopes couldn't even be handled by a 4 x 4! Those thrill seeking skiers even add a wax to their ski. Gosh, the faster the better.

Schladming has now set the tradition for this night slalom race. The celebrities have marked it on their calender. To be seen or to see...who knows. Arnold ( ..." I'll be back " ... ) was there and it's nice to see him support a lot of the different alpine races. It was rather funny to hear the commentators speculate whether the lovely youngish lass next to him was in fact his girlfriend. The camera panned to that corner a few time to check for tell tale signs. Hand-holding etc.

Slalom is dominated at the moment by the duel of Felix Neureuther & Marcel Hirscher. Gosh, the two of them push each other to better and better runs. At times I hold my breath until Felix is over the red line. Only when I see the time flash a nice vibrant green ( green means he has the best time so far ) can I relax a bit.

It also adds sporting tension in our house as Bob supports Marcel Hirscher and I support Felix Neureuther.

Marcel often skies after Felix and yesterday he beat Felix by 0.01 of a second. Oh, you should have seen Schladming erupt in joy. Marcel is Austrian and Schladming is just down the road from us in Austria. A goose bump moment indeed.

But, there was still a skier to start at the top. A young new comer. In fact, a young new talent from Norway. A talent so fabulous that he has the ability to drive a wedge between the duel of Felix & Marcel. Oh and yes, he beat the both of them last night.

What a finish this young skier put on. Wow. As he bolted over the red finish line the time flashed green for him. Oh, you should have seen how happy he was. At that moment we could forgive him for upsetting our usual apple cart. His name and a name that will be a hot contender for this upcoming Olympic season, is... Henrik Kristoffersen....( I could only find his Twitter handle @H__Kristoffersen )

Biggi