United States National Thread

[bmo 194]

YOG TEAM  Day 1 preview:

 

 

ALPINE SKIING: There are two medals to be handed out at Les Diablerets tomorrow morning. The Men’s Super G & Women’s Super G will be contested. They will double up as the alpine combined super G event as well. The athletes will only get one run to go for the gold. 

 

The Women’s Super G has three Americans: Lauren Macuga, Emma Resnick and Nicola Rountree-Williams. Macuga will go 8th in the starting order (around 4:25am ET). Rountree-Williams will take on the course at about 4:35am ET (16th in starting order). Resnick will go near the end (57th). She will hit the slopes around 5:20am ET. There are a total of 62 athletes going for the gold.

 

The Men’s Super G will start about 2 hours after the conclusion of the Women’s Super G. Team USA will have 3 athletes taking on the course. Daniel Gillis will head down the hill at around 7:40am ET (9th in starting order). Trent Pennington will be the 21st athlete down the hill at around 7:55am ET. Maxx Parys will be the last American to go (60th on the start list) at around 8:55am ET. They are a grand total of 63 athletes in the Men’s Super G.

 

 

CURLING: Team USA will start round robin action in Mixed Teams Curling. They were drawn into Group D with the Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, Latvia and Sweden. The top two teams will advance to the Quarterfinals after round robin play.

 

Team USA will take on Italy to kick off the tournament. The U.S. team consists of two males and two females. Ethan Hebert and Charlie Thompson are the men and Kaitlin Murphy and Alina Tschumakow are the women. This opening match begins at 4:00am ET & should conclude within 2 hours.

 

 

FIGURE SKATING: The Pairs short program & Men’s Singles short program will be the two events on the docket for day 1. One Pair and one Men’s Singles athlete will compete. After the short program, the athletes will compete in the free skate on day 3.

 

Catherine Fleming and Jedidiah Isbell will be the pair competing for team USA. They are 2nd on the start list out of the 8 pairs taking to the ice. They approximate start time is at 7:44am ET.

 

The Men’s Singles short program will commence later in the evening in Lausanne. Liam Kapeikis will be the lone American in this event. He is 2nd on the start list out of 15 athletes. His performance will start at around 10:14am ET.

 

 

SKI MOUNTAINEERING: A new sport is on the block for these YOG. Ski Mountaineering has 2 gold medals to be handed out on  day 1. The events are Men’s Individual & Women’s Individual. 

 

The Women’s race will start the day. A total of 24 athletes will endure the tough course. Grace Staberg (bib 6) and Samantha Paisley (bib 12) are the two Americans in this race. The race will begin at 4:30am ET & should end around 6:00am ET.

 

The Men’s race will start right after the Women’s race. George Beck (bib 16) and Jeremiah Vaille (bib 23) will be the two Americans in the 24 athlete field. The race should begin at approximately 6:30am ET & will conclude at around 8:00am.

 

 

 

So to recap, here is a quick viewing guide for Team USA on day 1 (all times ET).

4:00am-6:00am- Curling Mixed Teams (Team USA vs Italy)

4:25am- Women’s Super G (Lauren Macuga)

4:30am-6:00am- Ski Mountaineering Women’s race (Samantha Paisley & Grace Staberg)

4:35am- Women’s Super G (Nicola Rountree-Williams)

5:20am- Women’s Super G (Emma Resnick)

6:30am-8:00am- Ski Mountaineering Men’s race (George Beck & Jeremiah Vaille)

7:40am- Men’s Super G (Daniel Gillis)

7:44am- Pairs Short Program (Catherine Fleming & Jedidiah Isbell)

7:55am- Men’s Super G (Trent Pennington)

8:55am- Men’s Super G (Maxx Parys)

10:14am- Men’s Singles Short Program (Liam Kapeikis)

[RobtheAggie 340]

11 hours ago, Olympian1010 said:

I’d imagine @RobtheAggie would be proud 

Yup.

[bmo 194]

YOG TEAM  day 1 recap:

 

 

ALPINE SKIING: There were two sets of medals handed out earlier this morning. Let’s just say Team USA had a less than stellar performance on the slopes.

 

In the Women’s Super G, only 1 out of 3 American skiers finished the course. Lauren Macuga and Nicola Rountree-Williams started the race, but couldn’t finish it. Emma Resnick finished in a solid 11th place, only 0.94 seconds behind the leader. She will have a decent shot at winning a medal in the combined event which will take place tomorrow. Since Macuga and Rountree-Williams did not finish, they are not eligible to compete in the combined event in the morning.

 

The Men’s Super G saw all Americans finish. Trent Pennington came in 20th (+1.32), Daniel Gillis finished in 25th (+1.76) and Maxx Parys finished 46th (+4.45). Pennington will have the best shot to win a medal in the combined event tomorrow. So on the first day of Alpine Skiing, Team USA failed to pick up a medal.

 

 

CURLING: Mixed Team preliminary round action kicked off with Team USA taking on Italy in Group D.

 

The U.S. team fell behind 4-0 after the first end and could never make it up. They continued to trade points with Italy until it was too late. The Italians won by the score of 7-3. Team USA will try to get back to a .500 record against Latvia tomorrow.

 

 

FIGURE SKATING: The Pairs short program and Men’s Singles short program highlighted day 1. One American pair and one American male skater took to the ice for Team USA.

 

In the Pairs competition, Cate Fleming and Jedidiah Isbell put on a penalty free performance in the short program. They finished in 4th place with a score of 49.87. They have to make up 10 points in the free skate on Sunday if they want to make the podium. 

 

In the Men’s Singles, Liam Kapeikis was on the ice for Team USA. He had 1 penalty point and finished in 14th place out of 15 skaters. His final score was 49.57. He has a near impossible task of trying to get into the top 3 to make the podium on Sunday.

 

 

SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Another two sets of medals were up for grabs in the new sport of Ski Mountaineering. A total of 4 Americans (2 male & 2 female) went for the gold this morning. 

 

The Women’s race happened first. Grace Staberg & Samantha Paisley were the two Americans competing. Staberg finished 7th in the race, about 5 minutes behind the winner. Paisley finished near the bottom in 20th, 20 minutes behind the winner. Both athletes will have another shot at gold in the Women’s Sprint event.

 

The Men’s race happened next with two more American athletes. George Beck finished 12th out of the 24 athletes. He came in around 6 minutes after the winner. The other American Jeremiah Vaille finished in 17th place, about 9 minutes behind the leader. Like the women, the men will have another shot at gold in the Men’s Sprint event.

 

 

Overall, Team USA didn’t have a great day. They failed to make the podium. Tomorrow is another day with 4 more gold medals to be won.

Edited January 10, 2020 by bmo

[Olympian1010 7,976]

I’m a bit worried about Macuga @bmo. Have you seen the photos from her crash?

 

Also just realized where there was 15, instead 16, skaters in the men’s single. Our second skater dropped out of the games .

 

These games are looking terrible for the US. Thank the IOC for the Free Ski and Snowboard events.

[bmo 194]

I saw the photos on your website. Looks terrible.

 

I feel like we can do a lot better in YOG, but we just don’t try. I don’t think we send our best athletes or maybe our youth development programs just suck.

[Olympian1010 7,976]

3 hours ago, bmo said:

I saw the photos on your website. Looks terrible.

 

I feel like we can do a lot better in YOG, but we just don’t try. I don’t think we send our best athletes or maybe our youth development programs just suck.

Well it’s no secret that youth sports suck in the US, but I think it’s more that we send athletes we want to develop, and not athletes that are already chasing Olympic qualification or World Cup level competition.

 

I really hope Macuga’s okay. It didn’t look good at all.

[bmo 194]

YOG TEAM  day 2 preview

 

 

ALPINE SKIING: There will be two gold medals won in Alpine Skiing. The two events are the Men’s and Women’s Alpine Combined event. They are a continuation of yesterday’s action in the Super G. The athletes who finished the Super G course yesterday will take on the slalom today. The medalists are based on the combination of the two times.

 

The Men’s Combined event will be first on the docket. All three Americans (Trent Pennington, Daniel Gillis & Maxx Parys) will compete. Pennington will have the best shot out of the three to take home a medal. He finished the Super G in 20th place. His run will be at approximately 4:40am ET. Gillis, who finished 25th in the Super G, will go at about 4:35am ET. Maxx Parys (46th after Super G) will hit the course at about 5:15am ET. A total of 57 athletes will take on the slalom part of the Combined event.

 

The Women’s Combined will come after the Men’s event. Unfortunately, two of the Americans, Lauren Macuga & Nicola Rountree-Williams, failed to finish the Super G. Therefore, they are not eligible to compete in the slalom portion of the Combined event. The only women left is Emma Resnick. She is Team USA’s best chance for gold on the slopes on day 2. She finished the Super G in 11th place. Her slalom run will be at approximately 6:50am ET. She will be competing for gold against 49 other athletes.

 

 

BIATHLON: The only other medals won today will be in Biathlon. The two events are the Women’s 10km Individual and Men’s 12.5km Individual. The athletes will start at 30 second intervals. Then they will have to tackle a treacherous course. The top 3 times make the podium.

 

The Women’s 10km Individual will start the day. There are 3 Americans in this massive field of 97 athletes. Maja Lapkass will be the first American on the course. She will start at about 4:47am ET. Opening Ceremony flag bearer Margaret Madigan will start at about 4:54am ET. The last American, Kaisa Bosek, will start at about 5:12am ET. The average athlete will take approximately 30-35 minutes to complete the 10km course.

 

The Men’s 12.5km Individual will follow shortly after the conclusion of the women’s race. There will also be 3 Americans here (99 total athletes). Etienne Bordes will start his race at 7:44am ET. Van Ledger will start 3 minutes late at 7:47am ET. The last American will be Cale Woods who will start at 8:02 am ET. The average athlete takes 35-40 minutes to finish the 12.5km course.

 

 

CURLING: Yesterday, the U.S. lost to Italy and fell to 0-1 in Mixed Teams competition. On day 2, Team USA needs a win to get back into contention for a Quarterfinal place. 

 

This time the U.S. will take on Latvia at 12:00 ET (noon). In their first match, Latvia got shut out by the Czech Republic by the score of 7-0. Team USA lost as well. This is a winnable game for the Americans. They have the opportunity to get back in the race at the top of Group D with a win.

 

 

FIGURE SKATING: One of the most popular winter sports will have two more events on day 2. The Ice Dance competition will kick off with the rhythm dance. The Women’s Singles skaters will take to the ice later in their short program. These two events will conclude on Monday.

 

The Ice Dance Rhythm Dance will feature one American pair. Katarina Wolfkostin & Jeffrey Chen will be representing Team USA. Their program will begin at approximately 8:42am ET. They are competing for the gold against 14 other pairs.

 

Two American Women’s Singles skaters will perform their short program today along with 14 other skaters. Audrey Shin will take the ice at about 10:24am ET. Her teammate Kate Wang will go at 10:57am ET. These two women must get good scores in the short program to set themselves up for the free skate on Monday.

 

 

 

 

It seems unlikely, but maybe Team USA can muster out a medal here on day 2. Here is a quick viewing guide for Day 2 (all times ET).

4:35am- Men’s Combined (Daniel Gillis)

4:40am- Men’s Combined (Trent Pennington)

4:47am- Women’s Biathlon (Maja Lapkass)

4:54am- Women’s Biathlon (Margaret Madigan)

5:12am- Women’s Biathlon (Kaisa Bosek)

5:15am- Men’s Combined (Maxx Parys)

6:50am- Women’s Combined (Emma Resnick)

7:44am- Men’s Biathlon (Etienne Bordes)

7:47am- Men’s Biathlon (Van Ledger)

8:02am- Men’s Biathlon (Cale Woods)

8:42am- Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (Katarina Wolfkostin & Jeffrey Chen)

10:24am- Women’s Singles Short Program (Audrey Shin)

10:57am- Women’s Singles Short Progran (Kate Wang)

12:00- Curling Mixed Team (Team USA)

[bmo 194]

49 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Well it’s no secret that youth sports suck in the US, but I think it’s more that we send athletes we want to develop, and not athletes that are already chasing Olympic qualification or World Cup level competition.

 

I really hope Macuga’s okay. It didn’t look good at all.

That is true. Like I said I don’t think we are sending the best athletes. While I would like Team USA to do better in YOG, it makes sense what they are doing. They are getting developing athletes exposure under the lime light. The better athletes sort of have that in World Cup competition.

[bmo 194]

Great performance by Audrey Shin. Perhaps, we have a realistic hope for a medal in these games.

[bmo 194]

YOG TEAM  day 2 recap:

 

 

ALPINE SKIING: Team USA came up empty handed yet again in Alpine Skiing. The two events held were the Men’s & Women’s Combined. The athletes took their Super G run yesterday, and finished with a slalom run today. The medalists are decided based on the combination of the two runs.

 

The Men’s event was up first. Team USA’s best shot at a medal came to a screeching halt when Trent Pennington failed to finish the course. He was in 20th place after the Super G. The other two American skiers, Maxx Parys and Daniel Gillis, both finished in the top 30. Gillis finished in 19th place with a time of 1:32.74 (about 4 seconds behind winner). Parys came in 29th with a time of 1:35.14. We will see these three athletes later in the games.

 

The Women’s event followerd. Only one American was eligible to compete after Lauren Macuga & Nicola Rountree-Williams failed to complete the Super G course. Emma Resnick came in a solid 12th place. She finished about 2.5 seconds behind the winner. Solid performance from Resnick. She and the other two women will have another shot at a medal later in the games.

 

 

BIATHLON: The two other gold medals were given out in Biathlon. The events were the Women’s 10km Individual & Men’s 12.5km Individual. There were 3 Americans in each event.

 

The Women’s 10km Individual event started the day. 97 athletes took on the course. The highest placing American on the day was Kaisa Bosek who finished in 18th place. She was just 2 and a half minutes from the podium. Opening Ceremony flag bearer Margaret Madigan came in 55th, about 7 minutes behind the winner. Maja Lapkass placed 69th, about 9 minutes away from the winner. These three ladies will all compete in the Women’s Sprint event.

 

The Men’s 12.5km Individual followed after the women’s event. The highest placing American, Van Ledger, finished in 59th with a time of 41:03 (7 minutes behind winner). Cale Woods came in 64th place, just over 7 minutes behind the winner. Etienne Bordes was bringing up the rear in 76th place out of 99 athletes. Just like the women, these 3 men will have another shot in the Sprint event.

 

 

CURLING: It was day 2 and match 2 for the Team USA Mixed Team. They took on Latvia following an opening loss to Italy. The U.S. must finish top 2 in Group D to advance to the Quarterfinals. 

 

The team of Ethan Hebert, Kaitlin Murphy, Charlie Thompson & Alina Tschumakow shut out Latvia 7-0. They scored a point in all 6 ends that were played. This is Latvia’s 2nd time getting shut out in 2 matches. It was a straight forward win for Team USA. They will continue pool play tomorrow.

 

 

FIGURE SKATING: On the ice, the Ice Dance & Women’s Singles competitions began. The Ice Dancers has their Rhythm Dance & the women had their short program. Team USA had a total of 4 athletes competing.

 

The pair of Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen were the lone Americans in the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance. They had a good score of 57.02 which slotted them in 5th place. They are well within striking distance for the podium. Just over 2 and a half points separates the Americans from the 3rd place Canadians. The medals will be handed out Monday.

 

Team USA had two women’s skaters competing in the short program. Audrey Shin finished better of the two. She had a score of  60.36 points which put her in 7th. She is about 9 points from the top 3. She needs a great free skate to make the podium. The other American, Kate Wang, came in 10th place with a score of 54.75. We will see both of these women compete in the free skate on Monday.

 

 

 

Overall, it was another average day for Team USA. They did pick up a win in Curling. Figure Skating May look like the best chance for a U.S. medal. Tomorrow, we will see Team USA in Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Curling, Figure Skating and Speed Skating.