With the Winter Olympic Games well underway in Vancouver many of us are learning more about sports that we aren’t as familiar with, and learning new facts about our old favourites. Everyone now knows the answer to the question of who was the first Canadian to win gold at a home Games, Alex Bilodeau scored big to win gold in the men’s moguls competition. So how’s your knowledge of the other medaling sports?
Did you know:
- Since results in long track speed skating are given at one one hundredth of a second, radio transponders are used to accurately record time. Antennas are laid in the ice. Each athlete then has a transponder attached to the lace of their boot. Each transponder has a unique ID, so when the athlete goes over the antenna, the transponder is read and the ID is transferred to the results system. Five cameras are also employed to supply photos at the finish line.
- Snowboard cross has been described as the Olympics' version of NASCAR, 80 seconds of pushing, shoving and hurtling down a hill at breakneck speeds. Winning comes through equal parts skill and daring with a dash of luck thrown in.
- If you plan to hit the moguls course, Jen Heil says that having a strong core is the key to being able to react really quickly to the moguls and to allow the body to act as a shock absorber.
SIRC congratulates Canadian medal winners of the past weekend and all Canadian athletes with their Olympic efforts. If you’d like to find out more about the sports profiled at the Olympic Games check out the SIRC resources.
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