Top 3 Sports at the Winter Olympics McMahon Students are Excited to See

Julia Ely
BMHS PrideTime Reporter 

February 7, 2018 marks the first day of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Here, the best athletes from all across the world compete in sports specific to the winter season. The first Winter Olympics occurred in 1924 and it has remained an honorable tradition of the countries competing for nearly a century. It is a popular event broadcasted worldwide, and at Brien McMahon High School, the excitement is not dulled. Many students are excited to watch their favorite winter sports and root for the USA team.
Here are the three sports the McMahon student body is most excited to watch at the 2018 Winter Olympics:

1. Ice Hockey
    In years past, the USA Men’s Olympic Hockey team has been famous for its underdog win against Russia in the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980. The game was called “a miracle on ice” and remains the most historical game of hockey played in the Olympics since the creation of the games.
This year, the team needs to win eight games for the gold medal. In the Sochi Olympics in 2014, the men’s team for USA made it to the semi-finals and won the bronze medal. Women made it to the finals but lost to Canada in overtime. This year, players in the NHL are not allowed to play in the Olympics, so a lot of the pressure is put on the women to win. A player to watch out for on the team is Brianna Decker. She is the top scorer and  hungry for gold. Approximately 29% of the McMahon student body is most excited to see this team attempt for gold and beat Canada.

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2. Figure Skating
Figure skating is a sport based on precision and grace, with each athlete competing to have the best technique and form. The nature of the sport, however, is not so graceful. The competition is fierce and both male and female skaters are looking to impress the harsh judges. This year, the U.S. team is looking to Nathan Chen as a favorite to win gold. He just won the ISU Grand Prix in Japan and is looking for the same success is Korea.
    Whether it’s the flashy costumes or the impressive tricks, figure skating earns the number two spot on this list with 24% of McMahon students looking forward to this event the most.

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3. Alpine Skiing12% of McMahon students vote alpine skiing as their favorite for the Olympics next week. The USA ski team in recent Olympics have been famous for athletes such as Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn, dominating the slopes nationally and globally. This Olympics, the American team is looking to reigning champions Ted Ligety and Mikaela Shiffrin to bring home the gold once again. A sport all about strength and speed, alpine skiing brings together seventy four nations in a thrilling race for international dominance. ​

The first day of competition is this Wednesday and will end on Sunday, February, 25. The games will be playing on NBC and the opening ceremonies will start at 6am on Feb. 9.