Every four years an elite class of athletes gather from around the world for the competitive ritual known as the Olympic Winter Games. Maybe you’ve heard that things are currently underway in the sleepy Canadian town of Vancouver, BC. Do not be mistaken however, because a new breed of athletes have put a different spin on an old classic in Salt Lake City- an ex-wife of Olympic sporting history, already a notch on it’s belt. These games are, to quote Bode Miller, ‘A medium to express themselves through sport’. The opening ceremonies were skipped, but here are some of the highlights to look for:

1.    Will Wesson of Victor, NY has created his own event called Urban Skier X. This is hosted within city limits. Coordinators have made the best with minimal snow coverage using snow banks, snow hardening agents, and picnic tables to create one of the most unique courses in it’s short history. Mr. Wesson and fellow Line Traveling Circus teammate Ian Compton are favorite rivals to watch as they attempt to outdo each other for gold.

2.    Space Olympics. The cross-country event will be held on Mars. Stefan Thomas and Liam Downey are favorites here. Drug tests are mandatory, space luge is totally cancelled, and all other events are pending.

3.    Slackcountry freestyle training. This is something of a boot camp with first-time athletes Ahmet Dadali and Kaya Turski in contention on jumps built into powder. Bobsledding elements will also come into play. Despite coming off a recent gold in the X-Games women’s slopestyle, Kaya may be at a disadvantage here as this is an entirely new event for her.

4.    Aerial & Long Jump. The story to watch is that of Wiley Miller coming back from injuries sustained in late-season training in May 2009. Despite his experience in the field, the jump is a large stepover with a giant slalom inrun which has never been built before. Despite these variables we could be seeing new maneuvers on the feature from Mr. Miller.

There is no halfpipe.

These events will not be televised.

Words by Freedle
Photos by Freedle & Decker