On Wednesday, February 7th, the 2018 winter Olympics officially began with its opening ceremony held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Throughout the next 18 days, 243 American athletes will compete in various events for their shot at winning gold. They will compete in events such as skiing, snowboarding, hockey, curling, and so much more.
I, for one, am thrilled. I love watching the Olympics. I can watch them for hours on end. Doesn't matter if it’s hockey or curling.
Now I know winter sports aren't necessarily everyone's cup of tea. Some people prefer the warmer sports of the summer Olympics. I personally don't really have a preference, but I mean I'm not gonna lie, there are some advantages the summer Olympics has over winter.
One is that due to the warmer weather often fewer layers are worn. This can be slightly optically advantageous when watching professional athletes who work out as a profession. But fear not, there are definitely still some lookers on team USA this winter.
So if you’re not really into the whole winter sports thing, let me introduce you to a few reasons why you should definitely still watch and cheer on Team USA this winter.
1. Hakeem Abdul-Saboor
Sport: Bobsled
Hometown: Powhatan, Virginia
Abdul-Saboor is an ex-bodybuilder turned bobsledder who will compete in his first Olympics this winter. He will be competing in both the two and four-man bobsled events.
2. Evan Weinstock
Sport: Bobsled
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Weinstock graduated from Brown University in which he majored in biology. He originally trained as a decathlete but switched to bobsledding when he failed to qualify for the summer Olympics. I, for one, am thrilled he had greater success and qualified for the Winter Olympics this cycle.
3. Jordan Greenway
Sport: Ice Hockey
Hometown: Canton, New York
Greenway is a current junior at Boston University and is the first African American to play on the USA national team in the Olympics. He is an offensive winger and will eventually go on to play in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild.
4. Reese Hanneman
Sport: Cross Country Skiing
Hometown: Fairbanks, Alaska
Hanneman is an Alaska native who holds various titles in cross-country skiing national championships. He will be competing against his brother, Logan Hanneman, for gold in this year's games.
5. Evan Bates
Sport: Figure Skating
Hometown: Northville, Michigan
This year's games will be Bates third Olympic games and his second with Ice Dancing partner Madison Chock. The pair placed 7th in the 2017 world championship and will have to fight to gain access to the podium.
6. Nathan Chen
Sport: Figure Skating
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Chen enters the games at the young age of only 18. Age is but a number to Chen who in 2016 became the youngest U.S man to medal at the ISU Grand Prix Final. At the 2017 figure skating championships, Chen became the first man to ever land five quadruple jumps in a single performance. He'll definitely be one to watch these games.
7. Adam Rippon
Sport: Figure Skating
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Rippon was an alternate for Team USA during the 2010 games and will have his first shot at the podium this year. He placed 6th in the 2016 world championships and is the only man to win back to back junior world titles.
8. Mark Arcobello
Sport: Ice Hockey
Hometown: Milford, Connecticut
Arcobello is a current right wing for Schlittschuh Club Bern, a hockey team based in Switzerland. He led the league in scoring and was the MVP for the 2016-2017 season.
9. Joey Mantia
Sport: Long Track Speed Skating
Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Mantia currently holds 28 world championship titles and 15 world cup gold medals in various speed skating events. He won gold in the 2017 Single Distance Championships mass start event. In this year's game, he will be competing in the 1000 m, 1500 m, and mass start event.
10. Gus Kenworthy
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Hometown: Telluride, Colorado
Kenworthy is a two-time Olympian who holds a silver medal in the slopestyle event from the 2014 games. This year he will be competing in both the slopestyle and halfpipe events.
