DKC Vancouver edition
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Transcript of DKC Vancouver edition
The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games began on Friday 12th
February 2010 and ended on the 28th of February. 82 nations
competed in the games and the United States of America won
with 37 medals overall. The Great Britain team won only 1
medal which was won by Amy Williams who took part in the
Skeleton event.
Vancouver is a city on the western coast of Canada, bordering
the Pacific Ocean. It is named after the British Captain George
Vancouver after he explored the area in the 1790’s. It has an
approximate population of 578,000 people. It is the largest
metropolitan area in western Canada and is the 3rd largest city
in Canada after Toronto and Montreal. In Canada they mainly
speak French and English. It is also home to the Port Metro
Vancouver which is the busiest port in Canada and the 4th largest in North America. The
metropolitan area of the city also has an approximate area of 1,111.4 sq miles. The city is
commonly mistaken for being situated on Vancouver Island however the island is also
named after Captain George Vancouver. The average temperature of Vancouver in the
summer is 21.9 degrees Celsius and the average temperature in winter is 0.5 degrees.
Above, Vancouver City.
Why Vancouver, Not Johannesburg?
Only countries in the Northern Hemisphere have and will host the Winter Olympic Games.
There are a few reasons for this; firstly the countries that host the games have to have near
access to mountains and areas with snow in the winter because Skiers, Snowboarders,
Lugers etc. Have to have this terrain and conditions to take part in their events. Secondly,
the Southern Hemisphere may have mountains but even in the winter most countries in the
Southern Hemisphere will not have any snow at all so winter athletes would not be able to
take part in some events. Because of these issues countries in the Southern Hemisphere can
still participate but can’t host because they haven’t got the right terrain or climate.
Countries like Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Peru, Colombia and Kenya, all in the Southern
Hemisphere as well as countries with deserts like Morocco, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon,
India, Israel, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
all competed in the Winter Olympics this year.
Left, Johannesburg,
South Africa
Georgia’s loss
Unfortunately, the Georgian team sadly lost one of their team members the day of the
opening ceremony during practice. The Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, was killed in a high-
speed crash in training at the Whistler Sliding Centre on Friday 12th February. The Georgian
team, despite their loss, decided to still compete in the games. They didn’t win any medals
but they should still be proud of
themselves because they fought
hard!
Left, Georgian winter Olympic
Team
The events of the Winter Olympic Games
15 different events take place in the Winter Olympic Games, these are: Alpine skiing,
Biathlon, Bobsleighing, Cross Country, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey,
Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboard and Speed Skating.
This is an information section of the most of the different sports and how they are played.
Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing has been practiced in the European Alps for at least 150 years. In addition to
adapting cross-country techniques to suit their steeper slopes, alpine skiers also found they
needed slightly wider skis to go downhill safely, and developed different ways to use their
poles and new turning techniques to match the more vertical terrain of the high mountains.
The sport became increasingly popular through the early 20th century with the
development of T-bars, tows and ski lifts, as alpine skiers no longer had to climb up a slope
before skiing down.
Alpine skiing for both men and women debuted as an Olympic sport in 1936 at Garmisch-
Partenkirchen. In 1948, separate downhill and slalom races were added. From that time,
super combined was not contested at an Olympic Winter Games until 1988, in Calgary. The
giant slalom was added in 1952, and the super-G in 1988.
How Alpine Ski Works?
In alpine skiing, racers can reach speeds up to 130kmph down a vertical drop that ranges
from 180 metres (which is slalom) or 1,100 metres (which is downhill) for men or 140
metres and 800 metres for women. The vertical drop is made even more difficult because of
a series of gates the skiers must pass through. Skiers who miss a gate must then climb back
up and go through the missed gate or be disqualified.
Medals Won this Year:
This year in alpine skiing gold
medals were won by:
Switzerland, U.S.A, Germany,
Norway, Austria and Italy.
Silver medals were won by:
Norway, U.S.A, Slovenia,
Croatia and Austria.
Bronze medals were won by:
Sweden, Switzerland, Czech
Republic, Norway, U.S.A and Austria.
Bobsleigh
The idea of racing sleds down a steep and twisting track dates back about 150 years, to the
mid-19th century, when British tourists began tobogganing on the snowbound roads of the
Alps.
The four-man bobsleigh was on the program of the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924, in
Chamonix, France. The two-man bobsleigh event joined the Olympic Games program in
1932. Women began competing in bobsleigh for the first time in 2002, at the Salt Lake City
Olympic Winter Games.
How Bobsleigh Works?
Today’s bobsleigh is built to be fast and aerodynamic, with a rounded fibreglass nose and
four highly polished steel runners. To start, the racers push off as fast as they can for
approximately 50 metres, then they jump into the bobsleigh for a seated descent down the
track. The driver steers down the track, while, at the end of the run, the brakeman stops the
sled.
There are three Olympic bobsleigh events: the men compete in two-and four-man bobsleigh
and women in a two-person format.
Medals Won This Year:
Gold Medals were won by: U.S.A, Canada and
Germany
Silver Medals were won by: Germany and
Canada
Bronze Medals were won by: Canada, U.S.A
and Russia
Curling
The game of curling is more than 500 years old. The earliest written record of curling — of
groups of people sliding stones on frozen ponds and lochs (an arm of the sea that is similar
to a fjord) in competition are found at Scotland’s Paisley Abbey and date back to 1541.
How Curling Works?
At the Olympic Winter Games, curling consists of two events: a women’s tournament and a
men’s tournament. Each tournament starts with 10 curling teams. Two teams play against
each other at a time. The game is played on ice, and the two teams take turns pushing 19.1-
kilogram stones towards a series of concentric rings or circles. The object is to get the stones
as close to the centre of the rings as possible.
One game consists of 10 ends (similar to innings in
baseball). During each end, each four person team
throws (in fact, slides along the ice) eight stones,
two stones per person and 16 altogether. Team
members sweep the ice clean in front of each stone
to control the stone’s direction, known as its curl
and the stone’s speed. The team with the most
points more stones closer to the centre of the rings
at the conclusion of 10 ends, is the winner.
Medals Won This Year:
Gold Medals were won by: Sweden and Canada
Silver medals were won by: Canada and Norway
Bronze medals were won by: China and Switzerland
Figure Skating
Figure skating was an Olympic sport before there was an Olympic Winter Games. Figure
skating first appeared at the London 1908 Olympic Summer Games with events for pairs and
singles. Ice dancing joined the Olympic Winter Games in 1976, when the Games were held
in Innsbruck, Austria. The compulsory figures competition was dropped from the figure
skating program prior to the Albertville 1992 Olympic Winter Games.
How Figure Skating works?
At the Olympic Games, each of figure skaters four disciplines are adjudicated by a separate
panel of 9 International Skating Union championship judges using a computer scoring
system to measure the quality of each performance. Before each event, there is a secret and
random draw to determine which judges’ scores will form the result of the segment. Only
seven of the 9 scores are used. A new draw is done for each segment.
During each performance the judges assign a grade of execution (GOE) to every element
that is executed. This makes up the technical score. At the conclusion of each performance,
the judges assign additional program component scores that measure the overall technical
and presentation abilities of the skater or team. The individual or team with the highest
totals of technical and program component scores is deemed the winner.
Medals won this year:
Gold medals were won by: China, U.S.A, Canada and
South Korea
Silver Medals were won by: Japan, U.S.A, Russia and
China
Bronze Medals were won by: Germany, Japan,
Russia and Canada
Ice Hockey
While men's ice hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games in
Antwerp, it was moved to the Winter Games since the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympic
Games in Chamonix. Women’s ice hockey debuted at the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter
Games.
How Ice Hockey works?
During the Olympic Winter Games, eight women’s teams and 12 men’s teams compete in
round-robin tournaments. Top seeded teams from round robin play advance to the playoff
rounds.
A team must not have more than six players on the ice while play is in progress. The object
is for one team to get the puck past the other team’s goaltender and into the net, similar to
soccer.
A regular game consists of three 20 minute periods, with a 15 minute intermission after the
first and second periods. If a tie occurs in a game in which a winner must be determined, a
sudden-victory overtime period is played. During the gold medal game, a 20 minute, sudden
victory period is played. In the event of a
tie after a sudden victory period, a game
winning shoot out determines the winner.
Medals Won this Year:
Gold medals were won by: Canada
Silver medals were won by: U.S.A
Bronze medals were won by: Finland
Luge
Luge races have grown considerably faster since then with refrigerated Luge tracks and
aerodynamic equipment, so that speeds now regularly reach 140 kilometres an hour or
more and G-forces reach over 5G.
Luge for men, women and doubles made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck.
How does Luge work?
In Luge racers begin by sitting on open fibreglass sleds. Pulling on fixed handles in the ice,
they burst out of the start. After this explosive start, they use spiked gloves on the ice
surface for extra acceleration before lying down on their backs, feet stretched out in front of
them, heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible. Luge racers steer using their legs and
shoulders, and brake by sitting up, putting their feet down and pulling up on the sled
runners.
The singles events consist of four heats over two days. The individual with the lowest
combined time over the four runs wins. Men and women compete on the same track, but
the women and doubles begin further down the course. The four-run format is unique to
the Olympic Winter Games and designed to
reward consistency, endurance and ability to
withstand pressure, particularly on the second
day.
Medals won this year:
Gold medals were won by: Germany and
Austria
Silver medals were won by: Germany, Austria
and Latvia
Bronze medals were won by: Italy and
Germany
Nordic Combined
Throughout Norway in the 1800s, skiers gathered each winter for a series of ski carnivals
consisting of small athletic
competitions combined with
some entertainment.
Considered the best of all the
carnival athletes, a small group
specialized in cross-country
skiing, demanding endurance
and strength, and ski jumping,
requiring physical strength and
technical control.
Men have competed in Nordic combined individual events since the first Olympic Winter
Games in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The team event was introduced at the Calgary 1988
Winter Games, while the sprint event joined the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games in
2002.
How Nordic Combined Works?
The jumping portion occurs first followed by a free technique cross-country race. The break
between the jumping and the cross-country race can be as little as 35 minutes, or as long as
a few hours.
Known as a “Gundersen” or pursuit start, the jumping results generate the starting seed for
the cross-country race that follows, with the second and remaining athletes beginning
seconds or even minutes after the best jumper. Using pack-racing strategies, the athletes
cluster into trains that chase down other athlete trains. The winner of the Nordic combined
event is the first athlete across the cross-country finish line.
Medals won this year:
Gold medals were won by: France, Austria and U.S.A
Silver medals were won by: U.S.A
Bronze Medals were won by: Italy, Austria and Germany
Skeleton
Like the other sliding sports of bobsleigh and Luge, the start is crucial in skeleton, where a
tenth of a second lead at the start can become three tenths of a second by the bottom of
the run. These athletes train much like sprinters to develop powerful legs they need to
explode onto the track. But speed is not the only factor: they must also find the best line
and steer smoothly through each turn to keep their speed high.
How Skeleton works?
Skeleton got its name from the sled used, originally metal, now fibreglass and metal , as it
resembles a human skeleton. To start, a skeleton slider grasps the handles on either side of
the sled, runs as fast as possible for approximately 50 metres, and then dives head first onto
the sled. Sliders lie on their
stomachs and steer by
shifting their bodies very
slightly.
There are two individual
skeleton events in the
Olympic Games: one for
men and one for women.
Both events consist of four
heats held over two days,
timed electronically to 0.01
seconds. The individual with
the lowest combined time
wins.
Medals won this Year:
Gold medals were won by: Great Britain and Canada
Silver medals were won by: Germany and Latvia
Bronze medals were won by: Russia and Germany
Ski Jumping
The desire to jump longer led to the radical new development in 1985 of V-style, where a ski
jumper holds his skis in a V-shaped position (instead of parallel) while in the air. Credited
with this new style was Swedish ski jumper Jan Boklöv. At the time, most ski jumpers
laughed at this innovation and Boklöv was penalized for his unorthodox style. Eventually
sport science caught up with Boklöv’s advancement and realized that V-style produced 28
per cent more lift.
How Ski Jumping Works?
An athlete skis down a long ramp, referred to as the in-run, and launches into the air at
speeds of up to 95 kilometres per hour. Technique is integral to ski jumping as athletes must
perform a very precise and well-timed takeoff. Once in the air, jumpers assume the V-style
and adjust their position to maximize lift and minimize drag. Competitors are evaluated on
distance and style and while there is a very close relationship between the two, the skier
with the longest jump will often have the highest style points. An exception to this can be
found in the landing portion of the jump as long jumps can make landing in a controlled
telemark position more difficult. The quality of landing can be a determining factor in
deciding the finishing place when the distances are similar.
The distance ski jumpers travel in competition is closely regulated by a jury. At the start of
the competitive round, the jury selects a start gate that allows the best athletes to fly close
to the maximum safe distance. All athletes start from the same gate and, as a result, less
proficient jumpers fly a shorter distance. Ski jumps are designed with many start benches
allowing the jury to select the appropriate start gate based on conditions such as wind,
temperature, humidity, snow type and other factors that can impact the distance a jumper
flies.
Medals won this year:
Gold medals were won by: Switzerland and
Austria
Silver Medals were won by: Poland and
Germany
Bronze medals were won by: Austria and
Norway
Athlete Fact file
Name: Amy Williams
D.O.B: 29th September 1982
Age: 27
Specialist Sport: Skeleton
Awards: Gold Medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games 2010
Nationality: British
Name: Bergeron Patrice
D.O.B: 24th July 1985
Specialist Sport: Ice Hockey
Awards: Gold Medal for Canadian Ice Hockey team win in the
Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010
Nationality: Canadian
Did You Know?
Did you know that in the Winter Olympic Games this year Canada had 206 athletes
competing?
Did you know that Ottawa, the capital of Canada, isn’t the biggest city in the country?
Did you know that Vancouver is the 3rd most densely populated city in North America?
Did you know that Vancouver is 8 hours behind our time?
Did you know that the highest temperature ever recorded in Vancouver is 34.4 degrees
Celsius?
Competition! Prizes will be won!
What is the biggest city in Canada?
If you think you know the answer, write it on a piece of paper and
post it in the DKC box outside of the library.
The Paralympics
The Paralympics begin on the 12th of March 2010. The Paralympics are a multi sport event
for athletes for physical and visual disabilities. They occur every four years following the
Olympic Games and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The
Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympic World Games which
are only for people with intellectual disabilities. They are designed to emphasize the
participants' athletic achievements, not their disability.
So far the Paralympic Games have been held in: Italy, Japan, Israel, Germany, Canada,
Netherlands, U.K, U.S.A South Korea Spain Australia Greece and China and will start in
Vancouver on the 12th March and be followed by the London games in 2012.
By Carl Burch