Good evening from Sochi.
Just kidding.
We’re not in Russia for the games, but we’ll be keeping tabs on them from wherever we may be for the entire 22nd Winter Olympiad.
As opening ceremonies wrap up on KARE 11 (they were actually this morning at 10 but are being re-broadcast), we are here for the first time this Games to preview day one action.
This will be simple, we’ll give you the Minnesotan, what they’re doing, and what time they’re doing it, then later in the day you’ll be able to read all about how they fared courtesy of Joe Nelson, Aaron Ziemer, or any of hundreds (tens) of Bring Me The News minions we may summon for the event.
DAY 1:
Minnesotans and current/former Gopher women’s hockey players Gigi Marvin, Anne Schleper, and Lee Stecklein will be competing in women’s hockey against Finland at 2 A.M., a game which can be seen on NBC Sports Network should you stay up for it. Two others with Gopher ties, soon-to-be senior Amanda Kessel and 2013 graduate of the program Megan Bozek, will also be lacing them up for the U.S. They’ll be up against a few familiar faces, including Finland goalie Noora Raty, also a 2013 U of M alum, who is coached by Gophers volunteer goalie coach Andy Kent, who serves the same role for the Fins. Former Gopher Mira Jalusuo also represents Finland. We talked with Lee a few weeks ago about what it means for her to be representing the U.S. in Sochi.
Jesse Diggins, native of Afton, has a chance to earn a medal in the women’s skiathon (combines 7.5-kilometer classic cross-country technique, 7.5-kilometer freestyle technique) at 4 A.M. on NBC Sports Network Saturday. She is seeded 15th of 61 competitors, and this is the first of the many cross-country skiing events she is participating in at the Games, including the women’s freestyle sprint Tuesday.
Leif Nordgren, of Marine on St. Croix, will compete in the 10-kilometer biathlon sprint final at 8:30 A.M. Saturday, an event that will replay at 1:30 P.M. on NBC. Leif will be the 71st skiier to set out on the skiing and shooting adventure, scheduled to leave at exactly 9:07:30 A.M. Minnesota time.
There’s your day one, check back for updates on how these athletes did tomorrow.
