Happy Valentine's Day!

In Denmark and Norway, Valentine's Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but many people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industry's commercial interests, and due to the influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only exceeded by those for Mother's Day.

In Finland Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day". As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones. In Estonia Valentine's Day is called Sõbrapäev, which has a similar meaning.

In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados ("Day of the Enamored") is celebrated on June 12, when couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets. This day was chosen probably because it is the day before the Festa junina’s Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend. The February 14's Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all, mainly for cultural and commercial reasons, since it usually falls too little before or after Carnival, a major floating holiday in Brazil that can fall anywhere from early February to early March.

In Japan, in 1960, Morinaga, one of the biggest Japanese confectionery companies, originated the present custom that only women may give chocolates to men. In particular, office ladies will give chocolate to their co-workers. One month later, in March 14, there is the White Day, created by the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association as a "reply day", where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Unlike western countries, gifts such as candies, flowers, or dinner dates are uncommon.

Taken from Wikipedia

The Year of the Tiger

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, which commences on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011.

The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of bravery. This courageous and fiery fighter is admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that keeps away the three main tragedies of a household. These are fire, thieves and ghosts.


















From http://www.yearofthetiger.net/

Opening the Ceremonies in Style

Each host country tries to outdo the last with spectacular opening ceremonies, including fireworks, dancing, speeches, and, of course, the lighting of the Olympic Torch. Here are some excerpts from past Olympics.

The lighting of the torch at the Torino, Italy 2006 Winter Olympics.


The 2008 Beijing, China opening ceremonies included 2008 drummers with special effects lighting. An amazing example of ingenuity and two years' hard work and preparation.

The Ouch Side of Sports

It's not all fun and games, crowds and cheers. Sometimes you just have an off day. Your balance isn't right. Your ankle twists. The conditions are unexpectedly hazardous. Athletes love their sports - but sometimes love hurts!

Ski cross crashes.


Memorable figure skating spills.


Skiing crashes. Sometimes the best you can hope for is to crash into a fence!

Nordic Combined

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.

The two disciplines of Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing) are more contradictory than complementary. Training methods for cross-country skiing focus on endurance capacity while the ski jumping focuses on explosive strength. To succeed in Nordic combined, an athlete must effectively balance these demands.

Nordic combined athletes must have a very high strength-to-weight ratio. Athletes must be light in order to maximize aerodynamics and flying distance while at the same time maintaining a high level of endurance capacity for the cross-country discipline. Because of the competing demands of light weight and heavy physical exertion, proper nutrition is of the utmost importance.

taken from: http://www.vancouver2010.com

Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow. Bill Demong, Johnny Spillane, and Jessica Jerome.

New Books in the Teen Room

Freestyle Skiing - Freestyle Moguls

A relative newcomer to the Olympic Winter Games program, freestyle moguls became an Olympic medal discipline in 1992, at the Games in Albertville, France.

The highly technical nature of moguls requires core and muscular strength as well as endurance. Strength is necessary to absorb the impact of the moguls, making the bumps look easy and smooth-flowing.


taken from:
http://www.vancouver2010.com


This clip is from the World Cup Freestyle Skiing competition in Tignes, France, 2007. Sho Kashima's run.