TeamUSATracker: Day 9 Preview
Lindsey Jacobellis takes Second Gold: Was the Sequel Better than the Original?
DAY 9 PREVIEW: ERIN JACKSON DEBUTS, TOMMY FORD RETURNS, AND MONOBOB MAKES OLYMPIC DEBUT
62 Members of Team USA in action in 12 events in 6 medal events.
America’s best shot at a medal on Day 9 is in 500M Women’s Speed Skating where Erin Jackson will make her debut in Beijing and appears in her one Olympics event. Jackson won 4 out of 5 World Cup races to begin the season and is picked by AP (to win Gold) and SI (to win Silver) due to her results. Now most US fans might know Jackson from her slip at Olympic Trials and Brittany Bowe giving up her spot (that US would then get back because ISU Speed Skating quotas you need a PHD to figure out) so is this Gold Medal predicted by AP a certainty?
It is a possibility but Jackson only podiumed once in the Final 3 500M of the season (3rd place in Calgary) before her slip at Olympics Trials (finishing 3rd). Erin Jackson skates in the 2nd to last group so she should have a good idea of what time she needs to put up #MUSTSEETV (Speed Skating starts on NBC in the morning 8 AMET, Sunday with Men’s Team Pursuit QF (another Speed Skating event Team USA could medal ) Brittany Bowe and Kimi Goetz also skate in the Women’s 500M and I wouldn’t rule any of them for the podium. Wouldn’t that be some story if Bowe ending up winning the medal in 500M Women’s final. It is the Olympics so expect the Unexpected.
Team’s USA second best chance to medal on Day 9 is Men’s GS where they have 4 men’s ski racers going in an event for only the 2nd time this Olympics after not starting any skier in the men’s Alpine Combined (the first time in Olympics history - Team USA has failed to start a skier in the Olympic event). 3 of them have shots to end up in the medal though none are favorites to do so: Tommy Ford, River Radamus, and Silver Medalist RCS.
Tommy Ford is a great story skiing in his first race since a terrible crash over a year ago. Ford was having a great year (2nd place finish, 4 out of 5 Top 10 finishes on the World Cup Circuit). Ford has not been skiing on the World Cup tour this year but has traveled with the team and counseled River Radamus. Radamus (former Jr. Worlds Gold Medalist in this discipline) had his best year on the World Cup tour in the GS (3 Top 10 finishes, 1 DNF in 5 races) so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up on podium doing his best Andrew Weibrecht impression (That means you podium for the first time at the Olympics if you are not a fan of Ski Racing). Here was Ford’s Insta post the crash. (NBC, 9:15 PMET Run 1, NBC12:45 AMET Run 2- check Peacock too)
Also Monobob Begins. ICYMI: I put out this thread on Monobob last night. America has #TwoAces so be greedy and ask for another medal in a new event (would take Team USA’s total to 4 in Beijing) Monobob is in primetime tonight on NBC. I love Monobob (would like Men’s Monobob added) but it is stupid 4-woman bobsled is not in the Olympics. Is the IBSF related to the Salem Witch Council can’t have 4 women running down a track at the same time? Team USA would likely go 1-2 in that event…
DAY 8 RECAP: 80s BABIES to AUGHT BABIES WHO REMIND US (FANS) OF 1980
I wrote this recap because Day 8 provided one of the best story lines of the Olympics. Snowboard Cross is the most exciting 1 day event in the Winter Olympics. PERIOD! Single eliminated seeded bracket makes one wrong turn, one crash, one failed jump you need to wait 4 year for redemption…until yesterday when you had a new event MX Snowboard Cross debut.
When Lindsey Jacobellis won Gold and the first Gold for TeamUSA in Beijing… in my opinion it might have the 2nd best Winter Olympics moment ever (behind Miracle on Ice). Tied an American Record for time between medals (16 years, but unlike the other guy she went to every Olympics in that time period) - it touched Team USA fans in a way that makes you Love the Olympics. It also had me predicting stuff….
Well I tried you tell ya….. We didn’t have to wait long for the sequel and this time Jacobellis brought along Nick Baumgartner. Was the sequel better? Maybe it is like Empire Strikes Back vs A New Hope - it will become an endless debate for years to come.
ICYMI: Rewatch it here
In the sequel Jacobellis paired up with - Nick Baumgartner
Baumgartner finished 4th in PyeongChang… Never won an Olympic medal … was closer in age to the guy calling the race Seth Wescott than any of his 6 competitors and poured his soul out on national TV 2 days earlier thinking he let down all the Yoopers when he failed to win in the Men’s Event and didn’t realize he would be snowboarding with the GOAT for the Team’s finals because of where he finished.
What is a Yooper? It is someone from the UP of Michigan where they likely ran out of beer on Friday night…. and NBC saw a higher rating Friday night in the UP then they will see for the Super Bowl ….
AND AS I MENTIONED THEY WON GOLD….afterwards Nick’s mom invited Lindsey to the UP for a party after the Olympics. Where is my invite Yoopers?
AND IN THE AFTER CREDITS SCENE…. Jacobellis grab at that end (first flagged by Nick Zaccardi) might have been her exercising all the demons from Torino or just steadying her board before the final jump (as some fans have said to me)
WATCH IT HERE AGAIN and you decide.
What do you think? Best Moment in Winter Olympics History? Sequel better than Original? Will Lindsey Jacobellis be the flag bearer? And what do you make of the board grab: planned or just part of the race? Do you think Jacobellis will come for Italy? I could talk Lindsey Jacobellis for days so leave a comment or tweet @TeamUSATracker because unfortunately that is all the Snowboard Cross until Italy. I would be a fan of just adding Men and Women’s Team Event as well. Give me 5 Snowboard Cross events. Also Why is this no longer in the X Games?
Speaking of Miracle of Ice… Team USA Fans Night only got better when Team USA young Men’s Hockey beat Canada for the 4th Time in Olympics.
Last victory by Team USA over Canada outside of North America…66 years ago…and because of the youth of these team…Team USA Hockey Twitter partied like it was 1980.
MIRACLE VIBES ALL AROUND FOR ALL TEAM USA FANS.. MIRACLE GIFS all night for TeamUSATracker
VOTE IN THE POLL IF YOU WANT… THERE IS ONLY ONE CORRECT ANSWER..except Squaw Valley 1960 team was like Miracle on Ice team in Black & White.
MEDAL COUNT
The GOLD RUSH by Team USA has Team UA on record pace after Day 8 if Figure Skating Team gets a GOLD with a DQ’ed (per Christine Brennan we could find out starting Monday in Beijing so Super Bowl Sunday here in America)
ICYMI: Latest Medal Thread