Spoiler: PyeongChang 2018 Olympics

[scott43]

Will be watching the Canadian Sledge Hockey team..let's go boys..another medal to be had here!

 

[scott43]

And Canadian Mollie Jepsen wins a bronze in the downhill.

 

[Jenny]

Wait, already?!

 

[hbear]

I’m looking forward to seeing Mac Marcoux race. He’s a vision impaired Alpine skier, his guide Jack Leitch is a former racer for our Alberta FIS team.

Absolutely crazy to have a legally blind athlete hurl themselves down a race course at 100+km/h “following” a guide that is talking to them via headset. Absolutely bonkers and the snow feel Mac must have is amazing. Apparently he has like zero vision in front and only a tiny percentage peripherally.

Saw some pretty awesome use of VR tech to help him prepare for races.

 

[Jenny]

I find the Paralympic skiing more compelling than the regular, for just those ^ reasons. And the sit skiing, too, although I cringe every time someone falls. They seem to bounce more and higher.

 

[Eleeski]

Watched some cross country skiing by the blind. Amazing how they followed the guide. The guide had to be fast enough to stay ahead - not an easy task. Pretty cool - joked about how they couldn't have biathlon. Wait, it was the biathlon! Blind people with guns? How did she get a perfect score as well?! Amazing!

Eric

 

[scott43]

Marcoux wins gold..

 

[Primoz]

Wait, it was the biathlon! Blind people with guns? How did she get a perfect score as well?! Amazing!

They have some electronics on gun and target, and when you are closing to center of target, sound is changing, so they know when they have right line. Sounds simple, but I'm pretty sure there's simply no way I would even hit target frame, or better yet, I'm not sure everyone on shooting place would be still alive after I would be done with my shooting , even though with normal biathlon rifle I was able to hit 5 out of 5, if I came to shooting place with normal skiing heart rate, not racing heart rate (my brother was in biathlon, so I was actually shooting quite a bit ).

 

[Snowfan]

US Gold and Silver in Women's Biathlon

 

[Jenny]

All the different kind of sit-sleds for the cross country skiing stuff are interesting.

 

[hbear]

When you ever question the resolve of the human spirit....one only needs to watch Paralympic sport to be reassured of that drive.

The athletes are simply amazing to do what they do despite the challenges put in front of them.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

In Northern Colorado, we're incredibly excited about the sled hockey since we have 2 local boys on the team. Eleven years ago, two high school students stopped on a county road on the way back from the prom to fix a flat tire. Another student from Berthoud High School was driving on the same county road and hit the car. The two boys were pinned between the cars during the collision. Now, both of them are "grown up" and are playing on the paralympic hockey team.