The NORSA Guide to the Olympic Games

As the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing get underway, here are a few events outdoor enthusiasts might enjoy:

Whitewater Kayaking/Canoeing
These events feature a race down a whitewater course where athletes zig zag through a set of gates (both up and down current) and hope finish with the best time. The US team used to train in the DC area until the opening of the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC.

US Athletes to watch:
Heather Corrie and Bethesda resident Scott Parsons, both in the K1.

Cycling
There are many cycling events, and although all on a bicycle, each event is fundamentally different in its tactics and athletes. Track cycling features high speeds on stripped down bicycles. Road races require endurance levels typical of several of the grand tour events; both in road and time-trial formats. Mountain biking is a timed race through a long and treacherous course. BMX is a timed mass-start event on a short course featuring jumps and turns.

US Athletes to watch:
Tour de France celebrities David Zabriskie (now sporting a sweet 'stache), George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, and Levi Leipheimer.


Sailing
There are many different classes of boats in the Olympics, each of which are sailed in slightly different style and by different types of athletes. There is the dinghy (470), the skiff (49er), the singlehanders (Finn and Laser), the windsurfer (RS:X), the sloops (Star and Yngling) and the cat (Tornado). Sailing is not the most spectator-friendly sport, as competetors work their way around a multi-buoy course and it is often difficult to tell who is winning; however if there happen to be some high wind days in Qingdao, any event will be a thrill to watch.

US Athletes to watch:
ODU and MAISA superstar Anna Tunnicliffe in the Laser, Zach Railey in the Finn, and Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler in the 470.


Shooting
A sport which stresses focus and mental endurance, shooting (like the other NORSA sports) has a number of categories. There are rifle (target), pistol (target and rapid-fire), and shotgun (trap) events. [Tom]: Though not as interesting as the Winter Olympics' biathlon event, summer shooting sports primarily favors the more disciplined technical shooters able to limit their bodies' heartrate and use bone-structure to support their firearms, rather than muscle strength. Since this differs so greatly from the faster-paced endurance sporting events, you'll be lucky to catch it on TV. The good thing is that, though the US is not one of the best countries when it comes to competitive shooting, we are poised for gold in the skeet and trap events.

US Athletes to watch:
Matt Emmons and Stephen Scherer

Triathlon
A NORSA favorite, this event features the traditional swim-bike-run format. The course covers a 1500 m open water swim, a 40 km bike, and a 10 k run. One significant difference between this olympic event and all USAT events is that drafting is allowed on the bike portion. In most USAT races cyclists are not permitted within two bike lengths of another competitor unless passing. This rule eliminates much of the strategy associated with traditional road racing and makes it more of a time-trial event. The Olympics, however, allows drafting which makes the event fundamentally different but also much more spectator friendly. Watch for athletes strategizing over the course and making moves.

US Athletes to watch:
Jarrod Shoemaker, Julie Ertel, and Sarah Haskins.

Trampoline
... still trying to figure this one out ...