81 Days

I watched 5 1/2 hours of figure skating yesterday (amongst other activities like getting a black and blue ankle from horseback riding) so that I could bring you, my loyal readers, everything you deserve in a blog post.

When I was in Lake Placid last week, one of the things I was really hoping to do was take a bobsled ride down the famous course at the Olympic Sports Complex. Unfortunately, the course was closed in order to prepare for a World Cup bobsled event that took place over the last couple of days. Happily, Team USA came in 1st and 2nd in the 4-man bobsled event, which makes me feel a bit better about missing out on that opportunity. A bit. (Although I'm really not sure why Stephen Colbert got to take a bobsled ride when I couldn't. What, just because someone is famous and single-handedly sponsoring the entire U.S. speed skating team (see 93 Days), they get V.I.P. treatment? What's that all about?)

Well the people at Lost may not be intimidated by the Winter Olympics (see 84 Days) but the folks at the Academy Awards certainly are. Rather than air in late February as they have since 2004, the Oscars will air on March 7, 2010 so as not to coincide with the Olympics Games.

In Bobsled and Luge, the term "eighty-one" is used to signify a crash. It most likely originated at the Lake Placid, NY course, but people aren't sure why. I intend to get to the bottom of this! (Two points to anyone who can help.)

Only 81 countries participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia (former Soviet Union). That was the lowest number of competing countries in a Summer Olympics Games since 1956. 60 countries, including the U.S., boycotted the Games in protest of the former Soviet Union's war on Afghanistan. Many of the boycotting nations competed in the Olympic Boycott Games in Philadelphia, PA. instead.