[ot-caption title=”Shaun White training for the 2014 Winter Olympics (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, Dec 19, 2013)”]

From the rink to the mountain, Russia has been meticulously preparing, building, and planning for the Winter Olympics coming this February. As the host city of the 22nd Winter Games, Sochi has organized this year’s Olympics into two main groups: one located in the heart of the Sochi for the ice events and the rest of the events in the Krasnaya Polynaya Mountains nearby. Even as the last Winter Olympics were occurring in 2010 in Vancouver, Sochi already had begun preparation for the following Olympics, eventually investing over $50 billion into the project!  Many people have anxiously been waiting for this spectacular event that showcases the world’s most preeminent athletes competing for their nations’ pride and honor.

Focusing on the events that take place in the depths of the mountains and the newly constructed ice rinks, the Winter Olympics includes the biathlon, bobsled, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, short track speed-skating, skeleton, skiing, snowboarding, and speedskating sports. Specifically, the figure skating and skiing sports are divided into a variety of events: ice dance, pairs, singles, and team for figure skating and alpine, cross country, freestyle, and jumping for the skiing category. These athletes have been training the majority of their lives for these sixteen days that fall in the sub-zero temperature Russian winter; they will not disappoint.

Having athletes that range from being the face of Stride gum to others who walk the runway in their spare time, Team USA is stacked with incredible athletes with very impressive lives. Winning gold in the half pipe for snowboarding, Shaun White (AKA: The Flying Tomato) is returning to the Olympics once more to claim his place as number one; he left a remarkable impression the last two Olympics with his fiery red hair and if that wasn’t enough, he also become the lead in the advertisements for Stride gum. Another key American star to keep an eye out for is Bode Miller, an Alpine racer from New Hampshire who won gold, silver, and bronze in his events last Olympics. Even though Miller is in his thirties, older than most Olympians, he plans on making a comeback and dazzling the crowd. Another fan-favorite, Lindsey Vonn, holds the record for most consecutive downhill World Cup titles by a man or woman, along with a gold medal in women’s downhill skiing from the games in 2010. Unfortunately, due to an awful ski crash last February at the World Championships, Vonn blew out her knee and has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming games next month. “There’s plenty of stars out there,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, in an article for Washington Post. “Yes, we wish we still had Lindsey there, but we don’t. That’s the nature of sports…Lots of stars unfortunately get injured and hurt.” She is currently still in rehabilitation after a successful knee surgery and hopes to fully recover for the World Championships next year.

Though most of the Olympians of 2010 will not be returning for the Sochi Olympics, there are many talented and accomplished athletes that cannot wait to perform in this year’s games. Despite the nine-plus hour difference between Russia and the US, Americans are getting ready to set their recording systems and tune into the many stations that will be broadcasting these spectacular series of events.