South Korea Take First Gold Medal, Canadian Women Dominate Hockey

The Favorite Kim Yu-Na of South Korea grabbed the gold medal in figure skating last night, shattering her former record of point totals and beating the silver medalist by a 23-point margin. The 19-year-old Kim, who is known as “Queen Yu-Na” by her fans, sealed the deal with a total score of 228.56. That is a new record for Kim, and it gives South Korea their first gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

Japan’s Mao Asada took home the silver medal, and bronze went to Canada’s Joannie Rochette, who was skating just days after her mother died tragically of a heart attack.

Kim Yu-Na skated to Gershwin’s “concerto in F”, which she performed nearly flawlessly. That performance gave her a score of 150.06 points, which brought her total to 228.56.

In women’s hockey news, the Canadian team defeated the U.S. team 2-0 to win the gold medal. The match-up paired the only two serious contenders in women’s hockey against each other, setting up a fiery rivalry.

Two early goals from Canada’s Marie-Phillip Poulin in the first period would put the Canadians on top, a deficit that the American would never come back from. The shutout was held intact by a sensational performance by Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados, who made 28 consecutive saves in the game.

"We played a great game and this is an incredible moment," Szabados said. "It was unbelievable. I just had to be calm and poised. I just tried to relax and have fun. You always want to be confident out there."

The U.S.-Canada rivalry in hockey extends back to 1998 when the sport was introduced to the Winter Olympics. The Americans won the first gold medal in 1998, followed by Canadian victories in 2002 and 2006. With 2010 under their belt, that makes three gold medals in a row for the Canadian women. With the exception of the 2006 games when the U.S. was upset early by Sweden, the Canadians and Americans have met in every single gold medal game.

Of course, that rivalry also extends to the U.S. and Canada’s men’s hockey teams. In the semifinal games today, the U.S. will play Finland and Canada will play Slovakia. It is very likely that the U.S. and Canada will both win their games today, setting up a final game in men’s hockey for Canada to play the United States. Not only would this an interesting parallel to the women’s hockey tournament, but it would set up a rematch for the early round upset when the U.S. beat Canada.

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Olympics Update – Men’s Hockey Quarterfinals

Maybe it was the fact that they lost to the fifth-seeded U.S. team in the first round. Maybe it came from playing in their home country, with over 17,000 people watching. Whatever the motivation, the Canadian men’s hockey team came out swinging last night, and beat the Russians in the quarterfinals 7-3.

The first period was a blistering attack on Russian goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Canadian Ryan Getzlaf was the first to score in the game, followed by back-to-back goals from Dan Boyle and Rick Nash, opening up the game with a three to nothing run.

The Russians would never recover from that deficit, and superstar Alex Ovechkin was effectively taken out of the game by the Canadian defense keeping him up against the boards for much of the game. A frustrated Ovechkin broke three sticks through the first two periods of play.

Russian goalie Ilya Bryzgalov summed up the game nicely by saying that the Canadian team “came out like gorillas out of a cage.”

The other games of the quarterfinal round were less thrilling, but still showed impressive talent to move the winning teams on to the semifinals. The United States shutout Switzerland 2-0, with a pair of goals in the third period from Zach Parise. Finland topped Czech Republic with a score of 2-0 as well, and Slovakia beat Sweden with a score of 4-3.

This sets up a semifinal round for Canada to play Slovakia, and the United States to play Finland. The winners of each of the games will face each other in the finals for the gold medal.

The U.S.-Finland game will be a rematch of a feud between the two teams. At the 2006 winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Finland earned the silver medal after defeating the Americans 4-3 in the quarterfinal round. This is the game in which U.S. forward David Backes and Finnish defensemen Anssi Salmela got into a brawl at the buzzer, with Salmela’s face by smashed by Backes.

The Canadians in last night’s game had a similar revenge match with the Russians. Russia knocked Canada out of the 2006 Olympic tournament in the quarterfinal round. Canada finished in seventh place that year, a dismal position for a team that is generally a favorite for a medal.

Semifinal games will take place on Friday, February 26. The U.S.-Finland game is scheduled for 12:00pm PST, and the Canada-Slovakia game is scheduled for 6:30pm PST. Both games should prove to be excellent hockey, with a lot at stake for the competitors.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

U.S. Hockey Team Upsets Canada

Last night in a huge upset, the young United States Men’s Hockey team defeated the heavily favored Canadian team 5-3. This marks only the second time that the U.S. team has beat the Canadian team – the last time was in 1960. The United States came out wearing the throwback 1960’s sweaters, an homage to that last victorious team.

Now, as the United States heads into the 12-team tournament as the #1 seed, they have set the standard for what is to come from the young team.

Coached by Ron Wilson (head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs), the Americans took the lead early in the first period with a goal from Brian Rafalski (of the Detroit Red Wings) within the first minute of play.

That goal would then be answered by Ryan Getzlaf (of the Anaheim Ducks) on the Canadian team, which would then be followed by another goal from Rafalski.

The player of the game, however, was certainly Ryan Miller, the goalie for the United States. Miller stopped 42 of 45 shots from the Canadians, an impressive game from the Buffalo Sabre.

Next on the agenda for the U.S. team is the winner of the Switzerland-Belarus qualifying game set for Tuesday. The Americans beat Switzerland last week 3-1, but the victory did not come easy. If the United States is to play Switzerland, who is the favorite, expect the Swiss to come out with a vengeance.

The United States is not alone in receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. They are joined by Russia, Sweden, and Finland in that qualification. Other teams that will have to fight it out for a position in the quarter finals are the fifth-seeded Czech Republic vs. No. 12 Lativa, Canada (No. 6) vs. Germany (No. 11), Slovakia (No. 7) vs. Norway (No. 10), and Switzerland (No. 8) vs. Belarus (No. 9).

If you’ll be one of the millions watching Men’s Hockey in the Olympics, pay attention the footwork involved in the game. Think of how hard it is do move quickly in shoes, now try that on the ice. That should give you an appreciation of the difficulty of the sport. Many professional hockey players, including the Olympians, opt for functional orthoses to be put into their skates. This helps them get optimal function out of the foot-skate interface, allowing for quick stops and pivots. It will be quick footwork that wins the game – stay tuned for more updates on the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver!

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

Olympics Update – Marit Bjoergen Wins Gold

In an incredible display of endurance, Norway’s Marit Bjoergen has won the gold medal in the Ladies’ 15km Pursuit with a time of 39:58.1. Sweden’s Anna Haag will bring home the silver, and Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk narrowly edged out Norway’s Kristin Sotermer Steira in a photo finish for Bronze.

Bjoergen’s gold medal performance in the 15km Pursuit adds to her list of medal-earning performances at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She also won a gold medal in the Ladies’ Individual Sprint Classic, and earned the bronze in the Ladies’ 10km freestyle.

The 15km pursuit exemplifies the difference between classic and freestyle cross-country skiing. In classic skiing, the skis used are long and thin, sometimes referred to as “skinny skis”. This allows for speed, but does not offer much for lateral movement. In freestyle cross-country skiing, also known as skating, the skis are slightly wider, and curved on the edges. This allows for more lateral motion, or a motion that more closely resembles ice-skating.

During the combined pursuit event, the Olympians exchange their skis halfway through the race. They begin with classic skis, and exchange them in the middle for the freestyle skis. This exchange proves to be a pivotal point in the race, as Bjoergen’s smooth transition allowed her to keep pace as the leader.

In both types of cross-country skiing, the boot is attached to the ski at the toe, but not at the heel. This allows for a gait that can closely resemble walking, especially when the skiers are racing up hill. It is clear to see that the heel is coming off of the ski during the race, which is characteristic of cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiing in general consists of both uphill and downhill movement, and the heel lift is essential for the uphill portions of the race.

The event is truly a test of endurance, as the 15km race is roughly equally to almost 9.5 miles! You can see while watching the event that the skiers grab water and sports drinks during the race, much like a runner in a marathon. This is to keep hydrated and keep a steady supply of energy, as muscle glycogen stores (the way that our bodies keep a reserve of fast-acting energy) can become depleted very quickly during such a long event.

The men’s pursuit race, which is a distance of 30km (15km classic and 15km freestyle) is scheduled for February 20 at 1:30pm PST.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

Shaun White Repeats Gold, Torah Bright takes Women’s Gold

Wednesday night proved to be Shaun White’s night as he took the gold medal in the men’s halfpipe event. White won with a score of 48.6 following an incredible display of athleticism and agility.

The 23 year old athlete came into the Olympics defending the gold medal in the same event, and successfully repeated. He has also previously won the vert competition in skateboarding at the 2007 X Games.

The silver medal in men’s halfpipe snowboarding went to Peetu Piiroinen of Finland, and the Bronze went to the United States’ Scott Lago.

In the women’s halfpipe snowboarding competition, Australia’s Torah Bright took the gold medal home with a score of 45.0. Torah Bright, also 23 years old, helped to break the long-standing U.S. domination of women’s halfpipe snowboarding. Americans Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark took the silver and bronze medals home, with scores of 42.4 and 42.2, respectively.

The amount of force placed on the body during an event such as snowboarding is incredible. Seeing the heights that Shaun White, Torah Bright, and the other snowboarders reach during the event shows just how much impact they are coming down with. While the forces placed on the body while snowboarding have never been studied and published, the forces during skateboarding have. While skateboarding, ground reactive forces can reach up to 10-20 times the skateboarder’s body weight. It would be very interesting to see exactly what the forces are being placed on the feet, ankles, knees and hips during snowboarding.

Non-professional snowboarders are likely to be familiar with these forces. Going off of a jump, it is important to land with the knees slightly bent, bringing the entire body down closer to the ground while landing. This helps lessen the impact on the body. Landing with a straight knee joint and rigid ankle joint can seriously injure the participant.

Snowboarding injuries that are typically seen include ankle sprains and knee ligament injuries. These occur from the twisting motions of the body over a stationary knee and ankle. Without the proper attention to detail, the amateur snowboarder can find himself or herself in an immense amount of pain following this type of injury.

Keep watching the Olympics to see how your favorite athletes prepare their bodies for the impact with the ground. Notice how they move their legs, knees and feet when landing in snowboarding and ski jumping. Ski jumping is set for February 22, with several rounds being televised.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

Winter Olypmics 2010 and Foot Health

No matter what you’re favorite Olympic event, there’s bound to be something to keep your interest in the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver. Whether it is hockey, figure skating, or the biathlon, the Winter Olympics give us an opportunity to watch some of the most elite athletes in the world compete in their sport.

Foot health is something that the Olympian, just like all other athletes, must be aware of. In sports such as snowboarding, alpine skiing, and ski jumping, there is an incredible amount of force that is applied to the feet, ankles, and knees in particular. This force is many times the normal force of walking, and can lead to serious injury and fracture if the proper measurements are not taken. Athletes must be aware of their form and technique, as well as the feet that they are landing on.

Many skiers and ice skaters wear orthotic devices in their ski boots and ice skates. This is a common practice among downhill skiers and hockey players, from Olympic athlete to amateur. The reason for this is that a custom orthotic can make an otherwise uncomfortable boot much more comfortable, as well as add a significant amount of function to the clunky footgear.

The Olympic games, which began on February 12, is an exciting time to watch the world come together in Vancouver. The games will continue through February, with the closing ceremony on February 28.

You can follow the games online at www.vancouver2010.com, where you can get updates on medal counts, event schedules, and lots of other information.

Check back here for updates on the Olympic games and foot health, and plenty of other information on podiatry and related topics!

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com