Figure skating: the marquee event of the Winter Olympics. Characterized by grace, agility, skill, charisma and intense facial expressions, figure skaters capture the hearts of fans around the world once every four years. Top skaters can earn more than $5 million in endorsements and grace more magazine covers in a year than Gemma Ward.

There’s no question that the spectacle of figure skating is enchanting, but given recent criticism of its methods– is it a sport?

A sport should require athleticism, of which figure skating has plenty.  Training for figure skating requires hours of strength training and conditioning. The skills executed in programs, from jumps to spins to spirals, are not easily acquired. Take away the glittery costumes and lilting music, and figure skating programs appear grittier and tougher.

But athleticism means nothing if there isn’t an objective and regimented manner to determine winners. At the moment, all competitions operated under the International Skating Union (including the Olympic Games) adhere to a scoring system that assigns points for the difficulty of skill and the quality of their execution.  But consider that in this year’s men’s singles division at the Olympics, Evan Lysacek captured the gold medal despite his failure to attempt any quadruple jumps (the most difficult skill to execute). Other skaters, including silver medalist Evgeny Plushenko, successfully landed quadruple jumps. Some argue that Lysacek’s win is fair, because artistry should be just as crucial to scoring as difficulty, while others believe the Olympic champion should be someone who performs to world-class standards, quad jumps and all. Read More »

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, all of the world’s attention is focused on Canada. And in addition to figure skating and snowboarding and skeleton (?!) a new Olympic sport has arisen—one that we plebeians can play from our couches!

I like to call it “Canadian CelebSpotting.”

All of a sudden, celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to display their native Canadian pride, and they’re popping up in travel advertisements, Today Show interviews, and in the audience at Olympic events. In addition to well-known Canadians such as Nelly Furtado and Celine Dion, check out which other personalities (should) know all the words to “O Canada!” Read More »

We’ve got Olympic fever around here. Not only are the games exciting to watch (what up, J.R. Celski), but those Olympians are truly inspirational. We can only imagine what it feels like to be so good at something that you are chosen to represent your country on a global stage.

Too bad we’re not good at anything. Well, anything that matters, anyway. It’s not like they’re going to be adding beer pong to the Summer Games anytime soon, or giving out golds for walking through the snow in heels. Both of which would surely earn us a medal and maybe even a Wheaties box.

And that got us thinking. If we were Olympians, what would we medal in? After all, if Curling can be considered a sport (isn’t that just Swiffering?), why not these:

Rachael – University of Miami: Definitely klutziness, socializing, and anything relating to rhetoric/debate. Clearly, athletics is not my strong point. . . .

Lauren H – The New School: My guy always says I’d take the gold in sleeping – I can nap anywhere, anytime, and I don’t drool or snore! Bring it on!

Jessica – Hofstra: I would get a gold medal for whining until I get my way, procrastinating, and shopping.

Sarabeth – University of Texas: I’d get a gold medal in baking. Not gonna lie, my low fat cheesecake is pretty much the shiz.

Melanie – Northeastern University: I’d take the gold in exaggerating and pounding Starbucks ice cream. Read More »

American snowboarded Shaun White had already won gold before his final run on the half-pipe.

His first attempt earned him the highest score of the competition, so White had nothing to lose. But the red-headed sensation gave it his all and performed his Double McTwist 1260, a move he perfected in secret on his own private half-pipe.

“This was unlike any season I’ve had,” White said after repeating as the Olympic champ. (He won gold in the 2006 Torino games as well.)

Didn’t see it? Watch the video (and insane flip) right here!

If there’s one thing that’s certain about each Olympics, it’s that the Games are sure to launch some mega-watt stars. Some athletes go from zeros-to-heroes in a matter of seconds (think Hannah Kearney and Alexandre Bilodeau), and even a lucky few have more lasting careers in the limelight (Apolo Ohno). But as we revel in the glory of today’s Olympians, why not find out what some of our past champions are up to these days? Read More »

Even Quatchi wants to play!

Why do we love the Olympics? Is it the patriotism? Is it the two week long parade of international hotties? The never ending supply of Lifetime movie-worthy inspirational stories? The adrenaline rush of nonstop athletic competition?

If you’re like us at CollegeCandy, the answer is a big Y-E-S to to all of the above. But in case you’re an Olympic skeptic, we’ve got the perfect drinking game to get you in the spirit and have some fun with the ’round-the-clock coverage soon to take over a television set near you.  (Not like you needed an excuse to party every night for two weeks, right?)

What you’ll need:
A television set
A few copies of these rules
A bevy of your closest/rowdiest friends
Your drink of choice!

The Rules:
There are three categories for the game, which are self-explanatory and are as follows: Take a Drink, Take Two Drinks, and Finish Your Drink. Read More »