I’m going to be honest, I had a completely different idea about the direction I was taking for this week’s issue for the newsletter. As I sat down to write, I realized that the little free time and attention that I had were not given to the NHL in any way except for the “big” headlines I saw on my timeline this past week:
Seattle Kraken’s J.T. Brown and Everett Fitzhugh made history Thursday, February 17th as the first-ever all Black broadcast team in the NHL.
Congrats to Sidney Crosby on his 500th career goal, I guess. (Loud cackle from Gaby)
I also wish Tyler Tofolli well on his new journey in Alberta. I hope his reunion with Darryl Sutter goes better than the last time. Remember when the LA Kings locked the man out of the dressing room to not deal with him after a loss? Fun time!
Instead of the article on racism I was going to write (which, no worries, you will all get that soon), I wanted to talk about The Olympics—my other true Sports Love.
Before the Olympics started, I did a lot of research on their controversies. I’ve always known that the Games have been political, but I wanted additional context.
After learning more about it, I thought I would not care as much. Plus, the timezone isn’t ideal for my sleep schedule, and I have been so overwhelmed with my thesis that everything was in place for me not to watch them.
However, I’m a Sports Gal™, so joke’s on me. My derrière has been watching them or catching the replays, I should say, because pretty girls need their beauty sleep.
I could talk forever about many of the events, but since I’m not an expert, I decided to do this issue as a big “Other Thoughts” section.
A couple of things before we start:
There are spoilers about Olympics winners! I didn’t know that I needed to do a spoiler warning until the Summer Olympics this past summer. My friend got a little mad when I told her that Elaine Thompson-Herah got back-to-back gold in both of her sprinting events. Oops, lol.
You also need to understand that I’m rooting for everybody Black first and foremost, and then for the Canadians. If someone from Norway did something impressive in the Biathlon events, I probably don’t know *shrugs*.
Okay, now that we got this out of the way, we move!!
Athletes Getting Their Dues
American Erin Jackson won the 500m speed skating gold after teammate, Brittany Bowe, gave up her spot. She became the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Games.
Another impressive stat is that she picked up the sport 4 months before qualifying for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, where she finished 24th at the same event. 24th to 1st, we love to see it!!
Women’s Hockey:
The gold medal came back to its rightful owners!! Sorry, Gaby! (that screaming you hear in the background is a certain Chicagoan complaining amount roster mismanagement and USA Hockey)
The Canadian women’s ice hockey team has won its fifth-ever Olympic gold since the event debuted at Nagano 1998.
Sarah Nurse is the first Black woman to ever play on an Olympic ice hockey team, and she became the first one to win an Olympic Gold Medal in hockey. She also broke the record for most points in a tournament. Truly impressive!
Marie-Philip Poulin has scored in every gold medal game she’s played at the Olympics (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022). She’s the first (and only) player to score in four Olympic gold medal games.
Max Parrot claimed Olympic gold in slopestyle and bronze in Big Air snowboarding three years after a cancer diagnosis. I remembered hearing about his story and feeling compassion for him since I was dealing with my own cancer journey at the time. I can only imagine the pride he must be feeling. I’m amazed and happy for him.
The Canadian speed skating legend, Charles Hamelin, decided to kick off his retirement with one last hurrah, earning a gold medal in his final race, 5000 m relay.
With six Olympic medals, he ties as Team Canada’s most decorated Winter Olympian. Congratulations on such an illustrious career!
Discovering New Sports
Mixed Team Events
I watched the inaugural mixed team events in aerial skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding cross and was immediately hooked. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the competition, y’all.
Mixing gymnastics with skiing?! Count me in! Also, Canadians being in medal contention for the events helped me be more invested.
Spoiler alert for snowboarding cross: I screamed so loud when Meryeta O’Dine collided with an Italian contestant mid-way through the second leg. She still managed to finish the race and win the bronze with her teammate Éliot Grondin. It’s a must-watch event (even on replay), IMO. Also, big apologies to my neighbors!
Curling
Technically, I didn’t discover curling this year, but I got more invested and understood the rules better because of Devin Heroux’s play-by-play commentary on Twitter during the games. The race for the playoffs was so thrilling since the rest of the world caught up to Canada. Their journeys haven’t been easy. The women missed the playoffs, and the men battled until their last stone to claim the Bronze.
Maybe Rosie DiManno had a point; perhaps not dominating a sport gives it a little spice and suspense? (this is a joke, lol)
Figure Skating Scandal
We’ve all seen the headlines concerning Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. Last week, the IOC received her test results indicating that she had tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance trimetazidine. Her lawyer released an explanation that warranted some side-eyes from the rest of the world. The IOC approved for her to continue the competition but decided not to have a medal ceremony if she were to win or place on the podium.
This is the third straight Winter Olympics in which this particular substance has been a problem. But this is the only one of those three cases in which the athlete who tested positive for it was not disqualified. Since she has a “protected person” status under world anti-doping rules as an athlete under 16, the IOC couldn’t automatically disqualify her if the investigation isn’t complete.
However, the women’s long program ended in tears after a shocking upset on Thursday morning.
In an unexpected turn of events, Kamila Valieva finished fourth behind two of her teammates, Anna Shcherbakova, Alexandra Trusova (both 17), and Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto (21 years old).
As cameras followed Valieva behind the curtain, a visibly upset Trusova was captured on live video sobbing. Trusova’s history-making five quadruple jumps weren’t enough to earn her the gold, and she was heard crying that she was the only one without a gold medal.
The entire situation was just so depressing to see. Overall, I think that discussing the state of figure skating requires a lot of nuances that I admit I don’t have. Nonetheless, we witnessed two teenagers having nervous breakdowns on live television, and the gold medalist not even being able to celebrate what was supposed to be one of the best moments of her life.
With the way things went down Thursday, one can only ask if they should add a minimum age requirement to participate in the Olympics. I feel like what we aren’t talking about enough is that these were the reactions of people who are essentially still children. Kids who have been away from their families for weeks and who’ve had their confidence broken after years of putting in an insane amount of work. There are clearly not enough people around these girls who genuinely look out for them and their safety.
My heart goes out to everyone training at Eteri Tutberidze’s camp who feels disposable and whose emotional and physical well-being constantly gets disregarded.
Every athlete deserves a coach that supports and respects them. A coach who wants their well-being in the present and after their competitive career is over. A coach that treats them with dignity instead of only seeing them as winning machines.
As of late Thursday night, the IOC President Tom Bach gave a press conference condemning the treatment of the young athletes by their entourage, saying that the “tremendous coldness” struck him. In addition, he also stated that the IOC would most likely be launching an investigation on the entire ROC coaching team. It was a very unusual move for the generally diplomatic president, perhaps indicating the severity of the situation. Hopefully, we’ll get more information as the situation continues to unfold.
But the one thing I can guarantee is that there is a special place in hell for Ms. Eteri Tutberidze.
Finally, I wanted to shout out to my friend Sanika who kept me updated about all things figure skating-related for the past few months! You should follow her on Twitter if you want to keep up with the sport.
Shit I’m Obsessed With This Week:
Love Is Blind
One thing about me is I LOVE reality TV, and not as a guilty pleasure (I don’t believe in the concept, but that’s an issue for another day). So, you won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve been watching both versions of Love is Blind (USA & Japan) currently available on Netflix.
Who’s gonna make it to the altar?! The bets are open. Also, I think the best international version of the show is Brazil, released last fall. Highly recommend checking that one out!
The Rams won the Superbowl
I discovered Von Miller when he participated in season 22 of Dancing With the Stars and immediately got fond of the man. Seeing him and Odell Beckham Jr being emotional about getting a Superbowl ring last Sunday got me in my feels.
Sweet Magnolias on Netflix
If you’re looking for a light romantic drama about three best friends from a small town in the South, this show is for you. Corny? Yes! Cliché? Yes, but 100% the comfort watch you need.
Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe by Jazmine Sullivan
I have been obsessing on the E.P ever since the initial release came out. She decided to bless the world with a deluxe version last Friday. It’s the only thing I’ve been listening to since then. This definitely means she will make it into my top 5 most played artists on my Spotify Wrapped for the second year in a row.
I still can’t believe I bought hockey tickets the same day she’s performing in my city. Another reason I hate being a hockey fan, #jk!
Sorry, this week wasn’t really about hockey, but we will get back to it soon enough. Until then, take care!
With love,
Perrye