The Telegram (St. John's)

Late night viewing not for the faint of heart

- Jenna Conter

Move over luge, we have a new kid on the ice track. Adding to the series of Winter Olympic sports that I’m labeling Someone Lost a Bet, we welcome skeleton.

Take the sled, keep the spandex suit, but flip the athlete around to headfirst and belly down. According to the announcers, these athletes focus their training on glute and core strength to allow for the best control while sliding, not to mention the added bonus of maintainin­g a clean pair of underpants from start to finish.

You think that’s scary? If you stayed up to watch the first Team Canada vs. Team U.S.A. women’s hockey game, then you now know scary. There was a reason I opted to be in net when we use to play ball hockey at summer camp. For one, I was awesome and secondly, it was safer there.

I hate to harp on my gender but ladies… can’t we all just get along? With a game that ended 2-1 for Canada, the aggression at times overshadow­ed the skill. And I’d be making the same comments if the men’s team seemed to take every play personally, but in an amateur level game said to be a non-contact event, the collection of net crashing and body piles seem to paint a different picture.

This heated rivalry has leaked off the ice and into the interviews

with a good amount of banter between our ladies. It’s a hop, skip and a jump to taking out their earrings and snapping in a Z formation while arguing

over who got into whose head first. As with anything, talking the talk is all well and good but the numbers don’t lie and we stand proud ahead of

Team U.S.A. with a 3-0 record thus far.

I highly suggest brewing some coffee and adding hockey to your viewing schedule.

 ?? AP PHOTO/JULIO CORTEZ ?? Official Jenni Heikkinen (64), of Finland, tries to separate Kelly Pannek (12), of the United States, and Laura Stacey (7), of Canada, as they scuffle during the third period of a preliminar­y round during a women’s hockey game at the 2018 Winter...
AP PHOTO/JULIO CORTEZ Official Jenni Heikkinen (64), of Finland, tries to separate Kelly Pannek (12), of the United States, and Laura Stacey (7), of Canada, as they scuffle during the third period of a preliminar­y round during a women’s hockey game at the 2018 Winter...
 ?? Armchair Olympians ??
Armchair Olympians

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