PART TWO

Greetings Presidents (and God-King Grogan), please make your selections now for Part TWO of the Olympic Fantasy Game.  What\’s Part Two, you ask?  Part Two is the Medal Count!  Click here: Part Two Pick \’Em Form to guess/bet which country will win the most medals in each of the Olympic sports and to name which country you think will win the overall medal count!  Some countries are well on their way!  Please try to make your selections by 10am tomorrow, February 12th.  

Standings will be updated as soon as I finish this kind of disappointing Kashi GoLean! frozen lunch meal. 

KNOW YOUR OLYMPIC FANTASY LEAGUE #2

President Allison Buckley
of Mabeltopia

Topping the leaderboard for a solid three days now is President Allison Grogan Buckley, one half of the Dynamic Grogan Sibling Duo, and wife of easily the most patriotic person currently living.  So is it any wonder that she selected a team which is almost entirely Americans?

A longtime Winter Olympics enthusiast, she once met Kristy Yamaguchi via letter (do you guys remember letters?) and is the proud owner of a signed photograph of the Hall of Fame Olympian.  This has undoubtedly influenced her draft selections, as a full one third of her Olympians are figure skaters. Will any of them follow in Ms. Yamaguchi\’s footsteps?  Probably.  President Buckley\’s only non-American team member is that really good Russian skater girl.

But it\’s lonely at the top.  Can she hold on to her commanding lead going into the first full week of Olympic competition?  Lots of slopes left to ski, folks.

Heartbreak Comes Early for One President

Finishing a respectable but still dismal fourth place in the Women\’s 3000m Speed Skating yesterday, Claudia Pechstein of Germany cost President Amber Riddle 3 points.  Could this be the crucial three points that keeps her from being crowned the ultimate winner of the First Biennial Fantasy Olympics Game?  That remains to be seen.  But probably.

In the meantime, do they kind of look alike?  No?  Just me?

The Standings: Sunday, February 9 (Day Two)

Gracie Gold\’s stellar program yesterday (Ladies and Lance, you know what I\’m talking about) vaulted a lot of people onto the board today!

Part TWO will be coming to you, shortly.  In the meantime, start thinking about which country you think will earn the most medals in the following sports:

ALPINE SKIING
BIATHLON 
BOBSLEIGH
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
CURLING
FIGURE SKATING
FREESTYLE SKIING
ICE HOCKEY
LUGE 
NORDIC COMBINED 
SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING
SKELETON 
SKI JUMPING 
SNOWBOARD 
SPEED SKATING

Until tomorrow, fantasy friends!

\”At the Olympics, I generally support Americans, pretty girls, Scandinavians, and children, unless they\’re Chinese gymnasts because it\’s cheating to use kids from pre-school.\” – Lance Huffman 

THE TEAMS HAVE BEEN SELECTED!

Check out your competition below!  Captains are in Blue. Some of you already have country names, so you\’re ahead of the game.  The rest of you can name your country at any time! Just send me an e-mail or leave a comment.  Please also note that I have tentatively given each team owner the title of \”President.\”  In the event that your country is not a democracy and your leader is named something different, please let me know.


COUNTRY: 

PRESIDENT: DANE BOWLES

ATHLETE EVENT
Bobby Brown (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Julia Mancuso (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Men\’s Team Event- Russia Biathalon  
Holcomb/Langton (USA)  Bobsleigh  
Nikita Kriukov (RUS) Cross-Country Skiing  
Team Relay (Men) – Norway Cross-Country Skiing  
Men- Norway Curling  
Ashley Wagner (USA) Figure Skating  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Chris Mazdzer (USA) Luge  
COUNTRY: BOBBLEHEADS
PRESIDENT: MARK FLETCHER
ATHLETE EVENT
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR)  Cross-Country Skiing  
Men- Canada Curling  
Women- Great Britain  Curling  
Gracie Gold (USA) Figure Skating  
Kim Yu Na (KOR)  Figure Skating  
Alexandre Bilodeau (CAN) Freestyle Skiing  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Women- United States Ice Hockey  
Team Relay- Russia Luge  
Team- Norway Nordic Combined  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: ALICE BARRETTE
ATHLETE EVENT
Sven Kramer (NED) Speed Skating  
Martin Fourcade (FRA) Biathalon  
Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) Biathalon  
Darya Domracheva (BLR) Biathalon  
Men- Canada Curling  
Women- Canada Ice Hockey  
Felix Loch (GER) Luge  
Eric Frenzel (GER) Nordic Combined  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
Relay Team (Men) – Netherlands Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
LANCE C. HUFFMAN
ATHLETE EVENT
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing  
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER),  Alpine Skiing  
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Martin Fourcade (FRA) Biathalon  
Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) Biathalon  
Tora Berger (NOR) Biathalon  
Marit Bjorgen (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing  
Therese Johaug (NOR)  Cross-Country Skiing  
Sven Kramer (NED) Speed Skating  
 
COUNTRY: REEDERHOFFPRESIDENT: LIZ REEDER  
ATHLETE EVENT
Men- United States Ice Hockey  
Men- Norway Curling  
Denis Ten (KAZ)  Figure Skating  
Kim Yu Na (KOR)  Figure Skating  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Team Relay- Canada Luge  
Team- Germany Nordic Combined  
Team Relay (Women) – South Korea Short Track Speed Skating  
Tomass Dukurs (LAT) Skeleton  
Relay Team (Women) – South Korea Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
ANNA GIRARD
 
ATHLETE EVENT
Iouri \”the iPod\” Podladchikov (SUI) Snowboard  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Anna Fenninger (AUT) Alpine Skiing  
Tina Maze (SLO)  Alpine Skiing  
Patrick Chan (CAN)  Figure Skating  
Maddie Bowman (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Sarah Hendrickson (USA) Ski Jumping  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
 Sven Kramer (NED) Speed Skating  
Heather Richardson (USA) Speed Skating  
 
COUNTRY: RAFFLES APOLLOPRESIDENT: KERRY IRWIN
ATHLETE EVENT
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Bode Miller (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
Women\’s Team Event- Germany Biathalon  
Holcomb/Langton (USA)  Bobsleigh  
Team- Germany Nordic Combined  
Team- Norway Nordic Combined  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
 Denis Yuskov (RUS) Speed Skating  
 
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: AMY SADLER
ATHLETE EVENT
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Julia Mancuso (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Men- Canada Curling  
Gracie Gold (USA) Figure Skating  
Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN)  Freestyle Skiing  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Team Relay (Men) – United States Short Track Speed Skating  
Noelle Pikus-Pace (USA) Skeleton  
 Arielle Gold (USA) Snowboard  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: JEN ROOT
 
ATHLETE EVENT
 Ice Dancing- Davis/White (USA) Figure Skating  
Hefti/Baumann (SUI)  Bobsleigh  
 Four-Man Team: Germany Bobsleigh  
 Humphries/Moyse (CAN)  Bobsleigh  
Team Relay (Men) – Norway  Cross-Country Skiing  
Men- Norway Curling  
Kim Yu Na (KOR)  Figure Skating  
Felix Loch (GER) Luge  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
STEVEN RIDDLE
ATHLETE EVENT
 Tina Maze (SLO)  Alpine Skiing  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR)  Cross-Country Skiing  
Yulia Lipnitskaia (RUS) Figure Skating  
Nick Goepper (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Men- Sweden  Ice Hockey  
Fan Kexin (CHN) Short Track Speed Skating  
 Team Relay (Women) – China  Short Track Speed Skating  
Sara Takanashi (JPN) Ski Jumping  
Michel Mulder (NED) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
ALLISON BUCKLEY
ATHLETE EVENT
Hannah Kearney (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Bode Miller (USA)  Alpine Skiing  
 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)    
Meyers/Evans (USA) Bobsleigh  
Yulia Lipnitskaia (RUS) Figure Skating  
 Ashley Wagner (USA) Figure Skating  
 Ice Dancing- Davis/White (USA) Figure Skating  
Chris Mazdzer (USA) Luge  
Matt Antoine (USA) Skeleton  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
MARK GIRARD
 
ATHLETE EVENT
 Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Bode Miller (USA)  Alpine Skiing  
 Julia Mancuso (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Gracie Gold (USA) Figure Skating  
Team Relay- Germany Luge  
J.R. Celski (USA) Short Track Speed Skating  
 Team Relay (Men) – South Korea Short Track Speed Skating  
Danny Davis (USA) Snowboard  
 Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) Snowboard  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: STEVE FOHL
ATHLETE EVENT
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Holcomb/Langton (USA)  Bobsleigh  
 Four-Man Team: United States Bobsleigh  
Gracie Gold (USA) Figure Skating  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Felix Loch (GER) Luge  
Max Parrot (CAN)  Snowboard  
 Iouri \”the iPod\” Podladchikov (SUI) Snowboard  
 Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
BRIAN BARRETTE 
ATHLETE EVENT
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
Four-Man Team: United States Bobsleigh  
Women – Canada Curling  
Ice Dancing- Davis/White (USA) Figure Skating  
Hannah Kearney (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
 Women- United States Ice Hockey  
Viktor Ahn (RUS) Short Track Speed Skating  
Lizzy Yarnold (GBR) Skeleton  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
ROSS GROGAN
 
ATHLETE EVENT
Bode Miller (USA)  Alpine Skiing  
Men\’s Team Event- Russia Biathalon  
Four-Man Team: Germany Bobsleigh  
 Meyers/Evans (USA) Bobsleigh  
Men- Canada Curling  
Pang/Tong (CHN) Figure Skating  
Team Relay- Canada Luge  
Kamil Stoch (POL) Ski Jumping  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Relay Team (Men) – South Korea Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: KEN FLETCHER
ATHLETE EVENT
 Laura Gut (SUI)  Alpine Skiing  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Men\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR)  Cross-Country Skiing  
 Team Relay (Men) – Norway  Cross-Country Skiing  
Gracie Gold (USA) Figure Skating  
Men- Russia Ice Hockey  
Team- Norway Nordic Combined  
J.R. Celski (USA) Short Track Speed Skating  
Lee Sang-Hwa (KOR) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: AMBER RIDDLE
ATHLETE EVENT
 Shim Suk-Hee (KOR) Short Track Speed Skating  
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
 Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) Alpine Skiing  
Tora Berger (NOR) Biathalon  
 Women\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
Eric Frenzel (GER) Nordic Combined  
Charles Hamelin (CAN) Short Track Speed Skating  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
 Sven Kramer (NED) Speed Skating  
 Claudia Pechstein (GER) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
SEAN CUTSHALL
ATHLETE EVENT
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Klaus Kroll (AUT) Alpine Skiing  
 Bode Miller (USA)  Alpine Skiing  
Evgeny Ustyugov (RUS) Biathalon  
Four-Man Team: Russia Bobsleigh  
Men- Canada Curling  
Yulia Lipnitskaia (RUS) Figure Skating  
Sin Da-Woon (KOR) Short Track Speed Skating  
Team (Men) – Austria Ski Jumping  
 Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) Snowboard  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
MATTHEW LEATHERS
ATHLETE EVENT
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Bjorn Ferry (SWE) Biathalon  
Four-Man Team: Germany Bobsleigh  
Men- Sweden  Curling  
Kim Yu Na (KOR)  Figure Skating  
Men – Finland Ice Hockey  
Eggbert/Benecken (GER) Luge  
Sin Da-Woon (KOR) Short Track Speed Skating  
Team (Men) – Germany  Ski Jumping  
Arielle Gold (USA) Snowboard  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
TED CUNNINGHAM
 
ATHLETE EVENT
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
 Marlies Schild (AUT) Alpine Skiing  
Men\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
 Women\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
Four-Man Team: Germany Bobsleigh  
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing  
 Team Relay (Men) – Norway  Cross-Country Skiing  
 Men- United States Ice Hockey  
Team- Norway Nordic Combined  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT: DIEGO RICH
 
ATHLETE EVENT
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing  
Bode Miller (USA)  Alpine Skiing  
 Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
 Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) Alpine Skiing  
Martin Fourcade (FRA) Biathalon  
 Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) Biathalon  
 Tora Berger (NOR) Biathalon  
 Team Relay (Men) – Norway  Cross-Country Skiing  
 Marit Bjorgen (NOR)  Cross-Country Skiing  
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
WHITNEY WATERS
ATHLETE EVENT
Shani Davis (USA) Speed Skating  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Four-Man Team: United States Bobsleigh  
 Meyers/Evans (USA) Bobsleigh  
Men- Canada Curling  
Patrick Chan (CAN)  Figure Skating  
 Kim Yu Na (KOR)  Figure Skating  
 Ice Dancing- Davis/White (USA) Figure Skating  
Nick Goepper (USA) Freestyle Skiing  
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
KEITH STARNES
ATHLETE EVENT
Petter Northug, Jr. (NOR) Cross-Country Skiing  
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
 Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) Alpine Skiing  
 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Alpine Skiing  
     
Martin Fourcade (FRA) Biathalon  
 Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) Biathalon  
 Tora Berger (NOR) Biathalon  
 Marit Bjorgen (NOR)     
 Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR)    
Women – Canada Curling  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
JOSH CRANDALL
ATHLETE EVENT
Kelly Clark (USA) Snowboard  
Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR) Alpine Skiing  
Men\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
 Women\’s Team Event- Norway Biathalon  
Kikkan Randall (USA) Cross-Country Skiing  
Men- Canada Curling  
Natalie Geisenberger (GER) Luge  
 Team Relay- Germany Luge  
Sven Kramer (NED) Speed Skating  
 Lee Sang-Hwa (KOR) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
MEGAN POLLY
 
ATHLETE EVENT
Shaun White (USA) Snowboard  
Ted Ligety (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Julia Mancuso (USA) Alpine Skiing  
Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) Biathalon  
Ashley Wagner (USA) Figure Skating  
 Ice Dancing- Davis/White (USA) Figure Skating  
Men- United States Ice Hockey  
 Women- United States Ice Hockey  
Wendl/Arlt (GER) Luge  
Brittany Bowe (USA) Speed Skating  
COUNTRY:
PRESIDENT:
ABHIJIT MAHALINGASHETTY
ATHLETE EVENT
John Daly (USA) Skeleton  
Men- Canada Curling  
 Men- Norway Curling  
 Men- Sweden  Curling  
Men- Canada Ice Hockey  
 Men- United States Ice Hockey  
 Men- Russia Ice Hockey  
Team Relay- Canada Luge  
 Team Relay- Germany Luge  
 Team Relay- Russia Luge  

FIRST BIENNIAL OLYMPICS FANTASY LEAGUE
Welcome to the first ever Olympics Fantasy League!  This is a grand experiment so bear with the bumps and hiccups. 
PART ONE:
Select a team of ten Olympians.  You may select an individual, a team or a duo.  A team or duo will only count as one participant (i.e. they will not earn points for each member on the team, just one set of points for the team as a whole).  You choose how you want to spread out your ten team members, and you do not have to select an Olympian from each sport, but you can only have a max of three Olympians from any one sport.  (i.e. only three figure skaters or only three bobsled teams). This will be your team throughout the duration of the Games. 
How do you earn points?
If your Olympian…
            wins the Gold Medal – 5 points
            wins the Silver Medal – 4 points
            wins the Bronze Medal – 3 points
            advances from a preliminary round to the next round – 2 points
            sets a World Record or an Olympic Record – 1 point
You will also select a Team Captain.  You earn double points for this Olympian!
These selections need to be made by 1:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 6.  This is when the competition starts!  
To make things easier, you may select one of the suggested favorites, or you may write in your own selection.  A list of Olympians can be found here: http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athletesPlease contact Anna with any problems!
PART TWO:
Make your pick for overall medal winner by country in each Winter Olympics Sport as well as for the Games as a whole!  Medal events don’t start immediately, so you will receive a follow up e-mail with this information. 

PARTS ONE AND TWO WILL BE COMBINED TO CROWN A WINNER.
BONUS:
Design your team’s flag! You will receive a follow up e-mail with this information as well.  This part is OPTIONAL and does not count towards your total score.  You can provide as much information about your fictional country as you would like.  If you write a National Anthem, you just may win the game outright.