Winter Olympic fever

I always say I'm not going to catch it, but here I am again watching these damned Winter Olympics.

It's a joke, really. All of these made up sports.

Last night, I watched the women's moguls, which I Googled to discover had nothing to do with the non-wizarding world of Harry Potter. Instead, it's skiers zig-zagging over a series of bumps, or "moguls," with a couple of well-placed ramps that launch the racers skyward, enabling them to do various flips and spins on which they are judged by an international panel. The competitors' total scores are based on their technique on turns and in the air, as well their speed down the hill.

It's a strange little sport, but pretty damn riveting.

What gets me most intrigued during the Winter Olympics is all the whacked out jargon NBC's commentators throw out during the competition. After a couple of runs down the hill in last night's women's mogul event, I completely understood what they meant when they said, "She's coming down with a lot of heat into the kicker, but was still able to stick the Heli."

It will get crazier as the games go on, and by the end of these two weeks, I should feel quite comfortable throwing out a "Salchow" in conversation here and there. Oh, you thought it was sow-cow?

I can't believe you've never heard of Swedish figure skating pioneer Ulrich Salchow. Sad.