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The Sochi Olympics are right around the corner and you’d be wise to stick with Heavy.com for all of the best Olympic coverage. We will be your guide to the best events, athletes and stories during the 2014 winter games.
All times are EST, the event are being covered by NBC in the U.S. so please check your local listings.
But first here are the dates and events for Team USA you need to know:
Thursday, February 6
This is the date when the games start, despite the fact that the opening ceremony comes a day later. It’s not the most exciting day on the Olympic calendar but there are still some cool events such as the Snowboard-slopestyle qualification and the mens short programme in figure skating. Though it happens all the time in the Summer Games, it’s the first time in 30 years that the Winter Olympics start before the opening ceremony.
Friday, February 7
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This is the first big day, the opening ceremony. It’s scheduled to begin at 11:14 a.m., there’s a nine hour time difference between the east coast and Sochi. Around 40,000 Olympic fans will be crammed into the Fisht Olympic Stadium for the ceremony which will include an exploration of Russian history, athletes parade and the lighting of the torch.
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Saturday, February 8
The first medals will be handed out today in snowboarding, speed skating and figure skating. Expect Team USA to pick up some glory in the team figure skating event which begins at 10 a.m, the U.S. along with Canada and Russia were the leading nations in qualifying for the event.
Sunday, February 9
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In the men’s alpine skiing, Bode Miller is up at 2 a.m., he’s fan of the course, he’s still a favorite. At 4:15 a.m., Team USA’s Jamie Anderson steps up to enter the women’s snowboarding slopestyle.
Monday, February 10
Canadian skier Mikael Kingsbury in action. (Getty)
American fans should be most focused today on Patrick Deenen as he attempts to stop the dominant Canadian freestyle skiers, Mikael Kingsbury and Alex Bilodeau. That event kicks off at 9 a.m.
Tuesday, February 11
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A day in history, the women’s sky jump will be contested for the first time in the Winter Games. Team USA’s main hopeful will be Sarah Hendrickson who is looking to overcome her damaging ligament injurysha from back in the fall.
This will also be the day when the rockstar of Team USA, Shaun White, appears in the Snowboard – men’s half pipe. That event begins at 5 a.m., with the final scheduled for 12:30 p.m, 1998 was the last time Team USA failed get a gold in the men’s half pipe, so no pressure Shaun.
Wednesday, February 12
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Alpine skiing. No Lindsey Vonn. Who cares? American eyes will be trained on teenage sensation, Mikaela Shiffrin.
Thursday, February 13
Team USA’s men’s hockey team begin their quest for glory against Slovakia at 7:30 a.m. Also of Team USA interest is Noelle Pikus-Pace who is one of the favorites to take gold in the Skeleton.
Friday, February 14
Valentine’s Day…will love be in the air? Hopefully Ted Ligety will get some love as he competes in the Alpine skiing – men’s super combined. It will be an early (or late) start if you want to watch him however, he’s up at 2 a.m.
Saturday, February 15
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It’s Balboa v Drago all over again. Well not really, but Team USA’s hockey team takes on Russia in a replay of that game. The game is up at 7:30 a.m. That game back in 1980 at the Lake Placid games was the last time that the U.S. men’s team won gold in hockey.
Sunday, February 16
The women’s snowboard cross final is up today with Team USA’s Lindsey Jacobellis looking hopeful of a medal at 2 a.m. A few hours later at 10 a.m., Meryl Davies and Charlie White are expected to duke it out with Canadian pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for gold in the ice dance event.
Monday, February 17
It’s a busy day for fans of Team USA.
At 7:30 a.m. we’ll see if the stranglehold held by Team USA on women’s hockey can be broken as the semi-finals of the competition begins. Sweden, Finland and the hosts, Russia, are all potential stumbling, not to mention Canada.
Team USA are a favorite for the two-man bobsleigh gold at 9:30, but lets not forget about Winston Watts and the Jamaican bobsleigh team making their first appearance since 2002.
Then in a battle for ice dance supremacy goes down between mens ice dance and the other favorites, Canada and Team Great Britain.
Tuesday, February 18
Nothing of huge interest to Team USA today, yet, but it sure will be interesting to see Vanessa-Mae, the Thai-violinist-turned-skier. Despite being British by nationality, she has chosen to represent Thailand, the country of her father’s birth in the Olympics.
Wednesday, February 19
Less than two years after the Summer Games, Lolo Jones is back, but there’s no hurdles this time, it’s all about bobsleighs this time which begins at 4:15 p.m. Jones will be partnered by Lauryn Williams. Another American duo with a hope for gold in the sport are Elane Meyers and Aja Evans.
The men’s hockey quarter-finals are also scheduled for today, so hopefully there will be Team USA involvement there.
Thursday, February 20
In the women’s curling final at 8:30 a.m., the U.S. will have some stiff competition from Canada and Sweden. The bronze medal playoff is up at 3:30 a.m.
The women’s halfpipe skiing, Maddie Bowman, an X-Games sensation will be hopeful of victory in the finals at 9:30 a.m.
Later in the day, at noon, the women’s hockey final will be played, like the men’s team, finger’s crossed.
Friday, February 21
Could Mikaela Shiffrin, the Colorado teenager, deliver gold in her first Olympics. The final of women’s Alpine skiing is up at 7:45 a.m. Men’s ice-hockey semi-finals are also up.
Saturday, February 22
The game’s penultimate day. Hopefully Justin Reiter, the 33-year-old snowboarder will be in with a chance of a medal in the men’s final at 00:15 a.m. There should also be U.S. interest in the speed skating team pursuit final at 8:30 a.m., though the Netherlands are the favorites.
Sunday, February 23
It’s all over so soon. The final event of the games will be the men’s hockey final at 7 a.m., will Team USA be there? Expect Team USA to also have some say in the four-man bobsleigh final at 4:30 a.m.
The games closing ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the handing over of the games given to Pyeongchang in South Korea who host the 2018 games. The Winter Paralympics begin in Sochi on March 7.
