By Sam Rautins, Angela Bussone, and Joe Kiesa
Staff Writers
“The Winter Olympics are going to be freakin sick!” says Jamesville-DeWitt High School freshman Jack Austin. The Olympics have started in Sochi, Russia and many Olympic performers have already taken home gold, silver or bronze for our country. The USA is currently in third place in the overall medal count, trailing behind Norway and tying the Netherlands with twelve medals each.
It seems that snowboarding and its star, Shaun White, are the most popular winter olympic event at J-DHS. “I like watching skiing and snowboarding and I’m excited to see Shaun White,” says freshman Ryan Collins. Many students, like senior Chase Hornstein, agree. “I’m excited, it’ll be a good time to watch,” says Austin, who is looking forward to watching Sidney Crosby and Shaun White.
Senior Will Darcy is looking forward to watching the brand new sport of slopestyle skiing. Darcy hopes that American Bobby Brown will get a medal. Sphomore Dylan Fleischman and freshman Vincenzo Digristina are also looking forward to watching Bobby Brown as well as the skiing freestyle. Freshman Eli Williams is looking forward to it as well. “I’m ready for some hockey,” says freshman Kyle Cappelletti. Freshman Jai Benson is ready for hockey.
There are many American athletes favored to get on the podium in some of the least favorite sports at J-DHS. Erin Hamlin is a favorite in the luge, but the luge isn’t so popular among student at J-DHS. Hamlin is from Oneida County which is only about an hour away from here. Along with the luge, women’s hockey, biathlon, speed skating, and curling are among the least favorites here at J-DHS. Freshman Julia Kelner and freshman Maddie Pereira agree that curling is the worst sport in the winter olympics. Junior Maddy Frank says the biathlon is “so pointless.” But some other students are taking a different approach to the Olympics. Freshman Bennett Chirco says; “I watch whatever is on.”
At the start of the games, there were several concerns that there would be an attack from a terrorist group inside Russia. The Olympians even went to the extent of telling their families not to come watch them compete. However, so far everything has been safe and well.