Dominique Daniels-The Number 1 BMX Biker In The USA

I watched the inaugural BMX cycling event in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, but little did I know the baddest and number one ranked female BMX biker in the country is African American.

Her name is Dominique Daniels, and she is all that and three bags of chips.  The Grand Canyon University student from Chandler, AZ discovered the sport by accident on her 12th birthday.   

There was a bike track near her home that her father Tim noticed her eyeing when they passed it.  As a birthday surprise he bought Dominique the necessary equipment and a small starter motorcycle, but when they arrived at the track discovered it was for BMX bikes only.  Tim returned to the store, bought his daughter a Huffy bike and the rest is history.

It didn't take Dominique long to quickly rise up the junior ranks and acquire the nickname in BMX circles of 'The Dominator'.   She turned pro at age 15 and progressed to the elite level in the sport so quickly the US Olympic Committee briefly considered waiving the age 19 restriction so she could compete for a spot on the 2008 Beijing Olympic team.


She's the number one ranked Union Cycliste Internationale BMX biker in North America, has competed internationally and is the 2009-2010 back to back National Bicycle League Elite Women’s Champion.

 


Daniels is considered a favorite to make the US 2012 Olympic BMX team and I'm looking forward to watching her ride next summer in London from August 8-10 against the world's best riders with a gold medal on the line.

O Canada-USA Gold Medal Hockey Version

I told a certain Canadian a few days ago her women's team was going down.    While I didn't see it happen during the Vancouver Games, I'm enjoying the fact the Team USA women are now the three time IIHF tournament champions after their 3-2 victory in Switzerland Monday 

USA 3-Canada 2

Ahem, to quote the late James Brown...I feels good!

And as your men's team advised the USA men's hockey team before they got beat down by the USA 5-3 during the Vancouver Olympics, it's time to learn how to sing 'O Canada'.

Catchy tune, but I'll have to tweak it with some extra special lyrics.

O Canada-USA Gold Medal Hockey Version
(sung to the tune of the Canadian national anthem)


Oh Canada,
Your fans just got to see
Your women lose
The gold in IIHF hockey

Your glowing hearts
Got to see rise
The US flag on your TV

From far and wide
O Canada
The world saw the USA beat thee

We won the game
Gloriously
O Canada the gold is ours
In women's hockey

O Canada the gold is ours
In women's hockey

Bye Vancouver-See You In Sochi In 2014

The XXI Winter Olympics concluded yesterday with the closing ceremonies being held at BC Place.

Despite Vancouver's games getting off to a tragic start with the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a practice run hours before the opening ceremony, they spent the next sixteen days of competition building toward a triumphant climax.

I concur with IOC president Jacques Rogge's remarks. Vancouver did a wonderful job hosting the games and as always, I'm sad to see any Olympics end.

While the host Canadians are keeping an Olympic record 14 gold medals, Team USA is taking 9 golds and 37 total medals south of the 49th parallel. It's the best total Winter Olympics haul we've had since the 1932 Lake Placid Games and broke the record set by Germany at the 2006 Torino Games.

All eyes will be on Sochi from February 7-23 in 2014, to whom the winter Olympic hosting torch was passed. While we're waiting for the start of Russia's first winter Olympics, next year in Durban, South Africa the IOC will determine which city gets the nod to host the 2018 winter games.

The 2018 contenders are PyeongChang, South Korea, who is making their third winter Olympic bid and has finished as the runners-up to eventual 2006 and 2010 winners Torino and Vancouver, Annecy, France, and Munich, Germany. If Munich's winter bid is successful, it would become the first city to host a winter and a summer games.

Fear not, Olympic junkies. Singapore will be hosting the first ever Youth Olympic Games this summer. They will be held from August 14-26 and will feature athletes aged 14 to 18 competing in the same events that are contested in a Summer Olympic Games. There will also be a Youth Winter Olympic Games as well contested in 2012 with Innsbruck, Austria hosting it.

Both should be interesting to watch and keep us Olympic junkies happy until London 2012. In the meantime, it's going to be an interesting four years between now and 2014.

Frack, Canada Men Win Gold In OT

This time I got a phone call from Renee and Renee's unhusband when it was over.

After Ryan Parise tied the game with 24 seconds left to stun the crowd into silence at Canada Hockey Place, Sidney Crosby got the red and white party started with a goal in the overtime period to deny Team USA their first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Miracle on Ice squad accomplished the feat.

Oh well, Sochi's only four years away.

This Time It's For The Gold Medal

It's hard to beat a team multiple times in any sport, but that's what Team USA's men's hockey team will have to do today if they wish to return to the States with a hockey gold medal for the first time in 30 years.

The Hockey Border War between the United States and Canada will kick off again at 3 PM EST. It's not only a rematch of the preliminary round game the US won last Sunday 5-3, it's also a rematch of the 2002 gold medal game in Salt Lake City that the Canadians won 5-2.

Team USA scored early and often in their semifinal game versus Finland Friday and made those goals stand up for a 6-1 victory.

Ever since that 5-3 preliminary round defeat the Canadian men have been on a roll themselves with victories over Germany, Russia and Slovakia.

They also have the pressure of an entire nation on their backs as well.

Go Team USA!

When North Americans Dominate An Olympic Sport, Why Does The IOC Want To Cancel It?

While I'm still disappointed about the Team USA women losing to Canada in the gold medal game last night, what has bothered me even more are the comments attributed to IOC president Jacques Rogge concerning the future of women's hockey in the winter Olympic games.

He said this to the Vancouver Sun on the same day of the US-Canada women's final.

“There is a discrepancy there. “Everyone agrees with that. This is maybe the investment period in women’s ice hockey. I would personally give them more time to grow, but there must be a period of improvement. We cannot continue without improvement.’’

The IOC doesn't have enough women's sports in the Olympic program to begin with, and refused to add women's ski jumping to it for this Olympic cycle.

So why the chatter about canceling women's hockey?

I believe much of this carping about women's hockey has to do with the fact that it has been a US-Canadian party so far. How much of a hue and cry would there be to end it if a European nation such as Russia or Sweden were dominating it instead of the United States or Canada?

When the Russian women were dominating women's Olympic basketball by capturing the 1976, 1980, and 1992 golds, deafening silence.

Softball got yanked as a Olympic medal sport for the 2012 London Games probably because of American domination of it. Never mind the fact that Japan knocked off Team USA for the 2008 gold medal in Beijing.

An attempt to bring it and baseball back into the Olympic program for 2016 was defeated despite the fact both sports are played all over the planet.

As was pointed out by IIHF president Rene Fasel men's hockey in his Swiss homeland experienced a lopsided 22-0 butt kicking in the 1930's administered by the Canadians. Swiss hockey grew to the point in which they knocked off the Canadians in the 2006 Torino games, and extended them to a hard fought 3-2 shootout loss in Vancouver.

Same story with the USA men's dominance of Olympic basketball. We went from sending collegiate all star teams to blow out the world's best to having to send our NBA ballers to uphold national basketball pride.

Even the NBA ballers now are challenged to the point where they only came home with bronze in 2004 and were severely challenged by Spain in 2008 before subduing them for gold.

Team USA women's basketball since the 1996 Atlanta Games has won four consecutive gold medals and six overall (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008). Instead of jibber-jabber about canceling the sport, the rest of the planet is rolling up their sleeves and raising their level of play to compete with us.

The result is that Team USA, even with WNBA players in the lineups are being stiffly challenged now by the Australians and the Russians. The Russians upset us in the 2006 FIBA worlds semis, and the Aussies have been our Olympics finals opponent in three consecutive Olympiads.

So if you non-North Americans want to end Canadian-US dominance of women's ice hockey, lower your level of complaining and raise your level of play.

We had to do that in the States and Canada to be competitive in sports Europeans dominate like Nordic combined, bobsled, speed skating and ice dancing.

Team USA has had to step up their hockey game just to be competitive with the Canadians. It's paid off with consecutive world hockey championships, two silvers and a bronze medal in Olympic competition, but no gold since 1998.

But as we American sports fans painfully know, all good Olympic sports dynasties come to an end, and this current Canadian run of Olympic hockey success will one day as well.

Step up your game, don't end it.

Oh Well-Canada Wins Olympic Gold

Renee is happily drinking her green tea this morning instead of crying in it like she was Monday because the Canadian women did something their male hockey playing counterparts haven't been able to do in these Olympics so far:

Beat Team USA.

They parlayed two early first period goals by Marie-Philip Poulin and the goaltending of Shannon Szabados into a 2-0 win for gold. Szabados stopped 28 shots to help Team Canada win their third straight Olympic gold medal and rack up their 15th straight Olympic win.

While Team USA did walk away with silver medals, it's one of the times in the Olympics when you aren't happy about it. When you lose to your bitter rival, it's even worse.

“Szabados played out of her mind,” Monique Lamoureux said. “It’s never fun to lose, especially in a championship game.”

“When you give your whole life to something and you come up short, as a team, it’s just awful,” four time Olympian Angela Ruggiero said while choking back tears. “It’s a little different than playing on the men’s side. You really give your life to it. You make lots of sacrifices to win the gold medal.”

Well ladies, you played your butts off to be so young. There were 15 Olympic rookies on that squad and you're still the two time world champions.

All Olympic sporting dynasties end sooner or later. The Canadian women will eventually lose an Olympic hockey game. Just get 'em in Sochi in 2014.

Assuming the IOC doesn't end women's Olympic hockey because Canada and the USA are dominating it right now.

It's On Renee-USA Vs Canada Women For Gold

At 6:30 PM EST what me and Renee have been trading barbs across the 49th parallel about for several months will finally happen.

The Clash of the Women's Hockey Superpowers at Canada Hockey Place.

It's the two time defending Olympic gold medalist Team Canada versus the two time reigning world champion and number one ranked Team USA.

This game is also taking place in the shadow of the 30th anniversary of the 'Miracle on Ice' game and the historic men's win over Canada on Sunday.

Interestingly enough, Mark Johnson, one of the major catalysts of the 4-3 win over the Russians is Team USA's coach.

Team USA has outscored its opponents 40-2 enroute to this Olympic final with 12-1, 13-0 and 6-0 wins over China, Russia and Finland in the preliminary round and a 9-1 semifinal win over Sweden. It avenged a 3-2 upset shootout loss in Torino that denied Team USA a trip to the 2006 Olympic final.

Canada has been just as dominant on its side of the Vancouver bracket. It steamrolled Slovakia 18-0, Switzerland 10-1 and Sweden 13-1 before posting a 5-0 shutout win over Finland in the semifinals.

It may be your house Renee, but we're coming to spoil the party. We want to do unto Canada what was done unto us at Salt Lake in 2002. Deny them the opportunity to win gold on their home soil.

My two time defending world champion girls won't be intimidated either.

"There's nothing better as an athlete – let alone a hockey player – than to play in a building of this magnitude, to have all the fans screaming," said Angela Ruggiero, who is one of two Americans to play in all four Olympic women's hockey tournaments.

"A lot of us were able to see the men win just, if anything, to get a sense of what the atmosphere is going to be like – hostile, fans chanting against you. And that's OK because I think our team thrives off of that."

It's on, Renee. Looking forward to watching my girls win gold, owning your podium and seeing the Stars and Stripes rise high in Canada Hockey Place.

Historic Winter Success For Team USA

The Canadians wanted to 'Own the Podium', but with a few days left to go Team USA is having historic winter Olympic success

Team USA has won 25 medals (seven gold, eight silver, and ten bronze) at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. That total matches the number of medals won at the 2006 Torino 2006 Winter Games. With one more medal, the United States will set a record for the most medals won at an Olympic Winter Games not held on US soil.

There have been historic breakthrough performances that have fueled this medal run. Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win a downhill gold medal. The Nordic combined team has won its first medals ever in 86 years. The men's hockey team is doing better than expected, and snapped a 50 year Olympic losing streak to Canada.

Shani Davis was a repeat medalist in his best speedskating events, picking up gold in the 1000m and silver in the 1500m just as he did in Torino.

There are a few days of action left in the Games, and if you want to keep track of it you can check out the latest Team USA news at this link.



Go Team USA!

30th Anniversary of The 'Miracle On Ice'

Do you believe in miracles? Yes! Al Michaels, February 1980


It's fitting that we are in the midst of a Winter Olympic Games being held on the North American continent as the 30th anniversary of Team USA's improbable February 22, 1980 Olympic hockey victory 4-3 upset victory over the Soviet hockey team is being celebrated.

I was a few months from graduating from high school when I arrived home from tennis practice and was informed by my mother that the United States had beaten the Big Bad USSR in Olympic hockey.

To grasp the magnitude of that win, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations in 2008, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) picked the Miracle on Ice as the number-one international hockey story of the century.

Bear in mind that this was a semifinal medal round game. Team USA still had to win the game against Finland to secure the gold medal.

This was also the same USSR team that embarrassed Team USA in a February 9 game at Madison Square Garden 10-3.

But what a difference two weeks makes.



It's 30 years later and I still get goosebumps watching that game.

5-3 USA! USA! USA!

The last time the United States beat Team Canada in Olympic hockey, my parents were a few months shy of graduating from high school.

Since that 2-1 February 25, 1960 win in Squaw Valley, CA Team USA has gone 0-5-1 in Olympic competition against Canada.

Until tonight.

Fittingly wearing replica 1960 uniforms and playing a day before the 30th anniversary of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice', Team USA followed the script of the 1960 and 1980 teams in riding the hot goaltending of Ryan Miller and some timely shots to a stunning 5-3 upset of Team Canada in front of a raucous crowd in Vancouver.

Ryan Miller did his best Jack McCartan and Jim Craig impression by stopping 45 shots in upsetting the heavily favored Canadians. It was the first time in 50 years that the United States men have beaten Canada in hockey and helped them close the preliminary phase of Olympic play with an unblemished record in Group A.

Team USA not only clinched the top spot on Group A, but also gained a bye into the quarterfinal round.

While Team Canada isn't out of the medals, their road to win gold became that much tougher. They not only have to play an extra game, they will have to win four consecutive games to do so.

The 1960 'Forgotten Miracle' team not only went unbeaten to gold at Squaw Valley, but went through Canada, the USSR, and Czechoslovakia in consecutive games to do it. The 1980 'Miracle on Ice' squad, well you know the story.

Can this 2010 United States men's team join those legendary Olympic hockey teams and come back with a gold medal?

They are only three tantalizing games away from doing just that.

Olympic Hockey Border War-Men's Division

We share a long border, the English language and a continent. But for the next two hours, they are The Maple Leaf Flag Waving Enemy.

It's the Olympic hockey showdown at the OK Corral, men's division. It's Team USA versus our Canadian neighbors,

It's Canada's game and national sporting passion. Team USA are no hockey slouches and are playing the day before the 30th anniversary of the 'Miracle on Ice'.

The Canadians won Olympic gold at the 1952 Oslo Games and to our chagrin the 2002 Salt Lake Games. Team USA won on home soil at Squaw Valley in 1960 and Lake Placid in 1980. We're also the only nation in Winter Olympic history to have won Olympic hockey gold as the host nation and we've done it twice.

Fittingly, there are high stakes in this final men's preliminary round game as well. Winner wins Group A and gets a bye into the quarterfinals. Loser plays an extra game to get to the medal round.

'Feel the Thunder' my azz. Time for some Olympic payback.

In 2002 they beat us in the gold medal game on US soil. Time to bring some pain to Canadian dreams of winning gold on their home soil.

USA! USA! USA!

Shani Looking For More Vancouver Gold

Shani Davis is looking to grab another medal tonight and make more speed skating history. He's competing in another event he's dominated during the World Cup season, the 1500m.

Davis is not only the defending world champion at this distance, in December he set the new world record in Utah at 1:41:04. He was the silver medalist at this distance in Torino.

Just like two nights ago when he defended his 1000m title, Davis will be skating in the last pair of the evening.

The best thing about that is that when he steps to the starting line, he'll know what time he has to beat to claim Olympic gold for the second time in these Games.

Six Is The Magic Number For Team USA Olympic Hockey

Both the Team USA men and women stayed perfect in Olympic today by scoring six goals in their respective pool play hockey games.

The Team USA women scored four first period goals enroute to a 6-0 shutout win Thursday over Finland at the UBC Thunderbird Arena. It helped Team USA clinch the top spot in Group B and put them in the medal round.

They will face Sweden on Monday at Canada Hockey Place with a chance to gain redemption. The Swedish team shocked the women's hockey world in 2006 by derailing the expected gold medal hockey showdown between the USA and Canada by upsetting Team USA 3-2 in a shootout.

It's obvious from the 13-1 shellacking Team Canada put on them Wednesday that this is a far different Swedish team than the Torino bronze medalists.

But anything can happen when you play the games, and it's still too early to count gold medals before they're awarded.

Over at Canada Hockey Place, the Team USA men also scored six goals in their 6-1 Group A victory over Norway.

Their next game promises to be much tougher since it will be a Sunday showdown against Team Canada that will decide who wins Group A. The Canadians warmed up for the showdown by taking a hard-fought 3-2 shootout win against Switzerland.

We'll see if both the men's and women's teams will have golden results.

Shani Repeats!

Shani Davis had to wait a while before he took the ice at the Richmond Olympic Oval in the last pair of the 1000m event.

But once he did Davis sped through his race in 1:08:94 to make history none again as the first skater to repeat as the 1000m gold medalist.

And he was ecstatic about it.

"I would say it's probably No. 1," he said. "Once you become world champion or Olympic champion, you get this nice little thing on your back -- it's called a target. People usually shoot for you. Just to be able to go out there today and defend my 1,000-meter title is truly amazing. I'm very satisfied that I was able to stay true to myself and defend my title."

This win makes him the second most decorated male long track speedskater behind Dr. Eric Heiden, who is the USA speedskating team physician for these Games.

Davis has another shot of adding to his medal collection with the 1500m event coming on Saturday

Shani's Best Event Coming Tonight

So far Shani Davis' attempt to win four gold medals in Vancouver has come up empty with a 12th place finish in the 5000m and withdrawing from the 500m Monday due to bad ice conditions.

I'll be parked in front of the TV to watch Shani Davis compete in his best long track speedskating event, the 1000m. It along with the 1500m are the two speedskating distances he has dominated.

Davis is the world champion and world record holder in the 1000m meters and the favorite to take gold in this event.

Here's hoping that tonight turns out to be a golden one for Shani Davis at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Good Day For Team USA Hockey

Team USA men's and women's hockey players took to the ice today at their respective venues and won.

This is the youngest USA men's hockey team to take the ice since the 1998 Nagano squad. Unlike the women, they are also playing in the same group with Team Canada.

They got their Olympic tournament off to a promising start with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland at Canada Hockey Place.

Goaltender Ryan Miller faced on 14 Swiss shots as Team USA tallied goals by Bobby Ryan, David Backes and Ryan Malone. Switzerland avoided the shutout by scoring a power play goal at 9:45 of the third period.

Their toughest competition, the Russians and homestanding Canadians also won their opening round games with Russia beating Latvia 8-2 and the Canadians rolling to an 8-0 victory over Norway in front of a flag waving sellout crowd after being held to a scoreless first period.

The USA men's team will face a critical game on Thursday with Norway.

Meanwhile over at the UBC Thunderbird Arena, the Team USA women continued their domination of Group B with a US record setting victory over Russia.

Team USA tallied a record seven power play goals and Jenny Potter scored her second hat trick of this Olympic tournament enroute to the 13-0 win.

The Team USA women have scored 25 goals in their initial two games while surrendering only one. The win clinched their spot in the February 20-22 crossover round, and they will play Finland Thursday to decide the winner of Group B.

12-1, Renee: USA! USA! USA!

The back to back world champion and number one ranked Team USA played their first game in this 2010 women's Olympic hockey tournament versus China.

Team USA unleashed 61 shots on goal and took a 5-0 lead after the first period concluded enroute to tying an American Olympic record with their 12-1 victory.

The game was played in front of a flag waving crowd that included Vice President Joe Biden and his wife and 1980 USA Olympic hockey captain Mike Eruzione.

Jenny Potter scored three goals in only 22 minutes to become the all time leading scorer in US Olympic history male or female.

“You don’t ever like to beat a team, 12-1,” Natalie Darwitz, the American captain, said, adding, “I think we got a little sloppy there in the middle and the end. It’s kind of a tough game when you’re controlling the play and it gets to be about goals and points. You get away from doing the little things.”

Team USA's next Group B game will take place on Tuesday against the Russians, who lost to Finland 5-1 in their opener.

One down, four to go

So Canada Beat Slovakia 18-0: It's Still Early

The opening ceremonies are over, the Olympic flame has made it to its dual cauldrons in BC Place and downtown Vancouver and the competition is now underway.

A certain Canadian and I have been engaged in trash talking for several months over our respective world number one and two ranked women's hockey teams. When the opening ceremonies were over she wasted little time reminding me we were on Canadian soil and chanting 'feel the thunder', the Canadian Olympic slogan for these games.

The two time defending gold medallists opened Group A preliminary play against first timers Slovakia. The Canadians raced out to a 7-0 first period lead and never looked back in their record setting 18-0 blowout.

The previous record was a 2006 16-0 Canadian romp over Italy

But am I feeling the thunder? Nope.

If Team Canada rings up double digit goals to Sweden, the defending Torino silver medalists, then that's a cause for concern.

The Swedes are no women's hockey slouches. They upset Team USA during the 2006 Olympic semis in Torino enroute to the silver medal and won their opening Group A game against Switzerland 3-0.

Reminder to Renee and my other Canadian readers, they are in your group. Sweden wants to take a chunk out of both our squads and think they can.

The back to back world champions and number one ranked Team USA women make their Vancouver hockey debut versus China in Group A play.

Interesting note about Team USA is they are coached by Mark Johnson, who was a member of the 1980 Lake Placid 'Miracle on Ice' gold medal squad.

There are also several members of this team that remember the less than satisfying results in Salt Lake and Torino and want some redemption.

But the pressure is on Canada to defend their home turf and threepeat as Olympic champs.

So yeah, a lot of hockey has to be played before we get to the women's Olympic hockey final on February 25.

And as any sports fan can tell you, anything can happen when you play the games.

The Vancouver Games Begin

They got off to a sad start with the unfortunate death of a Georgian luger during a practice run at the Whistler Sliding Centre Friday morning, but the XXI Winter Olympic Games are underway.

So is the athletic competition that we'll be enjoying for the next two weeks. As a matter of fact, the ski jumping prelims took place before the opening ceremony.

With the start of these games, Vancouver with a population of 2 million now has the distinction of being the largest city to ever host a Winter Olympic games. This is also the first time that an opening ceremony was held indoors as well.

Governor General Michaelle Jean declared the games opened as the honor of the lighting the cauldron fell to hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, NBA baller Steve Nash, and Olympians Catriona Le May Doan and Nancy Greene Raine.

The ceremony went flawlessly until it was time to light the indoor cauldron, and one of the four arms failed to lift, leaving Catriona Le May Doan holding her torch as the other three pillars were lit.

Today was a drama filled day, but let's hope that the only drama from now until the February 28 closing ceremony is focused on the competition.