Team Kaz

Home sick with mama, but still cheering on Team Kaz!

Let's take a break, shall we?  If you want to know how I'm doing with the waiting, feel free to pick any blog from, oh, the past ten months and read it-I guarantee you it's about waiting!

But, life happens while we're waiting and I thought I would focus on one of the more fun things happening right now, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia.

One of my earliest and favorite childhood memories is of watching the Winter Olympics.  I would turn the knob of the TV, adjust the antenna, and though a grainy picture, magic would appear before my eyes.  I can't tell you how many ice skating shows I put on for my parents (techincally perfect as you can be with with socks on carpet!)  I knew all the skaters and as I grew older I followed their careers, fairy tale journeys full of grace, passion, and of course, drama.  Katarina Witt, Surya Bonaly, Torville and Dean, Scott Hamilton, Oksana Baiul, Gordeeva and Grinkov.  I knew them all, their routines, their music, an axel takes off from a forward edge while all other jumps use a backward entry, and nothing is more majestic than a spiral, soaring over the ice.

The  Soviets, and Russians reigned supreme, of course.  And most of the time I cheered for them over my own country's athletes, it was rare that anyone else won me over the incredible artistry and technical superiority displayed by Mother Russia. I vividly remember being heartbroken as the Olympic flag was raised over Victor Petrenko, gold medalist in 1992. Strains of the Olympic hymn which normally generate excitement instead created sadness for an experience that must have been bittersweet for all athletes of the former Soviet Union competing so soon after the fall of communism.

Russia has risen and fallen, fallen and risen many times since that tumultuous year. The opening ceremonies in Sochi were beautiful, grand, full of history, and not without some very noticeable glitches as well as obvious omissions.  Just like their homeland.  I have such a tangled relationship with that vast, unbridled country.  A place that straddles Europe and Asia, dignity and revolt, creation and oppression.  I wrote much more on how much I hate to love Russia here but perhaps what's most interesting is if I had to use one word, it would be same word I use to describe the country itself: paradox.

Team Kaz, entering the Stadium.

So how did I feel about the Olympics being held in a place that embraces so much and so little?  It's complicated.  The opening ceremonies made me proud, made me cry, and made me snarky.  Okay, it doesn't take much for me to reach any of those emotions!  But my favorite moment was (for the first time ever) during the Parade of Nations.  Normally reserving the Parade for bathroom breaks, this time I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for my adopted homeland to appear.  And because the order was based on the Cyrillic alphabet, I couldn't take the chance of missing any moments.  Because I couldn't quite remember the Cyrillic alphabet's order.  Because if you stop speaking that language for just one day you forget three years worth of work.

Anyhow.  Team Kaz!  Sending 52 athletes to this winter games, a much larger contingent than represented at Vancouver, Kazakhstan has the chance to medal in more than one event.  Figure skater Denis Ten has already won silver at World's and could do very well in Sochi.  Speed skater Denis Kuzin and Snowboarder Valeria Tsoy are also medal hopefuls along with many other skiers and skaters.  And let's be honest, if they awarded medals for what athletes wore during the Parade, Team USA wouldn't even make the podium and Kaz would be on top!  If you don't believe me, just check out the Huffington Post.  I'm serious!

Denis Ten, Kazakh figure skater

Fun costumes aside, these games are very important to Kazakhstan, President Nazarbayev attended the opening ceremonies, cheering on his athletes. Because of Kazakhstan's close connections with Russia, the Sochi games surely have extra meaning for them. Besides, considering the work they have put into their winter program, Kazakhstan has a lot to be proud of. Historically they have sent more athletes and won more medals at Summer Games. But that may be changing, The New York Times even featured Denis Ten in an article discussing his chances at winning the country's first ever gold medal in figure skating.

And you can bet we will be cheering him on!  The girls and I made an Olympics display, to help learn about the athletes, their sports, and their medals. We've already watched several events together and Evelyn has decided to root for Team USA, Team Russia, and of course, Team Kaz. She is not rooting for Norway, by the way, I have no idea why, she just told me so! Cici loves watching the "balleninas" on ice and had no interest in the biathlon.  We're all looking forward to a lot of hockey, skiing, way too much TV and way too little sleep over the next two weeks.  With any luck, the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi will be one my daughters' first memories too and by the time Pyeongchang is ready to host we will have a new reason to cheer for Team Kaz.