Actor Eddie Cahill celebrates the upset in 2004's "Miracle" When the U.S. ice hockey team upset the Canadian squad on Sunday, we couldn't help but be reminded that today, February 22, marks the 30th anniversary of what many believe was the greatest upset in sports history, the so-called "Miracle on Ice." Sportscaster Al Michaels' call, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!," entered the pantheon of great sports calls, and put the capper on the American ice hockey team's upset of the heavily-favored Soviet team. The "Miracle on Ice" was probably a once-in-a-lifetime occurance, but hardly a season goes by when some underdog doesn't defy the odds and stun fans with an unexpected victory. And don't think that Hollywood doesn't notice, either. Such David-and-Goliath sagas are tailor-made for the movies, where stories that warm the heart can turn into cold, hard cash. The American hockey victory alone was turned into not one, but two films, and such unlikely human -- and animal -- champions as James J. Braddock and Seabiscuit gave hope to Americans beaten down by the Great Depression -- to the delight of studio heads seventy years later. Audiences cheered Milan High School's small-town championship in "Hoosiers," and, while it's not an "upset," the rags-to-riches story of Michael Oher in last year's "The Blind Side" may spell Oscar gold for Sandra Bullock. Whose story will make it to the silver screen next? Joe Namath's? Kirk Gibson's? Or is the next Rulon Gardner still in hiding, just waiting for a chance? Suggested Sites... ESPN: The Biggest Upsets - fans and writers vote on the greatest upendings of all time. Broadway Joe - you'll look at this page about Joe Namath -- we guarantee it. Wikipedia: Miracle on Ice - all about the team that went for the gold. Russians Play Down "Miracle on Ice" 30 Years Later - not everyone was happy with the outcome. Vancouver 2010: Ice Hockey - official Olympic site for the current competition.

Directory categories: Sports Movies, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, Miracle Movie, Olympic Ice Hockey, 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games

Archived under: 1980s, American History, Anniversaries, Athletes, Entertainment, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Miracles, Movies, Olympics, Russia, Sports, Winter Olympics, Winter Sports

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In Vienna, curling may be for the terminally hip, but everywhere else, it's for everyone (Photo by Chad K) Way back in 2002, I was up late one night during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In a mood to watch the competition, I happened upon a curling match. "Curling?!," I scoffed, "Surely there's something better than that." I stayed tuned, though. There was something about the sport that was gripping, what with its arcane rules, fast-yet-slow action, and alien aspects. I was hooked, and I’ve stayed that way ever since. In 2006, I wrote the piece below, in anticipation of the Turin Olympic Games. In those years since, popular culture has caught up with The Spark. It might be human to feel superior to these Johnny-come-latelys -- I mean, when "The Simpsons" has built an episode around a cultural phenomenon, surely its time has passed -- but in the spirit of curlers around the world, I can't help but feel fellowship with anyone who gets -- and loves -- a bonspiel of any kind, anywhere. One winter's day in the dim past, someone saw that a lake or a river that had frozen over and said to his fellows, "Hey, let's find some heavy rocks, go out on the ice and slide them at a target." From those humble beginnings grew curling, the world's most exciting slow-motion sport. It’s a pastime available to curlers of all ages -- from eight to eighty -- who love nothing better than to find a rink and get a bonspiel going. They lace up their sliders, step up to the hack, and slide a series of 41-pound chunks of polished granite (the "stones") down the ice at a target called "the house." There's more to curling than just sliding rocks, though -- team members (the not-so-cleverly named "lead," "second," "third," and "skip") also get to scrub the ice with brooms! Since the ice the game is played on is deliberately made uneven and stippled by pouring hot water on it -- unlike the glassy surfaces speed skaters, hockey players, and figure skaters perform on -- curlers have to use their brooms to make sure that the stone speeds up, slows down, and goes (or "curls") where they want it -- until the skip shouts "off!" The team that ends the game with the most stones after ten ends (not unlike baseball innings) close to the target -- the "button" at the center of the house (think of it as a bulls-eye in darts) -- wins. If a team somehow manages to get all of its own rocks -- and none of their opponents' -- in the house, though, they score that rarest of feats, an 8-ender -- comparable to a 300 game in bowling. For those with a taste for freezing, wearing funny clothes, and trying not to fall, it's heaven on ice. Suggested Sites... World Curling Federation - source for bonspiels around the globe. Vancouver Olympics: Curling - schedules, news, and highlights. NBC Olympics: Curling - schedules, video highlights, and expert commentary. CBC: Olympic Curling - standings, features, rules, and history. Curling Science - it's more than just shuffleboard on ice.

Directory categories: Curling, Curling at the 2010 Olympic Games , 2010 Olympic Games, Winter Sports, Curling Gear and Equipment

Archived under: Canada, Curling, Games, Ice, Olympics, Sports, Winter, Winter Olympics, Winter Sports, Women's Sports

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Getting her tongue stuck to a pole is the least of her concerns. (Photo by Patrick) It's winter, and the sun has shifted away from the Northern Hemisphere, making the days shorter and the weather colder. It's the perfect temperature for snuggling by a fire, bundling up warmly to venture out ice skating, or donning a bathing suit and jumping into a 45°F lake. Wait, what? That's right, January 1st, 2010 will mark Canada's 90th annual Polar Bear Swim, where lunatics (a.k.a. hardcore devotees to charity) jump into a freezing lake with nothing but of bit of spandex to protect them from them elements. Polar Bear Clubs are an offshoot of the equally crazy sport of ice swimming, where a hole is cut into the ice so swimmers can jump into the freezing waters hiding just beneath. Ice swimmers tout the sport's health and spiritual benefits -- but a little vodka to warm the bones doesn't hurt either. Of course, if you'd rather keep your clothes on while you enjoy the extreme cold, there's the North Pole Marathon where runners race 26.2 miles across Arctic ice floes in sub-zero temperatures. Or try the slightly less insane sport of ice biking, where cyclists refuse to acknowledge that the combination of a frozen road and a thirty pound bike frame is probably not a good mix. And if water sports are more your forte, snowkiting takes the sport of kiteboarding from the ocean to the snow. Snowkiters use skis or a snowboard to glide across the snow with the assistance of a foil or inflatable kite, but unlike kiteboarding, snowkiters have the added thrill of dodging trees and other inanimate objects as they sail across the snowy plains. Sooner or later, some hearty soul is going to invent blizzard parasailing. When that happens, I'll wish them well... then bundle down under my down comforter with a cup of hot apple cider. They're nuts. Suggested Sites... Polar Bear Swim 2010 - Vancouver - site for the 90th Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver Polar Bear Swim 2010 - Toronto - site for the 90th Polar Bear Swim in Toronto. Plungapalooza - the annual Polar Bear Plunge in Baltimore, Maryland. Snowkiting - pictures, videos, tips, and more. Icebike - pictures, stories, equipment recommendations, etc.

Directory categories: Polar Bear Clubs, Winter Swimming, Winter Cycling, Winter Sports, Extreme Sports

Archived under: Adventure, Athletes, Biking, Canada, Events, Extreme Sports, Fanatics, Ice, Marathons, Running, Skiing, Snow, Sports, Swimming, Weather, Winter, Winter Sports

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Even if you're a nerd, you don't have to make your poor dog suffer (Photo by Felipe Ibanez Guzman) There's a moment in everyone's life when they come out of the closet -- not necessarily that closet -- but rather when they realize that that thing they’ve always been interested in and fascinated by isn't something to be embarrassed about, but is something to be acknowledged and celebrated. In my own case, it was (and is) comic books. Even though I've been reading them for half a century, when I was in high school, it was worst sort of social embarrassment to admit that not only did you read and enjoy them, but you also collected them. When I got to college, I met men and women who were smart, funny, and who actually read comics -- and admitted it. Since then, I've been more than proud of my fanboy status -- even if some of my fellows are still stereotypically geeky. May 25th is Nerd Pride Day, a holiday that started (in Spain, of all places) in 2006, and is dedicated to allowing all of us the freedom to be geeks or nerds about anything we like -- no, not just like, but are really into. With that in mind, I polled my fellow Sparksters to find out what floats their particular boats. Robert: As far as nerdy and geeky interests, there's too much to choose from, so I’ll just go with role-playing games -- "Dungeons and Dragons" in particular; a game that even nerds call nerdy. I used to play "Dungeons and Dragons" back in the '90s when TSR was still around and supported the "Ravenloft" (gothic horror) and "Dark Sun" (kind of like "Mad Max") campaign settings. These days my D&D lust is satisfied by war games like "Warhammer" and board games (especially horror games) like "Arkham Horror," which is a perfect meld of board games and another nerdy interest of mine: H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos. But, still loyal to my old passion, I keep a bad-ass "Dragons of Krynn" painting I got way back in high school hanging in my room. Sarah: I am a total history junkie. I will read, watch, or listen to anything involving history (as you can probably tell from my Sparks). I'm partial to European history, especially anything weird, corrupt, or scandalous -- and it’s even better if it involves the monarchy. But surprisingly, I've never been to a Renaissance Faire. Suzi: This Memorial Day, I hope to be sitting by the pool, soaking up the sun, enjoying a bevy of tunes from my iPod Classic, whilst reading some lovely literary selection on my Kindle. I'm sure I'll be in contact with loved ones, as my Blackberry Pearl never leaves my side. Yes, folks, I am an unabashed gadget girl. I wear my Nerd Pride badge, well, proudly. Richard: I became painfully aware of my status as a gay nerd while creating a spreadsheet of "Golden Girls" episodes that I wanted to rip to my iPhone, organized by season, disc, and featured musical number (where applicable.) Jessica: I am nerdy about snowboard construction. My own snowboard has a Kevlar core for strength and flexibility (and in case bad guys are after me on the slopes, a la James Bond). It's pretty new, but the latest in board tech is bamboo veneer, which, in addition to being sustainable and looking very board-like indeed, reduces vibrations on icy snow and at high speeds. So cool. Adrienne: I collect Japanese toys. Okay, I'm not a master collector, but I still spend too much money of ugly vinyl monsters and fanciful plastic windup toys. Source of neurotic nerdiness: Crying over Gamera's apparent demise ("Don't die, Gamera! Don’t die!") in a fellow 3-year-old’s Gaithersburg, Maryland basement. It's one of my earliest memories. Do manicured lawns spawn escapist fantasies? Chris: I am an unapologetic sci-fi nerd. A good sci-fi novel/movie inspires you to think deeply, often forcing you to consider possibilities that never occurred to you. The prescription for all closed-minded individuals who just can't show any empathy or sympathize with any unknown point of view is an assigned list of the best sci-fi. Mike: I am a Disneyland nerd and proud of it! Since I was 10 years old, I’ve been going there at least once a year. After my first son was born, I have shared my poison, I mean passion, for it with my family -- my eight-year-old son has been there 15 times. I know ... it's nuts. And that’s why it's the nerdiest thing about me. Suggested Sites... Wikipedia: Geek Pride Day - we call them nerds, they call them geeks -- and there's probably a subculture dedicated to determining the differences. Nerd Country - "your complete nerd resource." Wikipedia: Trekkies - for some, these are the ultimate of geekdom. 501st Legion - for me, it doesn't get any lower than this, though. Okay, you think Boba Fett is cool; we get it, already! Kelly's World of Airsickness Bags - see, there's nothing that doesn't have afficionados.

Directory categories: Comic Books, Consumer Electronics, The Golden Girls, Collectible Toys, Disneyland

Archived under: Authors, Board Games, Books, Celebrations, Collectibles, Comic Books, Comics, Counterculture, Cultures, Disney, Disneyland, Entertainment, European History, Extreme Sports, Fanatics, Fiction, Gadgets, Games, Gay Pride, History, Hobbies, Holidays, In Character, James Bond, Japan, Literature, Monsters and Creatures, Parenting, Royalty, Science Fiction, Sitcoms, Society and Culture, Sports, Star Trek, Star Wars, TV, Technology, The Spark, Toys, Winter Sports, Yahoo! Directory

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"Rats!" (Photo by sookie) Sometimes it seems like the Japanese just have more fun than Americans. Their game shows are crazier -- or more vicious, depending on your point of view. Their vending machines offer far more variety than those in the States. Their baseball games are more colorful and frenzied, and their other team sports are -- well, let's just say, who else but the Japanese would think of competitive snowball fighting? Yukigassen, as it's known, combines the Japanese words for "snow" and "battle" into what may be the world's coldest team sport. And while the wintry sport originated in the Land of the Rising Sun, it isn't limited to Asia: The Finns and Norwegians have had a lock on the medals awarded in annual competitions since 2005. The rules of Yukigassen are simple: two teams of seven (armed with 90 snowballs for each of three 3-minute periods) face off on a 40- by 10-meter court (about 130 by 30 feet) and try to either capture a flag or hit every member of the other team with snowballs. The tournament has snowballed (sorry) since its humble beginnings in 1988, and 155 teams now compete annually to see who will bring home the gold. Truly, for these athletes, there's no business like snow business. Suggested Sites... Showa-Shinzan International Yukigassen - where bears in protective helmets gather to pound each other. How to Make the Perfect Snowball - forewarned is forearmed. You Tube: Yukigassen Championship - watch all the action. Japanese Bikini Pie-Fight - in case you didn't think snowball teams were weird enough. Yukigassen Kemijärven Finland - details about the European championships.

Directory categories: Japanese Sports, Winter, Sports, Winter Carnivals and Festivals, Extreme Sports

Archived under: Japan, Snow, Snowballs, Sports, Winter, Winter Sports, Yukigassen

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