An Unexpected Victory

"Sports are the only thing on TV that is actually reality television"
My dad has said that phrase to me hundreds of times. He's said it to me while we watched the Iowa Hawkeyes defeat LSU in the 2005 Capital One Bowl with a Hail Mary for the last minute, game-winning touchdown. He said it to me as we sat in the Captain Morgan Club at Wrigley field, drinking a Captain and Diet (tall double) as we watched the Cubs. Watching the London 2012 Summer Olympics from our cozy Ozark lake house, he reminded me yet again that this is as real as it gets. And of course, he reminded me about the excitement and reality of all sports as we sat in the Bear River Bar, at the base of Steamboat Mountain, as we watched the March Madness tournament while drinking our Captain and Cokes.
Nothing proves that statement to be more true than the power of an unexpected victory. The Gold going to the athlete that was seen as more of a Silver or Bronze-medal athlete. This is especially relevant as we watch the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, cheering on our old favorites, our new favorites, and the underdog. There are certain events from the 2014 Winter Olympic Games where some of the greatest, and most well-known athletes shocked us with a loss, while the underdog awed us with their Gold medal-worthy performance. Check out some of snowboardings unlikely outcomes from this years Winter Olympics:

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle

Gold: Kotsenburg

Silver: Sandbech

Bronze: McMorris

Photo Credit: http://www.sochi2014.com

One of the favorites in this event was the Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris.
McMorris is known for landing his massive triple cork in the 2012 X Games.
Two weeks prior to the Winter Olympics McMorris fractured a rib in the 2014 X Games, making his chance at winning Gold in Sochi a little more difficult. 
Follow Mark on Twitter.

Sage Kotsenburg was also a competitor in the Men's snowboard slopestyle.
Kotsenburg was viewed somewhat as an underdog after placing 8th in the qualification round and 2nd in the semifinals.
In the snowboard slopestyle finals, Kotsenburg nabbed the first ever Gold medal in the snowboard slopestyle event as well as the first Gold medal of the 2014 Winter Olympic games.
Check out his medal-winning run here.
Follow Sage on Twitter.

Women's Snowboard Halfpipe

Gold: Farrington

Silver: Bright

Bronze: Clark

Photo Credit: http://www.nbcolympics.com

Kelly Clark is one of the best female snowboarders of all time.
She has placed first in the X Games halfpipe event since 2011.
Sochi 2014 website lists a full player profile as well as Clarks previous victories in snowboarding events.
Clark placed 1st in the Winter Olympics snowboard halfpipe qualifying round only to fall to 3rd place in the halfpipe finals.
Follow Kelly on Twitter.

Kaitlyn Farrington's performance record is an impressive one, but it doesn't quite measure up to Clark's extensive list of 1st place victories.
Sochi 2014 website provides a full list of Farrington's performance profile.
Farrington placed 4th in the Winter Olympics halfpipe qualifying round and 1st in the semifinals.
She claimed Gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe after this run at Sochi.
Follow Kaitlyn on Twitter.

Men's Snowboard Halfpipe

Gold: Iouri Podladtchikov

Silver: Ayumu Hirano

Bronze: Taku Hiroka

Photo Credit: http://nymag.com

Shaun White dropped out of the Men's Snowboard Slopestyle so he could focus on winning the Gold in the snowboard halfpipe event. 

White has claimed halfpipe Gold in both the 2006 and 2011 Winter Olympics. 

It was shocking to many of the viewers when White didn't even reach the podium this year, leaving Sochi empty handed.

Follow Shaun on Twitter.

The Gold went to the right athlete this year, Iouri "IPOD" Podladtchikov, who is not necessarily an underdog, but an athlete that is able to prove himself to the world at the perfect moment. 

IPOD is a well-known snowboarder to most who actually pay attention to the sport.

Iouri actually invented his own trick called the YOLO Flip.

IPOD finished 8th in the halfpipe qualifying round, 1st in the semifinals, and 1st in the finals with this run.

Follow Iouri on Twitter.

Oh yea, did I mention Shaun White is taking time off from snowboarding to start a band? So there's that.

Winter Olympics Rewind

2 days - Winter Olympic Ceremony

3 days - The beginning of Winter Olympic Events in Sochi

With the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi just around the corner, I decided to take a look back to see where the Winter Olympics originally began and how far they have come.

There was once a time when there was no such thing as the Winter Olympics. The original Olympic Games consisted of many events, most of which are still showcased in the Summer Olympics. Soon, a platform to showcase more winter events was created and was rightfully titled the 'Winter Olympic Games. FactMonster provides a historic timeline of where the Winter Olympics originated from and how far it has come. Another, more broad, timeline that points out the major events of all previous Winter Olympics is provided by CNN Sochi 2014. 

Here are a few of the major controversies, scandals, and events that have shaped the Winter Olympics in years past.

Photo Credit: RollingStone, Chris Cole; Bob Martin/ALLSPORT

'The Daily Beast' article on the 1994 Harding, Kerrigan Scandal describes the relationship between Harding and Kerrigan, and the events leading up to the scandal.

Photo Credit: Huffingtonpost, getty images

The Huffington Post talks about the recent, tragic loss of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili in the trials prior to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Photo Credit: SmashingLists

1980 Winter Olympics and the "Miracle On Ice" was a defining moment for the young USA hockey team. About.com goes into detail about the USA hockey team and the challenges they faced during the Lake Placid Winter Olympics.