Technology of sport

SAN FRANCISCO--I have to admit, in the six weeks since I got back from covering the Winter Games, there has been a bit of post-Olympic letdown.

So, when British Columbia tourism officials set up a zip line in San Francisco and brought a few Olympians to town, I decided I had to check it out, even if the tech angle was a little weak (as my editor was quick to point out).

For the Canadians, it was a chance to show San Francisco some of what Vancouver has to offer. In addition to the zip line, British Columbia has filled … Read more

WHISTLER, B.C--Though clearly excited at winning a gold medal--the first U.S. bobsled gold in 62 years--Steven Holcomb wasn't quite sure what to say.

"I think I'm supposed to say I'm going to Disneyland."

In reality, the avid gamer and computer junkie is far more likely to go home and play Xbox than visit Mickey Mouse.

As for future plans, Holcomb said he wants to stay with bobsled as long as he can. "I'm a lifer," he told reporters here.

Teammate Steve Mesler also said it was impossible to describe the … Read more

WHISTLER, B.C.--With snow backdrops and with subjects moving at upwards of 80 miles an hour, Canon figured that the Olympic would be a perfect testing ground for one of its new lenses.

The lens, an updated version of its 70-200mm L-series lens, is slated to ship in a few weeks. But Canon made about 300 just for the games to get some feedback and make any last minute tweaks, if necessary.

Both Canon and rival Nikon are at the Games, helping photographers with demo lenses and cameras.

I took advantage of that, borrowing a lens from Canon to … Read more

VANCOUVER, B.C.--There's been a lot of attention in Vancouver about a certain Snow Leopard, but this one comes from a lot farther away than Cupertino, Calif.

Ghanan skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, who happens to have the same nickname as Mac OS X 10.6, has won attention as the only representative from the African nation at these Winter Games. The Snow Leopard is slated to race on Saturday in the men's slalom race at Whistler.

Part of his nickname comes from the fact that he supports the Snow Leopard Trust, an organization devoted to protecting the endangered … Read more

VANCOUVER, B.C.--A child's first hockey game is a right of passage in Canada.

And Thomas Challis, 5, of Coquitlam, got an exceptionally good introduction to big-time hockey, landing the chance to go with his dad to Tuesday's match-up between Switzerland and Belarus.

Thomas' dad, Roger, patiently explained some of the game's finer points, such as the difference between linemen and referees (referees call penalties, while linesmen generally do not) and why regular players have hard shin pads and goalies have big soft pads (goalies don't want to give up big rebounds that can lead … Read more

VANCOUVER, B.C.--The advantage of being Omega, in addition to the branding benefit of being the official timekeeper, is you also get access to some really cool photos from the Olympic finish line.

And this year, Omega has an even more powerful 2,000-frame-per-second camera to capture those close calls. The folks at Omega were nice enough to share some of the photos from the first week of the games, which I've put into a photo gallery.

The shots include Seth Wescott narrowly winning the gold medal in snowboard cross and Apolo Anton Ohno edging out Canadian Charles … Read more

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--Less than a century ago, the timing of downhill skiing required someone at the top and bottom of the run, each with a stopwatch synchronized to the time of day.

Every few skiers, the timer at the top would send down a piece of paper with the start times of the last few skiers and then some math would ensue, eventually resulting in the time of the run being calculated.

Oh, how things have changed. Not only is everything electronic, of course, but the sensors are often tied to the athletes themselves. In speedskating, racers wear a transponder … Read more

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--At a ceremony on Friday night, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was honored for his contributions and put on the spot.

Hockey fans gathered at the Molson Hockey House downtown for a tribute to Gretzky, but they also wanted to know whether the Great One thought this year's team has what it takes to win the Olympic hockey tournament. Well, rest comfortable, Canadians, he picked the home team to win gold.

Gretzky, who for many is still the face of Canadian Hockey--praised the work of another NHL great--Steve Yzerman--in putting together the team that is competing in Vancouver. … Read more

WHISTLER, B.C.--They may be on the same world championship four-man bobsled team, but Steven Holcomb and Steve Mesler are decidedly different when it comes to that all important question: Mac or PC?

A computer science major and admitted computer nerd, Holcomb is decidedly in the PC camp, even eschewing the iPod in favor of a Creative Zen player. Mesler, a pusher on Holcomb's sled, is just as passionate about the Mac.

"I'm on the creative side," Mesler said in an interview. "He's on the technical side."

That said, the pairing pays … Read more