Ones To Watch in Vancouver

With the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics behind us, it's finally "game on" in Vancouver. In this ageof commercialism, and corporate sponsorship (yes, Visa, we know you're the only card accepted at these Olympic Games) the true Olympic message has become somewhat muddled.

It is no small paradox that this is a simultaneous celebration of nationalistic pride, individual achievement, and the fraternity of the world's finest athletes, three things that would seem to be at odds with each other. It was also an event built around the amateur athlete, but now many countries litter their teams with "professionals," and the money that is invested in, and can be reaped through a gold medal windfall is enough to keep some athletes in annoying Subway commercials for a lifetime (see: Michael Phelps).

But we here at Tonic are all about the true Olympic spirit, harkening back to the athletic chivalry that Pierre de Coubertin envisioned when he set about to revive the ancient Olympic Games in the 19th century ... Well, at the very least, we are suckers for a good story. Now that Nelly Furtado and Bryan Adams have quieted down, and looking past reports that Lindsay Vonn's shin has hired it's own PR firm, and doing our best to forget the fact that Apolo Anton Ohno won a reality dance competition wearing outfits that would make most ice dancers cringe, here are Tonic's Winter Olympians To Watch:

Robel Teklemariam: (Nordic Skiing)There were a handful of countries that have a single athlete competing in the Winter Games (Bermuda, Albania, Jamaica, Algeria), but Robel Teklemariam is literally a one-man Ethiopian Olympic team. At the tender age of nine, after his mother secured a job with the United Nations, Robel moved to New York and later attended boarding school in Lake Placid, home of the '80 Winter Games, where his love for skiing was born. Robel founded, and heads, the Ethiopian National Skiing Federation, and though there is no word for "snow" in his native language, the 35 year-old, second-time Olympian has indeed secured himself a nickname, "Beredoe Shartate," which loosely translates to "Ice Slider". Robel looks to better his finish in 2006 in Turin, Italy, in which he finished 84th in a field of 99.

The Georgian Olympic DelegationJust hours before the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony, a dark pall was cast over the Olympic community with the shocking death of Nodar Kumaritashvili of the Republic of Georgia. The promising 21-year-old luger died from injuries sustained when he flew off the track during a training run, and the tragedy left the seven remaining Georgian delegates wondering whether or not it would be fitting to participate in the opening night's events. In the end, the group entered the stadium with black arm bands to match their somber countenances, and they were greeted by a standing ovation. Reaching a medal podium will do little to heal this wound, but it may be a step in the right direction, and a fitting tribute to their lost teammate.

Sophie Muir (Long-Track Speedskating)We can start with the fact that Australia has no long-track ovals whatsoever, and so no place for a long-track speedskater to compete in a race, much less practice for one. We can point out that it was less than two years ago that the 26-year-old happened across the sport while backpacking in the Netherlands, and the former in-line skating champ ended up selling her car to finance her training (It was a Toyota, so in retrospect, it was really a win-win). Muir races in the 500 and 1,000 meters, and though the Aussie is a long shot to medal, her drive, her foresight in ditching a car ripe for a recall, and the fact that she has a bachelor's degree in nursing from Sydney University make her a Tonic favorite.

Armin Zoeggeler (Luge)He's Italian, when he's not an Olympian, he's a cop, and he has the Games' best nickname: il Cannibale (the Cannibal). No, not the kind that likes his liver with a nice chianti and fava beans, and whose main mode of transportation is a hand truck attached to a straight jacket, but a 36-year-old with two Olympic golds already on his mantle, who earned his nickname by simply devouring his competition.

Stephen Colbert and the US Speedskating teamHe plays the affected Neo-Con to the hilt, and since his onscreen persona worships at the altar of Ronald Reagan, if they can "win one for the Gipper," then they should win a few for the Goofball. The US speedskating team lost their main sponsor when DSB Bank NV declared bankruptcy, and in stepped the mock-talking head. It helps to think of the tongue-in-right-cheek bluster, and bravado that Colbert will bring to a victory celebration so that one can overlook Shani Davis' mercurial attitude, and Chad Hedrick's undeniable self-love. Any medal here is a medal to be truly shared by a nation, it's just that the nation in question is the Colbert Nation.

Photo by Makaristos via Wikimedia Commons.