Schedule for Alaskans at the Olympics

Figure skating begins with the pairs short program, which is expected to air on KTUU-Channel 2 during prime team. China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongboenter is the pair to beat, but the young U.S. duo of Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett charmed the crowd and judges at the national championships to earn their trip to Vancouver.

Alaskans at the Olympics

(all times AST)

Today

Men's biathlon, 10-K sprint, 10:15 a.m. (Jay Hakkinen, Jeremy Teela)

Women's hockey, U.S. vs. China, 11 a.m. (Kerry Weiland)

Monday

Women's cross country, 10-K freestyle, 9 a.m. (Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks)

Men's cross country, 15-K freestyle, 11:30 a.m. (James Southam)

Tuesday

Women's snowboardcross, 11:15 prelims; 11:29 a.m. semifinals; 11:40 a.m. finals (Callan Chythlook-Sifsof)

Men's biathlon, pursuit race, 11:45 a.m. (Hakkinen, Teela)

Women's hockey, 1:30 p.m., U.S. vs. Russian (Weiland)

Wednesday

Women's cross country, sprint, 9:15 a.m. prelims; 11:30 a.m. quarterfinals; 12:20 p.m. semifinals; 12:45 p.m. finals (Randall, Brooks)

Thursday

Men's biathlon, 20-K, noon (Teela, Hakkinen)

Friday

Women's cross country, 15-K pursuit (Randall, Brooks)

Saturday

Men's cross country, 30-K classic, 12:30 p.m. (Southam)

Women's hockey, playoff round, U.S. vs. TBA. 1:30 (Weiland)

Sunday, Feb. 21

Men's biathlon, 15-K mass start, 9:45 a.m. (Hakkinen, Teela)

Monday, Feb. 22

Women's cross country, team sprint, 9:45 a.m. prelims, 11 a.m. final (Randall, Brooks, pending coaches' decision)

Women's hockey, semifinals, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 24

Men's cross-country, relay, 10:15 a.m. (Southam, pending coaches' decision)

Thursday, Feb. 25

Women's cross country, relay, 10 a.m (Randall, Brooks, pending coaches' decision)

Women's hockey, bronze-medal game, 10 a.m.; gold-medal game, 2:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 26

Men's biathlon, relay, 10:30 a.m. (Hakkinen, Teela)

Saturday, Feb. 27

Women's cross country, 30-K classic, 10:45 a.m. (Randall, Brooks, pending coaches' decision)

Sunday, Feb. 28

Men's cross country, 50-K classic. 8:30 a.m. (Southam, pending coaches' decision)

Back on track

Less than 24 hours after a dangerously fast track took the life of a 21-year-old luger from Georgia, competition began on a course modified slightly to slow things down. But there was no escaping the sorrow of Saturday's training-run tragedy. "We're not able to compete with that same joy," said Msaid Shiva Keshavan, a luger from India.

Vancouver Olympics 411

At 463 pounds, the four-man bobsled weighs more than twice that of an average refrigerator.

Dispatch Alaska

Holly Brooks, cross-country skier from Anchorage, on Friday's opening ceremonies:

"Although there were tons of long waits the energy was incredible ... on probably 50 different occasions our whole group burst out in "USA, USA, USA" chants. I won't say that I'm usually the most patriotic person on the block but I think I can speak for everyone that this was a time when we were all really proud to be Americans!

-- from hollyskis.blogspot.com