Alpine Skiing
"Because, now everybody knows Ted Ligety as this sort of big name in skiing. And at the time he was just Ted Ligety. I'll never forget thinking, you know, Ted is a gold medalist. You know, it really changes a person to say it about them, at least in your mind."
Jimmy Cochran on Ted Ligety winning gold in Torino.
"I think one- what people don't really realize about skiing is that when you take a pair of downhill skis, which are tuned with razor-sharp metal edges, and you put them on an icy slope, it's pretty much like having a Ferrari out there. You can maneuver it and do whatever you want"
Marco Sullivan on the advanced Alpine skiing equipment.
Biathlon
"I think he's able to maintain his motivation and his edge that way, because he's the guy that everyone's trying to beat. So, everyone is making steps forward. And he's consistently, at least thus far, been able to stay out in front."
Lowell Bailey on Norwegian biathlon legend Ole Einer Bjoerndalen.
Bobsled
"It was funny - one of those experiences where you almost die and you find yourself laughing about it. That's how I feel every time I get down that track"
Shauna Rohbock on the Whistler bobsled track.
"Bobsledding is ninety percent work and two percent bobsledding and maybe eight percent fun. Either way, it is a lot of work."
Steve Holcomb comments on the elements of bobsledding.
Cross-Country Skiing
"I mean, just because no American woman has ever done it before doesn't mean we can't. We've been building our success and making it onto the scene at the world level, and so we're ready to go for it."
Kikkan Randall on trying to win the United States' first medal in women's cross-country skiing.
Curling
"We added John Benton. I thought we needed somebody who could be a leader as far as, you know, deciding when it was the right time to go to bed and, you know, controlling, that kind of stuff and also taking care of some of the travel stuff. Take that weight off of me."
Curler John Shuster on reasons why he added John Benton to his squad.
"There is no better feeling than winning in Canada, the audiences are so good. I love it. They appreciate so many of the shots. It gives you a real buzz."
David Murdoch, British curler, on competing in Vancouver.
Figure Skating
"Sometimes we have people that are always coming up and saying: Are you guys in love? And, you know, we're best friends. And it's great to hear questions like that because it means we're doing our job correctly."
Benjamin Agosto on competing with best friend Tanith Belbin.
Freestyle Skiing
"He's really confident skiing around other guys in traffic, and makes a lot of moves. Somehow he's got this magical thing, where he makes guys crash or fall in front of him, or you know, make big mistakes. I think it's because he just has this relentless pressure."
Daron Rahlves on ski cross teammate Casey Puckett.
"I don't really have nightmares a-about being up in the air, because I love it so much. And you know, the funny thing is, I've never gotten hurt in the air, it's only when you land."
Jeret Peterson on fear and Freestyle skiing.
Ice Hockey
"Coach Johnson is incredible and to be able to be coached by him and be able to see the way he interacts with the players and how he sees the game is invaluable to us. He really brings a great aspect to our forwards, especially, because he was such a great goal scorer."
Julie Chu on Coach Mark Johnson.
Luge
"I'm in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest luge speed, which very few people have had the opportunity to hold, and I'm pretty fortunate to be in it. I broke it in 2001 and since then I've maintained the record even though, unofficially we've gone faster."
Tony Benshoof on being in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Nordic Combined
"He's a super serious guy. He wants to win. He does win. But he does that all while having a great time."
Tim Burke on Bill Demong.
Short Track
"Apolo is the most consistently low skater I have ever seen. And skating low is one of the hardest things, but the number one rule in skating. All of your power and speed comes from how much muscle you can use when you are sitting down in basic position. And so he is consistently the best at that."
Katherine Ruetter on what makes Apolo Ohno so good.
Skeleton
"Katie is always on crutches for some reason, which is because she is always going out doing everything hard and going a hundred percent and ends up getting hurt. She is a daredevil at heart, and she is really fun to work out with. She is one of my closest friends."
Steve Holcomb on Katie Uhlaender's fortitude.
Ski Jumping
"He's probably the most talented person on a ski jump, and probably in history. But the fact that he still works that, like you know, that hard at it, is, you know, it shows that he doesn't take it for granted."
Anders Johnson on 19-year old Austrian Greg Schlierenzauer.
"The best way I can describe it is to go up onto the thirtieth floor of any building, and then get in the car and drive that car off the top roof, and then land safely. That is pretty much what it is."
American Todd Lodwick on real-life comparisons to Ski jumping.
Snowboarding
"Gretchen's always been a mentor for me. And she kind of taught me how to be organized when traveling. And to, like, make my bed every day."
Ellery Hollingsworth on Gretchen Bleiler.
Speed Skating
"I know he is going to come back this year even stronger because he has been getting better every year since, sinceTorino. After he took some time off, every year has been getting better for him."
Tucker Frederick on Chad Hedrick.
“Bobsledding is ninety percent work and two percent bobsledding and maybe eight percent fun. Either way, it is a lot of work.”
