Intense Sochi Olympic faces

Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi of Germany compete in the Figure Skating Team Ice Dance - Short Dance. It almost looks as if Alexander Gazsi is looking, in astonishment, at Nelli Zhiganshina's cleavage...

How curling works – Sochi Olympics Guide

For starters, players aim to guide heavy, granite stones across a sheet of textured ice toward a target area called the house that is split into four rings. (Consider curling a distant cousin of shuffleboard.) Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding the stones — also called “rocks” —toward the target. Each team has eight stones per end, which is curling's version of, say, a baseball inning. There are 10 ends in a tournament-style game.

Need a visual? Here ya' go:



The stone weighs 38 to 44 pounds. Players use brooms to smooth the ice and ease the stone’s path toward the house. If a player breaks a rule — like nudging the stone with their shoe — they should be “the first to divulge the breach,” according to the WCF. This sportsmanship expectation is part of what players call “the spirit of curling.”

Scoring
The objective is simple: The team that lands the most stones closest to the bulls-eye wins.
Players win a point for every stone that 1) lands in the house and 2) is closer to the “button” — or center of the house — than the closest opponent stone. (For example, if Team A has the closest stone and Team B has the second closest stone, Team A can only earn one point, even if the rest of Team B's stones somehow ended up outside of the curling arena.) Teams can knock an opponent’s stone away from the house — and, through some vigorous sweeping, strategically place some stones as makeshift shields (guards) to protect others.

It is impossible, however, for both teams to score in an end, which last the amout of time it takes to throw all of the stones. Points are awarded only to the team that did better in each end. (Should a team tie, there are tie-breaker rounds.) The best possible score in an end is 8-0, which happens when one team gets all eight stones closer to the button than its opponent. This is called a “snowman” — curling slang for a perfect game.

Quick terminology:

Bonspiel: A curling tournament.
Circles: The round scoring area, 12 feet in diameter, with concentric circles 1, 4, and 8 feet in diameter. Curl: The rotating movement of a stone caused by turning the handle.
Delivery: The act of throwing a rock.
End: Similar to an inning in baseball; in an end, each team throws 8 rocks, 2 per player in alternating fashion. Tournament-style games run for 10 ends.
Front End: The lead and second player on a curling team.
Heavy: A stone that is delivered with more than the desired amount of weight or force.
House: The round scoring area, 12 feet in diameter, with concentric circles 1, 4, and 8 feet in diameter. Light: A stone that is delivered with less than the desired weight or force.
Rink: A curling team that consists of four players: the skip, third (vice-skip), second, and lead. Also refers to the place where curling is played.
Rock: Stone.
Sheet: The 146-foot-long area of the ice on which the game is played.
Skip: The player who calls the ice and determines the strategy. Almost always plays the last two rocks for his team (but may throw in a different order in some games.)
Sweeping: Using a brush to polish the ice in an effort to alter the action of the rock.

Anna Sidorova - Olympic star in lingerie

Russian Olympic curling star Anna Sidorova, shown below in racy black lingerie, has been voted Russia's most attractive Winter Olympian, but she wants to be known for her curling, not her curves.

Sidorova is skipper of the Russian women’s curling team, which has rapidly grabbed the attention of the Olympic audience by matching good looks with world-class ability. Just take a look at the sexy Russian curling team member as she posed in racy lingerie in an effort to promote the sport of Women's Olympic Curling.

Sochi problems

The winter Olympics, being held in Sochi, Russia, are full of problems. The photos prove it. Whether it's undrinkable brown water that will apparently melt your face off, weird toilet configurations in the bathrooms or the fact that the city seems to be basically filled with m ore wild dogs than people; the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi seem to be filled with problems and those Sochi problems seem to be what will define these winter Olympic games.

Sexy hotties of the Sochi Winter Olympics

While Russia is still very much a backward company when compared to many other developed nations, that doesn't mean that the Sochi area won't be overflowing with a plethora of sexy winter olympians barely able to reign in their hotness. In short, the Sochi Winter Olympics are a hotbed for hotties. The clothes are nowhere near as revealing as at the summer Olympics so while there will be far fewer instances of camel toe, there are still the rocking hot bodies from every winter climate around the world.

So far, I've featured United States Olympic speed skater Alyson Dudek, Italian Olympic Ice Dancer Anna Cappalleni, Austrial Olympic Ski Racer Anna Fenninger, United States Olympic Snowboarder Hannah Teter and United States Olympic Skier Julia Mancuso.

Be sure to check back throughout the Sochi Winter Olympics for plenty of additional photos of sexy winter Olympic stars.

Winter Olympics hotties - Julia Mancuso

Lindsey Vonn might get all the headlines but its Julia Mancuso that takes home all the medals. Mancuso is the most decorated female skier (U.S.) in Olympic history, winning gold in Turin 2006 and two silvers in 2010. She is attempting to become the first woman to win an alpine skiing medal in three separate Olympics. She also has five medals at the World Championships.

Mancuso wears a plastic tiara over her helmet during downhill races. That led to a lingerie line called, “Kiss My Tiara”—a line Mancuso proudly modeled for. “I think underwear is my calling. You can be feminine and fast.” she said.

The 29-year-old Mancuso has struggled ahead of the Sochi games but don’t count her out. She’s widely considered one of the best “big race” skiers of all-time. She may not duplicate her effort in Vancouver but don’t be surprised if she medals again.

Just take a look at the collection of Julia Mancuso photos below. Sorry folks, no wardrobe malfunctions or naked pics to be seen here.

Winter Olympic hotties - Hannah Teter

Teter won gold in her signature event, the halfpipe, at the Olympic games in Turin (2006). She followed that up with a silver medal in the same event in Vancouver (2010). She has 6 World Cup victories in her career and is one of the most decorated U.S. snowboarders of all-time.

But what separates Teter, what distinguishes her from others is the humanitarian work. Teter has worked tirelessly for Children International raising money for Darfur, Honduras, Philippines and Kenya. In 2010, she launched Sweet Cheeks, a underwear brand that gives 40% of its proceeds to Children International. She’s a spokeswoman for Boarding for Breast Cancer. She fought against the Canadian seal hunt with an ad for Peta. There’s literally nothing Hannah Teter hasn’t done in the charity world.

Just take a look at the collection of Olympic snowboarder Hannah Teter photos below. Sorry folks, no wardrobe malfunctions or naked pics of this Winter Olympics hottie to be seen here.

Winter Olympic hotties - Anna Fenninger

After making her Olympic debut in Vancouver as a 20-year-old, Austria’s Anna Fenninger has emerged as one of the top overall ski racers in the world. At the 2013 World Championships, she won bronze in the giant slalom. At Worlds two years earlier, she won gold in the super-combined and silver in the team event. A true all-around threat, Fenninger has reached World Cup podiums in downhill, super-G and giant slalom and in 2013 finished third in the World Cup overall standings.

Austrian skier Anna Fenninger is also one of the Winter Olympics hotties. Just check out some of the sexy photos below.

Winter Olympic hotties - Anna Cappalleni

Anna Cappalleni, along with partner Luca Lanotte, the ice dancing duo has won three straight Italian national titles leading into the Sochi Games. They have never won a World Championships medal, though registered their highest finish ever at fourth in 2013. That was coupled with their first-ever European Championships medal the same year, a bronze. Cappellini/Lanotte won two silvers during the Grand Prix season behind Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, though they finished sixth at the Grand Prix Final.

American ice dancer Anna Cappalleni is also one of the Team U.S.A. Winter Olympics hotties. Just check out some of the sexy photos below.

Winter Olympic hotties - Alyson Dudek

Alyson Dudek was part of the United States relay team that won a bronze medal in the 3000m relay in Vancouver. She has been a consistent part of that relay team and has made six World Cup podiums with the group. Dudek won an individual medal at the 2011/2012 World Cup Salt Lake City in the 1000m.  Dudek grew up in Wisconsin and was able to skate at the Pettit Center, which is the home of the national training center.  She originally skated both long track and short track but decided to focus solely on short track.  Dudek has stayed true to her Wisconsin roots by remaining a huge Green Bay Packers fan to this day, and her favorite player is former wide receiver Donald Driver.

American speed skater Alyson Dudek is also one of the Team U.S.A. Winter Olympics hotties. Just check out some of the sexy photos below.