US Olympic Trials 2013-14: Sochi Qualifying Information for Key Events

In preparation for January's Sochi Games in Russia, the United States Winter Olympic Team has begun its qualifying events. 

American men's and women's curling teams are currently competing in Fargo, N.D., with the hope of qualifying for Sochi. The event, which began on Nov. 10, will run through Nov. 17.

The U.S. Trials will continue until the conclusion of the short-track speedskating in early January—just in time for the Feb. 7 start date at the Sochi Games.

There are also the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which always go a long ways towards which skaters are selected for the Olympic team. 

While the qualifying events lack the majesty and hype of the Olympics, the drama and intensity are ever present, as the talented athletes look to fulfill their dreams of competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics.  

I'll offer up the necessary vitals and a preview for the showcase events, but first, here is the schedule of upcoming events, as provided by TeamUSA.org.

Event	Location	Dates
U.S. Olympic Team Trials: Curling	Fargo, N.D.	Nov. 11 to Nov. 16
U.S. Olympic Team Trials: Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping	Park City, Utah	Dec. 26 to Dec. 31
U.S. Olympic Team Trials: Speedskating (Long Track)	Kearns, Utah	Dec. 27 to Jan. 1
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Speedskating (Short Track)	Kearns, Utah	Jan. 2 to Jan. 5
2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships	Boston, Mass.	Jan. 5 to Jan. 12
Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games	Sochi, Russia	Feb. 7 to Feb. 23
Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games	Sochi, Russia	March 7 to March 16

U.S. Curling Trials

When: Sunday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 17

Where: Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D.

Four women's teams and five men's teams are competing for the right to represent Team USA in Sochi.

Men's curlers Colin Hufman and Craig Brown colorfully reminded us of the qualification dates: 

Unlike the women's winner, the men's winner is not guaranteed an Olympic spot. The winner of the men's competition will have to travel to Fussen, Germany, for another round of qualifying from Dec. 11 to Dec. 15. The countries at that competition will be vying for the last two spots of the 10 teams competing in Sochi.

The U.S. men narrowly missed an automatic bid. The top seven countries from combined results of the past two world championships earned automatic births, but the Americans finished eighth. 

The competition started with round-robin play before entering the final round, which will be best of three.   

U.S. Speedskating Trials

 When: Friday, Dec. 27 through Sunday, Jan. 5

Where: Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns, Utah

The men and women competing to make the U.S. Long-Track and Short-Track Speedskating Teams are going to miss a lot of the indulgences of the holiday season while they attempt to qualify right after Christmas in Kearns, Utah.

The long-track skaters will get things started with two-time reigning gold medalist Shani Davis and others beginning qualifying on Dec. 27. 

Meanwhile, the short-track team will begin a new era—one that does not involve Apolo Anton Ohno—with qualifying beginning on Dec. 28. 

U.S. Figure Skating Championships 

When: Tuesday, Jan. 7 through Sunday, Jan. 12

Where: Boston, Mass. 

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships don't offer an automatic ticket to the U.S. Olympic team, but there is no denying that the performances in this event will weigh more heavily than any other competition when the selection committee comes to its conclusions.

U.S. champions will be crowned in this event for the men and women in singles, pairs and ice dance. Last year, Max Aaron bested Ross Miner by less than four points to take the gold while Ashley Wagner defeated Gracie Gold by less than three points to win the gold. 

While Wagner won't catch Michelle Kwan with a third straight title—Kwan won this event eight consecutive times. Still, a second repeat would be extremely impressive for Wagner.