US Olympic Figure Skating 2014: Viewing Guide and Preview for Day 1 Team Events
Figure skating tends to be the most popular sport at the Winter Olympics, as fans from around the globe tune in to watch these amazing athletes perform rare feats in a competition held once every four years.
According to Patrick Rishe of Forbes, 158 million Americans are expected to tune in to watch the 2014 Sochi Games at some point, with figure skating being the most watched event by a large majority (93 million viewers).
If you want to be one of those many viewers and desire to start following the competitions in the early stages, Saturday is a great time to get up to speed ahead of the medal rounds.
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Let’s take a look at where and when you can watch these thrilling figure skating events and highlight which stars you need to keep an eye on.
| Figure Skating | Team Ice Dance Short Program | 9:30 a.m | NBC Sports Network (Live), NBC (8 p.m.) | NBC Live Extra |
| Figure Skating | Team Ladies Short Program | 11:10 a.m. | NBC Sports Network (Live), NBC (8 p.m.) | NBC Live Extra |
| Figure Skating | Team Pairs Free Skating | 1:05 p.m. | NBC Sports Network (Live), NBC (8 p.m.) | NBC Live Extra |
Americans to Watch
Ice Dance Short Program: Meryl Davis and Charlie White
The United States did not get off to a great start during the opening day of the 2014 Winter Olympics and now has to make up the lost ground in a hurry.
The program will turn to its top skaters, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, to attempt to put up an amazing score on Day 1 and earn a better position in the standings.
Davis and White are highly experienced in international competition, having claimed the silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games and won two world championships.
The United States trails Russia by nine points, as the host nation jumped out to an early lead with 19 points. Team USA was less than impressive during a 10-point outing on Thursday, currently sitting in seventh place.
America is going to see some stiff competition from Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the Canadian superstars who won gold in Canada four years ago.
This tandem is still the pair to beat and Davis and White must shoot for the moon in order to come up with enough points to dethrone the defending champs.
Ladies Short Program: Ashley Wagner
Ashley Wagner has an immense amount of pressure on her to succeed due to the utter failure of Jeremy Abbott on Thursday. The American men’s representative couldn’t handle the pressure and collapsed in one of the worst performances of his career.
Wagner can help the United States recover and win a bronze, but it’s going to take one of her best showings to offset Abbott’s shortcomings.
The odds look long, especially considering the women’s representative is lucky to be in this position. Wagner put up some mediocre numbers and finished fourth during nationals, but still managed to be selected to the Olympic team for her previous successes in international competitions.
Wagner notably nabbed gold in the 2012 Four Continents Championships, a silver in the 2012-13 Grand Prix Final in Sochi and back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2013 in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
She told Philip Hersh of the Los Angeles Times that: "I feel like I am a completely different skater.”
Hopefully she is telling the truth, because her country needs her. The 22-year-old will be facing stiff competition from Mao Asada, the 2010 Winter Olympics silver medalist, Carolina Kostner of Italy and the host nation’s talented starlet, Julia Lipnitskaia.
Wagner nabbed gold in the 2012 Four Continents Championships, a silver in the 2012-13 Grand Prix Final in Sochi and back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2013 in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
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