“Olympic Gamesmanship” by Matt Gaffney – 14:22
It’s been over six years since the 2010 Winter Olympics were awarded to Vancouver.
We thought it would never 25A. [Get there] – ARRIVE but 8A. [“Finally!”] – AT LAST the day has come. Quite a remarkable event for those of us living in or near Vancouver.
Theme answers are punny references to former Winter Olympic champions:
23A. [Amazing Olympics performance by Michelle?] – KWAN TO REMEMBER (figure skater)
32A. [Tell Eric to look for Olympic fortune?] – HEIDEN GO SEEK (long track speed skater)
49A. [Where Oksana keeps the money she made from Olympic fame?] – BAIUL ACCOUNTS (figure skater)
67A. [How Apolo keeps his skates on at the Olympics?] – PLASTIC OHNO BAND (short track speed skater)
89A. [How Katarina sometimes landed on the ice, at the Olympics?] – AT HER WITT’S END (figure skater)
105A. [Tried to hide from Street at the Olympics?] – PLAYED PICABO (alpine skier). First name pun here.
117A. [“How did you win Norway three Olympic medals?” and such?] – (Sonia) HENIE QUESTIONS (figure skater)
75A. [Russian city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics] – SOCHI
123A. [Japanese city that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics] – NAGANO
4D. [U.S. city unlikely to ever host the Winter Olympics] – HONOLULU
94D. [Austrian town that hosted the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics] – ST MORITZ
[Canadian city that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics but isn’t in this puzzle] – CALGARY
Music:
43A. [Haggard who sang “Mama Tried“] – MERLE
44A. [Clint Black’s “___ Time”] – KILLIN
77D. [Toni Childs song “___ Man”] – I MET A /78D. [R.E.M.’s “___ the Moon”] – MAN ON. Their duet, “I Met A Man On The Moon” will be out soon.
Other stuff:
30A. [Oceanic 815 passenger] – LOCKE. From the series “Lost”.
100A. [Chill time] – R AND R – Rest and relaxation
3D. [Berry in some drinks] – AÇAI. New to me.
7D. [Minka’s Yankee] – DEREK Jeter, who has been connected to actress Minka Kelly
14D. [Football coach Amos Alonzo ___] – STAGG. Only STAGGs I know are Simon and his daughter Sapphire from the DC Comic Metamorpho.
35D. [Clothing designer Fisher] – EILEEN. Wonder if EILEEN Twain will be part of the opening ceremonies.
A note about next week:
If all goes according to plan, and I’m not 16D. [Word in the Bluth family’s show title] – ARRESTED after a 88D. [Thorough airport search] – BODY SCAN, I will be using my new teeny-tiny Acer mini-computer and blogging from Brooklyn, the site of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and the Crossword Fiend Annual General Meeting, where we will discuss former Grey Cup champions. If you are there, say hi. I’ll be the one with the red mittens. Go Canada Go!
As a Vancouverite who finds himself exiled in Grenoble (Winter Olympics 1968) for all of February, thanks for the plugs for back home. Go Canucks! (in both senses of the word)
Nobody mention to the Swiss that I relocated ST MORITZ (94D) to Austria.
D’oh!
I see I’m too late for my snotty “Innsbruck, Switzerland” crack. Darn.
I got my plush Quatchi and Miga today.
I collect Misha bears (from the ’80 Moscow Olympics) so my Mishas are taking turns peppering Quatchi (who dreams of being a hockey goalie) with shots while Miga cheers him on.
somewhere in my parents’ basement, i think, is still a hodori from seoul ’88. i remember him having a really sharp hat. i mean that literally, as i cut my finger on it as a small child.
not sure i’ve ever watched an entire opening ceremonies before. it was a ripe ground for snarky comments. man, if only there were some canadians around here to mock. i particularly liked the “tattooed biker/fiddler/tap-dancing gangs of the maritimes” segment.
Looked like a typical Friday night in Vancouver to me, joon.