why are cowbells traditionally rung at the winter olympics?
109027
they are common, operated with one hand, loud and easily portable.  imagine trying to carry in a gong.
271605
Figure skating is a sporting event in which individuals, mixed couples, or groups perform spins, jumps, and other moves on ice skates, often to music. There are international competitions for figure skating, such as the World Championships, and figure skating is also an official event in the Winter Olympics. \n\nThe winter Olympic events include:\n\n* singles for both men and women;\n\n* couples skating with a couple consisting of a man and womn; and\n\n* ice dancing with a couple  requiring more choreography.
158299
Short Answer every Two years - Summer every four, Winter every four. \n\nLong Answer - The Summer Olympics have been held every fourth year starting in 1896, with the exception of the years during the World Wars. A special edition for winter sports, the Olympic Winter Games, were established in 1924. Originally these were held in the same year as the Summer Olympics, but from 1994 the Winter Games and the Summer Games are held two years apart.
349639
Apparently triathlons only take place during the Olympics.  thanks Mike...  Yahoo! has yet to add many sports to the list.  Skate/Snow boarding, Tri's, running.  None of these seem to have made.  But curling and snookering seem to have a large fan base.  Come on Yahoo! guys, think!!!!
107675
The summer Olympics are held every four years. The year is divisible by 4, i.e. a leap year.  The winter Olympics are also held every 4 years. Until 1992 they were held the same year as the summer Olympics. After the 1992 games, they were switched to so that they now fall midway between the summer Games, that is leap year plus 2. The first winter games on this schedule were in the Lillehammer games in 1994 held only 2 years after the Albertville in 1992.\n\nIt had nothing to do with the fall of eastern Europe.
127601
When skiers/boarders turn they throw snow around and it piles up over periods of time. That's why they are so inconsistant. Now for competitions they do it differently. They usually start by piling snow by hand and then shaping it, I have heard of small machines that can help with the process, but I've never seen one.
141117
The need for speed in a bobsled and luge dates back to at least 800 AD. Dangerously fast, bobsleds -- with two- or four-person teams -- were born from the toboggan as well as other early sleds used for transportation in snowy climates. The word "bobsled" comes from the fact that early sleds bounced, or "bobbed," while speeding downhill. \n\nIndividual racers plunged headfirst down the bobsled course on the ominously named "skeleton" sleds, steering with their head and shoulders. This is different from the luge (French for "sleigh"), on which one or two riders race lying down, feet first. Evidence of the luge dates back 1,200 years to Norway, where small sleds were first used as both vehicles and toys.
131110
The Greeks inventors of the ancient olympiads used it as a distinct measurement of time, similiar to the way the romans would use their ruler as a measurement of time "in the third year this emperor etc."  The Greeks did not have winter olympics they are a modern day invention and they were held in the same year as the summer games until 1994 when the summer games would stay in years divisable by four (2000, 2004 etc) and winter would go to even non-divisable by four (2006, 2010).
98077
It's a ski style where the skis are like downhill skis, but the heel is detached like a cross country ski. \nThe technique is to go downhill but in a "telemark" position which is bending both knees and one foot is in front of the other... a bit like when those "flying" skiers land...\nSo the do slalom but instead of keeping both legs together they always use this position....\nNot to try in a very steep hill....
70037
Really, no wonder people think that the world is heading in the wrong direction! The Winter Olympics are the biggest sporting festival in the world, second only to the Summer Games. How can you be so darn negative?
109800
I don't know but I did ask my husband how these athletes come about that compete in curling. What kid grows up running to their friend's house to say, "Lets go curling". It is pretty cool though isn't it???? I wonder what store sells these- not the average sporting goods store.
127256
They have a hole in the middle through which the ribbon loops.\n\nhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10685869/?meta_salt=1356452\nClick on "Olympic Designs", and it's the last picture.
82608
It's called Bugler’s Dream, by Leo Arnaud and was written in 1958 for a larger project called “The Charge Suite.”\n\nABC first used it in their coverage of the 1968 Winter games.\n\nNBC purchased the rights to it in 1992 for their Olympic coverage.
135071
Each national sports governing body has their own selection process. In the U.S. ice skating is based on performance in the national championships, one event. In skiing, the skiers season standings.\n\nThe international federations also have rules on how many athletes are allowed to compete. For example, in figure skating, some are only allowed one skater, others two or three , depending on how well that countries skaters did in the last world champions ships. The U.S. got to have 3 women because of Micelle Kwan's 4th place finish at the last worlds.
231340
If you want an exact answer, you'll probably have to do the grunt work yourself at the official Olympic site:  http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp\n\nA quick check in just men's athletics (track and field) show that the U.S. has done it 28 times in the sprints, hurdles, and pole vault. Eight times in the high hurdles, alone and 6 more times in the 200m.\n\nThe Soviet Union did it 3 times in the hammer, the Finns, Swedes, and Kenyans once each in the steeplechase.\n\nThere are probably a lot of other sports where one country dominates the competition, like US and East German women swimmers.
1179770
Some local races are done on the cheap, and if you're a few hundred people back in the pack you often can't hear the gun or horn or whatever the "official" start is - you just wait for the mass of humanity before you to start moving.  Mooooo...
765877
I dont know if you'll get many answers in this forum... this is Winter Sports :)