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The Countdown Is On

Even before Mariah Carey hits whistle territory and Andrea Bocelli brings the gravitas, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have unofficially begun. Today, mixed-doubles curling kicked off what promises to be a 19-day spectacle of pure athleticism, sideline antics (see: Snoop Dogg’s Zamboni moment), and sleep deprivation (here’s the time-zone math). So, set your alarms and get the Peacock subscription ready — here’s what you need to know:

• Who we’re rooting for: Lindsey Vonn isn’t throwing away her shot at gold — not even with a torn ACL. And with this mic-drop moment, we couldn’t be more excited to watch her hit the slopes. On the ice, “The Blade Angels” are Team USA’s best hope of ending a 20-year medal drought in women’s figure skating. Meanwhile, Campbell Wright, one of the US’s top medal hopefuls, is chasing history in the only Winter Olympic sport the US has never medaled in.
  

• The scandals: When it comes to Milan’s hockey arena, the drama hasn’t completely thawed. Don’t worry: Team USA will hit the ice for competition, but here’s hoping those bathrooms have been finished and cleaned by now. In figure skating, one athlete had a truly despicable week as his routine nearly got shelved — all because of a Minions movie copyright debate. Guess Gru got the message.
  

• Behold, the crotch rules: Turns out, extra stitches in that area of a ski jumping suit can buy you a few more meters per jump — and Norway got caught doing exactly that last year. Now, ski jumpers at the games will be scanned with tamperproof microchips before and after jumps. Because size does matter.
  

• Make way for the new: Eight additional programs will compete for the unofficial honor of Most Terrifying New Event. Skimo (aka ski mountaineering) — when athletes ski up mountains before racing down (why not, right?) — will make its debut. Luge added women’s doubles, skeleton (don’t ask us to explain) got a mixed-team relay, and ski jumping expanded to include a women’s large-hill event. We’re winded just hearing about it.

With 116 medal events and nearly 3,000 athletes, we’re in for a whole lot more action. All we have to say is bring on the hope, triumph, and heartbreak, per favore. 

Related: These Olympic Power Couples Are About To Take Over Your Feed (Cosmopolitan)

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Timeout...

Caroline Hendershot, reporter for the New York Jets and Well Played co-host, tackles listener Qs.  

What should we be looking out for on Super Bowl Sunday?

One of the main storylines comes down to the quarterbacks. Patriots QB Drake Maye and Seahawks QB Sam Darnold will duke it out on the field for a chance to win their first Super Bowl. If the Pats prevail, Maye will be one of the youngest QBs — at 23 — to lift the Lombardi Trophy. But if Darnold clinches a W with the Seahawks, he’ll be the first QB from the 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl (before Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen). May the best team take it… but I’ll be rooting for the Seahawks and Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Here’s hoping Cardi B joins him on stage. 

Related: From Chappell Bone to Carrie Pawshaw — Meet This Year’s Puppy Bowl Players (Discovery)

Well Played 🤝 the NFL

Our sports and pop culture podcast co-hosts, Caroline Hendershot and Blake Morgan, are headed to the big game. They’ll also be recording a live episode, leading conversations with top women athletes on Gatorade’s roster. Meanwhile, Blake’s already scored one Super Bowl sighting (hey, Eli Manning).

Just Trust Us

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Skimm'd by Mallory Simon, Maria del Carmen Corpus, and Kylie McConville. Fact-checked by Jordan Mamone.