The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are just 10 days away. Check out Jill’s coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics by clicking here. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Just wanted to let you know that we will be busy covering the China Olympics in a few weeks (August 8th to be exact). Click here to visit our china Olympics site and keep up to date on the latest Summer Olympics news.

Congratulations to Lindsay Davenport and husband, Jonathan Leach who are expecting a baby in the summer.

Lindsay Davenport has accomplished a lot in women’s tennis.

She finished the 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005 seasons as the number 1 ranked woman singles player in the world.

She won the following majors:

U.S. Open womens singles – 1998
Wimbledon womens singles – 1999
Australian Open womens singles – 2000

She won the Olympic gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Over her carreer she has won 51 womens singles titles, and 36 women’s doubles titles. No word on her future plans now that she is pregnant.

Hannah Teter has taken the fame the Olympics earned her and is using it for good. After she carried a bottle of syrup to Turin, her family received many calls and emails about where they could find the syrup. The Teters are creating a website, selling similar syrup. The proceeds from the site will go to World Vision, a favorite charity of Hannah’s.

Ever wonder what happens to Olympic athletes after the final torch is extinguished? Well, pretty much they continue on with their sports. I’m going to try to provide periodic updates on our Olympic site, as to what some of the most familiar names are up to now.

Inspired by Joey Cheek’s donations, Chinese short track Olympic medalist Yang Yang said Sunday she’ll donate her $10,000 bronze-medal bonus to Right to Play. She was joined by Clara Hughes, of Canada, who said she plans to donate 10,000 Canadian dollars. She didn’t receive an Olympic bonus, but she decided to give the money in her bank account. The U.S. Olympic Committee has also donated $40,000. In all, almost $500,000 have been raised during this Olympics. I think this really shows how one person’s generosity can spread to others.

Of course, a great deal of credit goes to another skater, Norwegian Johann Olav Koss, who started Right to Play six years ago. Right To Play is an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for the development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Their mission is to improve the lives of children in these areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace. To donate to Right to Play, visit their website. You can also visit ebay auctions of items donated by athletes to benefit Right to Play. The link is available on their site, as well.

My wife just mentioned this on our winter olympics blog. Entenmann’s has a very cool contest going on.

Adults can nominate any “mini hero” between the ages of six and seventeen doing charity work in their communities with a short essay. Celebrety judges that include Olympic sisters Emily and Sarah Hughes, Chicago Cubs Kerry Wood, along with others, will judge the essays.

Prizes include $2500 for the winner and $2500 for their favorite charity. For more information check out:
www.entenmannsminiheroes.com

This is a very nice way to give back to kids doing positive work in our communities!

In an interview ealier this week, Tanith Belbin said the best thank you she could give to the country that provided her the opportunity to compete in the Olympics was to stand on the podium and sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” Well, Tanith won’t be singing, but she will be standing on the podium with partner Ben Agosto after the two won the silver medal in ice dancing last night. Not only is it America’s first ice dancing medal in 30 years, it is only their second ice dancing medal ever. The only other medal the U.S. has ever earned in ice dancing was a bronze in 1976. So, congratulations Tanith and Ben! And, Tanith, on behalf of the U.S.— you’re welcome.

This was not a story that made big headlines— at least not in the United States. But Canada is singing the praises of Norwegian coach Bjornar Haakensmoen.

Canadian Sara Renner broke a pole on the second lap of the women’s cross country team pursuit and fell from the lead to fourth place, 2.4 seconds behind the leader. But Norwegian coach Haakensmoen ran onto the course and gave Renner a new pole. Beckie Scott put Canada back in the lead on the ensuing lap and the duo raced with the leaders the rest of the way, finishing second, earning them the silver.

Norway, by the way, finished fourth. Haakensmoen was extremely humble about what he did, but we think this should be headline news.

We salute coach Haakensmoen for portraying true Olympic spirit.

This article made me a little misty eyed. It may be terribly sentimental, but I just have a soft spot in my heart for the nice guys of this world. I’m married to one, even. I wish the Joey Cheeks of this world would get more press.

If you missed this human interest piece on China’s figure skating coach, you should go watch it on NBC’s site. It was a really heartwarming piece about the rewards of perserverance. And it had some interesting history in it, as well. Chinese figure skating has come a long way in a short time. The video is from Day 3.

As we all know, Michelle Kwan will probably never have an Olympic gold medal. But in sports, there truly are things that are more important than the medals that you wear around your neck. Michelle Kwan has always conducted herself with grace and dignity. She behaved no differently in stepping aside to allow others to pursue their Olympic dreams when she knew that it was impossible for her to win gold.

Some will argue that she should have known that when she missed Nationals. But the heart of a Champion never wants to quit. Sometimes you can tell the true Champions when they recognize that it’s time and set aside their own wants for the good of their team.

All our best to Michelle— and to the women who will be skating for the United States: Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner, and Emily Hughes.

You know Shaun White as The Flying Tomato, but did you know that he almost didn’t survive childhood? As an baby, Shaun had to have not one, but two heart surgeries. The family who pulled him through that was onhand to watch him win Olympic gold, and their presence moved him to tears. In an interview this morning, he said that he realized what the whole Olympic experience is about now— and that for him it’s all about family. What a truly great moment for the Olympics.

You can see interviews with Shaun White on NBC’s Olympic site.

Chad Hedrick was extremely close to his grandmother. He was 15 when she died of brain cancer. Yesterday, on the 13th anniversary of her passing, he won gold in the Olympics in the 5000m speed skating competition.

The Jamaican bobsled team of 1988 must rank as one of the most inspiring sports stories. But not everyone knows that the story didn’t end in Calgary. The Jamaican bobsled team appeared in several Olympics after the ‘88 Olympics, until the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, when they failed to qualify. I am having difficulty confirming whether Jamaica will be competing in the 2006 Olympics, but Jamaica will have a presence in the Olympics. Jamaican-born bobsledder Lascelles Brown will be granted citizenship in time to compete for Canada.