Sochi Winter Olympics

The Sochi Winter Olympics has not had the best reputation going in. In fact, the games are beginning to look more like the Hunger Games, with the amount of security, contingency plans and war zone-esque behavior. In fact the United States has even gone as far as moving two warships into the Black Sea, from which, if necessary, helicopters could be launched into Sochi in order to evacuate Americans in case of an attack. The United States also has transport aircraft on standby in Germany, with response times of approximately two hours. Due to the threats made by radical Islamists, American athletes, coaches and staff are being warned not to wear their USA themed uniforms outside the “ring of steel,” which is the most secure area of the game. Another 10 to 15 thousand American spectators have been warned of potential bomb threats and abduction concerns.

Though the security threats may compel many to watch from home (and who wouldn’t, with Olympic coverage available streaming from online services like Directstartv.com, mobile service from the NBC Sports Live App, and the most popular events like ice skating airing on regular TV channels) instead of live from Sochi, there are still hopes that the American athletes will deliver the performances of their lives. Below, you’ll find a list of American hopefuls looking for medals and standing strong against threats at the Sochi games:

Ashley Wagner: Ashley is a 22-year-old, two-time U.S. figure skating champion. Though she placed fourth at the tournament that usually determines the three skaters for the Olympic team, her past performances were good enough to convince the Olympic committee of her worthiness. Many skating fans criticized her placement on the team ahead of Nationals’ third place finisher Mirai Nagasu, but U.S. Figure Skating officials use all scores from the previous two seasons in order to make the decision, leaving Mirai well behind Wagner. Nonetheless, Wagner has a lot to prove, and she intends to improve her chances by changing the program that, at Nationals, led to her falling twice. Although a change this close to the games is unprecedented, Wagner explained, “When you’re training a program that you’re fighting, emotionally and physically, it never clicks.”

Sarah Hendrickson: At 19 years old, Sarah Hendrickson will be a part of a major historic accomplishment. Though men’s ski jumping has been an Olympic event for years, women’s ski jumping has been effectively refused entry into the games. This year, women’s ski jumping will be part of the Olympic program for the first time in Sochi, and Hendrickson, who is the 2013 World Champion, is one of the youngest and one of the biggest gold-medal hopefuls. Though a knee injury over the summer set back Hendrickson, she returned to the slopes just in time to be named to the U.S. Olympic team.

Shaun White: There’s no way to compile a Winter Olympic list without mentioning Shaun White, aka “The Flying Tomato.” Shaun already holds the Winter X Games record for most gold medals, and has medaled in two consecutive Winter Olympics. Snowboarding will be an interesting event this year, not only because of Shaun’s medal-defending return, but also because of the addition of two new events.  To the excitement of many fans, slopestyle boarding is on the  list of new Olympic events, along with slopestyle skiing.

Tim Burke: Unlike snowboarding, skiing, and figure skating, the biathlon often flies under the radar, mainly due to the fact that the U.S. has never earned an Olympic medal in the sport. This year, 31-year- old Tim Burke has a shot at medaling in the cross-country skiing/rifle shooting competition. Burke has been at two prior Olympic games, but this past year managed to snag silver at the World Championship in the 20km individual event.

Shani Davis: Forget Apolo Ohno, who still stands as the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete of all time, and instead turn your eyes to 31-year-old speedskater Shani Davis. Davis, who has six Olympic medals and is the two-time defending champion in the 1,000 event, is close to becoming the most decorated male long-track speedskater in U.S. history. On top of that, Shani was also the first African- American to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Games.

Along with those mentioned above, running fans are ecstatic to see Track & Field stars Lolo Jones and Lauryn Williams make an Olympic return by switching from the Summer track event to the Winter event of bobsled. Jones, who has a habit of making headlines, will hopefully bring some attention, and credentials to the sport. Though bobsled has often been accused of being the least-athletic of the Winter Sports (imagine the film Cool Runnings), two elite, well-trained professionals discussing the intense training and muscle-building they had to endure might boost the sport’s image.

With a slew of new Olympic additions and famous American names, the Sochi Olympics are bound to draw attention and spectators, no matter the security risk.