Sochi

10 Fun Facts About Sochi, Russia and a “Blinis” Pancake Recipe Kids Will Love

With a maiden name like Borowski, I’ve heard pretty much every Pollack joke there is. But my ancestors primarily hail from the Ukraine and Russia so I feel a connection to Sochi, host city of the 2014 Winter Olympic games. Here are a few fun facts about my original Motherland that my kids have enjoyed learning: Russia, the largest country in the world, occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth. It spans 11 time zones across two continents (Europe and Asia) and has coasts on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic). It is almost twice as big as Canada. It has the deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal (1,700 m or 5,577 ft) in Siberia and it contains more water than any other lake on earth. Amazing when you compare that to Denver, the “Mile High City” at 5,280 fee...

A Colorado Mom Shares a Fascinating Glimpse of Her Son’s Olympic Journey and the Cost to Get There

Four years ago after a whirlwind contest and painstaking selection process, I was honored to be the the Grand Prize Winner of Microsoft Office’s Winter Games Contest and was their accredited blogger at the 2010 Vancouver Games. As an avid winter sports enthusiast, this was a dream come true! For a stroll down memory lane, be sure to read all my behind-the-scenes adventures including how The Today Show’s Matt Lauer stole my moment in the spotlight, what it was like to hang out with Bonnie Blair (the most decorated woman in winter Olympic history) as Apolo Ohno broke her longstanding Olympic record and how I put my foot in my mouth when meeting”The Great One” Wayne Gretzky. Vancouver was my third Winter Olympic Games. I grew up in Calgary and was thrilled to attend several events...

NBC’s 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: viewers’ frequently asked questions

The 18-night TV binge known as the Winter Olympics starts Feb. 6, for the first time launching one night ahead of the Opening Ceremonies. It’s starting early because there’s much to cover and, really, because NBC can. The prime-time view of these Games will be tape-delayed, unlike, say, the Vancouver Games that lined up well for live TV in the Mountain Time Zone. Still, there will be plenty to live stream in real time across laptops, tablets and phones. Strap into the vicarious luge that is the couch and enjoy. Sochi XXII Olympics FAQs: Q.What will air live? A. When it’s noon in Denver, it’s 11 p.m. in Sochi. What you see in prime time will have been taped earlier, but online access is greater than ever. Expect more than 1,500 hours of coverage across six NBCUnivers...