"Snowboarding? How long has that been around as an Olympic sport?"
- It's a young sport. The first official competition was held in Colorado in 1981 and it wasn't seen at the Olympics until 1998, when halfpipe and individual giant slalom were introduced. Parallel giant slalom replaced the individual version in 2002 and snowboard cross was introduced four years ago.
"Is it a real sport?
- Judge for yourself. There are three events at the Olympics:
The halfpipe, including acrobatic jumps, twists and tricks on the inside of a half-cylinder shaped snow tube or ramp.
Parallel giant slalom, in which two boarders race head-to-head down a course, turning through a series of gates.
Snowboard cross, where competitors race over rolling terrain and a series of jumps and ramps.
"Anyone I should look out for?"
- Red-headed snowboarding superstar Shaun White has a huge collection of wins under his belt and last time was awarded an outstanding 46.8 points out of 50 in the first leg of the final. He had the luxury of knowing he was Olympic champion before his second run.
"Tell me more about freestyle skiing. I thought it was just downhill or cross-country."
- Freestyle is another relative newcomer. Freestyle moguls became a medal discipline in 1992 and aerials were added two years later. Tricks in freestyle include the twister, spread-eagle, iron cross and helicopter -- an upright 360-degree spin.
"And what's the new event in freestyle this year?"
- Ski cross makes its debut in Vancouver. A timed qualification run is used to seed skiers into different heats, of four skiers each. The course is designed to test skills with turns, flat sections and traverses as well as rolls, banks and ridges. Structures on the course resemble those found in snowboard cross.
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