A family of four sits in their living room, excited for their weekly movie night. They turn on the TV, and see a man, large goggles strapped to his face, skyrocketing down a 150-meter slope of snow.
Stunned, all the Floridians can do is stare. Then, the man jumps from the ramp, and the family gasps. What had happened to the ramp? Why did he take the risk of literally jumping into midair, when the only thing able to catch him is a slippery ground of ice and snow?
The man lands, feet first, over a football field’s length from where he jumped, and the family sighs with relief.
This craziness is the Winter Olympics. The games come around every four years, so the pressure is extreme for the competitors, and the thrill is almost as high for those watching. Oftentimes, it feels as though the weight of the country is on the athlete’s shoulders as they attempt the most extreme sports, from strapping two metal knives to their feet and dancing on frozen water to laying on top of another person and racing feet-first down a mile long ramp of ice.
Yet people from all around the world come together to see these events. In Florida, most have never been skiing or even seen snow. So why do so many take time out of their lives to watch the Winter Olympics?
What are the Winter Olympics?
The Winter Olympics, originally tilted, “International Winter Sports Week,” started in 1924, with France as the first host. The event was created to bridge the gap between the Summer Olympics and promote winter sports. Due to their popularity, the games officially became the Winter Olympics in 1926.
At the games, athletes from around the world compete in sports like ice skating, hockey and skiing. Though these events might be known to many, there are other sports like curling and bobsleighing that are mostly unheard of until the four years comes around.
“[There are a lot of different options for what to watch,” junior Addison Stewart said. “Generally, there’s always something interesting.”
Which sports do people watch?
The most common sport watched is figure skating, which draws 59 percent of Olympic fans.
“Skating is interesting because I myself am a dancer, so I can look at it from more than just an observer’s perspective,” sophomore Lillian Autenrieth said. “But it’s also different than that. I can [actually] compare the two as well, because I also like ice skating.”
Figure skating has always been complimented for a wide variety of reasons. First, the costumes each athlete wears immediately draw eyes. From sparkles to neon to gorgeous dresses, some simply watch because of the design of the outfits. For others, it’s the way each skater can bend, flip and express themselves while dancing.
“I think [skating is] a beautiful sport, and [it] just really shows the artistry that people can make. [The skaters] can do really cool things with their bodies on the ice,” freshman Olivia Merlin said.
Another sport that has piqued interest during the games is curling. Added to the Winter Olympics in 1998, the sport consists of sliding 44-pound granite stones across a sheet of ice. The goal: to get the “rock” closer to the “house” (a circle painted on the other side of the ice) than the other team.
“It’s a very strange sport that’s both boring and interesting at the same time,” Stewart said. “It’s weird because it’s [just] shuffleboard on ice.”
Skiing is considered a “visually stunning sport” from its complex jumps to and seemingly impossible feats.
“It’s definitely an interesting feat to be able to do all of the tricks and maneuvers that they accomplish, but it’s also an adrenaline fueled sport,” Autenrieth said.
The sport has many categories, a few of which are freestyle, cross-country and alpine. Alpine tests athlete’s speed, while freestyle focuses on their technique and performance.
Snowboarding has also grown in popularity over the years. As of 2026, snowboarding is watched by 42 percent of Olympic watchers. The sport is known for its adrenaline-rising, fast paced action, and artistic style.
What countries do people cheer for?
For most students, choosing a country to cheer for is easy: the United States of America. After all, they live there, therefore it is their home team. For others, they find connections with foreign countries.
Merlin, who is of Russian descent, cheers for the Russian skaters who competed for Individual Neutral Athletes, since their country was banned due to the war currently going on in Ukraine.
“I also like the Russians,” Merlin said. “They have some really good skaters that always impress me and give their all on the ice.”
Other students don’t necessarily cheer based on the country—they look for skill.
“I cheer for a bunch of athletes, regardless of where they come from, because I think it’s really just based on talent and artistic expression,” senior Aline Bittar Peres said. “So if I like the way they perform, then I’ll definitely cheer for them.”
What makes the Winter Olympics so interesting?
The Olympics happen when the best athletes from each country come together and compete for a common goal: a gold medal. Though all of the athletes are already technically declared the best in the world once they qualify, they all want to win first place. All of their lives, they have worked to get stronger, better, faster—to get that medal. That passion and the drama when they do not meet their goal can intrigue watchers.
“It’s once every four years, so [the stakes] are already higher,” senior Vida Nouri said. “Seeing the people on screen working all their lives for this, some of them spending days and hours a week going toward this. And you’re seeing all this payoff.”
Additionally, people watch the Winter Olympics because of how intense each competition is.
“I think their perseverance and determination, definitely [inspires me], especially seeing them falling and then getting back up,” Bittar Peres said. “I see that as a metaphor too: you can fail but if you get back up and keep working and keep putting in effort, then you can achieve good things.”
For most people, it comes as a shock at how the athletes at the Olympic Games are able to do such high risk sports, and most go away completely unscathed. Though most assume that there is a certain “golden age” when athletes should compete, the ages of the competitors range drastically. A fifteen-year-old from team USA competed in Women’s Freeski Halfpipe. On the other side, Rich Ruohonen, an American, competed this year at 54 for curling, making history as the oldest athlete ever to compete in the Winter Olympics.
“Sometimes you see how young they are, and it takes you back,” Nouri said. “Some [of] the youngest players [are] 13, 14, 15, [and] it makes you think it’s a whole different world. It makes you have just that much more appreciation for how hard they work.”
Conclusion
The Winter Olympics are so highly anticipated, as people from across the world attempt dangerous, yet wildly entertaining sports. The tensions are high, the pressure is extreme, and yet, at the end of the day, it shows that talent is out there in the world.
“I think it’s a really entertaining thing to watch, because you get to [see] professionals do what they’re best at,” Merlin said. “You think, ‘Wow, they’re so passionate for what they do,’ and it’s really inspiring.”
Stewart watches the Olympics with her family, and tends to comment on the performances.
“My family and I, we routinely say to each other, ‘Oh, that was rough, but we would do so much worse,’ Stewart said.
The Olympic Games are prestigious, not just for the athletes but also for the viewers. It provides a sense of patriotism when life gets hard.
“I think [what] makes the Olympics really unique [is] the fact that it’s people from all nations, all backgrounds, all ages coming together, and everyone’s competing for a common goal,” Nouri said. “So much of what we think is different between all of us is put away, and then we realize just how common we are. And this is shown through that same common passion that everyone, no matter where they’re from, [has].”
