Sons of Norway Remembers Alexander Dale Oen.

Last week the world learned of the tragic death of Norwegian Olympian Alexander Dale Oen. On April 30th , while participating in his national team’s training camp in Arizona, he was found unconscious in his hotel bathroom after having suffered a cardiac arrest. At the same time, the Olympics, Norway and the world of competitive swimming lost one of their brightest stars.

Oen’s list of accomplishments included medals in the FINA Shour Course World Championships, European Swimming Championships, European Short Course Championships, Summer Olympics and, most recently, a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships.

Recently Sons of Norway had interviewed Oen for a Viking magazine segment meant to lead in to the summer Olympics. From his comments, it was clear to see that his family and his country were things he held closest to his heart. We at Sons of Norway feel his recent comments stand as a testimony to his character and the legacy he left behind and want to share some of them with you.

“In my free time, I try to spend as much time as possible with family and friends.”

“My brother has been the greatest influence in my career. He always cheered me up with a smile, even if my races were not good. He was always the one who woke me up in the morning so that I wouldn’t miss practice.”

“It’s always an honor to be able to represent Norway and carry the flag on my shoulder. My mindset for the Olympic Games is all about having great fun, and to push myself past every limit, both mentally and physically.”

On behalf of all Sons of Norway members our thoughts are with Oen’s family as they get through this most difficult time.

Norway: #1 in our hearts and on skis

One of the first Norwegian phrases I learned as a kid was nordmenn er fodt med ski på beina: “Norwegians are born with skis on their feet.” It’s no wonder this old saying has became a truism, since Norway won a whopping 23 medals in this year’s Winter Olympic Games. While the U.S. had a great showing, winning 37 medals, Norway still holds first place in the overall medal count, with 303 hard-earned medals from 1924 to today. The U.S. is currently in second place overall with 254. Heia Norge!

While I don’t normally watch televised sports, I’ll admit that I watched as much of the Winter Olympics as I could make time for. My kids were interested, so viewing became great family time. The competitions sparked conversations about the many sports, languages and cultures represented at the Games. Of course the kids followed Team USA closely, but they were also interested in the Norwegians, particularly those profiled in the February issue of Viking magazine. On the final night of the games, during the Men’s Cross Country medal ceremony, it was fun—and a bit surprising—to hear my kids singing along to the Norwegian national anthem, thanks to their time spent raising the flag at Norwegian language camp!

The Norwegian Curling Team: A Story with Legs

Last week I wrote about the hubbub surrounding the Norwegian Olympic curling team's "flashy" trousers. Since then, Norway's athletes have had a great showing at the games. (As I'm writing this, a quick check of my “NBC Vancouver 2010” smart phone app tells me that they have six gold, three silver, and five bronze medals.) But as far as I can tell, nothing about Norway's participation in the 2010 games seems to be garnering as much attention—or global media buzz—as those pants. A Google search for "Norway curling team pants" yields 137,000 results. On Facebook? You can join the nearly 370,000 fans of “The Norwegian Olympic Curling Team’s Pants.” And it's not at all surprising that Norway's King Harald V has weighed in, describing the the harlequin-pattern slacks as "the coolest pants I've ever seen," according to a BBC report issued today.

One can only imagine what's next. A bidding frenzy for a pair of the jester pants on eBay? A team appearance on "The Tonight Show"? Endorsement deals? I sincerely hope for all of the above.

Another Gold for Norway!

I know, I know, Norway is down 2-0 in the first period, but hey they can make a comeback! In the meantime, here's an Olympic update from Nichole!

Today, Tora Berger won Norway another gold medal (her first!) in the individual biathlon, missing just one shot and completing the course in 40 minutes, 52.8 seconds. In doing so, Berger's win added the 100th medal to Norway's winter Olympics coffer.

Congrats to Berger -- it was a very exciting match to watch. Her concentration during the shooting was such a thing to watch. Can you imagine skiing that hard for 40 minutes and making so few mistakes while being that exhausted? Amazing!

Blades of Steel: The Showdown

In a few hours one of the most anticipated Olympic match-ups is going to bring together two hockey powerhouses who have thus far under-performed in the tournament. But, then again, today is only the second game.

In any case, don't be surprised if you call the HQ this afternoon and hear cheering in the background because at 2 PM the U.S. Hockey Team is facing off against Team Norway. What will set this game apart from any other played by either team is that we'll probably be cheering no matter who has the puck. It's hard to split loyalty, but we find a way to do so equitably every time something like this comes around.

I'm really looking forward to the game because I don't think that the U.S. is going to dominate the way everyone else is expecting. In their first game of the tourney they only beat the luke warm Swiss team 3-1 (and remember, the Swiss version of "miracle on ice" was beating the Canadian team in a non-medal match-up during the 2006 Olympics).

Though Norway did get shellacked by the Canadian team the other day, I think that was a learning experience for our boys in Red. I think I speak for everyone here at HQ when I say we are looking forward to one of those epic games that Olympic hockey is known for.

Norway is Looking Golden...Finally!

In a moment that many around here thought they'd never see in 2010, Norway has finally brought home its first gold medal of the 2010 Olympics! In a stunning victory over a field of amazing skiers, Marit Bjoergen has brought Olympic gold to Norway by winning the Ladies' Individual Sprint Classic yesterday.

Big congrats to Marit Bjoergen who added a gold medal to her collection, which already included a bronze medal in the 10 km free cross country race.

2010 Olympics: Wherein Norway Shakes Up the International Curling Establishment . With Their Pants!

Winter Olympics fever is running high in my house. We watched the opening ceremonies and my three sons got almost as excited when the Norwegian delegation walked into the stadium as when Team USA did! If you have a smart phone, I highly recommend NBC’s “Vancouver 2010” app.

My family’s favorite feature is “Medal Count,” which updates and ranks each nation’s gold, silver, and bronze medals throughout every day of the games. There’s also video updates, schedules, and Twitter feeds from the likes of Apollo Anton Ohno, and you can set up “Favorites” so that you’re always getting updates on your favorite countries. How else would I know that “Norway’s curlers hope two-time Major golf winner John Daly’s passion for garish, brightly patterned trousers can inspire them to Olympic gold”? Apparently the team trained in blue, grey, white, and red diamond-patterned golf pants from the same company that supplies Daly and is considering shaking up the conservative curling establishment by wearing them for competition.

Sure, it’s trivial—but my boys will be so impressed when I share that inside scoop with them at the dinner table tonight.

Sons of Norway's Olympic Connection

So, who caught the women's moguls-freestyle competition last night? I did, and the most memorable part of it was the medal presentation. For those who saw it, the U.S. National Anthem was playing, U.S. skier Hannah Kearney was on the top podium and it was a beautiful moment. But that wasn't the memorable part for me, instead it was what was going on behind Ms. Kearney on the Bronze podium, where a young lady with pink hair, broke into tears as the anthem was played and she sang along with all her heart. That was the memorable part to me.

Why?

Because that patriotic, emotional bronze medalist was none other than Sons of Norway member Shannon Bahrke. For those of you who keep past issues of Viking magazine, check out your February 2006 issue for a profile of this amazing woman. Check out some photos from Shannon's huge day here!

In other news, Norway's Olympic team is on the medal board with 3 so far. Congratulations to cross country skier Marit Bjoergen for her Bronze medal, Emil Hegle Svendsen for his silver medal in the 10K sprint biathlon and to Aksel Svindal for silver medal in the Men's Downhill Alpine Skiing event.