It’s the most wonderful time of every fourth year. The Winter Olympics are in full swing–it is Day 10–and athletes from all over the world are making their nations proud. Some events are over, some have yet to start, but the action has been vast and there have been exciting wins and devastating upsets. Whether they’re from the good old US of A or hail from somewhere else, one thing is for sure: Most of the athletes in Sochi could use an alpaca scarf. After seeing their pink cheeks and Rudolph noses all over the news, it has become clear that some of Sochi’s athletes would benefit from a thick, warm alpaca scarf wrapped snugly around their necks for the duration of their stay in Russia. Here are the 20 athletes who look the coldest:
1. Hilary Knight, Women’s Hockey (USA). She’s been stuck in the ice rink throughout her stay in Sochi, and her ears are looking a bit red under that helmet. Knight already has a goal in these Olympics and no doubt hopes for a couple more.
2. Faye Gulini, Snowboard Cross (USA). Gulini is one of the USA’s snowboarding stars and has yet to compete. Given the late start for snowboard cross, Gulini must be awfully cold already.
3. Tora Berger, Biathlon (Norway). Already a medal winner in the women’s pursuit, Norway’s Berger will compete in the mass start on Monday and may need to warm up before she gets ready to cool down again in competition.
4. Anders Johnson, Ski Jumping (USA). Johnson has competed in several events thus far and has spent quite a lot of time in the mountains of Sochi. He probably needs a scarf.
5. Sage Kotsenburg, Snowboarder (USA). So Sage is already done. He took home the Gold in Slopestyle and headed to New
York the day after to make the interview rounds. I mostly put him on here because he’s adorable. But he definitely could have benefited from some extra warmth in Sochi.
6. Ariane Lavigne, Snowboarder (Canada). Lavigne, like her fellow snowboarders, has spent most of her time in Russia on the mountain and she has looked especially cold in pictures. Somebody get her some alpaca wear!
7. Jessica Smith, Speed Skating (USA). Smith hopes to recover after a nasty fall in the preliminaries, but her status as one of the USA’s favorites makes a comeback extremely probable. She may have some ice still stuck to her after the tumble, though, and might want to invest in some warmth.
8. Jonathan Quick, Men’s Hockey (USA). The USA’s goaltender, Quick is coming off of a fiery preliminary round against Russia, won by our boys in a long shootout. He’s been spending a lot of time in that chilly ice rink climate…Just saying…
9. Niels Kerstholt, Speed Skating (Netherlands). Niels has done a lot thus far in Sochi, but is still waiting for the Short Track 500m Qualification round. He might need to warm up with a thick scarf while he waits.
10. Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton (USA). Pikus-Pace ended her Olympic career with a hard-won silver medal on Valentine’s Day. After long and turbulent runs in Turin and Vancouver, Pikus-Pace really deserved this one and was just as happy with her Silver as she would have been with Gold.
11. Evan Bates, Figure Skating (USA). One of the USA’s more famous skaters, Bates spent the second weekend of the Olympics competing in both the Short and Free Dances. With all of that time spent on the rink, I’m sure he could use some extra insulation once he finishes each event.
12. Julia Mancuso, Alpine Skiing (USA). Mancuso earned a Bronze on the 10th in the Ladies’ Super Combined Slalom and competed in several other events. Now that she’s done with her events, she’s going to be even chillier and might want to invest in a big alpaca scarf for warmth.
13. Jonathan Toews, Men’s Hockey (Canada). A favorite from the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, Toews led his team to a Stanley Cup in 2013. Now, he’s leading Team Canada throughout their turn in Sochi and is hoping to leave Russia with a gold medal.
14. Kristan Bromley, Skeleton (UK). Bromley is a super foxy racer for the UK and looks super cold between each run on the skeleton sled. If he had a scarf, he could watch his competitors without distraction.
15. Torah Bright, Snowboarder (Australia). Torah Bright is pretty awesome, that’s why I wanted to include her on this list. She got a Silver in the Ladies’ Halfpipe which is excellent and she seems pretty stylish. She could probably rock an alpaca scarf or hat with a lot of flair.
16. Erika Brown, Curling (USA). While most of the USA doesn’t exactly know what curling is, I spent some time researching it and learned that it’s actually really difficult. And while Brown can burn up to 500 calories per match, all of that sweat and hard work will just make her colder once the game is all said and done. She’ll need some alpaca wear to help her out.
17. Patrick Kane, Men’s Hockey (USA). Another star of the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks (Bruins fans like myself are still upset…), Kane is using his skills to try and upset Toews and Team Canada for a gold medal in Sochi.
18. Florence Schelling, Women’s Hockey (Switzerland). Coming off of an exciting win against Russia, Switzerland’s goalie is one of the world’s best. She is looking to lead her team to a medal and has a very good chance. Her extensive time on the ice likely makes her a bit chilly if she’s not super busy fighting off pucks, so she could use some warm gear as well.
19. Christopher Fogt, Bobsled (USA). Bogt and his teammate, Cory Butner, both look pretty chilly as they glide down these tremendous hills on their 2-man bobsleigh. They also look pretty focused. Let’s hope they can channel it into a medal!
20. Alex Harvey, Cross Country Skiing (Canada). Harvey is a cross-country skier. He had to trek really far on a pair of skis in Russia, I think it goes without saying that he could use an alpaca scarf.
So there you have it. Twenty of Sochi’s finest who could really, really use some extra insulation. And where can they find a wide selection of warm, stylish alpaca scarves? Why, at PacaNaturals of course. Do you think they have time to jaunt from Sochi to Portland and back before their next events? And if you’re spending a lot of time outside in this cool New England winter, pretending to be an Olympian as you race down your backyard hill in a toboggan, you could use a scarf, too. So come see us! And be sure to check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more for weekly and monthly deals!