Another Athlete Holding Out

How did the NBC sob story department miss this?

Ronny Ackermann, a 24-year-old German who helped his country’s Nordic combined team win a silver medal, told the BBC that he abstained from sex for 389 days before the event.

He said it helped his strength and focus. Too much, maybe.

After his Sunday event, he said he would continue to abstain from sex for a few days.

“After the Olympics, I will look for a girlfriend,” he told the BBC. “Until then, the only thing I’ll be caressing is my medal.”

Naming Rights Not Worth Much Now

Under IOC rules prohibiting the names of corporations on Olympics venues, for the last two weeks the Delta Center has been renamed the Salt Lake Ice Center.

Not only has it resulted in confusion among spectators, who must still walk under a huge Delta Center sign to enter the facility, but it is costing Delta plenty of money.

According to Bloomberg News, NBC mentioned “Salt Lake Ice Center” about 20 times during one recent figure skating telecast, exposure which would have been worth $4.3 million to Delta Airlines.

Looking for a Sport That Has It All? Get a Broom

Ann Swisshelm, vice skip of the U.S. curling team that finished fourth in the Olympic tournament, said the exposure probably had done wonders for the game, which she considers every bit as exciting as the so-called “extreme sports.”

“Our traditional sport is fairly rebellious at this point,” she said. “I’d like to think that we don’t need to have any sort of amplitude measure in order to have success.

“It doesn’t make our game not physical, not dramatic. I think we showed a couple of people that this game is very exciting. It’s not slow, it’s not boring and it’s not something that old people do. One of the joys is that it’s a sport that all people can play.

“So, I think we’ve got it all. How cool would it be to walk around with a broom? Really, that’s pretty outrageous. You’re going to be a pretty unique teenager, playing the sport of curling.”

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Schlopy Got Sloppy

Erik Schlopy joined the list of U.S. Alpine skiers who have been disappointments in these Olympics.

Schlopy, 29, missed a gate about 15 seconds into Thursday’s men’s giant slalom and had to hike back uphill to make it.

He did, but finished a woeful 12.08 seconds out of first place.

Schlopy qualified to make a second run but elected to withdraw.

Schlopy, not Bode Miller, was America’s best hope for a giant slalom medal before the season. Schlopy finished third in last year’s World Cup standings but never got into elite race form after contracting mononucleosis in the fall.

Schlopy said he was inspired by Chris Witty, the American speedskater who returned from mono to win gold in the 1,000 meters.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t double on the mono side,” Schlopy said.

Schlopy lives in Park City and wanted to fare better in front of a home crowd.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a nightmare; I tried,” Schlopy said. “My family still loves me.”

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He’s Still Alive, Right?

Miller has a reputation for being able to keep his composure in pressure situations, but he says no one in ski racing has a lower pulse rate than Norway’s Lasse Kjus, who finished third in Thursday’s men’s giant slalom.

“I don’t get nervous,” Miller said, “but that guy is ridiculous.”

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He’s Aimed to Please

Miller was whisked from one interview to another after earning his second silver medal, but says he doesn’t mind the attention.

“That’s sort of the way it is,” Miller said. “It’s almost easier for me that way. I don’t have to organize or think too much. I just walk around, people ask me to do things and I do them.”

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Still at a Loss

Todd Hays and Brian Shimer needed some water after their last practice runs for the four-man bobsled. Seems like that drought isn’t over just yet.

Despite the victory by Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers in the inaugural women’s bobsled, the U.S. men still haven’t won an Olympic medal since 1956.

“They’ve only started a streak,” said Hays, who came within .03 of a second of winning bronze in the two-man. “It’s still our job to break the streak. Men haven’t won in 46 years. The women did a wonderful job. Let’s hope we can do the same thing.”

“I told everybody, ‘the women won, no pressure on us now,’” added Shimer, who will retire after the Olympics. “But no, that’s not the case, not at all, and nobody’s going to see it that way.”

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The Sliding Irish

Raise a pint to Clifton Wrottesley, possibly the happiest fourth-place finisher in the Olympics.

Wrottesley just missed winning Ireland’s first medal in the Winter Games when he finished .42 of a second behind the bronze medalist in skeleton.

But Wrottesley, who financed much of the trip to Salt Lake City himself, wasn’t disappointed.

“This is wonderful,” he said. “We’ve only been at this for 10 years. We’re young at this sport.”

Ireland doesn’t have much snow and its Olympic committee struggles to raise money for winter sports. Wrottesley wants to help promote the Winter Games in his country.

During Wednesday’s event, he wore an orange, green and white racing suit that included a large green shamrock on his backside.

After finishing fourth, he said a celebration was on tap. “I’m sure we might be able to wrestle a bottle up.”

Times staff writers Bill Plaschke, Mike Kupper and Chris Dufresne and *

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Associated Press contributed to this report.