The opening date of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea is getting closer. Around 3000 athletes are representing 92 countries at this year’s games. The U.S alone is sending 242 athletes to the games, with most of the athletes coming from states such as Colorado, Utah, New York, and California.

Erin Chambliss, an athlete at Bob Jones said, “To me, the games represent hard work, dedication, and pride in our country. It is amazing how athletes from around the world can come together and bring the fiercest competition to the table.”

Ahead of the games, U.S athletes are placed on strict diets and meal plans to gain the most calories and protein per meal, and over the last few months have been slowly introduced to Korean food to feel the most comfortable in the new environment.

Chambliss stated, “It’s really important to stay on a diet so that you’ll be in top condition to perform. It helps you get in shape and stay in shape and really improves your overall mindset and awareness.”

Megan Chacosky, the team’s dietitian said, “I’ve watched them go through this process of the past three years of building, building and building to this ultimate competition. I’m looking forward to helping them feel comfortable in a high-pressure situation.”

One of the most anticipated athletes going into the Winter Games is Nathan Chin, a U.S figure skater who has never competed in the Olympics before but has already set an impressive record of landing five quadruple jumps in a single performance.

In an interview, Chin stated, “I think that my very best performances are the times when I completely block everything out and it goes on auto drive — I don’t think about anything.”

Another anticipated U.S team member is snowboarder Kelly Clark, who was the first woman to land a 1080 in competition and has medaled in three out four Olympics she has attended. Clark is thought to perform well in PyeongChang.

Clark commented, “It’s an incredible opportunity to represent my country to the rest of the world, to represent snowboarding and women, it’s been one of the greatest privileges of my life.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added four new events to the Winter Olympics in an attempt to bring in a younger audience as the games continue to evolve over the years. The new events are big air snowboarding, mass start speed skating, coed curling, and a team skiing event.

Serena Davis, a Bob Jones student, is excited about the games and looks forward to catching one of her favorite events. “Figure Skating is definitely my favorite, I love the costumes and dancing involved! I’m always impressed by the Figure Skaters; what they do looks extremely difficult.”

As well as figure skating, Serena also plans to check the new coed curling. “Coed curling seems to be an interesting sport, I’m excited to watch it coming up in a week.”

Another, more drastic change to the games involves the National Hockey League (NHL) to no longer send professional players to compete in the games. The Games always take place during the NHL season, which effectively brings the season to a halt for seventeen days while the games are being played.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated, “I think the overwhelming sentiment of the teams is that it’s very disruptive on the season and there is somewhere between fatigue and negativity on the subject.”

The NHL even conducted a poll regarding the break in the season and the unanimous vote was against it. Another concern was that the players who competed both in the NHL and the Olympics would tire more easily and have a greater risk of injury.

Brett Holmes, a Bob Jones student and an avid hockey fan, stated, “If no other professionals are playing, just semi-pro, I have no problem with it. When America beat Russia in 1980, their players were considered professional due to how their government worked. So as long as all the players are relatively equal, I’m fine with it.”

You can catch the 2018 Olympic Games on NBC on Friday, February 9th. Live coverage will be available on TV and through the NBC Sports App. For times and listings, you can click here for more information.