SoJosh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him @JHelmuth or "like" CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
Sochi Survival Guide
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An Alarm Clock
Sochi is exactly 12 hours ahead of west coasters -- 9 hours ahead of EST. Western Russia is literally on the other side of planet, meaning some of the events you're going to want to watch will happen in the middle of the night. Set your alarm, otherwise you'll be game, Set, match when it comes to missing out on the best events...Kudos to you if you wake up next to a girl looking like her every morning.
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The Sochi 2014 Guide App
The Sochi 2014 Guide is a Mobile Guide that gives you everything you'll need to know.
"You'll be able to stay up to date, to know the accurate schedule of competitions and other events, to follow the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay, to purchase tickets, to plan a trip, to navigate in Sochi and at sports venues with the interactive map, to share experiences with friends and much more. Sochi 2014 Guide is your encyclopedia of the Games!"
An encyclopedia? Sounds impressive. I'm in.
It's also available for Blackberry and Windows Phone as well.
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Know The Hockey Schedule
Because, honestly, no one cares about team figure skating or curling. Actually, curling is kind of badass. Point is, avid sports fans will only be watching the puck. The Russians have tremendous pressure on their hockey team, expecting this round of players to bring them back to their glory days of 'prestige' and dominance. Canada is looking forward to repeating with a gold medal themselves. The U.S. is hoping for a medal of their own. There is going to more drama than a day-time soap.
You can see the official hockey schedule here. Start times range from 3 a.m. to noon. So again, set your alarm. The tourney kicks off with 18-games over a five day period Feb. 12 -- consider it the hockey version of March Madness.
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Coffee. Lots Of Coffee.
Did we mention Sochi is 12 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time?
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A DVR
Okay, maybe you're like me and you hate coffee...and you'd rather get a root canal than wake up at the crack of dawn. DVR and watch the games during normal human-functioning hours. Just don't look at the internet, or newspapers, or sports TV news....before you watch.
Over 1,500 hours of the Olympics will be broadcast, according to The Washington Post, so you'll probably need that DVR regardless.
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Read Olympic Previews
NBC seems to have the best out there, which makes sense considering they paid a billion-jabizillion dollars to have broadcast rights. The schedule, athletes, medals...it's all there. Sochi2014.com also has a terrific user-friendly site one can follow each sport from every country. Most events will also be streamed LIVE on NBCOlympics.com and via the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app.
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Sochi City Guide
Actually heading to Sochi to see the games in person? SochiCityGuide.com appears to be able to function as your personal travel agent -- hotels, restaurants, nightlife, the whole package. Just watch out for those, you know....terrorists...... I wish I were joking.
