The Storylines That Will Make You Smile, Laugh, or Cry During the Olympics

Gymnastics and figure skating are two Olympic fan favorites, and this year the Winter Games are taking a cue from the Summer Games. For the first time, there will be a team competition, pitting country against country for what promises to be a dramatic battle.

Each nation's team consists of six figure skaters. One male skater, one female skater, one pair team, and one ice dance team will be chosen to participate in the team event — we're sure appropriately named skater Gracie Gold, pictured above, hopes to make Team USA. After skaters compete in the women's, men’s, pairs, and ice dance programs, totals scores from each will be added together for the national team score, and a winner will be crowned.

Goodbye, Olympic dreams. Lindsey Vonn worked hard to make it to the Olympics after undergoing knee surgery last February. But thanks to an MCL sprain during a downhill race in France in December, she had to officially pull out of the Games. It's a sad ending for the gold medalist (and current girlfriend of Tiger Woods).

Track and field star Lolo Jones made headlines during the London Games for speaking freely about her decision to remain a virgin. Are you prepared to hear more about her sex life? While the hurdler did not win a medal during the 2012 Summer Olympics, she's giving Sochi a shot. Lolo has taken up bobsledding and is the running to make the team.

While the new figure skating team competition is exciting, there's not much hope of Team USA bringing home gold on the ice. However, one bright spot is American ice dancing duo Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Celebrity choreographer Derek Hough has worked with the pair, who are five-time national champions and winners of the 2010 silver medal. They're hoping to best that this year.

Athletes and fans alike are wondering how to handle the Games after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a draconian bill into law last June. Called an antigay propaganda law, it basically means you can go to jail for saying it's OK to be gay or be raised by gay parents. Understandably, many are concerned about how this might impact gay fans, reporters, or Olympians traveling to the country. And activists have called for a boycott of the Games and Russian products — like vodka.

Back in October, Putin assured everyone that gay people will be welcome at the Winter Olympics, but his statement didn't fully address the issue. Following months of protests and worldwide criticism over the law, Putin said, "We are doing everything, both the organizers and our athletes and fans, so that participants and guests feel comfortable in Sochi, regardless of nationality, race, or sexual orientation." We can expect reporting on the tolerance climate and any fallout from the law during the Games.

In the early '90s, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were two household names in the world of figure skating, but in 1994, a man hit Kerrigan's leg with a metal pole just before the US Figure Skating Championships. With suspicion and investigations brewing, Harding eventually opened up to say that she, her ex-husband, and her bodyguard had plotted the attack and hired a man to break Kerrigan's leg. Following her admission, Harding was at first banned from figure skating, but after she threatened to sue, she was accepted back into the sport. At the Olympics, it felt like some sort of karmic ending when a postrecovery Kerrigan won the silver medal and Harding placed eighth. Expect some look-backs — especially since Nancy Kerrigan is serving as an NBC analyst.

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, 18, is poised to be the Missy Franklin of these Olympics. You may recall then 17-year-old Missy dominated women's swimming at the 2012 Games. This time around, Mikaela will likely impress us all. Born in Vail, CO, Mikaela began skiing in her parent's driveway. She won her first major race at the age of 15, and she's won four World Cup gold medals for slalom.

In Sochi, snowboarder Shuan White will try for his third straight men's half-pipe gold medal. While the 27-year-old is battling an ankle injury, he could still become the first US man to win three straight Winter golds in the same event.

Here's a little international trivia for you. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen — known as "The King" — only needs two gold medals to tie the record for most career golds, and only two medals at all to take the record for most Winter medals.

Who's ready for a Cool Runnings sequel? Twenty-six years ago, the unexpected team went for gold at the Calgary Games, and the athletes from the tropical nation could try it again in Russia as they are back in the running.