Tableau Software Inc.

02/04/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/05/2022 06:04

Data for the win: How the Team USA visualizations were made

Geographic distributions of ski resorts and hockey rinks can make it difficult for any person to pursue alpine or cross country skiing, snowboarding, or hockey at an elite level. By looking at the home state data of where our Team USA athletes generally come from, we were able to challenge assumptions.

Since 1920, USA Hockey has fielded a men's team in the Olympic Winter Games. When first exploring the data of where the majority of hockey players come from, geographic trends from 1920 to present were not apparent. The majority were from Northern states. As we broke down the data into a different type of chart, we noticed a marked difference after the 1980 Miracle on Ice ®, with many more athletes from Southern and Western states joining the team.

In skiing, there is a known East versus West rivalry, with many arguing which is the better place to ski. We learned through Ski & Snowboard Teams athlete data that while proximity to a ski hill was important, it was not the only predictor of making it onto the team. The data correlations were most relevant when looking at what type of event an athlete might pursue. For example, alpine or freestyle skiers may be more likely to live in close proximity to a ski hill, while cross country skiers were less likely to require a hill to learn the sport.