Despite the Opening Ceremony happening on Friday, the Sochi Winter Olympics actually start on Thursday (and have technically already gotten underway). It’s a strange development, to be sure, but due to the constraints of fitting so many qualifiers, heats, and pre-final competitions into such a finite period of time, there is apparently a need to run some events before the Games are even declared “open.”

The Olympics, which run from February 6th-23rd, begin in earnest this weekend, with virtually every type of event getting underway in one way or another. In the meantime, here’s a look at what to watch on the schedule for today in Sochi:

At 9 a.m. EST, Women’s Moguls Qualifying Round: WATCH IT LIVE HERE

The U.S. should have a strong chance to not only advance through qualifying, but perhaps medal in the event. Moguls, in case you’ve never taken the time to watch, are one of the most challenging skiing events at the Olympics. It requires a combination of speed, technical ability, aerial ability, and elastic knees.

Here’s the gold medal run from Hannah Kearney in 2010 at Vancouver. She’s once again a favorite in Sochi:

 At 10 a.m. EST, Men’s & Pairs Figure Skating Short Program. WATCH IT LIVE HERE

Figure skating, as it always does, will draw an engaged crowd, clamoring to see who will wow the judges. The short program is only a small portion of the event, but it’s worthy of attention nonetheless. Only a limited number will qualify for the next round, as the U.S. are one of the favorites, along with Canada and Russia.

Again, take a look at the 2010 gold medal pairs performance. The coordination between the two is unbelievable:

Image via REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler