MARK DENNY, GLIDING FOR GOLD — [A] spinning skater can increase her angular speed... . You may reproduce this... on your office... chair. ... [G]et spinning with your legs extended,... then draw your legs in... . This... will cause your... colleagues to stare and you to spin faster.
| A. | Knack for being successful in any venture (2 wds.) | MIDASTOUCH |
| B. | Jump off the forward edge | AXEL |
| C. | Coach, trainer and bodyguard, for example | RETINUE |
| D. | Area adjoining a rink where marks are awaited (hyph.) | KISSANDCRY |
| E. | River through Smolensk and Kiev | DNIEPER |
| F. | On cloud nine, in seventh heaven | EUPHORIC |
| G. | Unit used to measure the force of gravity | NEWTON |
| H. | Side effect of vertigo | NAUSEA |
| I. | Fledgling, squirt, moppet | YOUNGSTER |
| J. | A puck might ricochet off it (2 wds.) | GOALPOST |
| K. | "Chill out!" (2 wds.) | LIGHTENUP |
| L. | Sluggishness; resistance to change | INERTIA |
| M. | Lacking a definite plan or regularity | DESULTORY |
| N. | Follies involving blades (2 wds.) | ICESHOW |
| O. | Fine distinction | NUANCE |
| P. | Act of whirling or rotating | GYRATION |
| Q. | Unattached, not held back by ties (hyph.) | FANCYFREE |
| R. | Player in an arena who never scores | ORGANIST |
| S. | Use a Zamboni on, say | RESURFACE |
| T. | Focus of certain protests before the Sochi Olympics (2 wds.) | GAYRIGHTS |
| U. | Figure of interest to some powerful Olympians | ODYSSEUS |
| V. | One engaged in a vault | LEAPER |
| W. | Like a normal bobsled run ... or worse? | DOWNHILL |