App Watch: Adding More Cowbell to Winter Olympics
Fans at the Winter Olympics have long used cowbells to cheer for athletes, and now a new iPhone app allows you to recreate the experience even if you don’t have a brass bell handy.
According to this article in the Vail Daily, the cowbell tradition began when Alpine herders took bells ordinarily worn by their animals and incorporated them into cheers for skiers. It’s tough to clap loudly when you’re wearing mittens, so the cowbells caught on. The virtual version of the cowbell adds a couple of 21st-century features to the tradition: A Twitter feed follows hundreds of athletes who are tweeting from the games, and a Facebook-style wall lets users post photos and text to share with other app users or Facebook friends. Users can decorate their bell with one of 35 flags provided on the app, and a schedule of events and medal count also are available.
