U.S. team settling in, Lady Gaga on watch | Olympics notebook

RICHMOND, B.C. — Johnny Weir now knows how to make the Olympic Village feel like home.

The figure skater and other American athletes went through team processing by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Wednesday, a big step in getting settled in Vancouver.

After filling a giant rolling bin with U.S. gear, Weir planned to move into his room — and decorate it.

In Turin in 2006, Weir was surprised by the Spartan accommodations. This time, he intends to be totally comfortable. He's bringing three 70-pound suitcases stuffed with everything from candles to his teddy bear to his favorite brand of fabric softener.

Weir plans to hang a big picture in his room of Lady Gaga, who he says will be "watching over us, protecting us."

Notes

• Bode Miller says the lure of the Olympics brought him back to skiing. Miller debated retirement over the summer before deciding on a full-fledged return in September. Miller failed to win a medal at the 2006 Turin Games after entering as a heavy favorite in multiple events, making more headlines for his late-night partying than his skiing.

"I want to make sure I find the gas pedal and depress it to the floor," he said Wednesday. Miller placed seventh in the opening downhill training session.

• Luge athlete Mark Grimmette was chosen to be the flagbearer for the U.S. team at Friday's opening ceremony. Grimmette, the fourth American to compete at five Winter Olympics, won the vote of the American delegation Wednesday and will lead the team of 216 U.S. athletes.

• Wednesday was a good day for Cypress Mountain, with plenty of snow. Whistler was another matter — fog ruled. Cypress was hit with a surprise snowstorm, giving the home of the Olympic freestyle and snowboarding venues a big boost a few days before competition begins.

At Whistler, fog forced the first men's downhill training run to be canceled Wednesday after only 42 of the 87 racers completed the Olympic course.

• A U.S. judge has no idea how he's wound up at the center of figure skating's latest judging brouhaha. Joe Inman says his e-mail about component marks was simply meant to be an exchange among friends. The e-mail is being used by some in Europe as evidence that the North Americans are lobbying for their male skaters.

Inman sent friends an e-mail about comments reportedly made by reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko, who came out of retirement in the spring. Plushenko was quoted in an interview as saying, "If the judges want someone to place high, they can arrange it."

Plushenko then reportedly went on to say Brian Joubert of France, the 2007 world champion, got more points for his transitions than the Russian did, even though they did the exact same thing.

The ISU implemented the current judging system after the pairs scandal at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Every element has an assigned value, giving judges an objective framework by which to judge.

• A new British ski and snowboarding organization has been formed and has enough money to send 14 competitors to the Olympics in Vancouver. The athletes' participation was threatened because of a bankruptcy crisis involving the British ski and snowboard federation.