SOCHI SCENE: 'The hair is always ready'

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia – The joke around the U.S. skeleton team is that John Daly wears two helmets.

One over his head. Another over his hair.

Let's explain. Daly, from Smithtown, N.Y., takes pride in his appearance. Great pride, really. So much pride that teammates often chide him about how many hair products he uses simultaneously.

But among Daly's many mottos is this: "I look good, I smell good, all the time."

"There's always going to be three hair products, no matter what," Daly said. "Now if I wash it, there's going to be a leave-in conditioner as well, so that's four. We're working with a pomade, a paste and a hardening gel."

What he's doing seems to be working. Daly has had some great training runs leading into the Olympic competition, leaving him brimming with confidence.

"Yeah, I'm going to be ready," Daly said. "The hair is always ready."

— By Tim Reynolds — Twitter http://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds

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Associated Press reporters are filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: http://apne.ws/1c3WMiu