Winter Olympics 2010, Vancouver

[Lifeshape]

Ok, did skier Lindsey Vonn just pull of a bluff worthy of comparison to LA and the Cav?

 

[Ferminal]

Yep, not only did they manage to **** up the timings in both the men's and women's biathlon pursuit, now this. I haven't personally seen any more **** ups, but this seems amateurish.

Also, I know it's not the organisers fault, but this year's changes in the XC sprint set up really didn't help ''our'' boys in the final. Allthough I don't want to take anything away from the two russians, they were strong, I suspect it would've been closer race in the finals had the previous years set up applied. Allowing the participents of the first semi final rest almost twice as long as those in the second one doesn't seem perticularly fair to me. The winning time in the final wasn't that good, but the gaps to Hattestad and Northug were huge for a sprint.

I think your boys played it a bit wrong... The scuffle on the first downhill kind of exaggerated the gap which they were allowing the Russians get. Maybe the extra recovery helped too.

 

[auscyclefan94]

are you off your head, usain bolt + michael phelps, two of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, both setting unbelievable records.

also sammy wanjiru ran the possibly best ever marathon.

bekele proved his worth

those are just the ones off the top of my head right now

What about the torch relay around the world which was continaully marred by protesting about tibet.

I'll apologise to everyone that I have to use CE as a reference but the beijing organisers and the AOC told him that he was free to express his opinion but he was not allowed to talk anything other than his sport. Couldn't say anything about the games themselves.

What about the road cycling... no spectators on the course, trains were all cancelled to see the road race and the stands were filled with Chinese people who had no idea about cycling, all wore the same coloured shirts and had a big screen in front of them telling them when to cheer for certain riders in certain languages.

quoting evans

As a participant I saw that they (China) had to fabricate everything to make it look good for television

He had to sneek his wife in with the tv commentary so she could watch the race.

Then the chinese are pushed by the chinese to schedule the swimming for their time.

Also the pollution issue in China affected the games.

I found the beijing olympics a bit like a tumbling set of dominoes. One problem after the other.

 

[BroDeal]

I found the beijing olympics a bit like a tumbling set of dominoes. One problem after the other.

I thought it was the modern equivalent of the Nazi Olympics. It was nothing but propaganda and aggrandizement of the state. It was a manufactured spectacle that felt as hollow as it was phony. It was disturbing.

As for the winter Olympics, I find myself placing snowboard halfpipe events in the same category as rhythmic gymnastics or synchronized swimming. This sort of crap should not be in the Olympics.

 

[Oldman]

I thought it was the modern equivalent of the Nazi Olympics. It was nothing but propaganda and aggrandizement of the state. It was a manufactured spectacle that felt as hollow as it was phony. It was disturbing.

As for the winter Olympics, I find myself placing snowboard halfpipe events in the same category as rhythmic gymnastics or synchronized swimming. This sort of crap should not be in the Olympics.

Yeah, and the Michael Phelps medal watch probably bored even him.

I like watching the snowboard halfpipe but it is a circus act, not an Olympic event. Still, it's better than 20 minutes of features on polar bears, Bob Costas' magic hairstyle color and then getting just 5 skiers in the men's Downhill! NBC's coverage is making the mistakes beyond unbearable.

As for Lindsay Vonn; psyching the competition out is important in Downhill and she did it well. Maria Reisch looked absolutely terrified all the way down her run after Anja Paerson, her major competition in GS and Slalom crashed. I'm sure here coach encouraged her to survive the DH run and take revenge in her specialties.
Hopefully NBC can lose the jingoistic...never mind finishing that thought. It will never happen.

 

[Cobblestones]

It's pretty pathetic.

Concerning sports, I watched the snowboard events (both halfpipe and downhill). Both are spectacular to watch. Still I would agree, halfpipe is more a circus act and the downhill feels like wrestling. It's like someone thought that watching them go down one at a time is too boring, why not add drama by letting four of them compete at the same time? It's stupid. Ski events are interesting enough with one athlete going down at the time. You don't do ski downhill or slalom with two or more.

Same is actually true for speedskating on the short track.

But you know if anything should go it's luge, skeleton, bobsleigh etc. Booooring. Ah and curling of course. If the most interesting part of an event is the pattern of the pants, then you know your sport is crap.

 

[pedaling squares]

It's pretty pathetic.

Concerning sports, I watched the snowboard events (both halfpipe and downhill). Both are spectacular to watch. Still I would agree, halfpipe is more a circus act and the downhill feels like wrestling. It's like someone thought that watching them go down one at a time is too boring, why not add drama by letting four of them compete at the same time? It's stupid. Ski events are interesting enough with one athlete going down at the time. You don't do ski downhill or slalom with two or more.

Same is actually true for speedskating on the short track.

But you know if anything should go it's luge, skeleton, bobsleigh etc. Booooring. Ah and curling of course. If the most interesting part of an event is the pattern of the pants, then you know your sport is crap.

Maybe their solution will be to allow two bobsleighs on the track at the same time.

 

[zapata]

Agree 100% on the luge etc and curling, but the one I'd most like to see disappear, is the moguls. that's just a waste of good snow. and yes, the x-games-events should be dropped as well. to me, the core is the nordic and the alpine events, plus speed skating.



(edit: and about the pants in curling, I would like to apologize on behalf of the norwegian people. don't know what possessed the norwegian team to wear clowns pajamas in public.)

 

[zapata]

the olympics has swollen to become far to big anyway. too many sports, too many athletes.

 

[Deagol]

The Olympics are the biggest scam in sports apart from Lance Armstrong. They stir up nationalism, get thousands of athletes to compete for free, con countries in to footing the bill to put on the games, and then scrape off billions of dollars in media rights that are funneled to a corrupt elite. The athletes should organize and demand a percentage of the money brought in.

I know you don't like snowboarding in the Olympics (or at least seeing half pipe as part) based on what I have read here, but here is an interesting story to back-up your point.

“Back in the day” there was an elite snowboarder from Norway named Terje Hakkonsen. He was widely regarded as one of the absolute best in his prime. He boycotted the Olympics due to his belief that the IOC was, as he put it, like the mafia. A rider at his level probably had a lot more knowledge of this organization than the average fan. I’m sure he did not come to this decision lightly. Makes you wonder….

From a personal perspective, the fact that Pat McQuaid is now part of the IOC is more than enough to make me a cynic.

 

[BroDeal]

So I caught part of the snowboard halfpipe. Someone explain to me what is up with the bandanas over the faces. They looked like they were planning to stop halfway through and rob the city bank.

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

So I caught part of the snowboard halfpipe. Someone explain to me what is up with the bandanas over the faces. They looked like they were planning to stop halfway through and rob the city bank.

A friend in college was a snowboarder. I actually asked her the same question. She did downhill freeriding type stuff, not the pipe, and told me her reasoning was to keep cold air off her face while going downhill. I asked why not a balaclava or ski mask. She said simply, "the bandana looks cooler."

Maybe I'll start wearing one while riding in the winter months...

 

[zapata]

A friend in college was a snowboarder. I actually asked her the same question. She did downhill freeriding type stuff, not the pipe, and told me her reasoning was to keep cold air off her face while going downhill. I asked why not a balaclava or ski mask. She said simply, "the bandana looks cooler."

Maybe I'll start wearing one while riding in the winter months...

that's just wrong. Isn't this much cooler than a surfer-hippie-bandana?

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

that's just wrong. Isn't this much cooler than a surfer-hippie-bandana?

I know, right, but I suspect her response was also a jab at me. She always picked on me after she saw me in my winter gear. I guess I look less than studly covered head to toe in tights.

 

[zapata]

Well, in the winter in the coldest days I often wear a thin balaclava with a woolen cap on top of it, and have repeatedly been told I look like a terrorist hobo. Functionality over aesthetics for me..

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

that's just wrong. Isn't this much cooler than a surfer-hippie-bandana?

Don't forget your pipe:

 

[zapata]

He! Too bad about the pink cap.

 

[zapata]

Would it constitute a Spoiler if I post something about the ongoing biathlon, or is it live on television other places than in norway?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Some comments on the games:

I agree they are surprisingly disorganized. The Greeks had less money and were way late, but put on better games. Only Atlanta with it's bureaucracy, and surprisingly unfriendly atmosphere ranks lower in my memory (I barely remember 1972, only being scared as a boy). Agree though that Beijing games were strange. Not only highly likely the most doped up games ever, the Chinese propoganda machine was bothersome. But they did put on a spectacle.

Best games ever to me were the 2000 games in Sydney for the summer, and 1994 in Lillihammer for winter. Those were just superb. Great show, great fun, great in every aspect. 1980 Winter in Lake Placid were good too for American pride and good games during the cold war.

I thought the halfpipe was something to see only for how amazing Shaun White was. But as an Olympic event? Meh. Same with moguls. Even the ski jumping (acrobatic), which is insane, but...

Personally, I think there should be no medals with judged events. That was one thing absurd about Beijing was the way in almost every judged event, the Chinese won gold medals. Gymnastics was worst, as their people would fall over on easy routines and still get still get super high marks. These events should be exhibition only. If you want to hand out participatory medals of some sort, fine I guess. Yes, even figure skating.

Snowboard Cross is interesting, but I think belongs in the X-Games, and hasn't produced that exciting of results, but at least it's not judged.

Agree with the others on the short track speed skate. Too many events.

Luge, Skeleton and Bobsled I kind of like.

Curling is just boring. 1 in 20 matches is interesting. But at least they have them mic'd up now.

Women's hockey isn't ready yet. The way the USA demolished a under-prepared Russian and Chinese teams was just embarrassing. To have a four team exhibition with the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland playing a few games would be enough.

The XC events have been pretty exciting. Closer than in Torino. But XC has had nearly as many doping problems as cycling.

NBC hasn't done the best job covering some events either. They hardly explained biathlon or Nordic combined. Their profiles of some athletes are too short, and too American.

 

[zapata]

Even the ski jumping (acrobatic), which is insane, but...

Agree on mostly everything, except the ski jumping. My favourite, since I was five years old. Queen of sports. Although the "normal" hill is an anachronism, far too small for 2010 and rarely used outside of the olympics, and should be dropped in favour of ski flying, minimum K-185 meters.

(Also, it just doesn't look as good anymore, with the V-style..this makes me sound a thousand years old, but if there's a clip of thoralf engan on youtube, you should watch it.)

 

[DigitalIbis]

If I remember correctly, the whole shawn white/bandana thing started years ago one summer at Mt. Hood during summer training. It pretty much has stuck with him ever since. When they cut the halfpipe during the summer it kicks all kinds of stuff into the air (dirt, salt, etc...). I think the mtn crew up their wore them for breathing as well as protection from the sun.

I don't remember where I heard that from. May or may not be true.

 

[Lifeshape]

Don't forget your pipe:

I can't tell if this is Zapata's grandson or a provo!

 

[ImmaculateKadence]

Well, in the winter in the coldest days I often wear a thin balaclava with a woolen cap on top of it, and have repeatedly been told I look like a terrorist hobo. Functionality over aesthetics for me..

Exactly. In winter months, I wear a balaclava and am constantly adjusting it over my mouth and nose and below my chin depending on the speed and wind changes. I've never been called a terrorist hobo, but I was called a "ninja cyclist." A comment I actually took as a compliment because you never see a ninja coming until it's too late.

 

[pedaling squares]

I thought the halfpipe was something to see only for how amazing Shaun White was. But as an Olympic event? Meh. Same with moguls. Even the ski jumping (acrobatic), which is insane, but...

I like the moguls. It combines incredible ski technique with acrobatics. I look at the acrobatics in the same light as diving, vault, and trampoline in the summer games. Pretty incredible skill required there. I guess it's not for everyone of course.

Agree with the others on the short track speed skate. Too many events.

I agree with pretty much your whole post, but this is the second point where we differ. I think this sport is a gong show but it sure combines skill with strength/endurance. For that alone, I like it. Those relay races are crazy but not quite the mess that some of the other X type events are. Wish I'd had a short track in my hometown when I grew up.

 

[BroDeal]

Same is actually true for speedskating on the short track.

Short track, isn't that the event where the person who wins is the one lucky enough not to get involved in the inevitable crashes?