2010 Olympics (potential spoilers if you can't watch live)

Post by **halplm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:06 am

She was obviously favoring it at several points, and on the last straightaway all her weight was off of it. It looked like she was on one ski at that point. It's kind of freaky.

Post by **vison** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:55 am

Shaun White is amazing. He could have just rolled down on his last run, instead he put on an incredible performance. Class to his toenails, that boy.

Post by **halplm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:42 am

US men's and women's curling... 0-7.... sigh...

I don't have a problem rooting for Canada in Curling, though

.. 7-0... which is pretty much the exact opposite

Massive congrats to Even Lysacek as the first US guy to win figure skating gold since '88.

Good day for the US overall as well... quite an amazing games for them already, and it's not even half over!

Big game on Sunday, US vs. Canada in Men's Hockey! I can't wait for it!

My biggest quibble today is the utter failure of a couple of US gold medal winners to not put their hand over their heart for the National anthem... I can't possibly think that's a lack of understanding... and it's really disrespectful. I'd like to think they were just lost in the moment, but I don't see it. If it were me, it would be the first thing on my mind... Oh well...

Post by **Frelga** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:19 am

I noticed Shani Davis was standing in a soccer player stance.

No, no, man, that's not where your heart is!

Poor Vonn fell in slalom today.

Post by **halplm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:40 am

indeed, that was a soccer player's stance

And yes, vonn did catch a gate unfortunately, but if her friendship with the German (whose name I can't recall) is as close as they say it is, it won't be too sad for her

.

Not much going on today that I'm excited about... although a couple of curling wins would be welcome

The Men's super G should be fun as well.

Post by **Elentári** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:47 am

Shame for Vonn...the pressure got to her...

...but what about Anja Paerson grabbing the Bronze after that awful fall the day before!!! I've always admired her...great competitor

Post by **Padme** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:32 pm

So did Evan Lysacek steal the gold from Evgeni Plushencko? I guess this goes back to the whole scoring issues. I think Evan won it even though Evgeni did a quad, he was still stiff and only lost the gold by a smidgen.

Post by **vison** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:29 pm

Padme wrote:So did Evan Lysacek steal the gold from Evgeni Plushencko? I guess this goes back to the whole scoring issues. I think Evan won it even though Evgeni did a quad, he was still stiff and only lost the gold by a smidgen.

I agree. Lysacek skated a lot better than Evgeni. He put his HEART into it.

Patrick Chan did just fine, too, ending up 5th even after his falls. He's a more interesting and exciting skater than anyone, but he was sort of overwhelmed by his first Olympics, I guess.

Post by **halplm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:41 pm

Well look at that, the US finally won a curling match...

:hooray:

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:57 pm

Late to the party, but . . . Tom and I watched Shaun White's half-pipe runs this morning on the NBC Olympics site. Holy moly! That last trick on the second run! And the fact that he topped himself after having already safely won the gold.

And he's charming. He ought to end up on a lot of cereal boxes.

Post by **halplm** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:03 pm

tardiness is acceptable, perhaps even fashionable...

There are snowcones in the corner.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:09 pm

Ooo, Green River, my favorite!

Post by **Lhaewin** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 10:03 am

Amy Williams won the first gold medal for the UK since Robin Cousins in 1980.

Skeleton looks so scary to me, not only because of all those accidents.

I hope there won't be more.

Post by **Nin** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:31 am

I was sad for Stéphane Lambiel in the figure skating. He is such nice guy. and all are trembling for the Swiss female curling team What is happening to them???

(And I must say that whatever country I would represent, if I had to put my hand on my heart, I'd refuse a gold medal, but I am totally alien to patriotism).

Post by **Elentári** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 1:05 pm

Lhaewin wrote:Amy Williams won the first gold medal for the UK since Robin Cousins in 1980.

Skeleton looks so scary to me, not only because of all those accidents. I hope there won't be more.

That's the first individual gold...

Torvill and Dean of course triumphed in Sarajevo 1984, and our Ladies Curling team took gold in Salt Lake City 2002

Post by **samaranth** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:15 pm

Nin wrote:I was sad for Stéphane Lambiel in the figure skating. He is such nice guy...

I was sad for him too, Nin. I don't know anything much about figure skating (in the technical sense), but I liked Stéphane's routines, and the joy he seemed to bring to them. However, Evan Lysacek seemed very polished, and Evgeni Plushenko was also very accomplished (if slightly...superior?)

Australia has apparently won two medals (one gold, one silver), but the TV coverage has been so atrocious that it's been almost impossible to keep track of what's going on when and the results. It really is a pity, and a missed opportunity, I think.

________________________________________________________
Edited to correct the medal tally - the reporting has been so muddled that I took all the 'four gold medals' discussion to mean at this Olypmics, not at all Winter Olympics all time, ever. Sheesh.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:33 pm

I don't know who provides the coverage in Australia, samaranth, but I am sure looking forward to the day when American coverage enters the 21st century. The idea of restricting people's access to information and streaming video of things that are happening right now so you can cram all the highest-rated events into a few hours of prime time, with announcers building "suspense" and constantly teasing for competitions that ended hours and hours earlier. . . .

They're still living in the world of 40 years ago, where people didn't have up-to-the-minute information about anything if the TV and radio news didn't give it to them. Now, of course, we've got alternatives. And why shouldn't there be video feeds of at least the finals of every Olympic event? They could skip the commentators, fancy camera angles, and soapy athlete biographies—that would be a huge relief, frankly—and just let people find what they want to see online, watch it live or whenever it's convenient.

But then who'd watch a prime time show packed with old news and diluted by commercials and sentimentality? And, as a result, what network would pay hundreds of millions for the privilege of broadcasting the Olympics; and as a result of that, what would happen to the funding of the Olympics?

Post by **Nin** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:48 pm

I don't know, but the Swiss TV also brings all its life coverage in streaming and all major finals are visible in streaming.

Post by **Elentári** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:55 pm

Thank God for Eurosport....live coverage through the night for us and repeated during the day - and it's free on satellite/cable!

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/winter-olympics/

Post by **Nin** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:28 pm

I also like to watch on Eurosport because their comments are less focused on one country only and less "chauvinistic" do you say so in english?

Samaranth, sorry I did not see your comment earlier. Stéphane is an extremely nice guy, so I was disappointed for him, but he said himself that his routine was mediocre.

Personally, I was not enthousiastic about Lysacek. Too polished for me. He looks very elegant, because he is so tall and he uses that elegance, but he is not such an expressive skater, imho.

Twenty years ago, I had a complete crush on a Canadian figure skater (Brian Orser) and I still think nobody equals him. (although Candeloro was excellent too).

I love figure skating, but I think that the new notation system is not so good.