Scott Dolan Posted February 9, 2014 Report Posted February 9, 2014 I simply can't let politics cloud my appreciation of the accomplishments of the Olympic athletes. They have worked their asses off to get there. Ugly history aside, they deserve their moment. Quote
GA Russell Posted February 9, 2014 Report Posted February 9, 2014 It occurs to me that for the $51 billion spent for Sochi, Putin could have purchased every NFL team! Quote
king ubu Posted February 9, 2014 Report Posted February 9, 2014 I simply can't let politics cloud my appreciation of the accomplishments of the Olympic athletes. They have worked their asses off to get there. Ugly history aside, they deserve their moment. No denying that! And it seems those who know think the stadiums, racetracks and all are great ... but still, it all raises so many questions, I just can't totally shut up. Quote
Al in NYC Posted February 11, 2014 Report Posted February 11, 2014 ... They put a lot of thought into the whole opening ceremony history of Russia ... I loved the part about the Gulag and about ethnic cleansing and its valued tradition from tsarism to present ... as for the "thought", its gist was likely: some dude built Petersburg ... some other dude built Sochi. Y'know, they didn't put the part about the genocide of the Native Americans, centuries of slavery, or the Vietnam War in the Atlanta opening ceremonies either. And the London ceremonies somehow completely missed that brutality of British colonialism thing too. Anyway, I've decided to boycott all opening ceremonies (and the terrible history lesson they provide - shame on them for trying to have a mildly entertaining show!) and, tough as it is, to try to just pay attention to sports during the Olympics. Quote
king ubu Posted February 11, 2014 Report Posted February 11, 2014 I don't know if Atlanta or London did this kind of "history lesson" opening though? If they had and were flawed in a likewise fashion and if I'd been around, rest assured I'd have been of the very same opinion! Not that I really care, I've little interest in all the money-making crap surrounding these huge international sports events ... even less so since they seem to rely more and more on corrupt regimes. After all, it should be about sport, shouldn't it? Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Posted February 11, 2014 Thrilled that the women are ski jumping. The American women all come out of Park City, UT where they have an Olympic training center [5 minutes from where my kids live] and are able to train all year long. Have visited there a number of times...have seen people going off the jumps from the highway even in the summer months. Quote
Scott Dolan Posted February 11, 2014 Report Posted February 11, 2014 I think Beijing set the bar so high for opening ceremonies that everything that comes after it will seem rather silly. Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Posted February 12, 2014 (edited) Arguably the best hockey tournament in the world begins today....men's hockey. Women have been playing USA and Canada handling everyone else with relative ease played each other Canada wins 3-2 in this fierce rivalry as they'll likely play again for the gold medal. Edited February 12, 2014 by Mike Schwartz Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 15, 2014 Author Report Posted February 15, 2014 USA! USA! USA! USA! USA men's hockey in a fantastic game over Russia 3-2 after 8 rounds of shootout. Olympic rules allow for shooters to repeat as opposed to NHL where each player gets one chance. TJ Oshie get's the winner scores 4X in his 6 attempts! Quote
Stefan Wood Posted February 15, 2014 Report Posted February 15, 2014 I'm not a die hard hockey fan, but that was one of the best games I have ever seen, with tension and controversy. Quote
.:.impossible Posted February 15, 2014 Report Posted February 15, 2014 That was a lot of fun to watch! If this morning's play was any indication, I'm very much looking forward to the medal rounds! Quote
TedR Posted February 16, 2014 Report Posted February 16, 2014 The excuse used by the US speed skating team that their "super secret" suits are the reason for no medals is embarrassing. Their World Cup suits were proven to produce no better performance. Now the reason given is the team practiced on "hard ice" immediately before the Olympics and were not prepared for Sochi's "soft ice". Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 20, 2014 Author Report Posted February 20, 2014 Hockey continues with some exciting and interesting results. USA /Canada women tomorrow for gold and continue their bitter rivalry. Men's semi's Friday USA/Canada & Finland/Sweden......USA playing great....Canada survives a scare to advance. Looking for a USA/Sweden final ....we'll see Quote
Van Basten II Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 ... and it was a dramatic final indeed. Quote
TedR Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 The Netherlands speed skating coach said the US speedskating program is no good because all our athletic talent is wasted playing American football which "sucks". Quote
paul secor Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 My wife is into women's figure skating, so I watched the long program yesterday. It seemed to me that the young Russian skater who finished first received highly inflated scores. This morning I read: One of the nine judges who picked a young Russian skater over two more refined competitors for the Olympic gold medal Thursday night was suspended for a year for trying to fix an event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. And another is the wife of the former president and current general director of the Russian figure skating federation. Another Olympics, another huge skating controversy involving the countries of the former Soviet Union. Once the Russian hockey team was eliminated from medal consideration, I figured Putin would drop the hammer. Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 The Russian lady who won certainly skated well and deserved to be in the medals, but beyond that I'd have to see all the judges scorecards and understand the scoring better to know if anything was amiss - isn't this why they drop the high and low scores to get to the final results? The figure skating scores certainly seemed no more subjective than the various extreme skiing and snow boarding events. Quote
paul secor Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 The Russian lady who won certainly skated well and deserved to be in the medals, but beyond that I'd have to see all the judges scorecards and understand the scoring better to know if anything was amiss - isn't this why they drop the high and low scores to get to the final results? The figure skating scores certainly seemed no more subjective than the various extreme skiing and snow boarding events. She did skate well but, as the N. Y. Times pointed out today, she received a score of 149.95. Her previous high score was 131.63, recorded last month. Quite a leap. And how do you allow someone who's been suspended for trying to fix results to ever judge again? And to allow the wife of the former president and current general director of the Russian figure skating federation to judge the final program when Russians are skating seems questionable, at the very least. I'd say it's more than questionable. But in Russia, you play by Putin's rules or it's prison camp. Quote
Neal Pomea Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 Sounds like the Italian skater did a lovely routine and was very excited to medal. Hope I get a chance to see all that! Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 21, 2014 Author Report Posted February 21, 2014 Lopsided 1-0 Canada win in men's hockey. They owned the ice in all aspects. If not for USA goalie Quick wouldn't have been close. Quote
Mike Schwartz Posted February 24, 2014 Author Report Posted February 24, 2014 Stick a fork in it.....done for 4 years. My kids live in Park City UT, where 34 USA Olympic team members live and train [with numerous medal winners among them], so Olympic fever ran wild there especially my granddaughter. I enjoyed the men & women's hockey tournament, despite USA men's disappointing end, and a smattering of others things. No opening or closing ceremony stuff....couldn't care less. Adios! Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted February 24, 2014 Report Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Sounds like the Italian skater did a lovely routine and was very excited to medal. Hope I get a chance to see all that! I was v. happy to see her medal (when did this become a verb?), it was old school figure skating - v. graceful. Edited February 24, 2014 by danasgoodstuff Quote
David Ayers Posted February 26, 2014 Report Posted February 26, 2014 I thought the Olympics were fantastic. Few jumps for you if you can view them where you are: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26290746 LOVED the new events, like snowboard cross http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26230380 Great women's events in some of these - and the commentators on snowboard cross were just brilliant: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26215442 Ski cross gave us the most brilliant photo finish in sporting history http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26269430 Lots more to pick through at the BBC website if you can access it. I have never done any sport on snow or ice but I love it. Except curling.One of the few GB medals was in another new event, snowboard slopestyle: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26106600 Quote
David Ayers Posted February 26, 2014 Report Posted February 26, 2014 There are guides to all of these sports here (scroll down) http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/25577915 Hope you can view this stuff - sorry if I whetted anyone's appetite and disappointed! Quote
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