OT - The All-Purpose All-Event Winter Olympics Thread

[Irascible]

I agree with folks - it was great to see Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken win the gold medal in bobsled. Though, I almost thought it was simply cooler for Flowers/Bakken to beat Racine/Johnson. Almost...

Congrats to Flowers for becoming, according to the New York Times, the first black athlete to win a gold medal in the winter Olympics. Very cool.

Also - The USA/Canada women's ice hockey gold medal match up is gonna ROCK! Woo hoo! Thursday cannot come too soon!

[judy]

I know this is an old old can of worms, but here's another perspective on the Pairs Figure skating judging from someone apparently well-versed in this stuff:

Olympic Pairs Figure Skating Analysis.

Please note that I am quite happy the Canadians got a second gold. But I found the analysis interesting precisely because the author is clearly knowledgeable and clearly not gunning for one team over the other. It's quite a lengthy, detailed, and dense read (just an FYI).

[BBOvenGuy]

Okay, I've seen the Ladies' Short Programs now, and they were all really fantastic. The biggest surprise had to be Sasha Cohen, who probably had more enthusiasm than anyone else tonight. She's not as polished as Michelle or Irina, though. Sarah Hughes looked nervous (and Willow-like) at first, but seemed to get into the swing of things about halfway through her routine.

The rah-rah-America coverage on NBC is hyping the possibility of a US sweep on Thursday, but they fail to mention that Irina Slutskaya would pretty much have to fall on her rear end a couple of times for that to happen. The final is going to be Irina vs. Michelle, and it'll probably be a 5-4 or 6-3 decision. That's fine by me. I want Michelle to win, but I like Irina too, and they both deserve it. It looks like Sasha is in the best position for the Bronze, but I'm hoping Sarah will make it a good contest.

And how'd you like those Bobsledding Gold Medalists? They were so great, and so happy to win. I loved that.

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Remember the Kitten Board Mantra: "Joss is nuts about Tara, Willow/Tara and Amber!"
(...and Marti's rather fond of them, too...)

[judy]

Bob, I was REALLY impressed with Sasha Cohen whom I've not really seen before. I wasn't that into Sarah Hughes who looked less polished and rather choppy and plodding to me. (But I am no judge so this is all according to my untrained eye). I like Michelle and am rooting for her to win even if it did seem to me that her jumps are not as powerful or high as some of the other skaters. I am just impressed with how tenacious she has been. As for Irina, I can see how strong a jumper she is, but I found her kind of rough around the edges. I was surprised to see Maria Butyrskaya (sp?) at the event. My goodness, in the figure skating world she is ancient (which is sad, to be OLD at 29. I'm 29!) Gotta admire her determination although I was underwhelmed by her skate. I could feel her trying and working throughout. All in all, a really wonderful night of skating though!

I am really nervous about Thurs. Throughout the SP I was cringing, expecting a tumble. And it is unlikely the US women will sweep -- Sandra and Scott really get carried away.

Anyway, I have to go to a friend's art opening Thursday and will be watching the clock. I'm outta there by 7:15 PM no matter how stunning the art or how much the wine flows freely.

-Judy, the temporary skating freak

[This message has been edited by judy (edited February 20, 2002).]

[xita]

Yeah Bob that really bothered me because I am cheering for Irina and yet the announcers discounted her. Usually in team sports I go for the home team but in individual sports, I like to cheer for who I like regardless of where they come from. If I like their style, attitude whatever. And I cheered for Irina before and I will again. And sometimes this biased coverage loses out on some interesting stories and atheletes.

[judy]

LONG PROGRAM FINAL GROUP SKATE ORDER:
>Final
>Group
>19 BUTYRSKAYA Maria RUS 5 2.5
>20 HUGHES Sarah USA 4 2.0
>21 SEBESTYEN Julia HUN 6 3.0
>22 COHEN Sasha USA 3 1.5
>23 KWAN Michelle USA 1 0.5
>24 SLUTSKAYA Irina RUS 2 1.0

[BBOvenGuy]

They didn't even interview Irina, which was sad because she does great interviews. Plus her accent reminds me of my old document control manager back at DACOR.

Judy, Sasha Cohen was out all last year with a back injury, which is probably why you've never seen her before. I remember her from the US Nationals two years ago, but she's matured so much between now and then that I didn't make the connection until ABC played the old clip of her. Then it was like, "Oh yeah! Her!"

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Remember the Kitten Board Mantra: "Joss is nuts about Tara, Willow/Tara and Amber!"
(...and Marti's rather fond of them, too...)

[AlexisMQ]

Wow! What an exciting night at the Olympics! It is the first time since the games started that I have been able to sit and watch all of the evening telecast and it was a great night! Yah for the USA women bobsledders!! Also won another gold in the speed skating category tonight. I was watching Parra get the gold medal during the ceremony and started crying with him when they played the national anthem!

And the figure skating was awesome! I think if Michelle skates clean and with a lot of enthusiasm she can take the gold, but Irina is gonna be right behind her, so she has to take care but pull out all the stops. I found the USA judges marks very interesting as they were slightly lower than the rest of the marks for Michelle. I wonder with all the controversy if they are trying to be very careful so they will not be accused of favoritism. Did anyone see the article about the Lithianians challenging the ice dancing scores?

What an exciting night! Too bad about Eric BERGOUST though. He was in first after the first aerial ski jump tonight and fell to 12th when he missed the landing on the second. I admire those guys because there is no way that I can imagine throwing my body 50 feet in the air, twisting and landing on my feet without hurting something!

Must sleep! Babbling now! Have a great night!

[lion + dove]

Cut NBC a little slack (though I'm still bitter about the ridiculous undercoverage- especially on the weekends (where they showed the NBA All-Star game and golf last weekend for large chunks of the day, and the Daytona 500 and golf this weekend)). Last night (during Ice Dance coverage) they did a 3-5 minute piece on Irina, which Bob Costas intro'ed something along the lines of "There's a lot of talk about a 3-medal sweep for the US women, but one of the strongest contenders for the gold medal is Russian Irina Slutskaya."

I was quite impressed with her performance tonight in the short program (like that spiral sequence she spent entirely on one foot, and dear lord her spins). Even more than Michelle's whom I love (and still wish she had gone all out in Nagano's long program and taken home gold). I can't wait to see the final 3 on Thursday night.

Go US Women's Bobsleigh *smile* Bakken and Flowers.

A little plug of appreciation for CNBC and MSNBC which enabled me to watch some amazing biathlon and cross country races, but most of all curling. I've seen like 8 matches now. I started out with the US men's team versus Sweden. And flipped away a couple of times before becoming oddly mesmerized by it all. It's not like croquet that much in game play (more bocce for those among of us who are lawn sport enthusiasts *laughs* *braces self for innuendo responses), but its appeal to me makes me think very much of my love of croquet. More fun to play (especially with friends and some beverages) than watch (at first), but you're just so satisfied that there are people out there who take it seriously and are hardcore about it.

I've seen men's and women's and some non-US matches as well. The US men are out (despite their stunning upset of Sweden, they lost most of their other games), but the last time I checked the US women are still in it. And kicking some butt.

Quick note of Ice Dancing, someone asked about the four parts' names. They're Compulsory Dance 1, Compulsory Dance 2 (in which both the style of dance is set (Foxtrot, Quick Step, Blues, etc.) as well as some compulsory step sequences (the Choctaw, etc.), Original Dance (in which only the style of dance is set, but with no mandatory sets of moves that all pairs must perform), and Free Dance (which, within certain basic limits, the pairs are free to choose their own style of dance and choreography).

And one final note, I'm totally developing a Winter Games crush on Anton Sikharulidze (you can tell because I can actually spell his name right). Just the way he handled himself last week (especially contrasted to some comments by his partner), the genuine joy, love, and relief on his face at the ceremony where S/P got their well-deserved goal, the way he skates with his partner (the care in his face, etc.). Dude, it is shameless. But I'm such a sucker for his type. The gold standard in my books. He reminds me of the three greatest guys I know (my boyfriend, best friend in college, and my all-time crush).

So is it that wrong to crush on unattainable celeb types if the reason you like 'em so much is because they remind you of your significant other? *laughs at self*

[shellybean]

Thanks to all who helped a hopeless dope understand the difference between ice skating and ice dancing.

[Eyes Without A Face]

lion+dove,

If they ever make a tv movie about this incident, Anton Sikharulidze could be played by Ashton Kutcher of That 70s Show (Kelso) and Dude, Where's My Car! Not only do they look quite alike but they have similar facial expressions and mannerisms (at least it looks that way in interviews). Plus they have similar names Anton and Ashton.

OMG! They were separated at birth! That's it!

With a little aging makeup, Laura Prepon could play the French judge!

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Wallpapers
Illegitimi non carborundum!

[lion + dove]

*lmao* oh the shame, oh the ignoble shame, eyes! *laughs* i swear that's the last time i reveal any fleeting athlete crushes to you lot *laughs* Kelso indeed.

though I think Laura would make a smashing French Judge, except for the whole her (Laura) being attractive and ballsy part. Oh well, I guess that's why they call it acting. *still laughing over Kutcher comparison*

umm, I like to try to defend Anton here, but I don't think I can even begin to explain. The next thing you know you'll tell me that Gustavo Kuerten looks like a Brazilian Big Bird, and Lindsey Davenport bears more than a passing resemblance to Julia Child. Then all my athlete crushes will be sadly for naught. Damn it. *emotes*

anyway, here are some links to curling stories for people interested:

"Lack of Edge Hasn't Hurt Curling" in which we discover the Canadian Curling Association's main sponsors are a beer and a doughnot company: http://www.msnbc.com/news/711390.asp

And a current state of affairs for women's curling article, in which Canada is going gangbusters (only one loss in the round robin tournament), the United States and Switzerland are meeting in a semi-final on Wednesday, and Britain has won the right to have Canada beat up on them in the other semi-final (or not): http://www.msnbc.com/news/710419.asp

[Eyes Without A Face]

Hehe. No shame at all in having a crush on an athlete. I bet quite a few people have a crush on Estella Warren, for example.

I have had one for Kristi Yamaguchi for a decade. Best legs evar!!! I also enjoyed very much watching Marina Klimova. Chris Evert was also quite a dish. Watching her compensated for my favourite player, Jimmy Connors, always having problems finishing that damn Bjorn Borg.

I hate it when Canada loses a curling match at the Olympics or World Championships, even one of little significance in the standings.

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Wallpapers
Illegitimi non carborundum!

[This message has been edited by Eyes Without A Face (edited February 20, 2002).]

[lau_rette]

cheering here for my fellow countryman Jochem Uytdehaage, who won the silver medal in the 1500m skating event

and thumbs up for Derek Parra and his absolutely amazing world record!!

that's two gold medals and three silver ones for my lovely country now. can't hardly wait for the women's 1500m, which is on tonight. the dutch team should have a chance on at least one medal.

have fun watching the olympics!!

[edited cause i can't count up to three]

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'hedde jeuk dan motte krabbe'

Everyday I beat my own previous record for the number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.

[This message has been edited by lau_rette (edited February 20, 2002).]

[grifter]

USA´s Jim Shea just won gold in the men´s Skeleton competition 0.05 secs in front of Austria´s Martin Rett! Their reaction was great, Rett and Shea fell into each others arms and partied like crazy together with the sensational Irishman on the 4th place! That´s sportmanship! Fantastic! I´m highly impressed!

Wanted to add that Shea´s grandfather, who also won an olympic medal 50 (?) years ago died a few weeks ago and Jim kind of dedicated his medal to him. And also, he said that Rettl is his best friend and he´d rather share gold with him. What a great guy...

[This message has been edited by grifter (edited February 20, 2002).]

[Under Her Spell]

Go Great Britain! We've got a Bronze Medal in the Women's skelton, and a guaranteed Silver in the Women's Curling!

Fantastic! Skiing down a hill, we can't do that, jumping really high on skis, can't do that either. But going really fast down a hill on a teatray and throwing a rock across the ice - at that, we're pretty good!

[Kalita]

Well,it's an afternoon of stunning upsets, it seems...

Biggest sting is women's curling - Kelley Law and Co. lost to Great Britain in what was reportedly a very close game. Really too bad, they played an awesome round-robin (only 1 loss).

Men's hockey, this just in - Belarus has just eliminated Sweden in the first quarterfinal! Belarus was 0-3 and Sweden 3-0 in the round robin - goes to show how ANYTHING can happen.

If Canada wins tonight against Finland, they play Belarus. Interesting...

[lau_rette]

watching the 1500m skating event for women now and was just wondering: is there a camera in the little orange cone which marks the beginning of a curve? what happens when a skater rides into it?

i'm thinking way too much about insignificant things. definitely need a hobby...

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'hedde jeuk dan motte krabbe'

Everyday I beat my own previous record for the number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.

[Kalita]

quote:

---

Originally posted by lau_rette:
is there a camera in the little orange cone which marks the beginning of a curve? what happens when a skater rides into it?

---

I get the sense that there's a camera UNDER the ice there, and they have a periscope-mirror-type arrangement that lets it see the skaters coming. Thus, in a collision, only that miror would be damaged.

I'm sure it also makes it easier to remove, for the zambonis to come through.quote:

[JJ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by grifter:
USA´s Jim Shea just won gold in the men´s Skeleton competition 0.05 secs in front of Austria´s Martin Rett! Their reaction was great, Rett and Shea fell into each others arms and partied like crazy together with the sensational Irishman on the 4th place! That´s sportmanship! Fantastic! I´m highly impressed!

Wanted to add that Shea´s grandfather, who also won an olympic medal 50 (?) years ago died a few weeks ago and Jim kind of dedicated his medal to him. And also, he said that Rettl is his best friend and he´d rather share gold with him. What a great guy...

---

Speaking of Mr. Shea, I was watching the medal ceremony he was in and his expression while singing the USA National Anthem seemed a little.....vampiric. Did anyone else notice?

Anyhoo, overall it was a great day for the USA. Men's hockey team shutout Germany; the women's skeleton racers go 1-2; and Apolo Anton Ohno finally gets a short-track speed skating gold in the 1500M after being obstructed by a South Korean racer. Best single day performance in American history in the Winter Olympics.

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Amberholic #1969
Keeper of the kitten spirit that lies in us all
Keeper of the fluffy pink rhinos (don't ask)
The 100th Light for Tara
Bardlet #15 (thanx Angie)
President of Guys Who Love Willow & Tara Fan Club

"Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand."
from 'Witch Hunt' by Rush

[This message has been edited by JJ (edited February 21, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by JJ (edited February 21, 2002).]quote:

[La]

Can anyone explain what happened in the short track race that made my south korean host sister cry about something when i got home this afternoon? she tried to explain it to me, but i didn't understand.

thanks

~La

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Taree: ah'm, yo' know...
Willer: Whut in tarnation?
Taree: Yourn...

[Eyes Without A Face]

The Korean skater crossed lanes and interfered with a pursuer. He went from his outside lane into the inside lane (so sharply that he almost went out of bounds) and thus blocked Ono from being able to pass him. If he would have kept his lane, he would have gotten silver. It's a tad like interfering with a base runner in baseball, blocking in basketball, pass interference in football and interference in hockey.

Someone on another board who checked the rulebook posted that: "Cross-tracking foul only applies to the case that a player blocks a behind player who has a better speed."

So it is important whether Ono was going faster at the time of the interference.

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Wallpapers
Illegitimi non carborundum!

[This message has been edited by Eyes Without A Face (edited February 21, 2002).]

[Shaniezak]

Okay, I really have to say (and a few of you will get this):

Women's skeleton.

LeaAnn Parsley and Tristan Gale.

Dar and Kerry.

No, seriously . . .

[La]

Thanks, Eyes. No matter how many times my host sister made me watch the replay of the race, I still didn't get what the big deal was. Now 'tis all clear to me.

~La

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Taree: ah'm, yo' know...
Willer: Whut in tarnation?
Taree: Yourn...

[xita]

It isn't as clear as eyes makes it sound. The announcer, an expert in the sport, was not sure that the korean skater crossed his lane and believed Ohno did everything to sell the call to the referee. There is no instant replay so the decision was based on this. I also didn't like that Ohno called Kim Dong-Sung, the korean, I mean that is the last olympic winner and a tough competitor, I felt he should know his name.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... _6&cid=577

Italian finalist Fabio Carta, who finished fourth, said: "It was absurd that the Korean was disqualified."

Ohno, though, responded: "People can say what they want.

"I feel like he really did come over me.

"They can just go throw me in the desert and bury me. I got a gold medal. I'm good now."

Ohno and controversy appear to go hand-in-hand. Before the Games he was exonerated after being accused of under-performing in a U.S. trial to make sure a friend qualified for the Olympics instead of a rival.

[BBOvenGuy]

The Korean guy definitely moved down to block Ohno, but on the other hand Ohno made a pretty big effort to sell what happened to the referee. I've seen Reggie Miller get a lot of fouls called on opposing players in pretty much the same fashion.

I don't know the rules of the sport well enough to judge whether or not the Korean guy should have been disqualified. I do know that if they were driving stock cars at Daytona, a move like that would have put both of them into the wall, along with about ten guys right behind them.

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Remember the Kitten Board Mantra: "Joss is nuts about Tara, Willow/Tara and Amber!"
(...and Marti's rather fond of them, too...)

[Eyes Without A Face]

I read on another board that Kim showed a lack of respect for his country's flag. Someone correct me if that info is wrong but it could also be a reason for La's host sister to be sad.

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Illegitimi non carborundum!

[This message has been edited by Eyes Without A Face (edited February 21, 2002).]

[Under Her Spell]

Ohno deserves to be disqualified for that, not the Korean. That was acting on Ohno's part - I didn't see any evidence of blocking, all I saw was the Korean protecting his racing line and Ohno unable to get past him.

Now Ohno, in all respects the inferior skater, was been given an olympic gold for waving his arms in the air. Jeez, I could do that!

[Hugin]

I have to say, I'm sort of unimpressed with short track skating. Not the skill required, clearly these people are skating thier butts off. But of the five races I watched, three of them were pileup distasters at the end, with the results decided by judges. It just seemed lame to me, regardless of who in particular was behaving well or badly.

-len

[grifter]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second GOLD for Austria! Stephan Eberharter wins Gold in the men´s giant slalom event!

Eberharter absolutely deserved this medal; he fought back from a bad injury over the last few years, always was the second man behind Hermann Maier for the last two years, but absolutely dominated this year´s season. After bronze in the downhill and silver in the super g, he was kinda disappointed though happy, and now he has GOLD!

Bode Miller of the USA came in second in front of Norway´s "big old man" Lasse Kjus and two other Austrians btw.

Austria now has 2 G, 4 S and 9 B. This puts us on rank 8 (or 4, using the american counting-system) in the medal bilance! Yeah!