Winter Olympics - sports discussion

mirandashell

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Is it ok to have a thread to discuss the sport?

Just watching the opening ceremony. Only seen the athletes coming out cos I didn't get home soon to watch the ceremony.

Looking forward to the curling! We have a chance of a medal.
 

Snowstorm

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I wondered if the televised ceremony was taped delay, so you've answered that question. I'll miss the televised ceremony because of work.

And I agree too: Curling! Curling! Curling!
 

mirandashell

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Actually there's a few more hours of ceremony to go! LOL!

This bit is pretty good. Some nice effects.
 

TerryRodgers

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I didn't even know the Olympics were on. Not really into them except for maybe snowboarding. What I don't like about the Winter Olympics is that the NHL closes down for two weeks. Completely screws up teams and conditioning for the players not attending and any momentum that teams may have had.
 

Xelebes

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Argh, had to miss the Tournament of Hearts games today because of the Opening Ceremonies. Curling! Curling! Curling!
 

Jersey Chick

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I'm usually a huge fan of the Olympics, but this year, I can't seem to get past 'meh.' Maybe it's because of the nonsense surrounding them, maybe it's the time delay (it was hard to get excited about Nagano and Sydney as well, because a lot of the time, I knew who won before the events were televised here,) maybe it's because I don't know who the American standouts are (aside from Shaun White.) I also don't like that professional athletes are allowed to compete. I've never agreed with that. So while I love hockey, I probably won't watch much of it. Makes me think of the 'Miracle on Ice' team of 1980 - which was definitely something to see (I remember it like it was last week. :D)
 

mirandashell

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It is tricky with the massive time delay. The Sydney games was the worst for us here cos it was all highlights. I don't think I saw anything live.

My biggest meh is the Ice Dancing. I used to love it until they changed the rules and now it's too much like Pairs.

But yeah.... Curling! Curling! Curling!
 

mirandashell

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Just been watching a special programme on Torville and Dean's Bolero. Can't believe it's the 30th anniversary this year. And it's still brilliant to watch.
 

Xelebes

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Yeah, the figure skaters have fallen back in name recognition. The only one that rings a bell anymore is Patrick Chan. The Salt Lake Olympics and the recent rule changes have hurt the sport.
 

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I didn't care for them. I thought it was overdone. Had they trimmed it in half I would have really appreciated it. Except for a (biggesh) hiccup, it did go off well, and for that I'm tickled for Russia.
 

mirandashell

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Just watching the Team Skating. The little Russian girl was just amazing. The most beautiful and technical spins. She went from position to another like she was made of bearings.
 

Xelebes

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Damn, the Dufour-Lapointe sisters just fell short of a filial sweep. Justine wins gold, Chloe wins silver and Maxime fell short in women's moguls.
 
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mirandashell

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I find it really hard to watch the moguls because I have bad knees. The pressure on their knees just makes me wince!

Jenny Jones got a bronze in the snowboard slope-style! Fantastic! Our first medal in the snowboarding stuff. And she's 30 years old.

Well pleased for her.
 
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angeliz2k

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I'm really enjoying the slope-style snowboarding. The air they get is pretty dang amazing. I really enjoyed Sage Kotsenburg, the guy who won gold last night--he brought some real flare! I was surprised he held his lead because some of the other runs seemed to me to be equally as good. But maybe I'm not the best judge! Maybe the actual judges are the best judge. . . . And I can't complain; I'm always happy to see an American win the gold.

I'm going to echo the sentiments above about ice skating. I recognized a few names--Jeremy Abbot, Patrick Chan--and of course knew Plushenko, but I wouldn't have been able to conjure the names up out of thin air. Same with the ladies, though I was aware of Ashley Wagner because of the pre-Olympic drama there. I also loved the little Russian girl, Lipnitskaya. The ice dancing is super fun, too.
 

mirandashell

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Flipping eck! Plyuschenko has just skated. I thought he'd retired. Did well though.

Oh lor.... the next fella is dancing to Stravinsky. I hate this music.
 

firedrake

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Flipping eck! Plyuschenko has just skated. I thought he'd retired. Did well though.

Oh lor.... the next fella is dancing to Stravinsky. I hate this music.

I see that ice-skating judges haven't changed at all. So blinded by Plyuschenko's technical ability that they failed to see the lack of artistry. The Japanese skater knocked him out of the ball park, IMO.

The snowboarding was brilliant. I loved it!
 

mirandashell

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Hmmm.... I wasn't that impressed with the Japanese skater. But yeah, he should have come first.
 

mirandashell

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Wow. Yulia Lipnitskaya is an amazing skater. That was beautiful. Well done, little un.
 

mirandashell

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I wish we could go back to Ice Dance the way it used to be. Now it's just Pairs without the throws. <sigh> And yes, I know I keep on about it but it's such a disappointment now.
 

firedrake

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I wish we could go back to Ice Dance the way it used to be. Now it's just Pairs without the throws. <sigh> And yes, I know I keep on about it but it's such a disappointment now.

I dunno, I'm still seeing a lot of dance elements in it (my sister used to be a competitive ice-dance skater). Pairs is more about large boys throwing small girls across the ice. This is still clearly dance to me.

That Russian routine was just beautiful.
 

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On a lighter note, the Norwegians' curling team is gaining fans simply because of their pants. They even have a facebook page that has more than 500,000 likes! The Olympics are such a huge stressor for athletes and families, I'm really enjoying this lighthearded approach (and that it may provide them with a bit of an edge over their competition).