Gold Member Than_Bogan Posted February 20, 2014 Gold Member Share Posted February 20, 2014 I don't know if it's because I participate in a bizarre niche sport, but I sure am fascinated watching the world's best in bizarre niche sports (and Hockey). I'm gonna use this space for various random "insightful" comments as well. And ... go: Statistically speaking, the flaw in the American long-track suits is completely obvious: They are not Orange. (Wtf are the Dutch doing? It's sad that we're in an era where I don't know if should be totally impressed or just assume they found some new drug that gets by the current testers!) Shoni Davis has no charisma. Or at least *I* sure find his comments to be boring, passionless, and yet somehow still trying to deflect blame to someone else. I feel bad, but I just can't get behind Davis/White (American Ice Dancers). Something about their look, voices, overall vibe -- can't pin it doubt but frankly kinda weirds me out. No doubt at all they deserved Gold, but I found myself guiltily rooting for the Canadians. Biathlon is so cool. Hm, if I didn't completely suck (literally) at aerobic sports AND I had remotely steady hands, I could be good at it... Ole Einer Bjordalen!!! I can't spell the dude's name, but boy does he get my respect. What a stud over a very long career in a sport that seems like it should be hard to dominate due to the luck factor of just shooting poorly sometimes. Snowboard Cross always makes me think: Time to invent skis. It's entertaining but also really frustrating because the best in the world can barely make it down the hill. Skeleton: Because clearly Luge is waay too safe. Belarus! They have quietly amassed a nice collection of gold medals in Biathlon and Arials. As a teenager I visited Minsk (then in the U.S.S.R., now in Belarus). Gorgeous country! I always root for them. 15 year old ice skaters don't do it for me. Sorry Yulia the Russian (and Tara Lipinski way back when!), but watching someone that young all I see is that they move like a kid. A really freakin' flexible and talented kid, but still a kid. I do give props to Tara as an announcer, though: She's a little weird but boy is she into it, and that makes it more fun. Keep trying to learn something watching the alpine skiers. Clearly a lot of similarity there to what we do. I love the track athlete crossover for bobsled. I wonder if the name Lauryn Williams will just be a trivia question answer or if she'll garner some lasting fame from the rare summer/winter medal combo. Having watched Ashley Wagner do her short program twice, I conclude: 1) The figure skating scoring system still isn't quite right -- she keeps getting crushed by skaters who impress me less. 2) Shine on You Crazy Diamond completely kicks the ass of all the other skater's music -- combined! I think the world may need more co-ed relays (like the new Biathlon one). Cool way to have people of both genders on a team together while avoiding some of the traditional problems of forced co-ed teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 I really get into the skiing, jumping, Bobsled, luge and skeleton. I've actually been down the Whistler bobsled track in a 2 man sled after the 2010 Olympics were done. It was a gas! You've got to be a lunatic to be a skeleton slider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 I can watch it all. I love the Olympics and I don't care what sport it is. I know way more about figure skating because I have one in the house. My issue with the ice dancing is that it is very hard for even the commentators to know who was better. Speaking of creeping me out Johnny Weir creeps me out he just looks weird the way he looks at Tara Lipinsky while she is talking. The Olympic hockey tournament is one of the best things. I am fortunate to work from home so I have had most of the games on in the background while I am working. I am definitely not as productive as I should be. Curling looks like a fun social activity with a couple of beers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Johnny Wier is the biggest fruit loop I've ever seen. That dude makes Richard Simmons look straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 @ShaneH I agree and I don't care that he is a fruit loop but he is just creepy. He reminds me of Johnny Dep playing Willy Wonka. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ed_Obermeier Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Lovin' the fact that the Russian hockey team got their butts kicked in the quarter finals. Be glad when it's over though so I can start getting to bed at a decent time again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Zman Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Go USA Hockey! I also like the skiing, jumping, luge, bobsled and skeleton. Ted Ligety - just awesome through the gates. And, Bode - a real thrilling skier to watch the way he attacks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Member Than_Bogan Posted February 20, 2014 Author Gold Member Share Posted February 20, 2014 Yeah Weir isn't the greatest announcer and he's (purposely?) creepy, but I do get a kick out of sticking a flamboyantly gay guy in the Russians face! I know the cold war's long over, and I've rooted for many Russians this time around, but it's still fun to annoy Putin any way we can!! Weird irony on same topic: The first openly gay guy that I actually got to know was nick-named Zanky -- pronounced just like the sliding center in Sochi. Heck, I don't even know his real name: he was several years ahead of me at MIT (graduated before I got there), but was an alum of my fraternity. Everyone just called him Zanky, so I keep thinking of him every time they go to sliding sports coverage! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Zman Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 The SNL parody on figure skating was hilarious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Skoot1123 Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Camt get enough if the Olympics!! Love watching all the sports. USA Hockey makes it even better. Would like to watch more on TV but time just doesn't allow. Johnny is definitely a weirdo - but as a commentator, much better than Dick Button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Jody_Seal Posted February 20, 2014 Baller_ Share Posted February 20, 2014 Man! I just cant get enough rock sliding!! what do they call it? oh yea Curling! I get up early in the morning to watch skating,jumping,hockey anything but Curling!!!! But their it is and on two Channels!!! Ted is the Man!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Love all of it!!! Go Canada Go! "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ed_Obermeier Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 For all you Johnny Weir fans http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2014/02/12/suck-it-putin-johnny-weir-s-fabulous-sochi-fashion-photos.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ral Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 I am mad for sports. Figure skating included. But I agree on the curling thing. And here we have just one channel, where they show also a large amount of curling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller SkiJay Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 I love that they're shoving Weir in Putin's face, and I kind of like Johnny Weir. But I think it's because I thought Peewee Herman found a new gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 I love watching the skiing and all the sliding sports. It was funny, after our last league race last night the bar was so loud you couldn't hear much of anything - Ligetys turn comes up in the GS and everyone stops what they were saying/doing and turns toward the big TV. Lots of addicts in that bar ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jimbrake Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Love the olympics. NBC's coverage, tuned to the masses, is annoying though. Like skipping from the first skier to the seventh, then the 15th, then the 25th. I wish the coverage was geared more towards purely showing competition and less towards human interest and selling s__t. My buddy's son competed today in skiercross. SPOILER ALERT - it did not go well for him, the lone american, but it's awesome that he is there and competing. Agree with whoever stated that boardercross just shows that a snowboard is the wrong tool to race on. Boards are best suited for a medium they can sink a deeper edge into like powder. They are not well-suited for holding a hard edge. Even in the pipe and in slopestyle they are less effective than skis. I'm surprised that boardercross isn't run on alpine carving boards with hardshell boots in a more forward-facing stance instead of the what looks like the everyman boards and boots they run. Cross-country skiers are THE fittest athletes on the planet - bar none. It must be really difficult to steer a bobsled - at least for the american women. Female boarder slopestyle has a long, long way to go. They all look like they literally started the sport in the last year or two. They are the opposite of the skier racers, skaters, hockey players, speed skaters and everyone else that looks like they devoted their lives to their sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MattP Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 @jimbrake I would love to see you try any of those sports you just bashed and get your A$$ handed to you by those women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ DW Posted February 20, 2014 Baller_ Share Posted February 20, 2014 Can't help but to watch some of the events, getting tired of ice skating overload (not the speed skating stuff). In Michigan, that sport is getting huge coverage since most of the competitors train in Michigan and many at the same rink. It is interesting that the suits were considered an issue, I never heard any specifics as to why. The slo-mo camera work on the ski runs is awesome, well worth watching. Ted and Bode's skiing slo-mo's in the key events was really great. The flex in the skis is cool to see, anybody notice the flex in the jump skis when they land, very cool to watch. Head is certainly going to sell some equipment after these Olympics. I wonder is the bobsled set up for the women was just off, those sleds seemed (in race car terms) way too loose as all three sleds looked similar. I am surprised the tech's didn't try to adjust some of that out of the sled but I would guess by USA-1's first really fast but erratic run they felt that was the way to go. The Canadian sled seemed much calmer on the ice and they just chipped away at USA-1. I did hear that there is quite the controversy with BMW (even though just BMW USA) sponsoring the US sled, well at least in Germany that is. Ferrari and McLaren didn't come through for Italy and G.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 @jimbrake bummer about your friend. I have a friend that qualified for the 88 winter Olympics in nordic combined and crashed in training and never got to ski. On the boardercross front I think boardercross was a sport first then they migrated it to skiing. I remember seeing boardercross before skiercross. It looked like the boardercross boards were more alpine carving boards but I think that landing on the hardshells are rough and that is why they wear the soft boots. I am not a big fan of additional judged sports. I think the slopestyle and half pipe riders/skiers are phenominal athletes but I am not sure we need more judged events in the Olympics. Skating has been there since the Winter Games started but I don't like adding more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ The_MS Posted February 20, 2014 Baller_ Share Posted February 20, 2014 Curling Rocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 The runs I took down the Whistler sliding track in the 2 man bobsled were pretty violent on the body. About half way down the first run, I was hunkered down in back with my head down thinking it was like a mile long car wreck. FWIW.... women's USA1 was damaged on Saturday and they had to replace the entire front suspension on it. It's possible it just wasn't back to perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jimbrake Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 Hi @ MattP. Thanks for setting me straight. No where did I intimate that I was somehow better than the women in any of the sports that I commented on. Not sure how you made that leap. Yeah, I would suck at boarder slope style, maybe even if I devoted my life to it, but then in that case I wouldn't be in the olympics. My observation was only to the point that compared to all of the other sports being shown (women's and men's), the women in boarder slope style look the least accomplished at their own craft. No doubt it's difficult and takes major cajones for the air, so I should've added that I applaud them for their courage. It just doesn't look olympic-caliber. Girls in boarder pipe look much more accomplished. Girls in ski racing look much more accomplished. Girls in bump skiing look much more accomplished. Girls in freestyle aerials look much more accomplished. Girls in skating look much more accomplished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Marco Posted February 20, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 20, 2014 We really enjoyed watching the US sweep in slopestyle, given that the silver medalist was raised and learned to ski here in tiny Telluride, and was in my daughters graduating class. Way to go Gus! I'm bummed I haven't been able to catch much hockey. Work and life getting in the way. Agreed that there is way too much ice skating and dancing shown. Show more alpine and short track!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller PatM Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 I've enjoyed it all. Is it bad that I especially watch the women's ice skating for the possible wardrobe malfunction? (not the 15 year olds) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 What a hockey game today!!(women's) very exciting!! "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ Jody_Seal Posted February 21, 2014 Baller_ Share Posted February 21, 2014 Crap! Curling again!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold Member Than_Bogan Posted February 21, 2014 Author Gold Member Share Posted February 21, 2014 @bulldog Boo Canada!! Seriously though, that really was a great game. You are goin' down in 2018!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller SkiJay Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 What is Johnny Weir looking at while Tara Lipinski is talking? Does she have a monitor in her ear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 @than_Bogan bring it on!!! "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eleeski Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 @Skijay Why are you looking at Johnny Weir at all? Great women's final in skating. And I thought trick judging was random. At least I understand home field advantage. Still, I love Olympic sports! Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller SkiJay Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 @eleeski Because I love watching the figure skating and the omnipresent Tara and Johnny are just so darn quirky. The whole thing is great entertainment. I LOVED the hockey game too. The guys may be faster and tougher, but the girls put on a technical display of the game that was second to none. I felt bad there had to be a loser, but what a game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller igkya Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 While it may be interesting to watch (for a short period of time) how is curling an olympic sport? It requires little to no athletic ability and seems to rank with horse shoes, shuffle board and darts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MattP Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 @igkya it's the Olympic Winter Games... Not Olympic Winter Sports commen misconception. Why is ping pong in the summer games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ral Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 I guess this photo of my younger daughter with a friend just got more valuable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 Here was our country this am before the big win. "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jimbrake Posted February 21, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 21, 2014 @ral - yes it did!! Way to go Mikaela! I can't wait to see the replay of the race. Sounds like she had a miraculous recovery in the second run. Still pulled off the win by 0.53. Glad I wasn't racing. Would've had my ass handed to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Spuddy Posted February 23, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 23, 2014 I am a proud Canadian as well and will be getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to watch the gold medal game. Here are are few facts about Team Canada: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Bulldog Posted February 23, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 23, 2014 @Spuddy Us too!! Other countries just do not understand how this is OUR thing!!! OUR game! Go Canada Go!! "Do Better..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Skoot1123 Posted February 23, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 23, 2014 @ral - great picture. That was one spectacular race! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller MattP Posted February 24, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 24, 2014 Alright let your Olympics addiction continue. The 2014 Sochi Paralympics start March 7 and will run through March 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Skoot1123 Posted February 24, 2014 Baller Share Posted February 24, 2014 Paralympics are amazing too. Crazy what these athletes do.......Inspiring for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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