Metal And Ice (The Winter Olympics)

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AuthorTopic: Metal And Ice (The Winter Olympics)
Shaper
Member # 6292
Profile #0
Maybe this will last longer as a bona fide thread this time.

Man! The women's snowboard cross finals was riveting, thrilling, treacherous, and tragic. First, both Canadians wiped out massively one by one for no observable reasons. One was carted away on a stretcher sled, and I still don't know how messed up she is, but she landed hard on her back.

Tanya Friedin of Switzerland, in a bid to edge out American Lindsey Jacobellis for the lead spot, landed on the back of Lindsey's board over a jump, but Lindsey used this to pull even further out in front, certain to win the gold now easily if she held it together. She had done everything perfectly.

Final jump before the finish...Lindsey looks back seeing a huge gap betrween herself and Tanya, does a method air to show off, and lands on her heels, wiping out to the horror of many. Tanya blazes by for the gold, and Lindsey manages to pop back up without missing the gate and makes the silver, but she doesn't look at all happy for it.

Oh, oh, oh...a moment of glory turns to bitter tragedy.

And pride still does go before a fall sometimes. I feel bad for her. I'm not sure if there's a lesson here, but I bet she beats her up for a long time over this moment.

Winter Olympics are more entertaining than ever with all the snowboarding.

[ Friday, February 17, 2006 22:07: Message edited by: Synergy ]

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Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #1
Why is it so important that the American gal lost the gold?? Aren't the Canadians equally, or even moreso, battered because they lost a competitor and ended with bronze?

The Olympics should be about competition amongst athletes, each striving to prove that they are of the dominant nationality. Instead I see NBC cheerleading a scripted programming event which caters to the viewers nationalistic pride. Gooooooo fattest nation on the planet!!!!! Yay us. It's not that I don't expect a little journalistic slant, but there was no joy expressed for the error free race by the swiss miss.

I so wish I got CBC.

Edit- Took out 5 swear words and sexual references that were missed by the boards. And added an "h"

[ Friday, February 17, 2006 22:12: Message edited by: Jumpin' Salmon ]

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.


Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Shaper
Member # 6292
Profile #2
Salient point, Salmon. I wasn't rooting for the American. I was just watching the trainwreck. It almost seemed appropriate that it was the "cool American World Champion chick" who was cocky enough to lose the gold over a showoff move. The Swiss girl was ecstatic, dancing around with her flag, and I felt happy for her. I tend to root for the underdogs in life.

The pro-American bias in American Olympics presentation IS embarrassing and disappointing. CBC is, admittedly, a bit focused on Canadians' feats, but lacks that irritating American superiority complex.

And as I said in the previous ill-fated thread, CBC actually spends its air time showing the Olympics and less time talking about it. Of course, a good bit of that time focuses on hockey, heh.

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Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00
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I was at Lake Placid in 1980. I saw the US Men's hockey team play Czechoslovakia. It was the best live sporting event I've ever attended at any level. Since then, the Olympics have gone bad. The politics became important, first in LA and then in Moscow. I just stopped caring because too many people were really intent on the USA medal counts.

That said, I've enjoyed watching curling. No [bad infinitive] clue what it all means, except it looks pretty tough. Also the snow boarding is neat, and the mogul/jump skiing. Too bad they do have to spoil it with medals. Some of that stuff is just insane.

Question of course for Australians/Finns/English/etc, what kind of coverage of Olympics happens in your neck of the woods?

Edit - OhmigawdOhmigawdOhmigawd 666999666999666999

*this message sponsored by Turino - spelling everything in English for only 3 weeks*

[ Friday, February 17, 2006 22:39: Message edited by: Jumpin' Salmon ]

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.


Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Shock Trooper
Member # 3377
Profile #4
Not very much at all in Australia. We get 3 or 4 hours late at night, and just highlights. Whatever news there is doesn't mention the Winter Olympics unless something extraordinary happens, or we win a medal. Four years ago got plenty of attention, of the I-can't-believe-that-happened variety.

Summer Olympics gets a lot more - practically all day every day coverage of the main events.
Posts: 356 | Registered: Saturday, August 23 2003 07:00
Cartographer
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Profile Homepage #5
We get quite a bit of news on all of them, even if we don't have any people competing there. Nearly every day is a couple of things shown, but I haven't really watched much. Only the figure skating has held my interest the longest.

Oh, and there's reports on the radio, of course. At least on the channel I listen to, but I'm not that enthusiastic about sports to know enough about what's going on. I watched women's hockey last night, us against canadians, but only for the first half. I couldn't bear to watch longer when they scored two goals in the some last few minutes. And we had been holding up so nicely till then...

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So many strange ones around. Don't you think?
Posts: 1308 | Registered: Sunday, September 8 2002 07:00
Warrior
Member # 6689
Profile #6
...I have no pity for Jacobellis. She fell victim to hubris, thinking she could tweak out on the second to last jump. She screwed up. She deserved losing her easy Gold Medal. Besides, she rides ATVs and hurts the poor woodland creatures. =( I hoped from the beginning of the competitions that she would catch fire on the race course.

Gotta feel good for Freidin of Switzerland. She's going out with Wescott, the American gold medalist in snowboard cross. They are gonna be a happy couple.

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--Dachnaz
Posts: 50 | Registered: Saturday, January 14 2006 08:00
Shaper
Member # 6292
Profile #7
I recall the American commentator before the race saying, it would be very "cute" if the smitten couple both won — they'd have "his 'n' hers gold."

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Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00
Shaper
Member # 6292
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Hmmm, Scott McCartney doing the downhill ski right now is from Redmond, WA (home of Microsoft) and right next to where I live. I wonder how he'll do...

....so he's into first place with his run. How 'bout that. Will it hold?

Update: skiier from Lichtenstein beat him by 1/100th second.

Update: Switzerland skiier beats Lichtenstein skiier by 24/100ths.

Update: Bodie Miller hits a gate, makes this unbelievable tipped, one-legged recovery with his other leg sticking out perpendicularly, and manages to avoid wiping out nastily.

Update: Norway takes the lead. OK, enough of this. Watch it yourself. ;)

[ Saturday, February 18, 2006 20:51: Message edited by: Synergy ]

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Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00
Raven v. Writing Desk
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I'd just like to say that I hate the Olympics. We now return you to the discussion at large.

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Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Shaper
Member # 6292
Profile #10
What brings on this antipathy? I never watch any sports except the Olympics.

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Posts: 2009 | Registered: Monday, September 12 2005 07:00
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
Profile Homepage #11
What doesn't bring on this antipathy?

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Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Councilor
Member # 6600
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Dikiyoba watched some Olympics last night. Dikiyoba wishes the stations would just show Dikiyoba the events rather than getting news anchors to talk about them. Isn't that why there are commentators?
Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00