Winter Olympic Thread ***Spoilers***

2

Comments

  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Pross wrote:
    Ouch! That Canadian woman's crash in the slope style skiing just looked painful!!

    Edit - she really does look in a bad way, didn't make the slope for her landing and bounced of a flat section. It looked like her helmet may have come off. Hope she's OK.
    yeah looked very nasty, fingers crossed

    I did that off of a jump (that I'm sure was probably a quater of the size) - it was the most painful thing I ve ever done! God knows what it would be like of something that big
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Glad they eliminate that cheating speed skater who tripped up the Italian & Korean. Not seen that kind of egregious cheating since Lance.

    Then she's all blubbering about it afterwards. Sheesh. Maybe she can release a defence book or start a "facts for..." website.

    (gets Kevlar coat)
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • Can't believe the moaning about the commentary ... Just because we don't live in that "world" and don't use the same "terminology" we get all stuffy.

    Remember guys .... Bonking, the man with the hammer, and shut up legs?!? I'm guessing they'd think some of the people on here spoke a different language also!
    Still thinking of something clever to say!
  • Doesn't bonking mean shagging?

    In the US we "root" for our favourite competitor or for the home team. In Aus, that's left to the groupies :-)

    I can't tell Amy Williams and Shelly Rudman apart - both are athletic-looking wavey-haired brunettes of almost identical age, both have won medals, and 1 is already retired.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,153
    Philly8mt wrote:
    Can't believe the moaning about the commentary ... Just because we don't live in that "world" and don't use the same "terminology" we get all stuffy.

    Remember guys .... Bonking, the man with the hammer, and shut up legs?!? I'm guessing they'd think some of the people on here spoke a different language also!

    Other than bonking I've never heard anyone use those terms in cycling except for Jens and the comedy due that is Phil & Paul.
  • Paulie W
    Paulie W Posts: 1,492
    Porter treated us to 'tapping out the rhythm' in the speed skating yesterday!
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Athletic blonde woman with chunky bottom whizzes down icy snake thingy very fast on a tin tray called Mervyn ... The nation celebrates
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Mikey23 wrote:
    Athletic blonde woman with chunky bottom whizzes down icy snake thingy very fast on a tin tray called Mervyn ... The nation celebrates

    Haha! Sums it up but I cheered when she won it on the last run. It may not be sport but it was entertainment. In fact, it did make think about the definition of an 'athlete' when she called herself one because all the 'sport' really is a 10 yard sprint followed by going fast on a tea tray, no doubt helped by as much ballast as poss without interfering with the first 10 yards.
  • peat
    peat Posts: 1,242
    Oh my goodness. Are you really that ignorant?

    How is that not a sport? They are supremely fit and powerful, they also have to physically 'drive' the sled down the run. They are not just laying there saying "weeeeeeeeeeee". If you watch the rest of the runners, you would see that it's not as easy as she makes it look - because she is one of the best.

    There is also a weight limit, so the smaller athletes ballast their sleds.

    It is a sport.
  • fat_cat
    fat_cat Posts: 566
    Definitely a sport for me. Ticks the following boxes:

    The fastest person wins (it isn't subjective).

    You need considerable strength for the start and to withstand the g force.

    You need a whole lot of bottle to travel at that speed. If you crash it's gonna hurt.
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    I wasn't knocking it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Fascinating to read up on why the Brits are consistently so good at it. Years of hard training and cutting edge technology
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26200509

    She has dedicated her whole life for that one moment and been supported by a lovely family. Inspiring
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    The cross country relay is a brute. Head into the red zone and you're straight out the back - tough for the Finnish and Norwegian skiers in the third leg. Can the Russian guy catch the Swede? Doubtful without a misshap of some sort.
  • Quiet now you,
    Kom igen Helner!
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    PercyFlage wrote:
    Quiet now you,
    Kom igen Helner!

    Looking safe now… more like a race for silver between Russia and France.
  • Ja, allez!
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    What a fantastic race!
  • Great stuff!
    Tho not quite as exciting as the women's race yesterday - incredible last leg, closing a gap of over 20seconds for the win!
  • k-dog
    k-dog Posts: 1,652
    Ice dancing? Even worse than regular ice skating - at least that's impressive.
    I'm left handed, if that matters.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,644
    Dutch women clear up in the 1500m (real) skating.

    Clean sweep of 1-4. Bosh.
  • fat_cat
    fat_cat Posts: 566
    This snowboard cross stuff might be a bit Mickey Mouse, buts it's great viewing.
  • peat
    peat Posts: 1,242
    It is alot of fun to watch.

    What i don't get though - Is it really really difficult, or is the 'level' not particularly high? There were shunts/major mistakes in nearly all of the finals, surely by that time you've separated the wheat from the chaff. In most pro-sports, you wouldn't tolerate that many errors at world-level competition.

    Anyway, I'm being very picky.

    Just watching the curling (Eve Muirhead......uummmmmmm :D) and one of them said "bloody hell" under their breath and the commentators felt the need to sudo-apologise on her behalf for the language. I had no idea that was offensive?
  • thomthom
    thomthom Posts: 3,574
    k-dog wrote:
    Ice dancing? Even worse than regular ice skating - at least that's impressive.

    Is the correct answer.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Surely better commentators for the snowboarding could have been found than Smashy and Nicey? A bit of enthusiasm is great but this isn't Radio 1 and surely some of the viewers for the Snowboarding are over 14?
    Faster than a tent.......
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Ed Leigh has been doing it for the last 2 or 3 now (and is responsible for the winner of the ultimate Classic Commentary Competition when Jacobellis stacked it in Turin). It's the new guy that's causing the issues...

    I think it's pretty much par for the extreme sport course though having watched a fair few X-Games clips in my time
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Women's curling team... How the heck did they lose that from 7-4 up with one end left?
  • Paulie W
    Paulie W Posts: 1,492
    I cant get over just how many mickey mouse events there are at the Winter Olympics. Does Skiathlon really need to exist? The Nordic combined has been around for a long time but just seems bizzare - a reward for those who arent good enough at either ski-jumping of cross-country skiing. The snowboard cross is such a lottery that talent seems secondary - great for an X-games or to keep the crowd happy in between real events maybe. I get short track and long track speed skating require different skill sets (and there isnt much cross over between the two) but we dont see indoor track and field at the Olympics for those who cant really hack it outdoors! And the Luge relay!!
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    the snowboard cross racing is definately worth its place, great entertainment
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....
  • Paulie W
    Paulie W Posts: 1,492
    the snowboard cross racing is definitely worth its place, great entertainment

    'If you want entertainment go and watch clowns'!
  • bianchimoon
    bianchimoon Posts: 3,942
    Paulie W wrote:
    the snowboard cross racing is definitely worth its place, great entertainment

    'If you want entertainment go and watch clowns'!

    Your life must be so filled with joy?
    Olympics need to evolve, new younger, fresher sports. At least Snow cross isn't judged subjectively.
    As I said, best Olympic winter sport entertainment i've seen so far!
    All lies and jest..still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest....