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Post by gailkate on Feb 16, 2010 1:22:14 GMT -5
So was I. maybe you could email someone at NBC. I'm serious. these games have been really engaging for me, despite the weather worries. I never heard of mogul skiing and watched till my back was screaming in sympathy with every bump. The men's 5,000 meter speed-skating was, I have to say, tedious. I mean it's marvelous and they're wonderful athletes, but good grief! Two guys round and round till you're mesmerized into a total funk. Then another two guys and about a batallion waiting for their turn. Fortunately, I was baking my cake at the time, or I wouldn't have watched more than 5 minutes. But the snowboarding today and the skating last night and tonight - wow! I had to keep bouncing between the Olympics and the Westminster Dog Show - way more excitement than I'm used to. I'll probably be skating all night. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) You're right, though, Mike - it's really nerve-wracking. These new moves - hurling the woman into the air and hoping she lands ok - seem far more dangerous than is necessary. Do you think the sports have all gotten more and more dangerous? As if we can't be satisfied with grace and skill and strength, we have to see people risk their necks. And now that a 21-yr-old has actually broken his neck, maybe we'll get inured to a death here and there. Sorry, I seem to have strayed a bit from how wonderful it was. Dick Button's commentary was a joy to listen to - now there's a man who loves his sport and doesn't see any reason for risky tricks. I'm not sure some of the stars of the past could win today.
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Post by doctork on Feb 19, 2010 22:53:22 GMT -5
I have been watching more of the Olympics the last couple nights, and I have not seen a single medal ceremony broadcast where another country besides the US has won a gold medal. The first Canadian who won a gold got the medal ceremony broadcast in prime time, but I have not seen any French or German gold medal awards, and I do believe they have won some. I'd like to see something of the other nations' athletes and their achievements.
On the dangers of competition, it seems that furor over whether the Russian should have won the Men's Ice Skating event instead of the American revolves around this point. The Russian felt he should have won because he performed the quad axle, while the American did "just triples," but was very even and artistic as well as athletically talented.
Where is that East German judge now that they need him?
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Post by doctork on Feb 20, 2010 0:07:30 GMT -5
I just watched the Norwegian Men's Super G winner receive his gold medal while the Norwegian national anthem was played, and earlier tonight, an Australian woman received a gold medal too and the award was broadcast. In both cases, the commentators spent most of the time discussing the Americans who won the silver and bronze medals for the same events, but at least they showed a couple of non-Americans accept the gold!
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Post by gailkate on Feb 20, 2010 0:28:15 GMT -5
I get frustrated by our chauvinism, too, but I suppose the news coverage in other countries is equally biased. It does seem to me that the narration is more balanced than in some years past.
That Russian just looks mean. I didn't like him the minute he skated onto the ice. He looks like the bad guy in Cold War thrillers. Did you see the interviews with Evan? what a terrific young man - so gracious, refusing to say anything negative, very articulate. When he's done skating I'm sure he can pretty much write his own ticket. He may be the next Bob Costas.
My high school forum has been wrangling about what constitutes a sport and whether ice dancing qualifies. I see the objection, but the skill and athleticism of dancing on skates seems far superior to zooming down an ice chute on your back or, for an imaginative twist, zooming down an ice chute on your face. Good grief. Do you want to die on your back or your belly? I had no idea what "skeleton" meant but now I'd say it's apt.
And, alas, I cannot fathom the appeal of curling, which ranks right up there with the snooze sports as far as I'm concerned. You could probably quiet colicky babies by sliding them around on those smooth solid stones. The players do appear to be employing some sort of strategy, but it looks like a slo-mo game of pool. Very slo-mo.
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 20, 2010 0:46:26 GMT -5
I just watched the Norwegian Men's Super G winner receive his gold medal while the Norwegian national anthem was played, and earlier tonight, an Australian woman received a gold medal too and the award was broadcast. In both cases, the commentators spent most of the time discussing the Americans who won the silver and bronze medals for the same events, but at least they showed a couple of non-Americans accept the gold! Ummm, I don't know who won yet, doc, so could you just not blow the enthusiasm? {and I didn't mean that like the Good Kind.} ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Brit on Feb 20, 2010 8:37:50 GMT -5
Gailkate wrote: And, alas, I cannot fathom the appeal of curling, which ranks right up there with the snooze sports as far as I'm concerned. You could probably quiet colicky babies by sliding them around on those smooth solid stones. The players do appear to be employing some sort of strategy, but it looks like a slo-mo game of pool. Very slo-mo.
Curling is a compelling game when you get to know it. I can assure you it is extremely satisfying to play.
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Post by Jane on Feb 20, 2010 8:54:19 GMT -5
My daughter Annie is enjoying the snowboarding. She lived in Colorado for awhile and the gold medalist and she had a, were dated know each other.
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Post by doctork on Feb 20, 2010 10:06:39 GMT -5
Ummm, I don't know who won yet, doc, so could you just not blow the enthusiasm? {and I didn't mean that like the Good Kind.} ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) Oh sorry. I thought it was hours since the victory by the time the medals were actually awarded, and the winners well known by then. Plus this Arizona time thing always confuses me. They always call it "Mountain Standard Time," but really sometimes it is Mountain Time and sometimes it is Pacific Time. I'm just visiting, but it seems kind of weird to me. I have not seen any curling yet, but I would be interested in taking Brit's advice and watching at least a bit. Is it still going, or is it finished?
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Post by gailkate on Feb 20, 2010 10:15:21 GMT -5
...and the lurking Scot rears his leonine head! We have a curling club about a mile from here (in fact I think most of the US players are from Minnesota). I was disposed favorably, believe me. Maybe there should be a tutorial. Still, I may never see the appeal - like Jane with classical music or you with religion. I could never watch a chess match either. Now snowboarding is something else. What a sport! Annie knows Shaun White? isn't he some younger? When did they have a, date know each other? I need to hear the whole story. He really is shockingly good, terrifyingly good. That last performance, the victory lap when he'd already nailed the gold, was ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/shocked.png)
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Post by Jane on Feb 20, 2010 11:08:08 GMT -5
Seth Wescott.
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 20, 2010 15:52:07 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Seth. Snowboardcross. He looks and sounds like a great guy to have a, date know. I don't know what the heck NBC showed this morning from 12 to 5 a.m., but I recorded it just in case there is anything Olympkins I want to watch. I don't know what time it is where you are but right now it is 12:47 p.m., and the Olympkin coverage will start our time at 1:00. Doc, I know you are in Mountain Time, but I think your TV time is called Central. Aside from that, your "Primetime" starts at 7:00 p.m., and our "Primetime" starts at 8:00 p.m. Don't ask me why. Even though Mom, when she is in Idaho is only one hour difference, our TV time is two hours difference. And just because it happened hours earlier, doesn't mean we've seen it. But Go Ahead, Salute what you Will! It's all Good! ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
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Post by jspnrvr on Feb 20, 2010 16:27:21 GMT -5
Oh yeah. Seth. Snowboardcross. He looks and sounds like a great guy to have a, date know. I don't know what the heck NBC showed this morning from 12 to 5 a.m., but I recorded it just in case there is anything Olympkins I want to watch. I don't know what time it is where you are but right now it is 12:47 p.m., and the Olympkin coverage will start our time at 1:00. Doc, I know you are in Mountain Time, but I think your TV time is called Central. Aside from that, your "Primetime" starts at 7:00 p.m., and our "Primetime" starts at 8:00 p.m. Don't ask me why. Even though Mom, when she is in Idaho is only one hour difference, our TV time is two hours difference. And just because it happened hours earlier, doesn't mean we've seen it. But Go Ahead, Salute what you Will! It's all Good! ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) And only God knows what time it is in Indiana.
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Post by liriodendron on Feb 20, 2010 18:17:00 GMT -5
And only God knows what time it is in Indiana. Major LOL, Jay! I know exactly what you mean. Since they don't observe daylight savings time, we could never remember whether they were on "our time" or "East coast time", since for part of the year they were on one and the other part of the year they were on the other. Makes things a bit difficult when you are in Illinois and a bunch of your relatives are in Indiana. My husband grew up in Illinois fairly close to the state line. His parents once bought tickets for a concert over in Indianapolis. When they got there they were quite upset to discover that they'd missed the first hour of the show.
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 21, 2010 10:32:48 GMT -5
Come to think of it, Arizona is eggzzzactully like Indiana! Remember the daylight savings time thingy?
I had to get up early so I could see the Olympic results from too late last night, before CBS Sunday Morning starts.
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 21, 2010 10:38:37 GMT -5
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Post by gailkate on Feb 21, 2010 11:10:01 GMT -5
Isn't he a gem? Another of our guys who have impressed me with their graciousness and sportsmanship. And they can speak! somewhere in there they all managed to get a decent education.
I don't think I'm going to do a day of hockey. I saw the 1980 triumph, but it's never been my favorite sport. Plenty of curling for those who want to become Brit's Buddies. I have a friend - retired librarian, intellectual and serious - who is eagerly awaiting the women's game because he's fallen hard for a couple of 'the babes.' Who knew? Since there's no beach volleyball, the curlers have brightened his world considerably.
More ice-dancing. I'll watch without apology, even if some spoilsports say it doesn't belong in the Olympics. Two of the pairs are students at the U of Mich, so I must watch agonize along with their parents.
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 21, 2010 11:22:59 GMT -5
![](http://media.cleveland.com/olympics_impact/photo/apolo-ohnojpg-93396dd87fa175aa_large.jpg) Too cool.
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Post by gailkate on Feb 21, 2010 14:54:27 GMT -5
From a friend on my forum of old high school diehard liberals:
I watched the curling match. I was so glad when the announcers told me the U.S. had won. I sure wouldn't have figured it out on my own. I felt the same way watching as I do when listening to cricket scores on the BBC. "What the hell are they talking about"? As a total newcomer to the curling game, having no understanding of it at all, it may be a little presumptuous of me to suggest improvements, but I think we could elevate this to a sport by allowing body checking. If you knew you could be slammed flat onto the ice as you were about to release the rock, you might flinch enough to alter your release, thereby causing you to miss. If the sweepers could swat each other with their brooms, that part of the game would be a lot more interesting. It would really be worth watching if they modified the rules to require overhand delivery of the stone.
I can hear Brit rumbling to a roar all the way from Maidenhead.
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Post by Brit on Feb 22, 2010 10:56:47 GMT -5
No roar gailkate - each to his or her own. At the Winter Olympics four years ago, the only Gold Medal won by Great Britain was for curling! The team were, of course, all Scots. The Scots invented the game when all the bowling greens were unplayable due to snow and ice and frost!
There is more curling later today, but it doesn't appear live on our screens until 3 o'clock in the morning. I enjoy watching curling and the intricacies of the sport, but I'm not getting up that early! I'll see the highlights tomorrow.
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Post by gailkate on Feb 22, 2010 20:35:08 GMT -5
As you might guess, that friend played hockey till he got too old to take the risks. But today he announced in amazement that there will be some sort of curling competition in Kalamazoo this spring - where he lives now. He's vowed to go so he can make a more knowlegeable assessment. Another friend, referring to his Scots heritage, insists that the stone used to be tied to the curler's ankle and if it curled off-course toward water or thin ice, the thrower might sink like a - well, like a stone. He's teasing, right?
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 23, 2010 1:37:08 GMT -5
More ice-dancing. I'll watch without apology, even if some spoilsports say it doesn't belong in the Olympics. Two of the pairs are students at the U of Mich, so I must watch agonize along with their parents. I'd like to say to those spoilsports, "Isn't that just like saying that snowboarding doesn't belong in the Olympics?" I think we've gotten past that now. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png)
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Post by Brit on Feb 23, 2010 5:52:03 GMT -5
Another friend, referring to his Scots heritage, insists that the stone used to be tied to the curler's ankle and if it curled off-course toward water or thin ice, the thrower might sink like a - well, like a stone. He's teasing, right? I've never heard that before. A nice urban myth though I must say!
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 23, 2010 9:47:45 GMT -5
Hey, nice new picture there, Brit! Looks like retirement suits you.
Brit, the coverage of curling here is sparse, at best. Did I hear something about one of the teams "firing" somebody?
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 23, 2010 10:10:58 GMT -5
Cool! I stayed up until 11:30 last night so I could see Davis & White compete in Ice Dancing, and just now I see that they won the silver.
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Post by gailkate on Feb 23, 2010 10:11:04 GMT -5
Yes, Brit is looking like Thor Heyerdahl. BB, I haven't heard about a firing. But are you checking all stations? We have basic cable - none of the premium channels - and 3 NBC-related stations carry Olympic games. Curling has been on just about every day. The ice dancers were largely terrific, though I flat don't like those horrid Russians who did the aborigine dance a couple of nights ago - ETMMP as Kristin would say. They got a bronze and I am incensed. The Canadians who won the gold were charming but I think they had home ice advantage. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 23, 2010 10:17:04 GMT -5
![](http://media.mlive.com/olympics_impact/photo/davis-white-22jpg-509279f213042e82_medium.jpg) This still captures so much motion!
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Post by BoatBabe on Feb 23, 2010 10:26:40 GMT -5
We have DirecTV (the little dish on the aft deck) and we have not had those options, gk. Of course, I'm not home during the day now, but this past weekend when the coverage didn't start until 1 p.m., there were no other channels covering events.
Now in the evenings, we have this punk local O-Zone show that pumps us up for the night's events that starts at 7:30, then national NBC coverage starts at 8:00. Up on channel 355, there seems to be an All Hockey All the Time channel. It's an NBC affiliate. We have no live coverage. It is all taped and shown in our "Prime Time." How they figure anything after 11 p.m. is prime time is beyond me.
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Post by jspnrvr on Feb 23, 2010 18:42:34 GMT -5
ETMMP?
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Post by gailkate on Feb 24, 2010 18:20:01 GMT -5
Enough To Make a Maggot Puke DrK, American physician
Sorry about Moa, Mike. She skated beautifully.
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Post by sailor on Feb 24, 2010 20:15:16 GMT -5
Sorry about Moa, Mike. She skated beautifully. No problem, Gail, it ain't over yet. The competition is amazing. Those girls are putting on one heck of a show. All the girls are skating so beautifully -- the Korean girl is flawless. Mike
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