The Olympics

[halplm]

I get kind of annoyed during the day, because nothing is happening, and then of course I stay up all night watching and am a zombie at work.

I then get kind of annoyed in the evening, because living on the west coast of the US, while everything is live in the rest of the country, NBC in their infinite wisdom thinks they need to delay things three hours... so instead of seeing all the prime time stuff in the early evening live, I have to wait three hours... and stay up later... I hate NBC.

All of that, of course, doesn't stop me from watching stuff live on the internet, watching stuff tape delayed on NBC, and following results that I can't find video feeds for at the same time

Highlights of the games for me so far:

-US Women Sweeping the Sabre medals. I've always loved watching fencing, even though it's very hard to see what's happening on TV. I blame the Princess Bride. The US hasn't been very good traditionally, so this was an awesome result.

-US Men winning the Bronze in Team Gymnastics. If your not familiar with Raj Bhavsar, and I suppose you wouldn't if you don't follow Gymnastics, it was immensely satisfying to see him win an Olympic medal, not to mentnion the rest of the team .

-US Men winning the 4x100 freestyle relay. It's like the 4x100 in Track. It's the event that defines the "team" aspect of what is essentially an individual sport. If you've never been on a track or swim team, this is a difficult thing to understand. In general, I get bored of swimming pretty fast, as it's all basically the same to me , but this race was something special.

-US Shooter Corey Cogdell winning the Bronze in Trap shooting. I got to watch it live online (they never show shooting on TV), and she came from behind in a final no one really expected her to get to. That's the kind of stories I like the most. Watching Phelps win 7 or 8 gold medals when everyone expects him to isn't that exciting, but watching someone scratch their way to a medal by performing at their best on the biggest (and toughest) stage, is what the Olympics are all about

Anyone else have some highlights? Perhaps without such an obvious and unintentional US bias?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

-US Men winning the 4x100 freestyle relay. It's like the 4x100 in Track. It's the event that defines the "team" aspect of what is essentially an individual sport. If you've never been on a track or swim team, this is a difficult thing to understand. In general, I get bored of swimming pretty fast, as it's all basically the same to me , but this race was something special.

It really was. I still don't know how the American anchor caught the French anchor.

[halplm]

on the NBC thing again, it was pointed out somewhere online, that the people in the Mountain and pacific time zones of the US are the only people in the WORLD that cannot watch the events being shown live elsewhere. How is this legal?

Personally, I think it's stupid, as all it does is annoy people. But I am struggling to understand how it is legal for them to basically remove our ability to see something live, for the sake of advertisers...

And of course, to add insult to injury, they do not mention at any time, that it is actually tape delayed and they have LIVE plastered everywhere, and it's every other word out of the announcers' mouths. it's unethical and deceptive.

But ultimately, do they really think we're that stupid?

[vison]

Well, if it's any consolation, halplm, Canadians in those time zones are in the same fix.

And I am astonished that every single time I turn on the TV there is Beach Volleyball on.

WTF?

[anthriel]

It's an interesting tidbit that no fewer than three women (I am one of them) commented on the itsy bitsy bikinis the women's volleyball players are wearing. It this entirely necessary?

And howcomefor the volleyball playing men are wearing shirts? If the girls have to wear little snippits for clothing, off with the shirts for the boys, I say. Fare is fare.

[Primula Baggins]

Seriously. And the male swimmers are wearing long johns, or those matronly one-pieces (matronly effect enhanced by rubber swim cap—why no rubber flowers?). What was wrong with the tidy little Speedos of yore? Rrrowr.

Although . . . the swimmers do have that subcutaneous layer of "insulation," rather like seals; I tell you, in my book, for perfection, it's the divers. And they do know how to dress for work.

[Lurker]

It's an interesting tidbit that no fewer than three women (I am one of them) commented on the itsy bitsy bikinis the women's volleyball players are wearing. It this entirely necessary?

Yes!!!
Three words, Misty May - Treanor!

The female swimmers are prettier than the divers but I still think the Canadian Women's Soccer Team are good looking.

I feel bad for Alicia Sacramone when she fell on the balance beam and the floor and still the cameras were on her when she was crying in the corner poor girl! Nastsha's coach/dad was not on the floor anymore!

US Men winning the Bronze in Team Gymnastics. If your not familiar with Raj Bhavsar, and I suppose you wouldn't if you don't follow Gymnastics, it was immensely satisfying to see him win an Olympic medal, not to mentnion the rest of the team .

Finally, guy of Indian descent winning gymnastics. I like his philosophy with regards to just letting all things fall into place, being positive. Man, I like the poster he had in his room wherein he had set up posters of what his goals and aspirations are and attached it with strings which all come together in a poster of a man and the planet Earth. I started doing that in the closet of my office and in our basement home office.

Like Hal, I am zombie at work as well. I sleep on the couch during lunch time and my clerk would actually wake me up to tell me it's time to get up. Back to work!!! Thus, I never go home for lunch anymore, Princess said our poor babies were looking for dada. I think she is telling me something. stufid olympics!!! It's just for two weeks.

[Impenitent]

I get so mad at the beach volleyball I invariably change station or leave the room after a few minutes

Do you think the female athletes have to abide by some kind of lycra ration? You know...no more than three square inches of any contiguous length?

The swimming though...I just love to watch the camera under the water! It's poetry in motion, you know? More than any other sport (and I love the gymnastics, but even so) the swimmers underwater, sheer grace of their bodies moving with such rhythm and power is breathtaking for me. Above the water, it's all noise and splashes, but under the water...it's lyrical.

It was beautiful to see the Australian women's relay team. Four young faces expressing such exuberant joy! Love it!

[Frelga]

It's an interesting tidbit that no fewer than three women (I am one of them) commented on the itsy bitsy bikinis the women's volleyball players are wearing. It this entirely necessary?

And howcomefor the volleyball playing men are wearing shirts? If the girls have to wear little snippits for clothing, off with the shirts for the boys, I say. Fare is fare.

Make it four.

And yes, take away the shirts from the guys, I say.

[vison]

You mean you didn't know? Last Olympics, or maybe the one before, the IOC TOLD the beach volleyball women to wear skimpier costumes. This is, as they say, a true fact, but my google-fu isn't good enough for me to post a link.

I don't mind the sport, as such. I'm sure they are "elite" athletes. But for the luvva pete, are there NO other events? I swear, every time I turn the TV on, there it is.

As I've said before, I'm only really fond of watching the running.

As for Michael Phelps, yes, he's a remarkable athlete, etc., but it's long, long past time that the IOC eliminated 95% of those swimming events. Most athletes can win only one medal, and this nonsense of a dozen medals in the pool is just that, nonsense. Likewise the gymnastics.

[Lurker]

Man, we just watched Nastia Liukin in gymnastics and she was artistically beautiful. She was like a ballerina. We bet she was going to win all around not Shawn Johnson. Shawn Johnson is powerful but she lacks the grace and artistry.

I stopped watching swimming for awhile not because I hate Phelps but because it's no fun anymore knowing who is going to win. So when its Phelps turn I change the channel.

Beach volleyball *drools*

C'mon, it's the 21st century and the ladies in those events are nothing compared to the ladies in Baywatch. Most of them are flat-chested anyways but they got nice legs, though.

[Andreth]

I've been watching what I can. Love the fencing since I fence myself. Though the action is so fast, it's hard to tell what's happening sometimes. Bronze in team sabre and silver in team foil for our ladies. Well done.

I am a former rower so I'm keeping up with that as well. Silver for the US women's single sculler. Canada finally picked up some medals, one in rowing.

While Phelps accomplishment is amazing, I'm still partial to Eric Hieden's 5 gold medals in speed skating. The events were outdoors in the elements and over a variety of distances. Not to mention what a hottie he was!

[Frelga]

[WampusCat]

Well, I have loved all of it. Every minute. I watch U.S. competitions and competitions between countries I might not be able to find on a map. It's all good.

But I've especially enjoyed following Michael Phelps because of the sheer joy that he and his mother show.

The worst thing has been watching it alone for the most part. It seems silly to be yelling and jumping up and down by myself. Especially when I high-five the lamp.

What can I say... I'm sleep-deprived.

[vison]

I watched the relay where Phelps won his 8th gold medal. He's a remarkable kid, for sure, and while I think it's appallingly stupid that there are so goldanged many swimming races, he won them all fair and square. One broadcaster said that a teacher had once told Phelps "he'd never amount to anything". I can't really say how awful I think that is. Why would ANYONE say such a thing to any kid? If I knew who that teacher was I'd - tell him what I think HE amounted to. I hope he saw that boy on TV and squirmed. Probably not.


I watched that Jamican man win the 100 M. My word, I wonder how much time he added by slowing down and waving his arms the way he did?

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

I'm not sporty so haven't seen much. I would certainly have watched any fencing but never spotted any in the TV schedules. Really it needs to be shown in slow motion for anyone to understand what is going on. Were they to do that I think it could be a good (TV) spectator sport.

I watched the women's marathon last night at an ungodly hour and saw lion hearted Paula Radcliffe struggle on with a leg that had a fractured thigh at the beginning of the year. She still managed to come 23rd or something similar against the best athletes in the world. Likewise her compatriot Lisa Snelling who took a tumble at the beginning of the race and may have run with a broken rib. Certainly her upper arm was black from the injury by the time she finished. I think anyone who runs a marathon is lion hearted anyway.

[Lurker]

Hey Vison, they are taking softball out because it is so "predictable". The US always wins that it's not exciting anymore. So no softball for 2012 London. So they should take out swimming as well if Phelps is going for 2012. Like I said it's no fun anymore if the same person or team always wins.

Yeah, I also wonder how much time Usain Bolt would have set if he didn't slow down. We were laughing so hard when he was doing his little dance on the track and showing off his gold shoes. Man, I could see it now, the teenagers esp. the guys will be wearing Nike or Addidas gold shoes, that is worst than a guy wearing a pink shirt.

I love watching the Canadian rowers, man, I couldn't do that. All you do is row row your boat which I find boring but man, they are so good.

[halplm]

The fencing is even hard to see when they go in slow motion. I don't know about the other two disciplines, but in Sabre, which is the one I've been able to watch a few times, so much of it is dependant on "who has the better position" because they touch at the same or near the same time all the time.

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

I find international standard sabre fencing less interesting to watch: two opponents dance in at the same time and one is just faster. There's little sword play. It's far more fun at club level. Far more fencing of blades occurs in foil (my favourite) and epee.

[Rowanberry]

I haven't watched the games very much; the broadcasts are mostly during the day, when I'm at work so, it has mostly been about half an hour in the morning while preparing to leave for work. But, on Saturday, I vegetated a couple of hours in front of the TV watching dressage. It isn't a sport that's much appreciated here, although we did have a representative in it. But, it's nice to watch all those beautiful horses.

I think Anthy would agree.