# 2010 Olympics:  Is it just me?



## Steve (Feb 25, 2010)

Is it just me, or did Vancouver really drop the ball on these olympics?  I mean, I don't recall ever seeing so much carnage in one Olympic Games.

From the sad death of the Georgian athlete on the Luge as he crashed into an unpadded metal pole, to the Slovenian xcountry skiier who slid off of a too sharp turn in the course, sliding off a ledge to drop over 9 feet onto rocks where she suffered 4 broken ribs and a collapsed lung.  There was the ski jump in the middle of the downhill course causing multiple serious crashes.  Skiiers fallout out on the other courses, multiple crashes in the snowboard cross events.  The surface on the long track speed skating rink....  to well, you get the picture.

Am I just paying more attention now?  Are the crashes getting more coverage?  Or did Vancouver just screw this up?  These just seem to be the most treacherous olympics I can recall.


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## crushing (Feb 26, 2010)

The agony of defeat always gets sensational coverage.  I don't know if the number of those moments is up this Olympics.

I thought the thread title was going to be about how NBC has made the Olympics difficult to watch the few minutes of actual sporting between the hours of commercials and _heartwarming_ background stories.


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## Xue Sheng (Feb 26, 2010)

It's not just you

And now.... a bobsled death


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## crushing (Feb 26, 2010)

Xue Sheng said:


> It's not just you
> 
> And now.... a bobsled death


 
That was a nasty accident, but it didn't result in a death.  It seems like a bobsled or two turn over every winter olympics.  Because of the luge death, I think the media is paying closer attention and sensationalizing each accident.  Especially those that happen on what they are calling the "Death Track".


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## terryl965 (Feb 26, 2010)

No this seems to be  a bad Olympics, the woman Ic e Hockey team did a wild celebration that will certainly have some ill feeling towards them as well.


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## Steve (Feb 26, 2010)

crushing said:


> The agony of defeat always gets sensational coverage. I don't know if the number of those moments is up this Olympics.
> 
> I thought the thread title was going to be about how NBC has made the Olympics difficult to watch the few minutes of actual sporting between the hours of commercials and _heartwarming_ background stories.


While better then in the past, they are definitely difficult to watch.  The only thing that saves the NBC coverage for me is the online content.  The canadian coverage is much better, if only because they show events live.



crushing said:


> That was a nasty accident, but it didn't result in a death. It seems like a bobsled or two turn over every winter olympics. Because of the luge death, I think the media is paying closer attention and sensationalizing each accident. Especially those that happen on what they are calling the "Death Track".


Maybe so, crushing.  In this case, I'm not all that surprised.  Bobsled crashes aren't uncommon.  

It's things like athletes falling off of 3 meter high ledges onto rocks, athletes hitting unpadded metal beams or downhill skiiers being launched at the bottom of their run that really stand out.   I mean, these venues have all been modified after these things happened.  They shaved down the jump on the slalom/super G and downhill course, added a wall and padded the beams on the and nets on the cross country course.   

As I said, I'm not sure whether it's that these are some truly ill designed venues or if it's just that the media is highlighting the crashes more.  I can't find any objective stats to tell.


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## Gordon Nore (Feb 26, 2010)

terryl965 said:


> No this seems to be  a bad Olympics, the woman Ic e Hockey team did a wild celebration that will certainly have some ill feeling towards them as well.



I saw some of the photos of their after-party this morning on TV. A spokesman said the dressing room celebration spilled back out onto the ice. Some of the women had cans of Molson's Canadian, one was chomping a cigar, and another was shown sitting on the Zamboni. The Canadian Olympic Committee issued an apology.

I'm sure this has happened before. My questions would be...



Were the players vulgar or abusive in any way?
Did they disrupt work at the venue or create a safety risk?
Did they damage any property?

If the answers to the above are, "No," then I would call this a fart in a windstorm. Yesterday someone was criticizing the women for playing too well and beating their opponents too soundly.


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## zDom (Feb 26, 2010)

I have fond memories of watching the Olympics as a kid but I've been boycotting watching ANY Olympics for some time now due to as mentioned above, HOURS of commercials and "heartwarming" background stories and commentary, and extensive coverage of SOME sports while barely mentioning others (those others being the ones I'm actually interested in!)

Pft. I've got better things to do with my time.


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## crushing (Feb 26, 2010)

Gordon Nore said:


> I saw some of the photos of their after-party this morning on TV. A spokesman said the dressing room celebration spilled back out onto the ice. Some of the women had cans of Molson's Canadian, one was chomping a cigar, and another was shown sitting on the Zamboni. The Canadian Olympic Committee issued an apology.
> 
> I'm sure this has happened before. My questions would be...
> 
> ...


 
I agree.  Heck, I'd even cut the underage drinker some slack.


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## blindsage (Feb 26, 2010)

stevebjj said:


> multiple crashes in the snowboard cross events.


All the others may be exceptional, but methink this is par for the course in this event.  At least every time I've watched.


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## CoryKS (Feb 26, 2010)

Gordon Nore said:


> I saw some of the photos of their after-party this morning on TV. A spokesman said the dressing room celebration spilled back out onto the ice. Some of the women had cans of Molson's Canadian, one was chomping a cigar, and another was shown sitting on the Zamboni. The Canadian Olympic Committee issued an apology.
> 
> I'm sure this has happened before. My questions would be...
> 
> ...


 
How did they word the apology?  "We're sorry our women are awesome and probably a lot of fun to party with"?


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## Carol (Feb 26, 2010)

[yt]D7UKllR0Edo[/yt]


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## Nomad (Feb 26, 2010)

The luge/bobsled track was designed to be the fastest and most challenging track in the world when it was built, and has certainly lived up to that.  Add to that people in competition trying to push every last tenth of a second out of their equipment, combined with the relative inexperience of some of the athletes (including the Georgian luger who tragically lost his life) and it's not surprising that there is a higher accident rate than at other venues.

Unfortunately, when you're talking about sports where people are travelling in excess of 80-90 mph and have very little protective equipment, the injuries can be severe or even fatal quite easily.  This is _not_ news to the athletes, who presumably understand the risks involved in their own sport.  Keep in mind that operator error has played a big part in all of these accidents.

The hockey team celebrating after working hard for 4 years, then going through a rigorous round robin schedule and finally ending up on top of the world... give me a break.  I think they've earned a moment or two.

To me, the bigger issues have been the lack of snow earlier in the competition (which is admittedly difficult to control), the fiasco with the ice surface at the speed skating arena (which I believe only happened once, but it was once too many) and first and foremost, the awful, pathetic "short-attention-span" theatre presented by NBC's Olympic coverage.  It truly is the worst coverage of the Olympics in the world.


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## crushing (Feb 26, 2010)

Nomad said:


> The hockey team celebrating after working hard for 4 years, then going through a rigorous round robin schedule and finally ending up on top of the world... give me a break. I think they've earned a moment or two.


 
The Canadian hockey team is sooooo much better than most of the competition that I'm not sure I would call their schedule 'rigorous'.


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## Nomad (Feb 26, 2010)

crushing said:


> The Canadian hockey team is sooooo much better than most of the competition that I'm not sure I would call their schedule 'rigorous'.



It is if you compare it to many other sports, that have a half-hour single day competition with 1-3 runs by each competitor to determine the medal. 

 I think it's clear that they practice and play pretty hard, otherwise the rest of the world would have caught up to them by now.


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## Ken Morgan (Feb 26, 2010)

Nomad said:


> The luge/bobsled track was designed to be the fastest and most challenging track in the world when it was built, and has certainly lived up to that. Add to that people in competition trying to push every last tenth of a second out of their equipment, combined with the relative inexperience of some of the athletes (including the Georgian luger who tragically lost his life) and it's not surprising that there is a higher accident rate than at other venues.
> 
> Unfortunately, when you're talking about sports where people are travelling in excess of 80-90 mph and have very little protective equipment, the injuries can be severe or even fatal quite easily. This is _not_ news to the athletes, who presumably understand the risks involved in their own sport. Keep in mind that operator error has played a big part in all of these accidents.
> 
> ...


 
Apparently the track was designed and approved by the international luge/bobsled commission, or who ever it is. The IOC and the Canadian organizers had little to no say on the design of the track.

The girls partied? So what. I dont care where youre from, if you win a medal in the Olympics, as long as you dont rub it in the faces of those you beat, you should have the right to party when the ceremonies over.    

I really dont see this Olympics as being any different from any of the others Ive watched. Some great parts, some OK parts and some ****** parts. An event of this side and scope, will never be perfect. If everything went right and perfect, the media would have no stories to broadcast. 

Carol, Carol, Carolwhat are you doing? Youre Canadian remember?


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## Omar B (Feb 26, 2010)

Winter Olympics?  So don't care.


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## Carol (Feb 26, 2010)

Ken Morgan said:


> Carol, Carol, Carol&#8230;what are you doing? You&#8217;re Canadian remember?



We Canadians are tough enough to take a joke, eh?  

In all seriousness, I don't have any issue at all with the Canadian women enjoying some Molsons and a smoke on the ice.  They won the Olympics fergawdsakes and they won it in a sport that has had scuttlebutt about being dropped from the Olympics.

I also don't think Canada is dropping the ball on the Olympics.  Winter sports can be deadly, but the only reason why you are hearing about the accidents is because of the media spotlight.  

This month there were 2 skiers that died at Sunday River in Maine, 2 others died in Bulgaria, a teen died on a mountain in California, and a former X games skier died at Squaw Valley after rehabbing himself from an accident that nearly killed him the first time.

I don't think its Canada.  I think its because going high speeds down an incline can sometimes have unplanned results.


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## Steve (Feb 26, 2010)

Carol said:


> We Canadians are tough enough to take a joke, eh?
> 
> In all seriousness, I don't have any issue at all with the Canadian women enjoying some Molsons and a smoke on the ice. They won the Olympics fergawdsakes and they won it in a sport that has had scuttlebutt about being dropped from the Olympics.


If I'm being honest, there's something very sexy about a good looking, elite level, female athlete enjoying a beer and a cigar after kicking some ***. But maybe that's just me. I've always been attracted to women who might just kick my ***.


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## Ken Morgan (Feb 26, 2010)

stevebjj said:


> If I'm being honest, there's something very sexy about a good looking, elite level, female athlete enjoying a beer and a cigar after kicking some ***. But maybe that's just me. I've always been attracted to women who might just kick my ***.


 
Agreed. Confidence in a women is so very sexy.


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## Gordon Nore (Feb 27, 2010)

CoryKS said:


> How did they word the apology?  "We're sorry our women are awesome and probably a lot of fun to party with"?



http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=52689.html?cid=rss


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## Carol (Feb 27, 2010)

stevebjj said:


> If I'm being honest, there's something very sexy about a good looking, elite level, female athlete enjoying a beer and a cigar after kicking some ***. But maybe that's just me. I've always been attracted to women who might just kick my ***.





Ken Morgan said:


> Agreed. Confidence in a women is so very sexy.



You guys totally rock


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## Blade96 (Feb 27, 2010)

Oh boo hoo hoo.

'the girls partied and they beat their opponents too soundly, they should get criticized'

Gimmie a ******* break.

No one gives a crap when the men ice hockey players beat their opponents with higher scores. How about when finland lost and it was like 6 - 1? No one complains when the men does it.

as ken said. as long as you havent got an ego the size of the hindenberg and dont rub it in their faces and just enjoy it. Hakuna matata.


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## Ken Morgan (Feb 27, 2010)

Carol said:


> You guys totally rock


 
You're just saying that because its true....


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## Carol (Feb 27, 2010)

Ken Morgan said:


> You're just saying that because its true....


 
Absolutely


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## Gordon Nore (Feb 27, 2010)

Hey, Carol and Ken

Meet you later for a double-double and some Tim Bits. Then we can go for poutine.


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## Carol (Feb 27, 2010)

Gordon Nore said:


> Hey, Carol and Ken
> 
> Meet you later for a double-double and some Tim Bits. Then we can go for poutine.


 
Save a 2-4 of something good for me, eh?


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## Carol (Feb 27, 2010)

A good friend of mine from college, Mike Friesen, decided to update the Canadian National Anthem. He thought "O Canada" sounded a bit...outdated, so he decided to rewrite it in more modern parlance. Starting with the title...no one really says "O" anymore, so it became "Yo, Canada".  It was published in MacLean's.

http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/ela102030/fra298.htmlhttp://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=95;t=000750;p=2

O Canada

(New politically correct version)

Yo! Canada. 
Our domicile and current place of residence. 
True feelings of nationalistic contentment, in everybody kindly request. 
With glowing organs, we observe thy ascendance, The true relatively north empowered and unshackled, 
From considerable expanses - eh, Canada? - we're looking out for thee. 
May the non-gender-specific deity maintain our geographical mass, strong yet sensitive and liberated! 
Yo Canada, we're looking out for thee. 
Yo Canada, we're looking out for the majorities, minorities, downtrodden. depressed, repressed, undressed, differently-looking, otherly-abled, preferentially varied individuals and group entities 
AND...thee.


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## Ken Morgan (Feb 28, 2010)

Gordon Nore said:


> Hey, Carol and Ken
> 
> Meet you later for a double-double and some Tim Bits. Then we can go for poutine.


 
Thanks Gord.

I dont drink coffee or eat poutine, but we can go to Harveys for a burger, grab a Sleemans, and crash on the Chesterfield as we watch the Canada/US gold medal game!!


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## crushing (Feb 28, 2010)

Omar B said:


> Winter Olympics?  So don't care.


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## Omar B (Feb 28, 2010)

What, we all supposed to like all the same things?  I'm no fan of the winter olympics, sue me.


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## crushing (Feb 28, 2010)

Omar B said:


> Winter Olympics? So don't care.


 


Omar B said:


> What, we all supposed to like all the same things? I'm no fan of the winter olympics, sue me.


 
No one made the claim we are supposed to like all the same things. Out of where did you pull such an idea? Also, welcome back to the thread about something which you don't care. Once again -


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## Omar B (Feb 28, 2010)

What, I can't read a thread to see what the fascination with glitter and twirling is?


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## crushing (Mar 1, 2010)

Omar B said:


> What, I can't read a thread to see what the fascination with glitter and twirling is?



Why, who said that?  You seem to keep reading things that no one is posting.


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## Omar B (Mar 1, 2010)

I know, I'm waiting on  it though.  Hopefully someone will post an explanation.


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## Steve (Mar 1, 2010)

Omar, you really shouldn't drink and post. 

Seriously.  What are you getting on about here?  You don't like the figure skating?


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## Omar B (Mar 1, 2010)

Seems a bit much to me man, what next, Lefty Olympics.  Yeah, I'm gonna always goof on the Winter Olympics, seems all based upon how fast you can slide down the side of a mountain on various apparatus, or twirling in the rink.  The Hockey's cool, but that's just one event.

... And no, I don't drink and post.  Wish I did though, some would be a lot more entertaining.


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## Steve (Mar 1, 2010)

Omar B said:


> Seems a bit much to me man, what next, Lefty Olympics. Yeah, I'm gonna always goof on the Winter Olympics, seems all based upon how fast you can slide down the side of a mountain on various apparatus, or twirling in the rink. The Hockey's cool, but that's just one event.
> 
> ... And no, I don't drink and post. Wish I did though, some would be a lot more entertaining.


 Okay.  Noted, although I can think of at least a couple of events that aren't going down the mountain or twirling in the rink.  But that doesn't negate the value of your opinion.  It's yours, and even when it's wackadoo, you're entitled to it.


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## teekin (Mar 1, 2010)

Can I strap skis to that dude and push him down a mountain......Please?:angel:
Lori


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## Blade96 (Mar 1, 2010)

I happen to adore the Olympics. To me it is one of the things beautiful on this earth, uniting us, bringing the whole world together.


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## Omar B (Mar 1, 2010)

Blade96 said:


> I happen to adore the Olympics. To me it is one of the things beautiful on this earth, uniting us, bringing the whole world together.



I feel the same way about the summer Olympics.


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## Blade96 (Mar 2, 2010)

Omar B said:


> I feel the same way about the summer Olympics.



Aha! So you do like the Olympics. 

just maybe not winter ones.


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## zDom (Mar 2, 2010)

Blade96 said:


> I happen to adore the Olympics. To me it is one of the things beautiful on this earth, uniting us, bringing the whole world together.



Yea, but the televised coverage of the Olympics has been epic fail for a long, long time now.


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## crushing (Mar 2, 2010)

Blade96 said:


> Aha! So you do like the Olympics.
> 
> just maybe not winter ones.


 
The Summer Olympics are just people jumping in water and tumbling in a gym in the same way the Winter Olympics are just people sliding down a hill and twirling in a rink.


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## Nomad (Mar 2, 2010)

zDom said:


> Yea, but the televised coverage of the Olympics has been epic fail for a long, long time now.



Yes, NBC's coverage is pathetic.  Most of the events shown with a big time delay, then chopped into pieces and interspersed with other sports, most often only showing a few competitors leaning heavily towards whichever Americans are competing.  And broken up more by the huge number of commercials and "human interest" stories.

Please, just show us the competition!  You're trying too hard on this one.

For the first time ever, I actually found the coverage from NBC's website was better than the TV coverage... most events you could watch live, and with fewer commercials.


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## Ken Morgan (Mar 2, 2010)

On the CTV website http://www.ctvolympics.ca/ you could have watched every event live.


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## Steve (Mar 2, 2010)

Ken Morgan said:


> On the CTV website http://www.ctvolympics.ca/ you could have watched every event live.


In the past, the canadian channel we get here in Seattle has had much better coverage, but they didn't show it this year. 

I've found that the online coverage is AWESOME.  During the last summer olympics, I got to watch the entire judo event via live streaming.  It was great.  The internet rocks for this kind of stuff.  I watched the last ADCC streamed live, as well.  Very, very cool stuff.

Thanks for sharing the link. I'll keep that in mind next time.


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## zDom (Mar 2, 2010)

Ken Morgan said:


> On the CTV website http://www.ctvolympics.ca/ you could have watched every event live.



Yep. You can watch just about anything on the Internet. 

The point is, I wanted to be able to sit on my couch and watch interesting events on *TV*  and know that others, around the nation, were also seeing a wide variety of world class athletes doing their thing.

Until something drastically changes, watching the Olympics will just be a fond memory from my childhood.


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## Steve (Mar 2, 2010)

You can't watch the internet on your tv?  Wow.. that's so...  20th century.


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## teekin (Mar 23, 2010)

You can get specailty channels for the Olympics that have huge event coverage. I have coverage of the Equestrian events on one channel as it is never covered on regualr TV, and it can be subscibed to on-line live. Same for Judo, gymnastics, diving, swimming..... you name it. Sans commercials.

Lori


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