Olympics - All around discussion

[Annelise]

But the monkey's off our back so we can get back to normal: under-performing, talking about the snow, the lack of snow, too much snow, rain, crappy snow, rain, epically failing electric ice resurfacing for the speed skating, poor organization and time keeping in the cross-country and biathlon, the luge tragedy hopefully not to become the bobsled and skeleton debacles or worse, Whistler going into foreclosure, protesters, ballooning budget, and I think a smiting from God himself.

I just want to mention the snowboarders? :) It was fun watching all of them last night. And I know he's overexposed, but Shaun White was seriously awesome. He already knew he'd won gold and he didn't back off his second run - instead he added in a new, (evidently) super difficult move (of his invention I think?).

[Zoë Sumra]

God, the coverage of the Olympics is just so obnoxious.

Our coverage is considerably better. Except it all happens at night when I'm meant to be asleep. :(

[Chaldanya]

Our coverage is considerably better. Except it all happens at night when I'm meant to be asleep.

I LURVE sky+. All figure skating coverage, all the time!

N

[kairparavel]

I just want to mention the snowboarders? :) It was fun watching all of them last night. And I know he's overexposed, but Shaun White was seriously awesome. He already knew he'd won gold and he didn't back off his second run - instead he added in a new, (evidently) super difficult move (of his invention I think?).

He was very impressive. He's quite the entertainer and clearly loves what he does.

[The Wedge]

I just want to mention the snowboarders? :) It was fun watching all of them last night. And I know he's overexposed, but Shaun White was seriously awesome. He already knew he'd won gold and he didn't back off his second run - instead he added in a new, (evidently) super difficult move (of his invention I think?).

I don't follow snowboarding, but it was obvious that Shaun White is in a different league from the competition. That he is so enthusiastic and loving every minute of it is a complete bonus. Watching him at the top before his second run when he already had gold in his pocket was excellent. He asks "What should I do? Just ride down the middle??" No way. He goes out and wows everyone. That might have only happened because there was no pressure for points, but the little time in watching him perform made me think he could do that when the win was on the line, too. Pretty cool. Now get a haircut, Shaun!

[Daeric]

As I understood it, the only guy who has beaten White at all regularly recently missed the games due to being injured while trying to learn the double cork, probably would have being a bit more competitive if he had being there.

[Brude]

Yeah, White was just on another planet compared to those other guys. I think only one guy in the final beat his qualifying round score, where he basically dogged it and took it easy.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

It really takes the pressure off a guy who wants to be really cool to know that the top coolness spot is already filled by Shaun White.

[Green Apple Fossoway]

This is the first year that I've ever paid a lot of attention to the Winter Olympics, and I gotta say that so far my favorite is short-track speed skating. I like the whole pseudo-demolition derby aspect of it. Although the downhill yesterday was also very entertaining. From when they started coverage of it, it was pretty much if you managed to finish the race on your skis then you were in the top ten. Also Vonn finishing pretty much on one ski was pretty bad-ass.

[Annelise]

That might have only happened because there was no pressure for points, but the little time in watching him perform made me think he could do that when the win was on the line, too.

Yeah, I could be wrong but I think that may be strategy. That is, holding something back the first run so you can pull out the stops as necessary the second.

[The Wedge]

Yeah, I could be wrong but I think that may be strategy. That is, holding something back the first run so you can pull out the stops as necessary the second.

Sure. They said that during his first run.

But if someone *had* topped his first run score, the whole game changes. He has to hit those jumps if he wants gold. Big time pressure. As it was, he had nothing on the line but to go out and show off without worrying about the points.

Essentially his run became exhibition, which allowed him to just let it all hang out. He didn't have to, but he did and it was cool to see.

[kairparavel]

First: props to our third gold medal of the games! Christine Nesbitt in Ladies Long Track, 1000m! Oh Canada!

Second: I love, L.O.V.E curling. I know it lacks street or sport cred for most people and that's fine. But the combination of strategy and knowing the proper amount of speed and force when releasing the rock = pretty cool. To me. Perhaps the only person in Westeros.org. I'm ok with that.

But as I was explaining to a few fellows while we were oot the oother night, think of it like playing pool. It's all about angles and weights and banking and combination shots based on how the table is first broken. Curling you start with the blank table and have to put your rocks in play and THEN you need to worry about weight and angles and banking and combination shots. Instead of pockets, you get a button (the centre).

Yeah, I haven't convinced anyone. More for me!

[CelticKnight]

Curling = best sport to watch when hungover.

Entertaining and slow paced enough for you not to feel nauseous while watching.

[Jaxom 1974]

Why the hell is Curling so damn fascinating? Seriously. I watched it four years ago during Torino because it was on each day in the afternoon and I was at home. I didn't give it a second thought once it ended then. Now it's the only thing I'm really interested in this time around. Watching the US Men's team flame out three days in a row on their final stone each time has actually been painfulo to watch and I still don't know exactly why that is because I'm still trying to figure out the damn scoring.

But props to the women of Denmark for wearing skirts...

[Demonblade]

Scoring is easy. If you have the three closest rocks to the centre, you get three points. If you have two, you get two. If you have four, well, you know how it ends. I grew up playing curling and still watch whenever it's on TV. I love to watch it, nearly as much as football and hockey. I'm enjoying the women's curling, particularly the male announcer's barely-concealed crush on the Canadian skip. I lost count how many times he's mentioned that she's 43 years old and still is in great shape. lol

[kairparavel]

Why the hell is Curling so damn fascinating? Seriously. I watched it four years ago during Torino because it was on each day in the afternoon and I was at home. I didn't give it a second thought once it ended then. Now it's the only thing I'm really interested in this time around. Watching the US Men's team flame out three days in a row on their final stone each time has actually been painfulo to watch and I still don't know exactly why that is because I'm still trying to figure out the damn scoring.

I take you literally not understanding the scoring so here goes:

Each end, the team with the most rocks closest to the centre of the rings gets that score.

In the house, which is that group of rings they're shooting at, the rock (s) closest to the button (very centre of the rings) scores the points.

So if there's five yellow and three red, but two of the reds are closest to centre, the red team gets two and the yellow team none.

If both teams are laying even : either no rocks in the house or dead even, the end is a draw and no one scores.

If red team scores in an end, yellow team gets last rock the next end. If yellow teams scores, last rock goes back to red team.

Last rock is very important to have in a tight game, especially in the final end, like right now, with the American and Danish women.

[Jaxom 1974]

I hear what you're all saying, but at the same time, I for some reason cannot wrap my head around this...I mean, right now with each team with a rock left, the American women are closest to the button, but the Danish have three in the house...so if it ended right then, the US wouldn't have enough points to tie the game, right?

[Gertrude]

I'm actually a mild fan of curling. My parents developed a taste for it when they lived in Alaska, so growing up that was always a must-watch for Winter Olympics.

[kairparavel]

I hear what you're all saying, but at the same time, I for some reason cannot wrap my head around this...I mean, right now with each team with a rock left, the American women are closest to the button, but the Danish have three in the house...so if it ended right then, the US wouldn't have enough points to tie the game, right?

Ok, so what just happened there, with that last rock? The Americans take out the Danish one, and if they stay within the button/blue circle, they score two and go to an extra end because they've tied it up. But the stone just slid through the house after the take out shot of the Danish rock, so they only scored one, so the cumulative score for has them losing by one. It was the final end, and all the rocks were played. Make sense?

[BLU-RAY]

First of all, fuck NBC right in the ear. It's pretty bullshit that I can't watch this game live on TV, and have to stream it at their website instead. Morons. I've heard that even the US-Canada game on Sunday won't be shown live; anybody else hear that?

Second, goddamn, we better come out in the 3rd and light them the fuck up. What a piss-poor piece of defending in the last thirty seconds to let them score that goal. Marty hasn't looked great, but he never really had a chance to get into a groove. Was their a clear favorite in the coaching staff's mind before the tournament about who would start in net for the knockout rounds?