Winter Olympics

[cabanafrau]

There's a team skating competition now? I stand corrected.

They started it in Sochi. I didn't watch it, but I now I've seen it advertised to be starting tonight.

At our house we also have our own favorite Olympic "sport". We find an athlete at the games who has a name that is unusual to us and fun to say. Some of our past favorites are Lasse Kjus and Aksel Lund Svindal. I found mine for this games a few weeks ago during a skiing competition -- Ragnhild Mowinckel. She will be getting some extra cheers of encouragement from our house. Of course I will take all the credit if she wins.

 

[robinb]

Wow, I thought she actually would have done something bad to have people rooting against her like that. Not making a comment they didn't like. How sad.

Some people don't stop at just rooting against her but they are also hoping that she has a serious injury (including breaking her neck) as payback for her comments.

 

[cabanafrau]

I do, too. Nancy Kerrigan used to skate at the same rink I grew up going to. It helped make it real for me hearing and seeing the local stories about how hard she worked to get where she was. Any athlete that's made it to the Olympics has a great story!

Sometimes a little bit of backstory can be fun. IMO they've pushed it all to the point where there's almost no actual event left in the coverage. I think it's extremely interesting to watch skier after skier or sled after sled come down the mountain, fractions of a second faster or slower than the last one.

Some people don't stop at just rooting against her but they are also hoping that she has a serious injury (including breaking her neck) as payback for her comments.

That's so ugly. There is no fun in watching people get hurt, absolutely none.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I do like to see background and human interest on the athletes. But I'd rather watch more event. And the desk stories they're doing now can go bye bye completely.

I'm going to take this from the summer games but take gymnastics. Used to be we'd see pretty much every event from the final team competition final group. Now we're lucky to see all the American routines plus a couple others.
Skiiing. We used to see all the runs of the premier group. Last Olympics we saw 5 runs.

 

[declansdad]

CBC still has coverage that shows more event than story and we get to see athletes from many countries not just Canada. Their live streaming service is pretty good as well.

 

[DisneyOma]

I haven't watched the Olympics since the Harding/Kerrigan brouhaha, but I wish the USA the best except for that Vonn woman and that Rippon person. (Thanks for informing me!)

I hope they win gold.

Alternates for the Olympic gymnastics definitely do NOT get medals. Figure skating does not have a team event.

Sadly, they do have a team event. I think it's stupid, as it only works for the countries with strong programs in all four events. It's just four independent programs added up for a score. We see the same programs in the regular competition. They should have synchronized skating instead.

 

[robinb]

That's so ugly. There is no fun in watching people get hurt, absolutely none.

I agree, but I couldn't help but think about the old ABC Sports "Agony of Defeat" ...

 

[cabanafrau]

I agree, but I couldn't help but think about the old ABC Sports "Agony of Defeat" ...

I have a hard time staying with an event when someone gets hurt. Had to leave the room during the Super Bowl when one of the players was down on the field. I heard that later they showed him up and walking, but it stresses me out when someone is hurt.

 

[robinb]

Here's an article on the "agony of defeat" guy:
http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/17310907/happened-agony-defeat-ski-jumper

 

[Sanchez]

I have no position on Lindsey Vonn one way or other except that I prefer to see U.S. athletes do well. Nevertheless, I think we are in for Vonn fatigue. NBC started this morning with the dead grandparent angle (her grandfather died few months ago)and apparently she and NBC are going to milk this story. I loathe when people use these things for attention.

 

[Kitty 34]

I really meant it when I asked if this was a spoiler thread back a few pages ago. Gingerly I went through the replies hoping to get an answer. Please.

 

[Turn the Page]

That's so ugly. There is no fun in watching people get hurt, absolutely none.

I believe millions of people would disagree with you. Otherwise boxing and MMA fighting would not be a thing.

I'm with you though, I don't get it.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Boy that ice in Korea must be slippery

 

[hopemax]

It would have been nice to see the Israeli skater who is in the lead, and apparently skated cleanly to achieve his score.

 

[Jennasis]

Yeesh...what is happening on the ice tonight?

 

[OhMari]

My DD's best friend's sister is competing in the large group skating competition.

Milwaukee tv stations did a report tonite on how only 2 guys tried out for speed skating in the longer races. They said, it is a sport where there is no money to be had, you have to pay out of your own pocket for ice time. No one wants to work that hard and practice. The industry is going to try and find bicyclists and try to recruit them.

 

[elphaba91]

That is my understanding. They are part of the team officially, I want to say they can share in the medals if it is a team event... like I think that is what happened with the team gymnastics' alternate, but they are not allowed to compete in any of the individuals. LOL hard to keep up with all the regulations. But I think that it is kinda like everyone on the hockey team gets a medal if the team wins, even if they don't see any ice time during the games. Alternates have uniforms, march in the ceremonies etc.

Does figure skating have a team event like gymnastics? Or is it all individual events?

Olympic alternates aren’t official Olympians and don’t get get to stay in the village or march in the ceremonies. I know at least with the USA women’s gymnastics alternates they still got a lot of special treatment - e.g. a lot of uniforms, travel to Rio (but staying and training separately from the actual team). And any team substitutions have to be made before the competition starts - I believe for gymnastics it is midnight on the day of your podium training session.

World champions (at least in gymnastics) is different. The alternates are definitely treated as part of the team and stay and train with the team the entire time. The USA doesn’t even officially announce who the alternate is prior to the competition (although you can usually work it out in podium training as they go last on each event). The alternate also gets a medal and gets to be on the podium with the rest of the team.

I believe figure skating does have a team competition, although it was only added at the last Olympics. I think you have one competitor from each discipline - men’s and women’s, pairs and ice dancing.

 

[Action City]

In the figure skating team competition why were the Russians listed as “Olympic athletes from Russia” while everyone else was listed as country; ie Italy, USA, etc?

 

[SirDuff]

In the figure skating team competition why were the Russians listed as “Olympic athletes from Russia” while everyone else was listed as country; ie Italy, USA, etc?

Russia (as a country) was banned from the Olympics as sanctions due to doping. A few select athletes who could "prove" that they were clean are being allowed to compete as "Olympic athletes from Russia". They use the Olympic flag. Should they win, the Olympic anthem will be played (and Olympic flag raised).

 

[Action City]

Russia (as a country) was banned from the Olympics as sanctions due to doping. A few select athletes who could "prove" that they were clean are being allowed to compete as "Olympic athletes from Russia". They use the Olympic flag. Should they win, the Olympic anthem will be played (and Olympic flag raised).

Ah, thank you. I had forgotten that. So they are competing individually instead of for Russia. Makes sense.