Author Topic: Olympics.... (Read 426 times)

AWMac · « **on:** August 23, 2004, 08:04:32 PM »

Am I the only one that gets choked up when a Gold is won and National Anthem is played?

God Bless America!

vorticon · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:08:22 PM »

american gold medals are a dime a dozen...i fail to see how it could still give you any feelings other than oh, look anotherone how nice

AWMac · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:12:29 PM »

Vortican I'm sure you feel the same way about ticks and spider bites....

Have you no heart Man??? Wait yer Canadian right?

ra · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:16:27 PM »

The Olympics are boring now that the Cold War is over. Most Extreme Elimination Challenge is the new international sports competition.

RIGHT YOU ARE KEN!

Finrod · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:24:49 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ra
The Olympics are boring now that the Cold War is over. Most Extreme Elimination Challenge is the new international sports competition.

RIGHT YOU ARE KEN!

"Time for Kenny Blankenship's Most Painful Eliminations of the Day!" Love that show.

Nash · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:25:56 PM »

I love the Olympics, but I can't shake the sense that these particular games in Athens lack some of the great stories or... (what am I trying to say here?)... magic, to use a ghey word, of the previous ones. Maybe it's all the empty seats? I dunno what it is. They're not over yet, so who knows...

MT - you seem to be a big fan of the games... What's your take?

SLO · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:35:32 PM »

Magic is a fantastic word, why would you associate it with gayness? unless you mean happiness, which I doubt:D

But you're right, the games are lacking in interest. Not because of medals won or lost, just something missing, like no rivaleries or something like that.

vorticon · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2004, 08:49:00 PM »

could be a time-zone thing...probably just timing, to much other stuff happening for anyone to really feel anything.

Nash · « **Reply #8 on:** August 23, 2004, 09:07:46 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by vorticon
could be a time-zone thing...probably just timing...

That could be it...

I had the entire last week off and got to watch during the day, but still... it was as confusing as hell.

They oughta restrict these to North America.

midnight Target · « **Reply #9 on:** August 23, 2004, 09:34:30 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Nash
I love the Olympics, but I can't shake the sense that these particular games in Athens lack some of the great stories or... (what am I trying to say here?)... magic, to use a ghey word, of the previous ones. Maybe it's all the empty seats? I dunno what it is. They're not over yet, so who knows...

MT - you seem to be a big fan of the games... What's your take?

Big fan? Understatement.

The stories are there, the coverage is what is lacking. Here are a couple.

1. The American Women's basketball team. These ladies are on a mission, and are spurred on by the poor showing of the men. Great teamwork.. great story. They are kicking ass.
2. Softball.. USA has the best team in the world. You need to catch a game.
3. Watched trhe 50 meter rifle competition last night. The American had a solid lead with one shot to go. His closest opponent couldn't come up with the big shot... then the American (name forgotten) shot. He shot at the wrong target. Scored a ZERO.. finished 8th. amazing.
4. 18 year old Allyson Felix is a future star. Watch her in the 200 meters.
5. Michael Phelps giving his spot in the medly relay up to his teammate. In doing this they both received a gold in the event (phelps swam the prelims).
6. Paula Radcliffe may be the greatest female marathoner in history. The Athens heat did her in. was she overhyped by the British press?
7. Women's beach volleyball has garnered more primetime coverage than almost any other sport. Is this good for the games? I'm thinking not.

Hard to screw up an Olympics.

J_A_B · « **Reply #10 on:** August 23, 2004, 09:56:56 PM »

"I love the Olympics, but I can't shake the sense that these particular games in Athens lack some of the great stories or... (what am I trying to say here?)... magic, to use a ghey word, of the previous ones. Maybe it's all the empty seats? I dunno what it is. They're not over yet, so who knows... "

For me, I view it as "too much" ever since they started holding it every other year--alternating between summer and winter. There are also arguably too many different events.

J_A_B

Holden McGroin · « **Reply #11 on:** August 23, 2004, 10:02:59 PM »

The Athens Games are by default completely successful due to

gofaster · « **Reply #12 on:** August 24, 2004, 10:19:10 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by midnight Target
7. Women's beach volleyball has garnered more primetime coverage than almost any other sport. Is this good for the games? I'm thinking not.

WTF are you talking about? Did you even follow the sport before now?

McPeak is the winningest woman in pro beach volleyball, overtaking the record held by the great Karolyn Kirby when she beat Atlanta 2000's Olympians Annette Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan at her home beach in front of her friends and family. She want(ed) a gold medal more than anything. She's gone medal-less in every Olympic competition she's played in and the only thing standing in her way was the only American team she will probably never be able to beat. If Holly McPeak doesn't win a medal this time around, she'll have to decide if she can medal in 2008 at the age of 39 (traditionally, the end of a volleyball player's career is mid-30's), and that's assuming we don't boycott the games in Beijing. This could be her last chance.

The men's game, on the other hand, was a bit too lopsided in pool play to be good drama. I've seen better skills in AA players in the states than I did out of the South African team, and they made it out of pool play!

They were simply horrible. I watched them against Argentina and I could tell the ARG team was just toying with them.

But worse than that was Jeff Nygaard doing the Olympic brain fart, not once, not twice, but all three matches. Dax/Stein played above themselves trying to salvage the nation's honor but they got machined by the Austrians in Round 2.

So, really, our best medal hopes rest with THE best volleyball team in the world - Misty May and Kerri Walsh - and of those two I'd say Kerri Walsh is the best volleyball player in the world. She's won FIVB tournaments with Rachel Wacholder while May was recuperating from her ab strain.

Walsh/May taking gold and McPeak/EY taking bronze will be dynamite television and could quite possibly be one of the biggest Olympic moments of these games (other than the US men taking gold in rowing and whats-her-name taking gold in fencing). I'd say women's beach volleyball deserves all the coverage its getting.

midnight Target · « **Reply #13 on:** August 24, 2004, 10:50:48 AM »

I'm sure they are fantasmagorical athletes gofaster, and I am not denegrating the sport. I just wonder if this unabashed pandering to T&A is good for the games. This sport would NOT be covered to this extent if they weren't in bikinis.

Monk · « **Reply #14 on:** August 24, 2004, 11:17:21 AM »

Isn't it a regulation that they have to wear bikinis?