Miscellaneous Olympic Chatter

[sweetsparky]

Marina Alabau, windsurfer - who trains in Tarifa, in the same southern province I live - won the first gold for Spain and we just learnt her sport won´t be Olympic in Rio because a very tight decision where Spanish Sailing Federation voted against keeping it and favored kitesurfing LOL.

[milanessa]

Marina! Spain!

[manleywoman]

Sex at the Olympics

Maybe this is why the Kwan Family stayed in a hotel in Nagano.

[overedge]

Sex at the Olympics

Maybe this is why the Kwan Family stayed in a hotel in Nagano.

Well, a lot of athletes are getting screwed by the officiating too.....

[Garden Kitty]

Funny tweet from gymnast John Orozco:

John Orozco ‏@JohnW_Orozco

A women handed me a phone today, stood next to a random dude and said "Can you take a pic of me and John Orozco?" My face = O.o lol

[jeffisjeff]

[Cachoo]

Sex at the Olympics

Maybe this is why the Kwan Family stayed in a hotel in Nagano.

It seems everyone lets loose after their event(s) but that would stink if your event was at the tail end of the games.

[overedge]

It seems everyone lets loose after their event(s) but that would stink if your event was at the tail end of the games.

A medical professional that I used to go to had the parents of an Olympian (summer Olympics) as one of their clients. Their child was in an event that was always near the start of the schedule, and was an athlete who would place well enough at international events and at worlds to qualify for the Olympics, but not place high enough that they had much chance of a medal.

I remember the parents saying that they told their child they were not supporting the child's training any more after the child's third (?) Olympics, when the child once again didn't make it past the first heat of their event, and then spent the next two weeks in the athletes' village partying really hearty. The parents said they were tired of subsidizing four years of training for a two-week party blowout. They also said they might have reconsidered if their child's event was later in the schedule so their child would have to behave for at least part of the time

[Cachoo]

overedge these are things I never really thought about---television is focused on the event but not everything around the event. And certainly not the athlete who competes in one heat and that is it and then spends his/her parents money for another four years of training. I wonder how I would react if I was his/her mom. I have to think about that.

[reckless]

I thought this was interesting. USC has more Olympians in this Olympics than any other American university. It is tracking the medal count for current and former USC athletes. Right now it has 5 golds, 3 silvers, and 4 bronze. That would place it 13th in the medal count (between Canada and Hungary in overall medals and between Netherlands and Japan if counted by golds).

USC medalists:

Gold:

Clement Lefert (400m Freestyle Relay)
Rebecca Soni (200m Breaststroke)
Rebecca Soni (400m Medley Relay)
Felix Sanchez (400m Hurdles)
Allyson Felix (200m)

Silver:
Rebecca Soni (100m Breaststroke)
Clement Lefert (800m Freestyle Relay)
Jennifer Kessy / April Ross (Beach Volleyball)

Bronze:
Amanda Weir (400m Freestyle Relay)
Vladimir Morozov (400m Freestyle Relay)
Margaux Farrell (800m Freestyle Relay)
Ous Mellouli (1500m Freestyle)

Current and former USC students also are on the U.S., Spanish, and Hungarian women's water polo teams, the U.S. women's soccer team, and the U.S. women's volleyball team, all of which are still in medal contention. Plus, USC athletes could win more track and field medals.

[gingercrush]

Marina Alabau, windsurfer - who trains in Tarifa, in the same southern province I live - won the first gold for Spain and we just learnt her sport won´t be Olympic in Rio because a very tight decision where Spanish Sailing Federation voted against keeping it and favored kitesurfing LOL.

Yes I think removing windsurfing is a shame as it is where New Zealand has had some real success in the past. The IOC are very unwilling to offer any new events for sports so sport federations have a very hard decision to what include as part of their programs. I personally think they got it really wrong in track cycling too but nevermind.

[Lanna]

A medical professional that I used to go to had the parents of an Olympian (summer Olympics) as one of their clients. Their child was in an event that was always near the start of the schedule, and was an athlete who would place well enough at international events and at worlds to qualify for the Olympics, but not place high enough that they had much chance of a medal.

I remember the parents saying that they told their child they were not supporting the child's training any more after the child's third (?) Olympics, when the child once again didn't make it past the first heat of their event, and then spent the next two weeks in the athletes' village partying really hearty. The parents said they were tired of subsidizing four years of training for a two-week party blowout. They also said they might have reconsidered if their child's event was later in the schedule so their child would have to behave for at least part of the time

I think that if you train for four years at the level to qualify for the Olympics, you deserve a two week party and vacation.

[berthesghost]

I think that if you train for four years at the level to qualify for the Olympics, you deserve a two week party and vacation.

I think the issue had more to do with it being 3x. It's one thing at 18, or even 22, but by 26 heading toward 30 you've become Olympic slacker dude. time to get a j o b Which hopefully he can do in his field what with all that elite level experience. Now if he gets sponsorship or somehow pays his own way to oly party #4, more power to him.

[skipaway]

Ranking the Olympic Sports for Enjoyability

[sk8er1964]

Ranking the Olympic Sports for Enjoyability

20. Gymnastics -- This perfectly enjoyable Olympic activity (not a sport) often brings the drama. Throw in some very cool disciplines -- uneven bars, rings, vault -- and the enjoyable Cold War-era schadenfreude that comes from rooting against the Russians and gymnastics is an easy top-five sport. So what's the problem? Three words: judges, judges, judges. You don't know what they're looking for and, oftentimes, neither do they. The tangible joy of seeing a winner is replaced with a wait for a meaningless number from a faceless panel. The highest score is 16! Not a 10, not a 100, not a 50 -- 16. We talkin' bout 16! They can't use some equivalent fractions to make the score something palatable? It's bad enough we're forced to believe that one gymnast is 0.081 worse than another gymnast because a judge thinks so. Don't make us do math too.

Interesting comment - that can relate to figure skating as well. (The part about the score, not the part about being an activity, not a sport. )

Then again, the author thinks track cycling is the most enjoyable event, so maybe he isn't all that believable after all.

[Theatregirl1122]

He also thinks the max score is a 16 so he still hasn't made any attempt to understand.

[iggie]

why does a max score need to be 10, 100 or 50 in order for you to understand that when an athlete attains such a score, be it 16 or 16.5, that you've just seen greatness?

[pollyanna]

He also thinks the max score is a 16 so he still hasn't made any attempt to understand.

Which is where NBC really effed up. At the very beginning, Tim et. al. should have explained D score and E score (which is up to a perfect ten), then analyzed a couple of routines to add up what made up the D score, and explain the E score earned. Aly's floor routine for example - which elements made up the high D score. McKayla's vault vs. Aliya's vault - different D score. Zou Kai's HB vs. Zonderland's. Many opportunities to educate the viewers so the score isn't so difficult to understand, but no, we get traffic signals.

[skipaway]

31. Judo -- The only compelling part of watching judo is wondering why the competitors are wearing robes and speculating on whether they'll come undone. Judo's rules are completely incomprehensible to normal viewers

, that's what I was thinking watching the one judo match I saw.

[Spiralgraph]

Which is where NBC really effed up. At the very beginning, Tim et. al. should have explained D score and E score (which is up to a perfect ten), then analyzed a couple of routines to add up what made up the D score, and explain the E score earned. Aly's floor routine for example - which elements made up the high D score. McKayla's vault vs. Aliya's vault - different D score. Zou Kai's HB vs. Zonderland's. Many opportunities to educate the viewers so the score isn't so difficult to understand, but no, we get traffic signals.

I agree completely I like gymnastics but I don't follow it that closely. I feel like I'm being spoken down to when they refer to those traffic signals. Inform me don't treat me like I can't understand anything.