XXI Olympic Winter Games Thread (Vancouver 2010)

[MandaBella]

I am so disappointed that the Americans are not doing better in this category, and, as usual the judging is insane. Falls were rewarded and good perfomances were not. Typical. And part of the fun.

It's not figure skating without the judging/scoring controversies!!

I think the Americans have the best shot in ice dancing this year...

[Tinker Bell]

The German pair skated to "Send in the Clowns" with costumes reminiscent of clowns and face make-up. They were more "ice dancing" than "pairs" in their appearance, but they skated a great routine. I'm really looking to what they do in the long program. And China seems to be a force to reckon with this year....

Okay, Googled it, costumes didn't seem to be that bad to me, I guess the radio announcer didn't get the whole theme they had going. Did the Ukraine have wild costumes maybe?

[Tinker Bell]

Oh man! We were so close to getting gold in men's snowboard cross!! Ugh!!

[Keasmom]

It's not figure skating without the judging/scoring controversies!!

I think the Americans have the best shot in ice dancing this year...

Ice dancing is good.

DH and I always try to guess who will get the scores they do not deserve and who will not get the ones they do deserve. I like all teh little "behind the scenes" stories as well.

Okay, Googled it, costumes didn't seem to be that bad to me, I guess the radio announcer didn't get the whole theme they had going. Did the Ukraine have wild costumes maybe?

The only odd costumes I saw were the clowns, but aside fromt eh makeup and the oddly large dots, even those seemed tame. Still haven't seen a truly horrid one, but that was different for an Olympics short program.


I get a kick out of the judging. Grief, if it wasn't someones career, it would be comical.

[lorilovestigger]

Oh man! We were so close to getting gold in men's snowboard cross!! Ugh!!

ha ha again!! j/k

[zippitydoodah]

ha ha again!! j/k

Haha, well I figure that at the end of it all I'll take the number of medels the US and Canada each win, and divide them by their respective country populations and THEN we'll have a fair number . The US has a lot more people to potentially be good athletes and get a lot more funding too.

More importantly, is how am I going to go everyday this week without a TV or computer at work!? Boohoo No Olympic updates!

Also I hope all the Canadians out there had a happy Family Day with their families and the Americans had a happy President's Day. Either way... yay Mondays off! I like the idea of giving a holiday just cause they think we need more time with our families

[MandaBella]

Ice dancing is good.

DH and I always try to guess who will get the scores they do not deserve and who will not get the ones they do deserve. I like all teh little "behind the scenes" stories as well.

It's always amusing with the scoring. I still think Isabelle Brasseur
and Lloyd Eisler from Canada should have won gold all those years ago. They competed in 1992 Albertville and 1994 Lillehammer. I was always impressed with them and they got bronze both times...boo.

Haha, well I figure that at the end of it all I'll take the number of medels the US and Canada each win, and divide them by their respective country populations and THEN we'll have a fair number . The US has a lot more people to potentially be good athletes and get a lot more funding too.

Yes, we have a significantly larger population than Canada...not our fault.

American athletes are privately funded aren't they? We have an ice rink in my area that was home to some Olympic medalists. I wouldn't want to think about the cost and sacrifices to use it for training. And there are more populous countries out there...China and India come to mind. Plus, other countries State support their athletes. So who is to stay what is fair or not.

Also I hope all the Canadians out there had a happy Family Day with their families and the Americans had a happy President's Day. Either way... yay Mondays off! I like the idea of giving a holiday just cause they think we need more time with our families

Family Day? That's a nice idea. I wish the USA valued families a little more. When comparing us to other comparable countries we are severely lacking in family time due to the nature of society/jobs.

[MandaBella]

Well...TEAM China was quite a force! Congrats on the Gold and Silver! I never thought I'd see the day when a non-Russian/Soviet pair didn't win the Gold...or even place on the podium...wow!

Next up....Men's short program.

I still find luge scary.

[Tinker Bell]

ha ha again!! j/k

Also I hope all the Canadians out there had a happy Family Day with their families and the Americans had a happy President's Day. Either way... yay Mondays off! I like the idea of giving a holiday just cause they think we need more time with our families

Family Day? Is this another anglophone holiday us poor Frenchies don't get, like the civic holiday in August?

[Tinker Bell]

I'm gonna be all "female" here and say that the Norwegians have funky curling pants!

[Sharon&Randy]

[QUOTE=MandaBella;864573]Well...TEAM China was quite a force! Congrats on the Gold and Silver! I never thought I'd see the day when a non-Russian/Soviet pair didn't win the Gold...or even place on the podium...wow!

I really enjoyed the skating of TEAM China.

I know I love the Olympics because of the hard training these true athletes go through for this one moment. Many countries do not have NFL, NBA, or Pro Baseball. These people are the countries heroes! The pain and struggle these athletes endure, training for years. This does capture my heart.
I love watching the skiing and the luge. We take for granted watching the TV how difficult and dangerous these sports are. Even the ice skating. How much strength and endurance you have to have.
I love every moment of the Olympics!!!!

[zippitydoodah]

Family Day? Is this another anglophone holiday us poor Frenchies don't get, like the civic holiday in August?

I googled it and it's just in random provinces... like Ontario and Manitoba. More than that but I can't remember (I looked it up yesterday). But its REALLY new, this is only the 3rd year I think, so hopefully it will spread to the rest of Canada! New Zealand also has a family day. Its just a long weekend and they want everyone to use it to spend more time with their families. I'm not sure how many people actually do? (mine does!).


Also with the funding for athletes- I'm not sure how it works. I think American athletes get more sponserships from big companies when they're in the Olympics. They're on commercials and cereal boxes more than here and stuff haha- a benefit of being a populated country who puts a lot of value on country pride I guess! I was told that most Canadian athletes live below the poverty line though... it certainly is NOT their career (besides the male hockey players). Having the Olympics in Canada definetly helped for this year- there was a lot more funding than normal. (I will say I'll take universal health care over a high medal count haha sorry, a Walt Disney World forum is NOT the place to start that argument).


Is anyone watching the women's snowboarding cross? They're all falling left and right!

[Tinker Bell]

Maelle Ricker wins gold in Snowboard Cross! WAHOO!

[zippitydoodah]

Maelle Ricker wins gold in Snowboard Cross! WAHOO!

YAAAYYY!!!! And the men's hockey team plays tonight! And Patrick Chan skates! AND um... the men's curling team haha. I won't lie, I will and have watch a full curling game in the Olympics :P

[Keasmom]

YAAAYYY!!!! And the men's hockey team plays tonight! And Patrick Chan skates! AND um... the men's curling team haha. I won't lie, I will and have watch a full curling game in the Olympics :P

O doubt curling is terribly dangerous, but I was a bit freaked out when I saw the pregnant Curler. Hope they do really well though.