The Winter Olympics

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Grandad
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The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

So starts 17 days of winter sport that I shall be watching with interest. At least the BBC are covering this and I expect their coverage to be very good.

Not too convinced about the 'Entente Cordiale' at the opening ceremony and the subsequent invitation from KYU via his sister for the South Korean president to visit the North.


:gg:
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I wanted to watch the opening ceremonies but only was able to see the last couple minutes on a MX news channel. Winter Olympics are big for Canada so am interested in watching some of the events. By the time I am home I should be able to catch some of it.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Mad Dilys »

The women's hockey match Sweden v Japan was excellent. The Japanese were two thirds the size of the Swedes but what they lacked in inches they made up in speed. Excellent match.

The first time I've seen women play ice hockey and most impressed. :up
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I love all the figure skating, Ice dancing and ice skating races.

For little bit of interest I like seeing luge and the downhill racers and jumpers (just the highlights in these categories)
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

Yes LLL, Canada is always strong in the winter olympics.

Events that I like to follow are Speed skating, Curling, everything on the toboggan run, and ice hockey.

It has all got off to a good start and as Pyeong Chang is 9 hours ahead of UK time we do get an opportunity to watch some events live.......at least us old retirees that is ;) ;)
:gg:
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Mad Dilys »

I do like the outdoors sports most these days - I can't remember the new name for it. but snowboarding over obstacles yesterday was amazing.

We used to have a great programme years ago called Ski Sunday which I loved.

Funnily enough my Grandson who lives in Ibiza went with a school trip to Granada, I think it was, a couple of years ago and took to skiing like a duck to water, he loves it. I must say Spain is a very interesting country to live in from a sport point of view, so may different kinds of opportunities.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Today is going to be a much more 'normally' paced day for me so, as usual, am sitting and having a morning cuppa and watching TV whilst on laptop.

Am watching the Olympics and can see that the USA is definitely NOT dominating. I haven't followed for a few days and in Mexico all the audio was in Spanish. I think I saw (was in the kitchen) that Canada just lost Hockey to the Czech Republic. THAT won't go over well here but I guess they'll have to try harder next time.

I love watching the figure skating and some of the costumes are fantastic. I used to ice skate (as a child) but falling on the ice hurt so I can for a second ever envision ME ever ever ever doing jumps etc.

What also amuses me no end are all the names for all the JUMPS - a LUTZ? Kowtow? (am sure that spelling isn't right) but WHERE did the names for all these jumps come from?
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Been watching the Olympics off and on today. Watching curling right now (Canada playing Switzerland).

I've occasionally seen the camera panning the crowds and IMO there sure doesn't seem to be lots of people there?

Anybody heard any comments about this? Or am I just seeing partially empty stadiums as a fluke?
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

LovelyLadyLux wrote:What also amuses me no end are all the names for all the JUMPS - a LUTZ? Kowtow? (am sure that spelling isn't right) but WHERE did the names for all these jumps come from?
Not noted for our winter sports LLL, the UK has only limited success. Figure skating and ice dance are two areas where we have had some success and this year we continue to lead the womens 'skeleton'

No jumps in ice dance but the jumps in figure skating are generally named after the skater who first performed them or by their style. They all happen so quickly that I have difficulty deciding one jump from another. Even when we have watched the sport for so many years.

Basically all jumps take off from reverse skating except the Axel which takes off forward and lands in reverse, so a triple Axel is 31/2 turns.

Three jumps take off from blade edges, Salchow, Loop and Axel; and three from toe picks, Toe Loop, Flip and Lutz. We have blade jumps of four rotations and we now wait to see if anyone can achieve five rotations. That would be amazing.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Grandad - WOW - MUCH more knowledgeable re: the jumps than I have ever been. Makes sense to have named the jumps after who first jumped them cause the names are (ahem) weird! ;) Me and ice skating has been limited. As a kid I skated on frozen rivers, tennis courts and ponds but really haven't skated for years (ever since I stopped bouncing when I landed on the hard stuff)
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

The thought occurred to me that, in these PC days of equality, gender neutrality and all the other garbage; how long will it be before we have male pairs and female pairs ice dance and figure skaters?

Just a thought before bedtime :lol: :lol:
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Grandad - Ewwwww good thought! Two women or two men skate dancing as pairs IS going to be the next - what - barrier to come down? obstacle to overcome? Stat to score?

Hadn't ever thought about that one but 'yup' am sure that will be appearing during the next Olympics (or so).......however some areas of the world are not quite as accepting and open as we are so the line might be held for a tad longer at the Olympics.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

We are struggling, ladies curling still in there, our speed skater keeps falling over, just the one gold for the tea tray slider.
So my interest has switched to Canada. Great win for the Ice Dance pairs (that's mixed pairs of course ;) )
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I think I saw on the Media News that this pair who won the Gold is also now pregnant (but not sure if it was REAL news or FAKE news)
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

We are certainly not a winter sports nation and I am beginning to question the wisdom in supporting a team to go to the Winter Olympics. Maybe that funding would be better spent on summer events at which we have far more success.
Any thoughts?
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I think we should pick ONE spot for the Winter Olympics and pick ONE spot for the summer Olympics and call it good. One spot that ALL nations contribute towards that will forever more be maintained so that every four years each host country does not have to nearly bankrupt itself to make facilities (that may or may not ever be used fully again in future).

Canada is HUGE on Winter Olympics but then lots of Canada probably lives in 'winter' more than they live in summer. Not really me here on the west cost on Vancouver Island but I'm the tiny exception.

We do lag in summer Olympics as weather-wise we just can't be out there practicing year 'round so my own thoughts run to - do we really need to send that many athletes to the summer Olympics (although many events i.e. swimming & gymnastics are held indoors year round anyway)

All in all when I was a kid the Olympics was HUGE. I watched everything as much as I could. Nowadays there is so much politics involved IMO we'ver really gotten away from the athletics aspect of it all.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Grandad »

Well! Well! so our forth bronze plus the one gold means we have more winter Olympic medals this year than ever before. I applaud the individuals for their achievement on a world stage but again ask the question; do our results justify the considerable investment from many sources including Government and National Lottery.

I really enjoy watching the curling, a sport where we have had quite regular success in the past. However I do think the girls threw away a bronze by going for an extremely difficult 2 in the final end and giving the game to the Japanese ladies. :(
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I want the World to decide on ONE SPOT for summer Olympics and ONE LOCATION for Winter Olympics. I want ALL countries then to contribute financially towards the building of whatever at these locations vs countries vying for Olympics ever four years and then having the expensive of building everything all over again. I also want these locations to be used every other year for athletes to compete vs every 4 years.

Mostly I'd love to see athletics brought forward for more people. That being said I'm not sure I'd ever want one of mine to have to adopt and follow the rigorous training schedule of an athlete. The repetition and practice practice practice practice just to shave off one one hundredths of a second to win. All I can say is Whoa......when we're measuring by that much are we really measuring overall who is actually the BEST athlete?

@Grandad - to answer your question it seems there is mega money used by Politicians for all manner of other stuff so I'm ok if they do actually contribute to athletics - otherwise - they (the Politicians) might go crazy taking holidays to countries such as INDIA and then spend a forture dressing up every day is extravagent India clothes and fly world famous chefs on the tax payer dime to said country to cook a meal!! sooooooo why not spend taxpayer money on the Olympics - the spending could be LOTS worse!
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Just watching the Bobsledding and those small flimsy things are flying down the track at 142MPH which is CRAZY fast!!

Just saw the French team nearly have an accident. Whoa!

Would YOU bobsled and fly down a track that fast?

I have a firm opinion about this which is about the same as WOULD LLL skydive? High dive? Pole vault? Or scream down an ice track that fast???? NO NO and NO.
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Re: The Winter Olympics

Post by Mad Dilys »

It sounds like a good idea to have the Olympics in one place, as far as the competitors are concerned - but not of course as far as the spectators are concerned.

Quite apart from the fact that people living in those countries furthest from the epicentre will always have more travelling costs, the spin off on increased revenue for the host country would be enormous.
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