Disappointed in US Womens' Hockey Team

[merryweather20]

no problem with that. It was WELL after the awards ceremony and when the public was out of the building. Should it have been kept in the locker room? Probably, but I understand the excitement. What the US women did, however, was during the ceremony and during live television.

If CTV didn't have live footage of it it didn't happen. I've been watching numerous times and they cut to go live to practice for the hockey team

I actually thought they U.S. team did great. They did look like they had just played a tough game. But I thought exactly the reverse of the OP, maybe they would like another crack at Team Canada, but they were very proud of their accomplishments. They were smiling and respectful when the officials were hnding out the medals and bouquets, and they waved to the crowd. The crowd also seemed very proud, I remember them breaking into a chant of U.S.A! U.S.A.! for them.

 

[mickaholic4077]

No, not that they won silver, but how they reacted to it. All through the Olympics, I've watched how happy people were when they won silver (other than that weird russian skater - platinum, come on now) and was really excited to watch our team win silver in hockey. Granted the ceremony was only a few minutes after the game ended; however, they acted like they were at a funeral instead of an awards ceremony partially in their honor, bawling and crying. One teammate even said on live television that winning the silver "sucked". They could have taken some notes from the bronze medalists who were not only gracious, but truly happy for winning. I was embarassed by our team.

My thoughts exactly!!

 

[daughtersrus]

I just watched the ceremony on NBC's website. I didn't think that they acted in way to cause embarrassment. I saw all of the players shake the hand of the presenter and most of them said "thank you". Did you expect them to jump up and down withe excitement just minutes after they lost the most important game of their 2010 Olympic experience?

I also saw a player from Finland place her hand in front of the camera trying to block the view as she walked in with her team. One of their players also toss her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder shortly after they were presented to her.

What exactly did the US players do to cause you to be embarrassed?

 

[kimblebee]

I also saw a player from Finland place her hand in front of the camera trying to block the view as she walked in with her team. One of their players also toss her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder shortly after they were presented to her.

She wasn't trying to block the view, she had something written on her hand. I didn't see what it said but there was definitely something written.

 

[ICF]

Yep, it did suck to get the silver.

hopefully the men have a better fate

 

[Mickey's Minion]

No, not that they won silver, but how they reacted to it. All through the Olympics, I've watched how happy people were when they won silver (other than that weird russian skater - platinum, come on now) and was really excited to watch our team win silver in hockey. Granted the ceremony was only a few minutes after the game ended; however, they acted like they were at a funeral instead of an awards ceremony partially in their honor, bawling and crying. One teammate even said on live television that winning the silver "sucked". They could have taken some notes from the bronze medalists who were not only gracious, but truly happy for winning. I was embarassed by our team.

Really?

Since it is apparent that you have never played sports at a competitive level, let's use a different example.

4 years ago, you started vying for the biggest promotion your company gives. And this promotion is only awarded every 4 years to only one person. You work extra hours, you give up family life, you give up friends, you give up so much to reach that goal of getting that promotion, knowing that if you did not get it, you wouldn't have another shot at it for 4 more years.

The day comes to award that huge promotion. Your boss calls you into the office and tells you that your 4 years of hard work were wonderful, you did excellent work, but you did not get the promotion. Your colleague got it. But your boss did tell you that you were sooooo close, that it was a close call between you and your colleague, but your colleague just edged you out and you ended up second for that incredible, once every 4 years and for some, a once in a lifetime chance for the promotion.

You leave your boss's office and there are cameras trained on you.

Are you jumping with joy moments later, smiling that you came in second for something that you worked and sacrificed over for 4 years or are you disappointed?

If you say you are proud of all the hard work that made you "almost' get that promotion, with no disappointment, I would have to think you were lying to yourself.

 

[Mysteria]

You'd have to understand how hard these two teams battle each other game after game, year after year outside of the Olympics. They are the only 2 truly competitive women's hockey teams in the world right now (I hope that changes soon and they don't cut it from the olympics). in 2002 they beat Canada , I think, 8 straight games before the olympics (not bragging, I'm Canadain lol) and then Canada won gold. They can win in the world championships and yet the olympics evade them.

I don't think there was anything wrong with their reaciton. Their hearts were broken. They didn't scream and rant and make a scene. They cried. I probably would have too.

As for the Canadian celebreation on the ice way after the game. They probably should have kept it in the locker room due to the scrutiny of the olympic stage. As far as olympic scandal goes it doesn't even rate. OMG the star of the game was having a beer a year early!

 

[bumbershoot]

The Silver Medal in the Olympics is definitely not mediocrity.

Seriously.


I rowed Crew in college, put my all into it, and still, was happy just to be rowing! We won outright sometimes, sometimes came in second, one time barely finished because our Stroke person "caught a crab" with her oar (oar went too deep in the water and you can't get it out of the water and it pulls the whole boat back) and ended up jumping out so we could finish, and we got 4th out of 4 in the Regionals (the day I otherwise would have been walking through graduation). I enjoyed it all! (OK the Regionals were rotten b/c the "leader" of the boat couldn't set a good rhythm and we were all fighting her (which in retrospect was a large mistake), but we were still ecstatic to BE there.) The following year, they stopped giving 4th place medals if there were only 4 boats in the race, LOL...but I still have my 4th place medal, and probably by the time I'm 80 I'll say there were 10, no, 20 boats in the race!

To pout because you're the second best of all the people in the world who tried...is pathetic, and you should do something else. To go into sports is to KNOW that you have a really good chance of NOT winning. MOST people don't win in sports.


I felt the same way, though with some more empathy b/c of the heavy cultural issues and b/c of the way the cameras kept ignoring her (she deserved just as much face time during HER medal ceremony as bronze and gold, and she did not get it), for Mao Asada in skating last night. I know that she's facing serious disappointment for losing to Korea of all countries, but still, dudette, you were second best in the whole WORLD. That's pretty darned good!

And I didn't see Joannie Rochette pouting over her bronze. Then again, she had gotten a sudden, sad lesson in what really matters in the universe, and probably realized that being third best in the world isn't bad at all.

 

[Planogirl]

I realize that they wanted to win it all and that's understandable but it's nice to show sportsmanship and handle losing with grace. But then it must be truly awful to be the second best in the world at that moment.

 

[Skywalker]

There was a guy on the radio last week who was talking about some psychological study that was done and it showed the unhappiest medal winners are always the silver! lol.

They said whoever wins gold is the happiest, then the bronze winners are next because they are so happy they made it to a medal, and then the silver were the least happy because they came so close and lost.

Another saying I heard was "You don't win silver...you just lose gold."

So, I can understand their disappointment.

Mickey's Minion, I gotta disagree with your analogy of the promotion though, because they did not walk away with absolutely nothing, they got a silver medal. So it would be like someone else getting a much bigger promotion and raise, but they still got a little bit of one too, lol.

 

[joviroxx]

They had already won silver and had celebrated for it. This was for the Gold, they lost, they were disappointed. These team sport medals are different. Its not like a race. When they won their semifinal they celebrated. The ceremony was right after the game. Give them a break.

It doesnt show 1 bit of unsportmanlike conduct to me.

 

[NAB]

You'd have to understand how hard these two teams battle each other game after game, year after year outside of the Olympics. They are the only 2 truly competitive women's hockey teams in the world right now (I hope that changes soon and they don't cut it from the olympics). in 2002 they beat Canada , I think, 8 straight games before the olympics (not bragging, I'm Canadain lol) and then Canada won gold. They can win in the world championships and yet the olympics evade them.

I don't think there was anything wrong with their reaciton. Their hearts were broken. They didn't scream and rant and make a scene. They cried. I probably would have too.

As for the Canadian celebreation on the ice way after the game. They probably should have kept it in the locker room due to the scrutiny of the olympic stage. As far as olympic scandal goes it doesn't even rate. OMG the star of the game was having a beer a year early!

ITA with this.

By the way the youngest girl on the team turns 19 next month and she comes from Quebec where the drinking age is 18 so that wasn't her first drink.

 

[Mysteria]

ITA with this.

By the way the youngest girl on the team turns 19 next month and she comes from Quebec where the drinking age is 18 so that wasn't her first drink.

lol Ya I know. I lived in Quebec when I was young and a good deal of my family is still there or in Ottawa (who crossed over to drink at 18! ) That's why I thought the whole underage thing was just the media trying to make something out of nothing.