XXI Olympic Winter Olympics Games Thread

[Jennasis]

That was horrible. That coasch will never ever live that down

This is my worst fear as a coach...that I will make a mistake or give an instruction that will mess up my athlete.

BTW, SO thrilled for the US nordic combined team!

 

[diznygirl]

How about what happened to the Netherlands speed skater?? Costas was right-that coach better go into witness protection.

That was terrible! I feel so bad for the skater - he worked so hard and it was taken away because of the violation that wasn't even his fault.... it's too bad they couldn't give him the gold. He deserved it.

 

[PeterPan09]

That was terrible! I feel so bad for the skater - he worked so hard and it was taken away because of the violation that wasn't even his fault.... it's too bad they couldn't give him the gold. He deserved it.

and the way the Dutch feel about their speed skating makes it even worse. I don't think we have a single sport in America that virtually everyone follows obsessively like the Dutch follow speedskating.

 

[daughtersrus]

I found an interesting article in a local paper that was written 10 years ago about Evan Lysacek.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=360490&src=2


There are signs all over town in support our local Gold Medal winner as well as in support of the woman's hockey team (Lisa Chesson is from Plainfield)

 

[declansdad]

That was terrible! I feel so bad for the skater - he worked so hard and it was taken away because of the violation that wasn't even his fault.... it's too bad they couldn't give him the gold. He deserved it.

Yes the coach did give him the wrong instructions but this wasn't some kid in his first race. This guy has owned the 5000 and 10000 meter races for 3 years. He needs to shoulder some of the blame.

 

[Kirby]

Has the team speed skating already happened? Did I miss it?

 

[tigger813]

If you're talking about the short track relay, that is tonight. Not sure about the relay on the long track.

 

[PeterPan09]

Yes the coach did give him the wrong instructions but this wasn't some kid in his first race. This guy has owned the 5000 and 10000 meter races for 3 years. He needs to shoulder some of the blame.

The thing is-when you are an elite athlete with a coach you learn to depend on that coach implicitly. You don't have time in the heat of a race or a game to second guess. You trust that coach to tell you the right thing to do to maximize your chances of winning. Watching the clip, the racer reacted to the coach's instruction immediately-which is how every elite athlete would respond. Despite years of experience, you do what the coach says-he may be seeing something you're not because he's the observer, you're in the middle of the action. I'm willing to give the racer the pass on this one.

 

[Jennasis]

The thing is-when you are an elite athlete with a coach you learn to depend on that coach implicitly. You don't have time in the heat of a race or a game to second guess. You trust that coach to tell you the right thing to do to maximize your chances of winning. Watching the clip, the racer reacted to the coach's instruction immediately-which is how every elite athlete would respond. Despite years of experience, you do what the coach says-he may be seeing something you're not because he's the observer, you're in the middle of the action. I'm willing to give the racer the pass on this one.

I remember screaming across the arena to one of my students "Go LEFT...The blue and white jump!!"...only to have them do it, and I realized I had them take the wrong jump. The were DQ'd for going off course, and I spent the whole day grovelling to both kid and parent.

It was awful. Can't imagine doing it on so grand a scale as the Olympics.

 

[glasslipper]

I was the one who brought up the thought that Lysacek was gay. Why would I not think you were directing the comment towards me??

Logical conclusion. I thought I heard somewhere he was gay too. I don't think you were stereotyping.

 

[Deb in IA]

My heart broke for the girl from Canada that skated. When her mom just died. I don't know how she was able to pull it off but she skated a great program

I'll admit that I had a lump in my throat watching Joannie Rochette last night.

Poor Scotty Hamilton sounded like he was struggling to keep his voice from cracking.

How about what happened to the Netherlands speed skater?? Costas was right-that coach better go into witness protection.

Boy, Kramer was pissed!! Not that I blame him. He is apparently the most dominant distance speed skater in the world, and heavily favored to win gold. Dan Jansen was almost incredulous - he said he's never seen anything like this happening at this level of competition.
Too bad they can't reinstate him, like they do in short track if they get fouled.

BTW, SO thrilled for the US nordic combined team!

Me too! When Billy Demong took the lead coming into that last stretch, I was screaming at the TV, hoping he could hang on for a gold! But Stecher was just too strong in the final sprint. But what a thrill to win the US's first team Nordic combined medal!

 

[Deb in IA]

Oh no!!

Lindsay Vonn crashes in women's giant slalom!!

Vonn crashes out; Mancuso forced to restart Confusion leaves defending champ Mancuso far off lead
WHISTLER, British Columbia (AP) -- Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the first run of the Olympic giant slalom race Wednesday and injured her right pinkie.

The American lost control around a right turn in the middle section of the course, got twisted around, landed hard on her left hip and crashed backward into the safety netting.

"The course is breaking up at the bottom," Vonn said, holding ice on her finger. "I got a little bit too inside and lost my outside ski. My knee came up and hit my chin."

After being checked course-side for a few minutes, Vonn got up and skied down to the finish.

Vonn said she was going for an X-ray on her right hand, after which she'll know if she will race Friday's slalom, her final event of the games.

"I hope my finger is OK so I can compete Friday," Vonn said. "I was like a pretzel -- so tangled up."

Vonn was just getting over a bruised right shin, having opened her Olympics with gold in downhill and bronze in super-G.

While giant slalom is usually Vonn's worst event, she had posted the fastest split times until her crash.

"I was hoping for something today," Vonn said.

She had a difficult starting position, 17th, but was 0.35 second ahead of the pace by first-run leader Elisabeth Görgl of Austria at the third split, just before the crash.

"She was in contention to win. To put four-tenths on this field from No. 17 is incredible," said Thomas Vonn, the skier's husband, unofficial coach and chief adviser. "You can win 99 percent of the way and not have anything."

Vonn's teammate Julia Mancuso was the next skier down the mountain and had to pull up midway through her run because Vonn was still on the side of the course.

Mancuso, the defending champion, then had to make her way back up to the top of the course for a later start. She ultimately finished 18th and appeared disturbed, since starting later usually is tougher with the course deteriorating as one skier after another comes down.

Restarting is also a test physically and mentally.

"Well now its time to use that anger and fight scond run!!" Mancuso wrote on her Twitter account.

Vonn said she felt terrible for her teammate.

"I hope she understands," Vonn said. "I definitely didn't want that to happen."

 

[declansdad]

The thing is-when you are an elite athlete with a coach you learn to depend on that coach implicitly. You don't have time in the heat of a race or a game to second guess. You trust that coach to tell you the right thing to do to maximize your chances of winning. Watching the clip, the racer reacted to the coach's instruction immediately-which is how every elite athlete would respond. Despite years of experience, you do what the coach says-he may be seeing something you're not because he's the observer, you're in the middle of the action. I'm willing to give the racer the pass on this one.

I know what it is like to coach elite athletes and they still hold some responsibility for their actions. I didn't say it wasn't the coach's fault but rather there is room for some shared blame here.

 

[LukenDC]

Why would Julia Mancuso be allowed to start her run with Vonn still on the course?

 

[PeterPan09]

Why would Julia Mancuso be allowed to start her run with Vonn still on the course?

That does seem wrong, doesn't it? They have cameras all the way down, someone should have told them up top not to send another skier down!

 

[LukenDC]

Oh dear. Tensions between Vonn and Mancuso are now public:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=444224.html

 

[NAB]

I was watching CTV coverage this morning about sore losers. Wish I tuned in sooner but they have Von as the top loser.

They were talking about what she did on the podium when she got her bronze medal. They had a picture of her bring out her gold as well and waving both. This to them was taking away from the gold medal winner. It was there golden medal moment . The commentator said it was like having a wedding in your beautiful dress and then showing up a in wedding dress at someone else wedding the next weekend. That was a good example.

 

[LukenDC]

I was watching CTV coverage this morning about sore losers. Wish I tuned in sooner but they have Von as the top loser.

They were talking about what she did on the podium when she got her bronze medal. They had a picture of her bring out her gold as well and waving both. This to them was taking away from the gold medal winner. It was there golden medal moment . The commentator said it was like having a wedding in your beautiful dress and then showing up a in wedding dress at someone else wedding the next weekend. That was a good example.

I am disappointed by the poor sportsmanship that I have witnessed during these Games. Lindsey Vonn should have allowed the gold medal winner to shine during her special moment. Plushenko disgusts me. Short track skating is rough and seems to breed ill-will. Mancuso should not have gone public with her feud with Vonn.

On the plus side, I was touched by the genuine friendship between the Canadian and American ice dancing teams and their kind words for each other.

 

[Jennasis]

I dunno...something about Mancuso seems very immature to me.

 

[maddiel]

I saw that bit this morning too - Plushenko and Begg-Smith were the other two athletes they talked about.

BTW - Go Clara!

M.