XXI Olympic Winter Olympics Games Thread

[Bay Hill]

Congrats to Hannah from Norwich, Vt to bring home our first gold medal!

Team USA...4 medals within the hour.

 

[Jennasis]

WOW!! Did you guys see the Swiss Luger who had the major crash, slid down a main part of the track and then managed to get back on his sled while sliding out of control so he could legally finish the race?? That's an athlete.

Congrats to the ladies on the moguls. our first GOLD! Nice job by Apollo and JR too! A great first day of competition.

 

[imabrat]

How in the world did that Swiss luger manage to finish the run?! I'm glad he's okay but geeze. I don't like luge but it's like I have to watch.

 

[Jennasis]

I think Skeleton is even worse. Goin' down HEAD FIRST?? DH insists that luge, skeleton, and bobsled is nothing more then olympi sleigh riding. I dragged him in to watch the Swiss guy's recovery and he just gave me the "you know-it-all" look.;

 

[imabrat]

Skeleton and luge are idiotic sports to me, but if you want to do it that's fine with me. But I mean really, what ding a ling decided to fling people down an ice ramp feet first or head first with nothing but a helmet until they reach 95mph. Then again, I also think the biathalon is a wee bit strange. Cross country skiing and rifiling aren't exactly a likely pair.

Now bobsledding looks fun, I think.

 

[Bay Hill]

Good writing this morning about Wayne Gretzky's myth by Stephen Brunt from the Globe & Mail...
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=40734.html?cid=rss

After Canada crushed Slovakia 18-0, team USA gets to crush China today at 12.00 local time.

 

[Jennasis]

Thanks Bay Hill! I was wondering what was on tap for today. I'm excited for the pairs short program tonight!

 

[declansdad]

WOW!! Did you guys see the Swiss Luger who had the major crash, slid down a main part of the track and then managed to get back on his sled while sliding out of control so he could legally finish the race?? That's an athlete.

Congrats to the ladies on the moguls. our first GOLD! Nice job by Apollo and JR too! A great first day of competition.

That luger was amazing!

Ohno and JR need to take those two Koreans out for a nice meal.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow, what a past injury for JR! 60 stitches??

Ok, I can only imagine what is going through his parents minds right now. Hope he does well!

I couldn't believe that! So scary! If that was me I'd probably never want to skate again. Guess that's why I'm not an Olympic athlete. That was so cool he won the bronze.

And yeah, that one luger...that was crazy! I thought for sure he was off his sled.

 

[OK!]

After Canada crushed Slovakia 18-0, team USA gets to crush China today at 12.00 local time.

Oh, good. It's on USA today, not CNBC. NBCOlympics had some hockey listed yesterday during the day on CNBC and, instead, we were treated to an infomercial featuring Valerie Bertinelli and Cindy Crawford. I'm sure that was incredibly important programming and all, but come on--this is the Olympics, people!

 

[Bay Hill]

Opening Ceremonies draw 33 million US viewers....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704124704575063872995384394.html?mod=WSJ_olympics_LeftTopHeadlineHighlights

 

[Bay Hill]

The 10K biathlon was something else, sun, rain, snow, missed targets.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

The 10K biathlon was something else, sun, rain, snow, missed targets.

It is still one of the oddest sports in the Olympics.

 

[bouldertcr]

And Hockey! USA 6 China 0 2nd Period.

 

[suejai]

It is still one of the oddest sports in the Olympics.

It does seem a rather strange mix, so I looked up the history of it:

from Wikipedia:
"The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers, as an alternative training for the military. The world's first known ski club, the Trysil Rifle and Ski Club, was formed in Norway in 1861 to promote national defence at the local level.

Called military patrol, the combination of skiing and shooting was contested at the Olympic Winter Games in 1924, and then demonstrated in 1928, 1936, and 1948, but did not regain Olympic recognition then, as the small number of competing countries disagreed on the rules (see also Governing body, below). During the mid-1950s, however, biathlon was introduced into the Russian and Swedish winter sport circuits and was widely enjoyed by the public. This newfound popularity aided the effort of having biathlon gain entry into the Winter Olympics, where it has later become one of the most cherished sports.

The first World Championship in biathlon was held in 1958 in Austria, and in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games. At Albertville in 1992, women were first allowed in Olympic biathlon.

The competitions from 1958 to 1965, used high-power centerfire rifle cartridges (such as .30-06, 7.62 mm NATO, etc.) before the .22LR rimfire cartridge was standardized in 1978. The ammunition was carried in a belt worn around the competitor's waist. With the only competition being the men's 20 km individual, four different ranges and firing distances of 100 m, 150 m, 200 m, and 250 m. The target distance was reduced to 150 m with the addition of the relay in 1966. The shooting range was further reduced to 50 m in 1978 with the mechanical targets making their debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Newer electronic targets (similar to mechanical targets) are now used in all major competitions such as World Cups, World Championships, and the Olympics. Computerized sensors are superior to mechanical targets, as they require fewer officials for recording and resetting the targets and they allow for instant shot recording, needed for live television broadcasts."

 

[OK!]

Make it 7-0 USA. Glad I got home in time to catch some of the game!

 

[OK!]

...and now make it 8-0! RIDICULOUS move to score it, too.

 

[Bay Hill]

8-0 at the end of 2 and only 5 shots on goal for China. Wait until the Canada/China match.

Thanks suejai for the history of the biathlon.

 

[bouldertcr]

You gotta just love those luge USA fans, with their shirts off, trumpet horns, American flag, and painted faces and abs! LOL! Great job supporting our guys and cheering for others as well!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

You gotta just love those luge USA fans, with their shirts off, trumpet horns, American flag, and painted faces and abs! LOL! Great job supporting our guys and cheering for others as well!

Oh, I love it...not bad bodies either.