Vancouver Olympics

[Techman]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Olympics are incredible in HD. I bought my 50" plasma with the games in mind and I'm enjoying them like never before. There really is no way to describe it to someone who is still watching on a tube set. I also have to say that I'm enjoying the coverage on NBC and find that they're doing a very nice job covering the Canadian athletes as well as the American team. Unfortunately I can't watch it on CTV because our great network doesn't broadcast an OTA HD signal here in Montreal.

Thanks NBC! Now, back to the moguls!!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Moguls

I am watching the moguls competition. This sport does not look easy on the knees!

 

[hungry101]

Techman,

Personally I agree that the only reason anyone watches luge or its cousins, bobsled and skeleton, is the risk factor and now the risk factor has been dramatically brought home in living color on video for the whole world to see. As I see it the chief objectives in all 3 of these sports is to go as fast as possible, and in the process of doing so to avoid death or serious injury. Unfortunately the Georgian luger was unable to achieve both objectives.

I am watching the Luge and I just don't get it. It is a spectacle that I watch every four years with a morbid curiosity but I cannot appreciate the skills required to ride a sled down a hill. I can understand that they have to pull and then push themselves to get a good start but from there it looks like it is up to gravity. And they all have a coach? You need a coach to sled down a hill? And how does one get into the Luge? Just a bizarre sport.

 

[reJ]

Alexandre Bilodeau strikes gold for Canada, in mens freestyle skiing what a great preformance !

 

[gohabsgo]

sour grapes

Aussies claim Bilodeau's gold tainted

Members of the Australian Olympic contingent believe their moguls skier, the Vancouver born Dale Begg-Smith, got shafted by the judges Sunday night and that the historic winner, Montreal’s Alex Bilodeau, may have been undeserving of the gold.

http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/vancouver2010/news/2010/02/15/12887411.html

Begg-Smith is a suck hole and a poor loser whose made “millions” through malware and spyware – basically a borderline cyber criminal. Australia should revoke his recent citizenship, maybe he can compete for North Korea in the next winter Olympics.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Alexandre Bilodeau strikes gold for Canada, in mens freestyle skiing what a great preformance !

I find his girlfriend (Genevieve) very hot!

 

[Turbodick]

Just finished watching Christine Nesbitt win another much needed gold for Canada. Very decent looking girls look like aliens in those speed skating suits, and what a shame they don't have cameras in the doping testing room.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Just finished watching Christine Groves win another much needed gold for Canada. Very decent looking girls look like aliens in those speed skating suits, and what a shame they don't have cameras in the doping testing room.

Wrong girl. Christina Groves finished 4th in the race you're referring to. Christine Nesbitt of Canada won that race (1000 metres). She looks good!

 

[gohabsgo]

Too bad Catriona Le May Doan isn't competing for Canada anymore

 

[chateaulafite]

Incredible day for me today in Vancouver

Curling in the morning to see men's canadian team win
Speed Skating with a GOLD for Canada
Men's Hockey Canada victory in shoot-out
Men's Hockey Slovakia victory in shoot-out

The gold for Nesbitt is my second of the Games, I was at Cypress Mountain last tuesday for the Maelle Ricker one in snowboard.

So I saw 2 of the 3 canadian gold medals so far

(At the Beijing Games I also saw 2 of the 3 canadian gold)

But, I expect with the tickets I got to see probably 4 others gold before the end of the Games

 

[Doc Holliday]

The gold for Nesbitt is my second of the Games, I was at Cypress Mountain last tuesday for the Maelle Ricker one in snowboard.

So I saw 2 of the 3 canadian gold medals so far

(At the Beijing Games I also saw 2 of the 3 canadian gold)

Maybe you're their good luck charm!

The men will need some luck in the combined skiing today or tomorrow. You should check it out.

I watched the same events as you did yesterday...but on tv. Was the Slovakia-Russia game ever exciting!! Go Halak!!!

Canada looks like the team to beat in both men & women's curling. Some of their scores, especially the women, have been way too close for comfort, though. I predict a gold in women's hockey, and either gold or silver for the men. People shouldn't be quick to count out the USA in men's hockey. They're young, speedy & have a great goaltender. And a great coach!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Why is NBC intent on ruining the Olympics for its viewers?

Why NBC is ruining the Olympics

 

[Jman47]

Why is NBC intent on ruining the Olympics for its viewers?

Why NBC is ruining the Olympics

Hi Doc,

Probably the same reason they ruined late light tv....
They are suffering from PompasDumbAssInCharge Syndrome.

Continue to enjoy the highlights...

Jman

 

[Doc Holliday]

Since i follow the Olympics on 'at least' six different Canadian networks, i was unaware of NBC's lack of coverage of the Olympics. So i decided to check what was on NBC this afternoon & was quite surprised to see that 'Days of Our Lives' was on. No Olympics throughout the day? WTF??? Many of the best events are held during the afternoon (eastern time) !!!! Shocking!!!

No wonder NBC created a total fiasco out of the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien situation. Total incompetence on NBC's part!!!

 

[Turbodick]

NBC is not spending all those millions to just throw away their opportunities for payback. They know what they are doing.
In terms of their coverage, I've found some of it much better than the Canadian networks.

 

[Doc Holliday]

In terms of their coverage, I've found some of it much better than the Canadian networks.

Much better even if many of the events they're showing happened well after the events ended? Hmm.....

 

[EagerBeaver]

NBC Showing Canadian-Oriented Fare

NBC is making concessions to the Canadian audience. For example, they showed curling in prime time the other night. Probably 0.001% of Americans can even describe the sport of curling let alone tell you the rules, strategy, skills and objectives involved in the sport. To me it looks like shuffleboard on ice, except you have a couple of guys who are constantly cleaning the ice in front of the puck or ball or whatever the hell that thing is called, like a couple of human zambonis. I don't understand why they don't clean the ice thoroughly before the curling competition starts. Anyway, I do not understand the sport at all and I am not sure what skills are involved that would not also be involved in shuffleboard.

 

[Doc Holliday]

NBC is making concessions to the Canadian audience. For example, they showed curling in prime time the other night. Probably 0.001% of Americans can even describe the sport of curling let alone tell you the rules, strategy, skills and objectives involved in the sport.

I doubt it. I don't know ANY Canadians who watch NBC for their Olympic coverage. Every single Curling match involving Canada is shown on a Canadian network. Heck, they often show matches that don't even involve Canada.

Curling is very popular in some northern/midwest states such as Minnesota. I've been to bonspiels (a curling tournament) in Michigan, North Dakota & Wisconsin. I know some people who've played in bonspiels held in the state of New York.

As for what is being used to play the game, they're called 'stones'. They're quite heavy & you need a certain degree of strenght & skill to throw them. You also need to put a spin on the stones as you release them, in order to make them 'curl' as they're being thrown down the ice. The reason the two sweepers (sometimes three once it enters the 'house') are sweeping in front of each stone being thrown is to create some friction in order to make the stone curl even more.

The sport is extremely strategical & i can assure you that you'd be quite sore after just one match. It's no wonder that the players are more & more fit at the competitive level. For example, Canadian skip Cheryl Bernard is a fitness freak & probably is in better shape than half of the athletes at the Olympics. Have you ever seen a fat & out of shape curler at the national & international level? Rarely.

Attending a bonspiel is a hell of a lot of fun. Just take a look at the crowds at the curling matches & you'll see what a great time they're having. As a matter-of-fact, if i'd be attending the Olympics, two of the events i'd want to desperately attend would be Curling & Hockey.

For those interested to learn more about Curling, check the link below. It explains quite a bit & will likely make you more interested in the game the next time you want to watch it:

Curling explained

USA Curling

 

[Techman]

Iv'e been watching pretty much all the coverage on NBC because I pick it up in HD and there's no local over the air CTV HD in Montreal. Iv'e been findint that their coverage is great and that they give a lot of coverage to Canadian athletes and events. Of course I have to watch the hockey games on CTV in standard def because they aren't being shown on NBC. Yeah, the taped events are a pain in the butt, but I'm staying away from reading the results in advance on the net so it doesn't really bother me. The only things that have really bothered me so far were from the opening ceremonies with the lip syncing artists and Gretzky lighting the torch. I would have much preferred to see Catriona light the final torch as she deserves it much more and still actually lives in Canada. I also would have liked to see Chantal Petitclerc instead of Rick Hansen in the group of four.

Other than those small things, I think the coverage I've seen has been damn good on both networks.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Iv'e been watching pretty much all the coverage on NBC because I pick it up in HD and there's no local over the air CTV HD in Montreal.

Do what i did. Buy a dish.

The only things that have really bothered me so far were from the opening ceremonies with the lip syncing artists and Gretzky lighting the torch. I would have much preferred to see Catriona light the final torch as she deserves it much more and still actually lives in Canada.

The lipsynching didn't bother me that much since i pretty much expected it. What bothered me was having Donald Sutherland carry the flag instead of a true athlete who dominated his sport like Larry Walker, who's also from British Columbia. He was as more deserving to be there than Steve Nash, who has played for Canada once at the Olympics (like 10 years ago), then shunned the team (and country) for its other games on the international level. Walker has been part of Canada's baseball team several times at the international level (and Olympics) as both a player & as a coach. The other thing that bothered me was the technical glitch when the hydraulic didn't work in order to raise the fourth leg of the cauldron. They had 7 years to take care of that problem. I was surprised Gaetan Boucher wasn't part of the opening ceremonies. I also agree on why Gretzky was the one who was driven away to light the torch. There were more deserving candidates.

Other than those small things, I think the coverage I've seen has been damn good on both networks.

Both? I've been watching most of my coverage on TSN, RDS, V Tele (TQS) & Sportsnet, and on the main CTV channel. I've also watched some on OLN & OMNI & on the PPV (for free) channels.