Vancouver Olympics

[Techman]

Are you just discounting the gold by Shaun White or are you eliminating the gold by Maelle Ricker of Canada in snowboard cross too? Is it the event or the person

Where did I mention either of those two excellent athletes? I'm talking about the mogul skier, spam king scumbag who represents Australia and complained when he finished second. I won't even type his name again because even that would be giving him too much credit.

As for the term 'loser', there is nothing disparaging about it. There is only one winner and that makes all the other competitors losers. Sorry for not being politically correct, but a fact is a fact. If someone can't handle losing, they shouldn't be competing in the first place. There's no shame in losing when you've done your best.

 

[Merlot]

Where did I mention either of those two excellent athletes? I'm talking about the snowboard spam king scumbag who represents Australia and complained when he finished second. I won't even type his name because even that would be giving him too much credit.

As for the term 'loser', there is nothing disparaging about it. There is only one winner and that makes all the other competitors losers. Sorry for not being politically correct, but a fact is a fact. If someone can't handle losing, they shouldn't be competing in the first place. There's no shame in losing when you've done your best.

Okay,

Then that part of my post on snowboarding has been retracted. But worldwide, no matter how you explain it, the word "loser" is not generally considered a positive in any sense. If that is not the case in Canada it's probably unusual.

As to the Olympics winning country, Special K's post (with details here) is pretty damning when the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee says: "We are going to be short of our goal,” said Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, at the news briefing Monday — the start of the games’ final week."..."We’d be living in a fool’s paradise if we said we were going to catch the Americans and win,” Rudge said. “They are way out ahead at this point.”

BIG CONGRATULATIONS to B. Demong and J. Spillane on the first ever American 1-2 finish for gold and silver in Nordic combined.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[johnmbot]

...each and every athlete that is competing in the games has every reason to be proud and to be admired.

which begs the ?'n: are curlers 'athletes'?

don't even get me started on golf. i went through a stretch of playing golf 4 days a week, 2 rounds per day + range time, for 5 years. became a scratch golfer. never did i once feel like an athlete.

 

[Techman]

Well Merlot, if you can find a more acceptable term for someone who has lost the competition I'll be happy to use it. Shall we call them 'people who didn't win'?

And i now have proof that I am a pervert. While watching the medal ceremony for the women's two 'man' bobsleigh the only thing I could think of was wishing the winning team would wrap their arms around each other and celebrate with a hot french kiss. Yup...I'm hopeless!

 

[lgna69xxx]

i agree Tech, Heather Moyes is very pretty .. didnt it used to be called bobsled?

Well Merlot, if you can find a more acceptable term for someone who has lost the competition I'll be happy to use it. Shall we call them 'people who didn't win'?

And i now have proof that I am a pervert. While watching the medal ceremony for the women's two 'man' bobsleigh the only thing I could think of was wishing the winning team would wrap their arms around each other and celebrate with a hot french kiss. Yup...I'm hopeless!

 

[lgna69xxx]

i would say yes, curlers are athletes, especially the "sweepers" ....

which begs the ?'n: are curlers 'athletes'?

don't even get me started on golf. i went through a stretch of playing golf 4 days a week, 2 rounds per day + range time, for 5 years. became a scratch golfer. never did i once feel like an athlete.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Oh those Naughty Women Hockey Players! ha!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-oly-ioc-canadian-behavior,0,4475271.story



VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The IOC will investigate the behavior of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal by swigging beer and champagne on the ice.

Players came back onto the ice more than half an hour after the 2-0 victory over the United States. Still in their uniforms and with gold medals draped around their necks, they swigged from bottles of champagne and cans of beer and smoked cigars.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said he was unaware of the incidents until informed by an Associated Press reporter.

"If that's the case, that is not good," Felli said. "It is not what we want to see. I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values. If they celebrate in the changing room, that's one thing, but not in public. We will investigate what happened."

Felli said the IOC would talk to the international ice hockey federation and the Canadian Olympic Committee to get more information.

"We will first find the facts and then act accordingly," he said.

Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, said the COC had not provided the alcohol nor initiated the party.

"In terms of the actual celebration, it's not exactly something uncommon in Canada," he said, referring to raucous locker-room celebrations that are a tradition in some professional team sports.

"If these athletes were of legal age, then it's not something that's against the law," he said. "We can understand there's a lot of sensitivity around celebrations."

Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored both goals, doesn't turn 19 until next month, when she'll be of legal drinking age in British Columbia. The drinking age in Alberta, where the Canadian team trains, is 18. Photos show Poulin on the ice, with a beer in her hand.

"We condone celebrations. ... We don't condone actions of irresponsibility," Keough said. "I think Canadians understand it's quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols."

 

[Merlot]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-oly-ioc-canadian-behavior,0,4475271.story

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The IOC will investigate the behavior of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal by swigging beer and champagne on the ice.

Players came back onto the ice more than half an hour after the 2-0 victory over the United States. Still in their uniforms and with gold medals draped around their necks, they swigged from bottles of champagne and cans of beer and smoked cigars.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said he was unaware of the incidents until informed by an Associated Press reporter.

"If that's the case, that is not good," Felli said. "It is not what we want to see. I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values. If they celebrate in the changing room, that's one thing, but not in public. We will investigate what happened."

Felli said the IOC would talk to the international ice hockey federation and the Canadian Olympic Committee to get more information.

"We will first find the facts and then act accordingly," he said.

Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, said the COC had not provided the alcohol nor initiated the party.

"In terms of the actual celebration, it's not exactly something uncommon in Canada," he said, referring to raucous locker-room celebrations that are a tradition in some professional team sports.

"If these athletes were of legal age, then it's not something that's against the law," he said. "We can understand there's a lot of sensitivity around celebrations."

Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored both goals, doesn't turn 19 until next month, when she'll be of legal drinking age in British Columbia. The drinking age in Alberta, where the Canadian team trains, is 18. Photos show Poulin on the ice, with a beer in her hand.

"We condone celebrations. ... We don't condone actions of irresponsibility," Keough said. "I think Canadians understand it's quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols."

LOL!,

In further news it was reported half of the Canadian women's hockey team tore off each others uniforms and became amorously entangled together, while the other half were too excited to take their uniforms off before overwhelming a 58 year old Zamboni driver who was later found in a coma with a petrified smile on his face. Upon hearing about this episode the Canadian men's hockey team let out a collective F#%$@&^ S#@&!!! for not being there to help the women celebrate. Now totally pissed the IOC then called the Vancouver LE who locked down the stadium and mysteriously did not come out for 6 1/2 hours. Finally emerging it was noticed some of the male and female LE were being led away in cuffs by women wearing gold medals and LE uniforms with huge smiles on their faces. Asked for comment the ranking LE officer on the scene nervously explained that it got both "physical and kinky" in there and we had to "improvise our tactics to deal with the org...uh...I mean the situation. I didn't know how much fun...er...I mean how dangerous skates and sticks could be. I ooouuUCH...oh no problem, just a splinter"...wink wink. Upon hearing that the men's hockey team started crying like babies.

Seriously, is this the kind of thing the IOC thinks happened? An investigation is warranted??? One has to wonder if the IOC lives in the real world. Could it be some athletes might not be virgins who never swear, drink, or have naughty thoughts or maybe might want to celebrate a great achievement beyond getting a medal and giving thanks in church.

<insert huge rolleyes smilie>

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES...PARTY ON!!!

Merlot

 

[johnmbot]

i would say yes, curlers are athletes, especially the "sweepers" ....

if you sincerely believe that, you need to exercise a bit more. put down that pint and jog up a hill or two.

 

[lgna69xxx]

i could just see you trying to be a sweeper for a match, you sure would love some of that "pint" as your about to fall over as your arms feel like tree trunks and legs like stones , lol.....

if you sincerely believe that, you need to exercise a bit more. put down that pint and jog up a hill or two.

 

[Doc Holliday]

In other news, IOC to investigate last 100 Stanley Cup Final celebrations....

 

[Doc Holliday]

Just watched a very good interview of Brian Burke by Al Michaels on NBC. One thing about NBC, their interviews are always compelling & i regret not paying more attention to that channel during the Olympics, having missed most of the Bob Costas & Al Michaels interviews. I really wanted to watch the Joannie Rochette interview, but missed it. I t hought i could watch it through the NBC.com site, but most of the interviews are not accessible from Canada. I hope someone posts them on You Tube in the coming days....

 

[Merlot]

You GOOOOOOOOOOO Burkie!!!!!!!

Hello all,

Just incredibly HILARIOUS! Burke was being interviewed by what's his name (it wasn't Costas) at NBC and the host said something like, don't you think it's great what these Olympic games have done for hockey across the world...don't you hope the NHL players will be in the games the next time? Well, Burke looks at him and says, that's because you got the match-up you want in the finals with U.S.A. v Canada and you (NBC) are making millions of dollars...you weren't saying that at Torino (2008 Olympics) or for the three preceding Vancouver. I mean...BOOM... right between the eyes. I hardly knew this guy before these games but I am starting to love him...LOL!

AWESOME!

On another note, no one can say for certain how much pressure Apollo Ohno used when he touched Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay on the final turn of an in-line skating final, but it looked like much of nothing. Tremblay went down, but it looked more like a slip than anything else. Just before the finish line at 3:25 of the video South Korea's Sung Si-bak's left hand caught Hamelin's skate and he almost went down. As Hamelin tried to keep balance Ohno nearly got slashed in the face by his skate. Si-Bak went down. Ohno was disqualified and IMHO robbed of a silver medal.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=ede93805-04c1-4dfa-a50f-640205f6163a.html#dqinterview

The funny thing is that earlier in the week during a qualifying round another American skater was disqualified went he seemed to go slightly off-balance and though he did not touch anyone a skater behind the American touched him and the skater doing the touching went down, but the American was disqualified.

WTF
Merlot

 

[Techman]

With today's two gold medals and two more medals guaranteed by the men's curling and hockey teams, Canada has set a new record for Canadian medals at a Winter Olympic Games with 25! If we win gold in both the curling tonight and hockey tomorrow, Canada will set a new record for most gold medals, 14, by any country at a Winter Games . There's also a chance at a 26th medal in the 4 man bobsleigh. That makes a fantastic showing by Canadian athletes!

 

[Jman47]

With today's two gold medals and two more medals guaranteed by the men's curling and hockey teams, Canada has set a new record for Canadian medals at a Winter Olympic Games with 25! If we win gold in both the curling tonight and hockey tomorrow, Canada will set a new record for most gold medals, 14, by any country at a Winter Games . There's also a chance at a 26th medal in the 4 man bobsleigh. That makes a fantastic showing by Canadian athletes!

Hi Techman,

Oui, I noticed the medal counts today an notice specifically that Canada was excelling in the Gold Medal category.
I think that is absolutely fantastic!

Congrats to Canada and her athletes.

However...I gotta tell you...I won't be cheering for them in the hockey game tomorrow...lol.

Jman

 

[EagerBeaver]

There's also a chance at a 26th medal in the 4 man bobsleigh.

There is no chance as Steven Holcomb and USA I, the "Night Train", have won the 1st USA 4 man bobsled gold in 62 years. Congratulations to Steve and the Night Train crew, which set track record after track record and did not crash despite "50-50" curve 13.

 

[Techman]

And the four-man bobsleigh came through with a bronze medal, just .01 seconds behind silver medal winners from Germany and .19 behind gold meda winner USA. An incredibly close finish! that makes 26 medals and a Canadian record for the Winter Games!

It's OK, jman...we're going to beat the US worse than we beat Russia!!!

I hope the US men's team are better losers than the women were. There wasn't one smile from any of the ladies when they were awarded their silver medal. That was sad to see considering all the other medal ceremonies I've seen featured smiling athletes who were happy with their medals whether bronze, silver or gold.

Now the question is who will I cheer for in the bronze medal hockey game tonight...Saku Koivu and Finland or Yaro Halak and Slovakia?

OK...decision made....GO HALAK!!!

 

[Jman47]

It's OK, jman...we're going to beat the US worse than we beat Russia!!!

I hope the US men's team are better losers than the women were. There wasn't one smile from any of the ladies when they were awarded their silver medal. That was sad to see considering all the other medal ceremonies I've seen featured smiling athletes who were happy with their medals whether bronze, silver or gold.
?

LOL Tech...I guess we'll know in about 24 hours...Personally I am proud to see our boys got this far after they were not even expected to do it. That's the part I like...achieving the unexpected...I still remember 1980 in Lake Placid and how cool that was....

Man I hate to hear that about the ladies. Although I am sure it was a bitter pill to swallow...having to take the Silver and not the Gold. But in the end you have to hold your head high and be a sportsman...or woman in this case. Used to be that way all of the time...but in today's win at all cost society some of that "sportsmanship" seems to be lost at times.

Anyway...I am sure tomorrows game will be great and the better team on the ice (at that moment in time) will win...have a good game and enjoy!

 

[Turbodick]

Seems like the women have pulled an inordinate amount of the medals in. Congrats, but other then mens' hockey who cares?

 

[EagerBeaver]

The Night Train is Golden

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/02/27/us.bobsled.gold.ap/index.html?eref=sihp