Off Topic Winter Olympics

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sb_73

sb_73

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2012
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congratulations to the medal winners, especially Lizzie Yarnold.

The time difference plus the fact that many of these sports don’t make great telly and are ‘arts’ based with scoring impenetrable to the layman make it difficult to get too worked up about this, which the total absence of any comment on this forum neatly sums up. Shame really, a lot of these sports take immense skill, superb fitness and incredible courage
 
I watched both the Skeleton and the Speed Skating today, really enjoyed it as a one off, but wouldn't make it too regular a watch, it can become very repetetive. Felt sorry for Christie in the skating, she just appears to be cursed in the Olympics, seeing as she's a multiple world champion and record holder - hopefully not too badly injured in her crash as she has one more event to compete in.

Lizzy Yarnolds' final run was spectacular, blowing away the final challenge from the Austrian girl who had been in 1st place, and big congrats to Laura Beas with her bronze in the same event.

Did enjoy watching Shaun White in the Snow-boarding earlier in the week - amazing what he and the other competitors are capable of doing on the snow.
 
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sb_73 said:
congratulations to the medal winners, especially Lizzie Yarnold.

The time difference plus the fact that many of these sports don’t make great telly and are ‘arts’ based with scoring impenetrable to the layman make it difficult to get too worked up about this, which the total absence of any comment on this forum neatly sums up. Shame really, a lot of these sports take immense skill, superb fitness and incredible courage
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I find it hard to take too seriously, I'm afraid. I heard that a young American girl won a Bronze for GB and someone who was expected to win in the skating keeps falling over. I quite enjoy curling, though - a bit like slippery bowls.
 
Stroller said:
I find it hard to take too seriously, I'm afraid. I heard that a young American girl won a Bronze for GB and someone who was expected to win in the skating keeps falling over. I quite enjoy curling, though - a bit like slippery bowls.
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Her Dad is British.

I quite enjoy the curling too. When my son was in Primary school, they had twelve weekly sessions at the local ice-rink learning curling, which he loved, and I believe a couple of the kids still go..
 
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A Czech snowboarder won the women’s Giant Slalom, to her and everyone else’s amazement. Saw the highlights of whatever the thing that the young Anglo-American came third in, to be informed by my wife that my son can do the stuff on the rails and ski backwards down whatever slope he wants. I gave up going skiing years ago, loved the first day then got pissed off with the hassle of it all and the humiliation of knowing that I had two under tens (now nearly 22 and 18) who were better than me. The rest of the family love it still, and are delighted to leave me at home with the dog.

I do like the snowboard races when there are a bunch of them on the slope at the same time though.
 
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Uber_Hoop said:
Isn’t Mo Farah from Somalia?
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Yes, but his father is British and Mo moved to Britain when he was 8. As Steels pointed out, Issy Atkin's father is also British, but the difference is she's lived all her life in America. She's American if you ask me.
 
Stroller said:
Yes, but his father is British and Mo moved to Britain when he was 8. As Steels pointed out, Issy Atkin's father is also British, but the difference is she's lived all her life in America. She's American if you ask me.
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It’s all a question of geography. I guess if you feel and say you’re British these days, then perhaps you are.... until you feel and say you’re Croatian or from Mesopotamia.
 
Stroller said:
Yes, but his father is British and Mo moved to Britain when he was 8. As Steels pointed out, Issy Atkin's father is also British, but the difference is she's lived all her life in America. She's American if you ask me.
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Jamie Mackie is Scottish (apparently) and I bet he's never lived up here! There's piles of Kiwis and South Africans in the rugby and cricket squads.

I'll take any help we can get in winning medals! Heard there was some girl who was born in US and plays Ice Hockey for her University team - she got an email from the Korean national team, who then invited her join them and is now representing them at the Olympics - same deal. :emoticon-0148-yes:
 
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Stroller said:
Yes, but his father is British and Mo moved to Britain when he was 8. As Steels pointed out, Issy Atkin's father is also British, but the difference is she's lived all her life in America. She's American if you ask me.
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Who cares, she’s qualified to represent the U.K., chose to, trains as a part of the British team and beat all the US athletes in her chosen competition.

Nationality is plastic nowadays. Which is good.
 
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sb_73 said:
A Czech snowboarder won the women’s Giant Slalom, to her and everyone else’s amazement. Saw the highlights of whatever the thing that the young Anglo-American came third in, to be informed by my wife that my son can do the stuff on the rails and ski backwards down whatever slope he wants. I gave up going skiing years ago, loved the first day then got pissed off with the hassle of it all and the humiliation of knowing that I had two under tens (now nearly 22 and 18) who were better than me. The rest of the family love it still, and are delighted to leave me at home with the dog.

I do like the snowboard races when there are a bunch of them on the slope at the same time though.
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I went on a school skiing trip when I was 15. A place in Switzerland called Wangs Pizol - pizol in the snow! I decided on the first day that skiing wasn't for me, faked a sprained ankle and spent most of the rest of the trip in a little café with a great jukebox drinking some kind of sparkling wine (almost certainly non-alcoholic). Never had any inclination to try skiing again.
 
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Stroller said:
I went on a school skiing trip to when I was 15. A place in Switzerland called Wangs Pizol - pizol in the snow! I decided on the first day that skiing wasn't for me, faked a sprained ankle and spent most of the rest of the trip in a little café with a great jukebox drinking some kind of sparkling wine (almost certainly non-alcoholic). Never had any inclination to try skiing again.
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Even I gave it more than a day Strolls! I ended up going 4 or 5 times in the 90s to about 2005. Sometimes I really enjoyed the skiing bit and nearly always liked the social side. It was the hassle, kit, hanging around in the cold, falling over more than the kids, various aches and pains and never being able to find comfortable ski boots that did for me ultimately. The wife and one or other, sometimes both, of the kids still go nearly every year.
 
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sb_73 said:
Who cares, she’s qualified to represent the U.K., chose to, trains as a part of the British team and beat all the US athletes in her chosen competition.

Nationality is plastic nowadays. Which is good.
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Isn’t that kind of a contradiction, though, Stan? If nationality is plastic, how can one take pleasure in somebody winning a medal for ‘your’ country? I think if we’re to have international competition then we may as well have some form of qualification for those wishing to represent a particular nation; otherwise what’s the bleedin’ point?

I dunno what this qualification ought to be, but I would like it if it at least stipulated that the subject should have been born here, lives here and pay taxes here. How naive and idealistic am I, huh?
 
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Stroller said:
I went on a school skiing trip to when I was 15. A place in Switzerland called Wangs Pizol - pizol in the snow! I decided on the first day that skiing wasn't for me, faked a sprained ankle and spent most of the rest of the trip in a little café with a great jukebox drinking some kind of sparkling wine (almost certainly non-alcoholic). Never had any inclination to try skiing again.
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I’ve grown to dislike the snobbery associated with them what ski at this time of the year, most of whom (of my acquaintance) are debt-ridden wannabes. I’ve never had the desire to try it, partly because of this and partly because I have the balance of Heather Mills when the death watch beetles are in town.
 
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