Olympic Dim sum [Archive] - Off Camber Forums

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Gnam

08-08-08, 02:58 PM

Watch what you want, leave what you don't.

Anyone got a favorite event they'll be following? I like the relays: swimming, running, archery.
Oh, and as a former Champ Car fan I gotta watch me some beach volleyball. ;)

Discuss.

Methanolandbrats

08-08-08, 03:11 PM

Track and field. Also, as an ex-marathoner, I might watch the marathon, but it will be little more than a brutal survival contest due to the horrible weather.

Sean Malone

08-08-08, 03:34 PM

I watch the winter Olympics.

Michaelhatesfans

08-08-08, 04:08 PM

I watch the winter Olympics.

:thumbup:

SurfaceUnits

08-08-08, 04:12 PM

isn't this the last olympic for beach VB; i thought i heard that somewhere

extramundane

08-08-08, 05:31 PM

isn't this the last olympic for beach VB; i thought i heard that somewhere

More Champ Car scorched earth, no doubt.

stroker

08-08-08, 11:24 PM

can't say I GAF regardless. I lost interest in the Olympics when they left ABC and turned into an electronic version of People Magazine.

Ankf00

08-09-08, 01:57 AM

apparently the danes have Gators fans in their contingent

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0808/oly_g_denmark_200.jpg

TravelGal

08-09-08, 03:16 AM

can't say I GAF regardless. I lost interest in the Olympics when they left ABC and turned into an electronic version of People Magazine.

I know what you mean but I have to give NBC some pretty high marks for the Beijing opening. We missed a lot of the "artistic" part but for the first time in my long memory, we saw every single country enter. Those that were missed during commercials were at least flashed on the screen after the commercials. It's about time. And no big interviews during the entrance of the athletes.

Ankf00

08-09-08, 05:08 AM

meh, bob costas and matt lauer were both worthy of public firing squad tonight

srsly.

TKGAngel

08-09-08, 07:26 AM

meh, bob costas and matt lauer were both worthy of public firing squad tonight

srsly.

But Bob Costas and Matt Lauer were much, much better than Katie Couric and Bob Costas. KC's happy twittiness made me want to throw a shoe at my TV. But that said, Bob and Matt were better with the non-fashion related talk. For the fashion stuff, they should've had Tim Gunn or the like available.

During the commercials, I was flipping over to the Puppy Games on Animal Planet.

08-09-08, 12:09 PM

I'll be bouncing all over the tube today watching (and Star Mazda).

US sweeps the podium for one of the fencing categories (women). :thumbup:

DishTV added 2 HD channels for the Olympics, plus UNIHD showing stuff.

Inevitably, I'll end up watching the wimmins do stuff more than the mens. :\

TrueBrit

08-09-08, 02:30 PM

meh, bob costas and matt lauer were both worthy of public firing squad tonight

srsly.

Amen to that.

I believe in the 'public firing squad' event China is the odds-on favourite..

TrueBrit

08-09-08, 02:31 PM

much, much better than Katie Couric and Bob Costas. KC's happy twittiness made me want to throw a shoe at my TV.

That is my standard reaction to Ms 'Perky'....about as much substance as a ham sandwich...:shakehead

TrueBrit

08-09-08, 02:36 PM

I watch the winter Olympics.

I much prefer the Winter version to be honest, but I like watching the minority type of sports, fencing, equestrian (especially the cross-country), rowing, kayaking, archery that sort of thing...

:thumbup: to the US ladies Sabre competitors...clean sweep...look for a repeat in the team competition...Mens individual epee tonight...can't wait!!!

btw...there is an absolute TON of stuff live online...so if the 'highlight' format of the main broadcast stuff annoys you, check it out..

08-09-08, 03:58 PM

I much prefer the Winter version to be honest, but I like watching the minority type of sports, fencing, equestrian (especially the cross-country), rowing, kayaking, archery that sort of thing...

:thumbup: to the US ladies Sabre competitors...clean sweep...look for a repeat in the team competition...Mens individual epee tonight...can't wait!!!

btw...there is an absolute TON of stuff live online...so if the 'highlight' format of the main broadcast stuff annoys you, check it out..
NBColympics.com really does seem to have it set up with tons of coverage.

1400 hrs. on the tube, 2000 hours on the net.

:thumbup:

Ankf00

08-09-08, 04:18 PM

the only thing lamer than fencing as an olympic event is these 2 girls shrieking like they just won a gold medal after every point they win/lose

TravelGal

08-09-08, 05:02 PM

meh, bob costas and matt lauer were both worthy of public firing squad tonight

srsly.

They were talking? I guess so. I pretty much tuned them out although I did happen to catch their description of the location of Malaysia.

the only thing lamer than fencing as an olympic event is these 2 girls shrieking like they just won a gold medal after every point they win/lose

Go have another beer, Ank. You'll feel better about life in general.

I'm in here typing because my eyes are already bleary from watching hours of live stuff. Some great volleyball. Love all the rowing. I love rowing in any form. I'm hoping they show the bike race when it gets near the Great Wall. We were both totally fascinated by team handball. I swear I never saw it before. Not a game for the faint hearted. Trying to figure out what is "allowed" and what isn't made for some entertaining moments.

This really is the best part. There must be, oh, about 2 dozen people watching so there are few commercial interruptions. You actually get to see the competition.

oddlycalm

08-09-08, 09:13 PM

Word is that the opening ceremony was easily viewed with the naked eye by those on the International Space Station....:D

As always, the DVR is effective for getting to see what you want and avoiding what you don't. I'd prefer if they broke it into shorter segments specific to the events, but that's a minor complaint. I like the minor individual sports as well.

oc

08-10-08, 01:47 PM

I flipped to a new Oly channel, and I got a little prompt from DishNetwork. Press "select" to get enhanced Olympic coverage.

So I press "select".

You can see medal counts, schedules for viewing, jump over to the "fluff stuff" channel (background stories on athletes), athlete bio channel, Beijing info, etc.

Not too sophisticated, but (cue the 'dog) my viewing is enhanced.

:thumbup:

Now I don't know how to find it again... :laugh:

TKGAngel

08-10-08, 02:12 PM

DishTV added 2 HD channels for the Olympics, plus UNIHD showing stuff.

Time Warner added USA and CNBC HD, NBC's soccer and basketball channels and opened UNI HD at no charge for the games. If they don't keep CNBC and USA HD after the games, a lot of peeps will be upset.

How bizarre was it that the anthem cut out before the end during Phelps' medal ceremony?

Ankf00

08-10-08, 02:16 PM

god damn, just minutes from putting away the dutch in footie... 2-2 tie, dutch went up quickly in the first, babel's a badass, then we moved rogers to the other side since he kept getting burned on the left, then Adu started taking over, don't know why Altidore's not starting, he's a beast, he put in the 2nd goal too.

we tie nigeria next and we're through, which I have to say with the dutch being 2x defending U-21 champs, and nigeria U-21's always being stout, will be quite the feat.

:usa: :usa: :usa:

oddlycalm

08-10-08, 02:43 PM

Ankf00

08-10-08, 03:46 PM

and no NBC Olympic Soccer channel on comcast despite comcast being on the original press release :mad:

emjaya

08-10-08, 07:06 PM

Decent bicycle road race with a lot of the top riders from the recent Tour in the hunt. Mostly lame stationary camera coverage early in the race but they got the motorbike cams into action towards the end. Big day for Euskaltel-Euskadi fans everywhere with Sammy Sanchez taking the win.

Always figured he must be something special for defacto Basque national team Euskaltel to hire a non-Basque rider. He came 7th in the recent Tour de France and was with the leaders on the big climbs so this win isn't a big surprise.

oc

Good race. :thumbup:

I think everybody was waiting for Sastre to go, but Sanchez went instead. I was waiting for Rogers to start sprinting, but his head went down and that was that.

Have you seen the women's race yet? :eek:

TravelGal

08-10-08, 09:51 PM

Good race. :thumbup:

I think everybody was waiting for Sastre to go, but Sanchez went instead. I was waiting for Rogers to start sprinting, but his head went down and that was that.

Have you seen the women's race yet? :eek:

Is that rhetorical? I mean, it was on (the majority of it) this afternoon. I honestly think (not being a cycler myself) that the end of a bicycle race can be THE most exciting ending in sports. I'm falling off my seat every time.

Swimming also gets me but it's so much shorter. And more difficult to see. Water polo just didn't grab me this year. zzzzzz. Have to rest my eyes sometime, ya know.

Methanolandbrats

08-10-08, 10:14 PM

I want to watch basketball, both men and women's and track and field. Has anyone figured out how to print out a schedule of that stuff without doing research every f'n day? :mad:

emjaya

08-10-08, 11:02 PM

Is that rhetorical? I mean, it was on (the majority of it) this afternoon. I honestly think (not being a cycler myself) that the end of a bicycle race can be THE most exciting ending in sports. I'm falling off my seat every time.

Swimming also gets me but it's so much shorter. And more difficult to see. Water polo just didn't grab me this year. zzzzzz. Have to rest my eyes sometime, ya know.

No, not rhetorical. Sometimes you 'mericans see F1, Moto-GP and stuff after I do, so I always ask so as not to spoil the result for you. :)

Ankf00

08-11-08, 12:58 AM

**** you france

:0lympic spirit:

Gnam

08-11-08, 02:21 AM

Phelps is a fishy. Someone check him for gills and webbed toes. Just watched him float through the 200m freestyle semifinal. He spent most of the time underwater and took half as many strokes as anyone else. :eek:

TravelGal

08-11-08, 03:25 AM

I want to watch basketball, both men and women's and track and field. Has anyone figured out how to print out a schedule of that stuff without doing research every f'n day? :mad:

You can do research at the beginning. That is, it's pretty easy to get the general days/times on the NBC Olympic site. You can also get email alerts each time an event you want to watch is coming up. I have to admit I'm blown away by their online effort this time. I liked the qualifying floor exercise of a Russian gymnast but they didn't broadcast her score so I just looked it up.

Also have to say that staying up to the bloody end was worth it tonight. We were disappointed that Hoff lost but the men more than made up for it.

anait

08-11-08, 05:52 PM

We're enjoying the CBC coverage, but missing some of the commentators that went over to TSN. But Ron McLean has taken over the main commentator chair very well. Also missing Don Whitman's voice very much. :(

As for events, we watch whatever's on. I thoroughly enjoyed the boxing on Saturday, and look forward to rowing.

rabbit

08-13-08, 01:27 PM

Methanolandbrats

08-13-08, 01:34 PM

Gnam

08-13-08, 02:50 PM

Anyone know if boxing helmets are used anywhere else besides the Olympics?

Ankf00

08-13-08, 02:59 PM

mega choke vs the nigerians :(

F Nowak, seriously. What a tool. Game in hand and instead of ball control we just try to waste time and keep giving the ball back to the other team. Altidore riding the bench game after game, McBride's gassed and can't even head a ball so what do we do? Leave our best striker on the bench. because, you know, that's how you win games against the world's elite, you leave your best striker riding pine.

:flame:

meadors

08-13-08, 03:30 PM

And the agony of defeat...

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart. :eek: :(

Hungarian weightlifter suffers dislocated elbow (w/ gruesome pics) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1044258/Pictured-The-horrific-moment-Olympic-weightlifter-turns-elbow-front.html)

Video (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1)

Thanks for the warning. I don't think I want to see it. Just the description is enough to make me queasy. I hope my morbid curiosity doesn't win out later, though.

Methanolandbrats

08-13-08, 03:51 PM

Thanks for the warning. I don't think I want to see it. Just the description is enough to make me queasy. I hope my morbid curiosity doesn't win out later, though.
Not that bad, just imagine if your elbow were a ball joint, it would be easier to scratch your own back.

Insomniac

08-13-08, 04:16 PM

Thanks for the warning. I don't think I want to see it. Just the description is enough to make me queasy. I hope my morbid curiosity doesn't win out later, though.

I saw the thumbnail on drudge. I didn't need to see the video after that.

Insomniac

08-13-08, 04:26 PM

Ankf00

08-13-08, 04:42 PM

Klinsmann wouldn't be coaching the youth teams though. A huge reason he wasn't brought on is b/c USSF & Sunil weren't willing to overhaul the entire nation's youth development system, protecting certain people's revenue generating fiefdoms is more important than a sound development system after all :rolleyes:

Insomniac

08-13-08, 05:45 PM

08-13-08, 05:53 PM

Not that bad, just imagine if your elbow were a ball joint, it would be easier to scratch your own back.
Bones going the wrong way grosses me out much more than blood and guts.

Gnam

08-13-08, 07:28 PM

^ Maybe you'd enjoy the 'All Drug Olympics' then. ;)
Don't do it Sergei!

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/82/weight20lifterqz1.jpg

opinionated ow

08-14-08, 03:30 AM

**** you france

:0lympic spirit:

Apparently the only reason that the swimming finals are in the morning is because of money from the USA, despite it inconveniencing the rest of the world...the attitude here is very much bloody americans

A lot of unhappy Australians because of it. When on at anytime that we aren't all at work, they are the highest rating shows of the year.

Indy

08-14-08, 09:33 AM

Article (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/how-olympics-have-made-life-worse-not-better-for-chinese-13939108.html)

emjaya

08-14-08, 10:12 AM

Apparently the only reason that the swimming finals are in the morning is because of money from the USA, despite it inconveniencing the rest of the world...the attitude here is very much bloody americans

A lot of unhappy Australians because of it. When on at anytime that we aren't all at work, they are the highest rating shows of the year.

The IOC did not have to agree to the am finals, but when you are a whore....

Article (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/eamon-mccann/how-olympics-have-made-life-worse-not-better-for-chinese-13939108.html)

Up until the Olympics came along, how much media attention was on China? Something like Tiananmen Sqaure made the news, but very little else. Earthquakes and floods and not much else.

If the Olympics has done one thing, it has open the worlds eyes to the Chinese government and their method of keeping order.

maybe. :\

Insomniac

08-14-08, 10:15 AM

The IOC did not have to agree to the am finals, but when you are a whore....

It doesn't hurt the chances of WRs being broken either.

Up until the Olympics came along, how much media attention was on China? Something like Tiananmen Sqaure made the news, but very little else. Earthquakes and floods and not much else.

If the Olympics has done one thing, it has open the worlds eyes to the Chinese government and their method of keeping order.

maybe. :\

Much like Russia, people see it, but what can they do about it?

Ankf00

08-14-08, 01:16 PM

TKGAngel

08-14-08, 01:50 PM

if Australia was the traditional powerhouse in the pool the event coordinators would be catering to you. :gomer:

:0lympic spirit:

Could you imagine the hype if Thorpe was swimming this time around? It would have added a whole nother layer to Phelps quest.

If the Olympics has done one thing, it has open the worlds eyes to the Chinese government and their method of keeping order.

Not to mention paperwork falsification. The AP is reporting that one of the gold medal winning Chinese female gymnasts is only 13.

Ankf00

08-14-08, 04:43 PM

I like the one w/ the listed bday of 1983. 1983 would mean she's 1 year younger than me. She's not close to being within 5 years of my age and I look younger than I am in the first place.

Ankf00

08-15-08, 01:04 AM

nastia ftw. smu talent on display

Insomniac

08-15-08, 08:54 AM

nastia ftw. smu talent on display

It would've been awfully hard to not award her the gold last night. I was surprised Shawn Johnson got the silver.

KLang

08-15-08, 10:02 AM

I wish the gymnastics had started a little earlier, I couldn't stay up late enough to watch much of it.

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?

TKGAngel

08-15-08, 10:27 AM

I wish the gymnastics had started a little earlier, I couldn't stay up late enough to watch much of it.

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?

I wish NBC would show more of the uncommon sports during the 8-10pm period. Beach volleyball is nice, but introduce the nation to water polo or ping pong or something like that. Don't rely on the cable channels to pick it up.

NBC's also picking up a ton of flack for not wavering from the tape delay idea if Phelps can go for 8 golds on Saturday night. The East and Central time zones will see Phelps live, West and Mountain on tape delay.

Methanolandbrats

08-15-08, 10:33 AM

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?
No :D Watching them tug at and adjust their suits is excellent television

08-15-08, 10:40 AM

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?
You're right. I want to see the Norway and Brazillian girls too. Even Ozzies.

:)

opinionated ow

08-15-08, 10:52 AM

You're right. I want to see the Norway and Brazillian girls too. Even Ozzies.

:)

You want to see Tamsin Barnett from here and Stephanie Pohl from Germany...

Stu

08-15-08, 11:34 AM

I wish NBC would show more of the uncommon sports during the 8-10pm period. Beach volleyball is nice, but introduce the nation to water polo or ping pong or something like that. Don't rely on the cable channels to pick it up.

It'd be nice, but they'd also take a huge ratings hit. So the cable networks are there to pick up the slack.

I wish I could watch more olympic baseball, but I understand its not popular enough for them to televise every game live.

KLang

08-15-08, 12:14 PM

You're right. I want to see the Norway and Brazillian girls too. Even Ozzies.

:)

Last night there was a gal from Belgium. 6'4" and 195. :eek: And she looked SOLID. :D

08-15-08, 12:15 PM

I wish NBC would show more of the uncommon sports during the 8-10pm period. Beach volleyball is nice, but introduce the nation to water polo or ping pong or something like that. Don't rely on the cable channels to pick it up.

I was all impressed with the extra channels added in the beginning, but the 2 added channels are only showing basketball and soccer. Great, if that's what you want to see, but I was getting into the fenching, trap shooting, where the judo, tai qwon do, wardrobe malfunctions (er, I mean women's water polo), etc., etc?

Ankf00

08-15-08, 12:32 PM

I was all impressed with the extra channels added in the beginning, but the 2 added channels are only showing basketball and soccer. Great, if that's what you want to see, but I was getting into the fenching, trap shooting, where the judo, tai qwon do, wardrobe malfunctions (er, I mean women's water polo), etc., etc?

usa, msnbc, and cnbc are showing all sorts of random things aside from the dedicated bball and soccer channels

Methanolandbrats

08-15-08, 12:37 PM

Last night there was a gal from Belgium. 6'4" and 195. :eek: And she looked SOLID. :D
Name? Pictures? :eek:

KLang

08-15-08, 12:51 PM

Name? Pictures? :eek:

Liesbeth Mouha was her name. Tough to find pictures of none US players on the official NBC site.

cameraman

08-15-08, 01:01 PM

Google is your friend

http://blogimages.bloggen.be/tomboinpeking/254-116e0c49236727fdbeb6cbf618aec349.jpg

chop456

08-15-08, 01:31 PM

6'4", 195 and Belgian? Awesome. She could break you in half then make you fries and fetch you a Duvel. :thumbup:

TrueBrit

08-15-08, 02:43 PM

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?

In a word, yes.

104 wins in a row, defending gold medalists, never been done before, yada yada yada...It'll be interesting watching the beach volleyball in 2012...the athletes will freeze to death in those uniforms on a sunny East-London summer's day...

TrueBrit

08-15-08, 02:45 PM

Last night there was a gal from Belgium. 6'4" and 195. :eek: And she looked SOLID. :D

Agreed....they gave the US team a run for their money in the first half as well...

RHR_Fan

08-15-08, 04:19 PM

I love the Olympics. It's on in the background as I post this.

oddlycalm

08-15-08, 05:29 PM

Anyone else bored with the Misty and Kerri show night after night after night...?
Not to mention year after year....

oc

Methanolandbrats

08-16-08, 02:14 PM

Very good water polo battle. Looks like an upset in the making :thumbup:

nrc

08-16-08, 02:33 PM

No comment on Phelps win last night? Even stunning comebacks by a hair's breadth are old hat by now I suppose. :D

KLang

08-16-08, 02:43 PM

The guy is part fish. :thumbup:

Was is luck or skill that he was mid-stroke at the end vs. the other guy gliding in?

Methanolandbrats

08-16-08, 02:45 PM

No comment on Phelps win last night? Even stunning comebacks by a hair's breadth are old hat by now I suppose. :D He should be racing dolphins, not people.

TKGAngel

08-16-08, 03:38 PM

The guy is part fish. :thumbup:

Was is luck or skill that he was mid-stroke at the end vs. the other guy gliding in?

Phelps said that he thought he was in second and had nothing to lose by taking that extra stroke rather than gliding to the wall. Turned out to be a smart move.

CNN has a frame by frame (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.1.html?eref=T1) of the finish that's pretty neat.

ETA: Canadia finally won their first medals of the games. One of each color in under an hour's time in rowing and wrestling. Now maybe Ron McLean will chill.

Insomniac

08-16-08, 03:47 PM

The guy is part fish. :thumbup:

Was is luck or skill that he was mid-stroke at the end vs. the other guy gliding in?

I don't think it was either. I think ideally you want to be gliding in. The other guy was just gliding too far and Phelps' half-stroke got him in (barely) ahead.

Ankf00

08-16-08, 04:07 PM

yea they both ****ed it up, phelps just ****ed it up less

Insomniac

08-16-08, 04:25 PM

No comment on Phelps win last night? Even stunning comebacks by a hair's breadth are old hat by now I suppose. :D

That and the announcing team weren't assuming he'd lose the entire time. :D

08-16-08, 05:03 PM

Phelps said that he thought he was in second and had nothing to lose by taking that extra stroke rather than gliding to the wall. Turned out to be a smart move.

CNN has a frame by frame (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0808/oly.phelps.sequence/content.1.html?eref=T1) of the finish that's pretty neat.

ETA: Canadia finally won their first medals of the games. One of each color in under an hour's time in rowing and wrestling. Now maybe Ron McLean will chill.
That link has some pretty amazing photos. I didn't realize he was that far behind.

Wow!

Yay for the water polo guys!

Methanolandbrats

08-16-08, 05:28 PM

Men's bball crushed Spain :thumbup: Nobody is gonna be able to run with them not to mention the defense.

coolhand

08-16-08, 05:49 PM

http://adweek.blogs.com/adfreak/2008/07/then-well-grab.html

:rofl::rofl:

oddlycalm

08-16-08, 08:35 PM

Phelps said that he thought he was in second and had nothing to lose by taking that extra stroke rather than gliding to the wall. Turned out to be a smart move.
Yup, and 1/4 milimeter wins just as well as a 1/4 mile. :D

I enjoyed seeing Croatia beat Serbia in water polo. Brutal blood match with Croatia's best player and an assistant coach ejected.

I'm finding the dim sum analogy a bit wide of the mark. Lots of channels but the 6-8hr broadcast segments on NBC and USA make for a lot of fast forwarding on the DVR. Two hour program segments would be easier to work with.

oc

opinionated ow

08-17-08, 07:04 AM

Gonna try and find a handball competition in Sydney...there has to be one somewhere

Insomniac

08-17-08, 10:17 AM

The 100M run was nuts. He was celebrating way before the line and still broke the WR. Bolt didn't even care he could've gone even faster. I think there will be an influx of taller sprinters now. Bolt gets out slow, but can easily close the gap.

KLang

08-17-08, 10:26 AM

200m is supposed to be his better event. :saywhat:

And how about the gal that won the womens marathon. She could have stopped off a signed a few autographs along the way.

Methanolandbrats

08-17-08, 10:28 AM

Insomniac

08-17-08, 10:44 AM

I caught a tiny bit of cycling. I noticed they started the 2 riders on opposite sides of the track. In the past, didn't they start side-by-side and they'd "compete" to see who would have to lead?

opinionated ow

08-17-08, 11:41 AM

I caught a tiny bit of cycling. I noticed they started the 2 riders on opposite sides of the track. In the past, didn't they start side-by-side and they'd "compete" to see who would have to lead?

Different events. The pursuit starts on opposite sides of the track. You win by either going faster over the whole distance or by overtaking your opponent. The Sprint is the one where they start side by side and is entirely tactical.

opinionated ow

08-17-08, 11:43 AM

Ya 100 was amazing, he's the best ever by a wide margin. Women's marathon was great race too. Pack held back, nobody wanted to lead until 38 year old :eek: Constantina Tomescu went out alone with 10 miles to go. Very balsy move and she held it :thumbup:

Been a bit of an oldies special these games-Dara Torres, Oksana Whatsherface in the Vault final, the marathon runners, Halle Gebresellassi et al

Insomniac

08-17-08, 12:11 PM

Different events. The pursuit starts on opposite sides of the track. You win by either going faster over the whole distance or by overtaking your opponent. The Sprint is the one where they start side by side and is entirely tactical.

Ahhh, thanks for the clarification!

dando

08-18-08, 12:47 PM

I can't believe I cheered a Wolverine (Phelps). :gomer:

When is a tie not really a tie?

Here's what happened: China's diminutive He Kexin started the bars competition with a risk-filled, six-release routine that was scored 16.725. She had a small step upon landing, and the difficulty of her routine was judged to be 7.7. Her execution score was 9.025.

Next up was Liukin. Fresh off her all-around gold medal and her floor exercise bronze, she was brimming with confidence as she approached her favorite event. (The 16.90 she scored in bars in the women's team finals was the highest score awarded in these Games.) She, too, had a 7.7 start value, and executed five release moves, having a little trouble in one, her pac salto, in which she goes from the high to the low bar executing a flip. Her landing, though, was perfect -- the first time this entire season she's stuck it. Her score: 16.725. Her execution score: 9.025. Same as He's numbers.

Yet, when the tally was flashed on the scoreboard, He was placed first, Liukin second. That's all Liukin noticed initially. Two more gymnasts had finished their routines before Nastia began to study the numbers. She studied them some more. She'd only had five hours sleep the night before -- she's too excited about the prospect of going home as the Olympic all-around champion to sleep -- so she was mentally fried. But pretty soon she nudged her father and coach, Valeri, and pointed out what most of those in the arena already knew: she had the same exact score as He, so why was He listed first?

Valeri didn't know. Very few people in the gymnastics community knew, including ex-Olympians providing expert commentary to listeners and viewers around the world. But as it turned out, the computers had to go to a third tiebreak before determining the winner.

First tiebreak is the start value. Identical.

Second tiebreak is the deductions taken by the middle four judges. That was also the same.

The third tiebreak -- hang onto your hats, for your brains are about to explode --was the average of the three lowest of the four counting judges' deductions. This is where Liukin lost.

Trust me on this: It's a goofy solution. The final tally was arrived at by using the Polish, New Zealand and Brazilian judges' deductions for He, and the Australian, New Zealand and Bulgarian's deductions for Liukin. The Australian judge, Helen Colagiuri, must have been watching another competition. She scored He's execution three-tenths of a point higher than Liukin's, despite the step He took on her dismount. None of the other five judges scored He's execution higher than a tenth above Liukin, and two of the judges -- from Poland and Bulgaria -- had Liukin's execution score two-tenths higher than He's.

In other words, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Either that, or there's some big time politics involved. Either way, the judging in gymnastics at these Olympics has been wildly erratic at best.

Next up for Liukin is Tuesday night's balance beam event, in which she'll try to beat her father's total of four medals in an Olympics. Valeri had two golds and two silvers in 1988; Nastia has a gold, two silvers and a bronze in Beijing. Interestingly, one of Valeri's golds was won on the horizontal bar, in which he scored 19.90, exactly the same as his teammate Vladimir Artyomov. They shared the gold.

Too bad such a sensible solution wasn't applied in the case of his daughter.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/writers/em_swift/08/18/judging.controversy/index.html?bcnn=yes

:saywhat: :irked:

-Kevin

KLang

08-18-08, 01:00 PM

When is a tie not really a tie?

Wow, that really sucks for Liukin. :thumdown: I still watch but 'judged' sports always irritate me. :irked:

What is it about Jamaica that produces exceptional sprinters?

Methanolandbrats

08-18-08, 01:24 PM

Wow, that really sucks for Liukin. :thumdown: I still watch but 'judged' sports always irritate me. :irked:

What is it about Jamaica that produces exceptional sprinters?
The only true sports have a start line, a finish line and a watch, that's it. No subjective crap at all.

As far as Jamaica goes, it's the same reason Finns drive faster than anyone else on ice and gravel.............they are way into the sport from birth and it's cultural.

dando

08-18-08, 02:49 PM

What is it about Jamaica that produces exceptional sprinters?

Runnin' from da fuzz, mon. ;) It's really their national sport...much like distance running in many African nations.

EDIT: I also believe it has to do with the amount of land available for sporting. Any wonder Cuba (boxing, baseball, track) and Jamaica (track) excel @ sports requiring little land or major facilities? (other than the bobsled team, of course ;))

-Kevin

dando

08-18-08, 04:56 PM

Kung Pow! Dim sum. Get out da way, yo!

http://access.nscpcdn.com/fotosrch/3/20080818_DV_To_Getty_2131225_0_AFP.jpg

:gomer:

-Kevin

Ankf00

08-18-08, 05:11 PM

What is it about Jamaica that produces exceptional sprinters?

quality reefer

Stu

08-18-08, 05:23 PM

Kung Pow! Dim sum. Get out da way, yo!

http://access.nscpcdn.com/fotosrch/3/20080818_DV_To_Getty_2131225_0_AFP.jpg

:gomer:

-Kevin

and of course the chinese retaliate by plunking LaPorta (the key to the Indians CC Trade) in the head.

dando

08-18-08, 05:28 PM

The only true sports have a start line, a finish line and a watch, that's it. No subjective crap at all.

Tell that to PT in '02, yo. :flame: :tony: :shakehead

-Kevin

dando

08-18-08, 05:30 PM

and of course the chinese retaliate by plunking LaPorta (the key to the Indians CC Trade) in the head.

Just another future crappy Tribe OF.... :gomer: ;)

-Kevin

Methanolandbrats

08-18-08, 05:35 PM

Tell that to PT in '02, yo. :flame: :tony: :shakehead

-Kevin True, there has to somebody honest holding the watch. :mad: