hansw wrote:Cross country is a pretty nice event from a Swedish point of view.

I did see this race. Here it was reported as a team effort. Like Olsen was clearing the way so Hellner could rest up and grab the gold. I find that difficult to believe. But maybe that's just my American "Dog eat Dog" menatality.

If there was a gold medal for "best fighting spirit", Petra Majdic would be the clear winner.
During the training she fell into a gorge. The fall was about three-four meters vertically. She hit her ribcage on a tree.
Somehow, screaming in pain through the qualifying races, she managed to make her way to the final. In the final she fought all the way to the end ending up third.
Collapse. Almost unconscious, she was carried away by the medics. During the price ceremony she could hardly walk and had to be helped on and off the podium.
The last I heard, she is still in hospital. Her skiing career is probably over.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... html?cat=9

Catamount wrote:Who would have thought that Team USA hockey would wind up getting the top seed at the end of the preliminary round? Amazing game against Team Canada last night ... greatest US hockey win in three decades. The Russians and Czechs also put on a hell of a show yesterday afternoon. Whoever came up with yesterday's slate of games that also included Sweden - Finland is a genius.

The way it's looking now, the toughest game the US will potentially have between now and the gold medal game is Finland. That's great news ... no Swedes, Russians or Canadians until the final game of the tournamnet. Great stuff.

I'd be pretty frustrated if I were a Canadian hockey fan. All that talent, 45 shots, and they couldn't find a way to beat the U.S. on their home ice...

I've been watching this new sport of "Skicross". Sometimes they run 4 people at once and sometimes just one. Almost like a totally different sport with 4. Lots of crashes.

One of the interesting things about it, is that it's new. So the playing field is more level. You don't have people getting trained for it since they're 2 years old.

John Duffield wrote:I've been watching this new sport of "Skicross". Sometimes they run 4 people at once and sometimes just one. Almost like a totally different sport with 4. Lots of crashes.

One of the interesting things about it, is that it's new. So the playing field is more level. You don't have people getting trained for it since they're 2 years old.

Skier X has been around for a while at X Games. Yes, the crashes make the skier X pretty extreme and exciting to watch. Especially the Monoski X - those guys wipe out really spectacularly. I like how X games don't segregate adaptive skiers and put them on centerstage, because those guys are super badass, IMO.

welle wrote:

John Duffield wrote:I've been watching this new sport of "Skicross". Sometimes they run 4 people at once and sometimes just one. Almost like a totally different sport with 4. Lots of crashes.

One of the interesting things about it, is that it's new. So the playing field is more level. You don't have people getting trained for it since they're 2 years old.

Skier X has been around for a while at X Games. Yes, the crashes make the skier X pretty extreme and exciting to watch. Especially the Monoski X - those guys wipe out really spectacularly. I like how X games don't segregate adaptive skiers and put them on centerstage, because those guys are super badass, IMO.

Yes. Super badass no doubt. Nothing like having your feet locked in. Last month when I went skiing, there was a day or two when the light was flat and the snow didn't have any depth or texture. Something that's been causing these guys problems when the run is shaded early in the morning. So I took a ten foot drop once. Didn't even see it and it went right up my spine. Everything just looks white.

John Duffield wrote:I've been watching this new sport of "Skicross". Sometimes they run 4 people at once and sometimes just one. Almost like a totally different sport with 4. Lots of crashes.

One of the interesting things about it, is that it's new. So the playing field is more level. You don't have people getting trained for it since they're 2 years old.

Yep, even a guy like me who's resistant to such things enjoyed the Skicross. More so, I'd say, than the Snowboardcross. Go figure.
But, good races yesterday. Particularly liked the story of Chris Del Bosco, who resurrected himself from a drunken fall into a near frozen creek,(broke his neck), a guy going nowhere but down, into someone who almost pulled out a medal. I was rooting for him, but, he caught a bit too much air and fell.
Exciting though!

What can I say, I love the Olympics -- everything thing about 'em. Watching 'em, doing 'em, the even inspired me to sign up for a biathlon clinic. Ok, some sports are more exciting than others but I'll take 'em all.

Watching the Curling actually has me interested in joining our local curling club.

Yup, Curling looks like something I could actually "handle" in the OG's.

[quote="FortMental"]Lindsay Vonn Sucks. Ask Julia Mancuso.[/quote

Actually, I think that's Julia's problem, not Lindsays'.

It didn't disappear. She lucked out with consecutive days of postponement of training runs and races. Even said yesterday that it still hurt.
Btw, I'm not some huge Lindsay fan, and I do think she got the majority of the spotlight on her, but, that's also easy to understand in this individualistic, hero-worship culture of ours.
But, I do think she is one hot skier. And, it was unfortunate that her crash caused Mancusco's run to be disrupted. Still, thought Mancusco acted like a baby when all is said and done. "It's Lindsays' fault," etc.

lcarreau wrote:Yup, Curling looks like something I could actually "handle" in the OG's.

Leading 6 to 4 and having the last stone in the last round it was absolutely clear that Canada should win. So I went to bed (3 a.m.). Waking up this morning I heard on the radio that the Swedish team had won. How could that happen?

butitsadryheat wrote:

dskoon wrote:It didn't disappear. She lucked out with consecutive days of postponement of training runs and races. Even said yesterday that it still hurt.
Btw, I'm not some huge Lindsay fan, and I do think she got the majority of the spotlight on her, but, that's also easy to understand in this individualistic, hero-worship culture of ours.
But, I do think she is one hot skier. And, it was unfortunate that her crash caused Mancusco's run to be disrupted. Still, thought Mancusco acted like a baby when all is said and done. "It's Lindsays' fault," etc.

Did she say it was Lindsey's fault? I heard her say it was unfortunate, but that sometimes, things happen, and that was the case. I thought she was quite diplomatic, and to a point, somewhat gracious.Was she perfect? No. Understandable? By all means.

Well, there was some hubub a couple days ago, wherein Mancusco said that it was like a "popularity contest," and that all the focus is on "what Lindsay does." This came out, I guess, during that GS. race, when Lindsay crashed, and it threw Julia off of her run. She, Julia, had to restart, didn't do as well as she might've, began sobbing at the finish, and went on a mini-tirade against Lindsay. Like high school girls! Kind of glad those races are over. Both did well in the Olympics, got medals, and are great skiers. Time to put the drama behind us.