Friday, February 26, 2010

Friday Five - Olympics

 It's been a while since I've participated in a RevGalBlogPals's "Friday Five".   This week's is such a no brainer for me, it's a good way for me to get back in the game.


1) Which of the Winter Olympic sports is your favorite to watch? HAHAHAHAHA.... FIGURE SKATING...Of course!  Second favorite~short track racing. But I watch it all. 

Who do you think had the best-looking uniforms?  Don't remember.  I fell asleep during the opening ceremonies.


3) And Curling. Really? What's up with that? 
My late husband used to love to watch curling.  If they showed it, I'd watch it.  I remember the year the US curling team had the oldest Olympic athlete (he was in his 50s) and the youngest (don't remember) on their team. 

4) Define Nordic Combined. Don't look it up. Take a guess if you must.   Ski jumping and cross countryskiing.   But I like the biathlon that combines SHOOTING and cross country skiing.

   You do the work - GUESS
  5) If you could be a Winter Olympics Champion just by wishing for it, which sport would you choose for winning your Gold Medal?

(There will be a prize for the best answer, but be aware, this is a judged sport.)

Bonus - Last night was the BEST skating I have seen in any figure skating competition in years, maybe ever.  Usually SOMEONE in the last group makes a heartbreaking mistake and other years they all seem to be saying "no you take the champtionship, no YOU take it"  Sasha Cohen got the silver medal 4 years ago simply because she made fewer mistakes.  But EVERYONE in the last group had the skate of a lifetime and that's what you want.

Who I felt bad for - Racheal Flatt got hosed!   Even with downgraded jumps (and come on that was pretty nit-picking) she should NOT have been placed so low and certainly not below Miki Ando. Miki Ando had cheated landings and take offs.  She takes off on the wrong edge on her lutz which is also supposed to be a deduction.  Her layback is horrible, she was slooooow and her posture is awful.   Hey but that's figure skating.  Part of the fun is to be pissed off at the judges.  And Rachael skated about as best as she could and to do that at the Olympics, well she has to be happy about that.

I felt badly for both Yu Na Kim and Mau Asada and the incredible pressure their country's put on them to win.  They are just teenagers!  I remember back with Midori Ito had to publicly apologize to Japan for bringing home a silver rather a gold.  Wonder if they will require that of Mau.  

Now it's over.   It's always so sad when the skating is over at the Olympics.  Oh well...Apolo skates in short track tonight...I'm competing myself tomorrow.  And the World Championships are coming up.   And there's always EASTER!

7 comments:

  1. I haven't finished watching the ladies skate--it was too late for me, but now I'm looking forward to it even more. Of course I cannot tell the difference between the lutz and the loop except for a few academic minutes. It's the closest thing to ballet I get around here.

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  2. I wrote a long comment and I think it disappeared when I leaned on the keyboard. Anyway, I loved watching the skating this year more than some years ago when some of the skaters seemed to skate around backwards with their butt sticking out, then jump, then repeat the pattern. The skaters seems to have more complete programs and feel the music more than, say, 20-30 years ago.

    We watched the cross country skiing, which was covered much better than is past olympics.

    I also watched quite a bit of the curling, due to getting interested during the last Olympics, mainly then because the team members were from around here. I've met two of the mens' team members when they were on the same baseball team as my son. They didn't do well, and the commentators weren't kind.

    NBC did a great job of the coverage overall. Having various competitions on 4 channels really helps. Also, I think they dwelled less on the "up from the ashes" stories of some of the athletics.

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  3. The skating really was joyous last night. And I agree that Rachel got hosed, and concur with your comments about Ando. What I noticed as a difference between the skaters' performances wasn't so much technical as presentation. As my husband noted, one felt cold, like she didn't put any part of herself into the routine. One reason I always loved Scott Hamilton is because HE was so present to his skating.

    Good luck this weekend in your competition. Rock the house!

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  4. Thank you for your thoughts about the skating. I don't see half that you see, but I do enjoy it.

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  5. Good luck in your competition - have fun! I am feeling rather sad that I'm NOT competing today, but it couldn't be done this year. Soon, though.

    And I agree, the skating has been totally awesome this year (except a certain Russian has-been sore loser, and even that was more his off-ice behaviour than what he did on it, which was still awesome, just not quite as awesome as some!). Oh, and except for our own Jenna McCorkell who made a total nonsense of her short - but I console myself with the thought that if she'd nailed it, as she so easily could have done, she'd have probably made a horlicks of her free, so....

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  6. Didn't even get to see Janna on NBC. But your dancers rocked the house!

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  7. Love getting your perspective on the Ladies. Thanks!

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