Re: Olympics
 

Oh yeah - I get the bit about Eric - I think I linked to it earlier in the thread - but with some random other commentary.

I hadn't realised there were actually 2 other swimmers who were disqualified - and they were wearing skin-suits - which take ages to get into! What a mare.

Re: Olympics
 

yeah; somebody had to do it, nontheless!

...yeah; i knew about beach volleyball; i just didn't realise that men played too ;):D

Re: Olympics
 

no; but putin invaded georgia :rolleyes:

Re: Olympics
 

[QUOTE=cured;100422]http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/bei...?urn=oly,99745

Sunday, Aug 10, 2008 9:29 pm EDT
Some Opening Ceremony fireworks were faked

it's not necessarily as bad as you think.


When it comes to fireworks, I agree.

Now, our current news media outlets doing the same kind of stunt is a whole, new(?) matter.

Re: Olympics
 

and they faked the singing little girl too! china rocks.

Re: Olympics
 

Really? It's actually one of the toughest sports I've ever played....assuming you play it by the rules, and actually try to use proper technique. A couple buddies of mine and I took lessons for a couple years with Jen Meredith, an AVP Tour player for about 10 years, and man, you wouldn't believe what it takes to really play top-notch beach volleyball. Or maybe you would, but what I'm trying to say is that it's a challenging, addictive sport.

Re: Olympics
 

Sure, but only because the girl who actually sang was too ugly, so it's okay....
:rolleyes:

Re: Olympics
 

This story about the Opening Ceremonies made me laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh:

'Blue Screen of Death' Appears at Bird's Nest During Ceremony


http://gizmodo.com/5035456/blue-scre...torch-lighting


http://gizmodo.com/assets/images/giz...nest_main2.jpg



Enjoy...Jason

--ps--If I remember correctly, NBC mentioned that the feet fireworks flyover video was simulated, but they didn't really explain why.

Re: Olympics
 

Well, apart from the Opening Ceremonies stuff, anyone paying attention to Michael Phelps? 5 gold medals, all world records.

Wow.

Re: Olympics
 

I remember watching that and thinking that looks incredibly fake. The rest at the end looked real to me.

Re: Olympics
 

I heard that it was a safety thing - flying helicopters so close to firework barrages over built-up areas...

Re: Olympics
 

we're just bitching about this because we know how shit its gonna be in comparisson to 2012....

altogether now "knee's up muvva braahn..."

i hope they computer generate the whole lot in 2012

Re: Olympics
 

No kidding, huh? That guy is an animal.

Re: Olympics
 

he's an amazing athlete for sure!......he'll probably win more golds than most small countries........

.....and at the other end of the body size scale, big ups to Emma Pooley for winning a silver in the cycling time trial at only 7stone 9 pounds and 5ft 1inch tall:eek::D

Re: Olympics
 

This is exactly what I fear seeing every time the weightlifting events are aired. Janos Baranyai, the Hungarian Olympian, had his elbow dislocate and bend back the wrong way during his lift. Absolutely horrible. :(

Re: Olympics
 

AAArrrgghh!:(:(

Re: Olympics
 

And the multi-culturally sensitive Spanish hockey team beat NZ with 4 seconds left on the clock. 1-0. After NZ had 3 goals ruled out.

bastard.

rubbish day for NZ really.

Burmester - our one big hope in the swimming - led the 200m butterfly, only to fade and have Phelps take it - finished 4th. Smashed the NZ record tho. our 4x200 relay women's squad were disqualified - one of them left the blocks 0.1 of a second early.

our rowers/scullers faltering - but a few into the finals.

and most of my students are coming to class looking utterly exhausted.

Me: "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

Student: "uhh, just tired."

Me: "Watching the Olympics?"

Student: "uh-huh"

Re: Olympics
 

Awesome. And no steroids in there either - it's all natural fuel.

That looks like enough food for a week for me. :eek:

Re: Olympics
 

i joked to my wife i'd like to try the phelps *diet* and she said unless whales were being permitted entry to the 2012 swimming events i shouldn't bother:mad::D

Re: Olympics
 

Phelp's ties Spitz with 7 gold in one Olympics. Crazy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/sp...16swim.html?hp

The video of it:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/pla...d_swb_hl_l0673

Re: Olympics
 

Jesus walked on water. Phelps swims on land.

Re: Olympics
 

woohoo - super saturday indeed for NZ.

3 medals in the rowing.

Bronze for Mahe Drysdale - who apparently can't remember the last 15 strokes and had to be carried from the boat. He lost 4 kilos this last week, after fighting with a stomach bug. Talk about how not to prepare! Awesome performance from the 3 time world champion.

Bronze for Twaddle and Bridgewater in the coxless pairs.

Gold for the Ever-Swindell sisters. Defending Olympic champions. Written off by most as they had a terrible season in Europe - consistently beaten by the Chinese. Working off injury. Qualified directly from the heats - so a week off to prepare. Behind from the gun - slow start - won it on the line - but a whisker. .01 of a second, photo-finish - just pipping the Germans.

Cracker. Top race. Top chicks. And they might be back in 2012. Ripper.

Hayden Roulston takes silver in the individual pursuit. Superb from him - well beaten by the British rider, Biggins - current world champion.

Valerie Vili takes the shotput. Heaves 4kg steel ball over 20m. Makes a 8 other men cry. Does not have to take last throw. Runs across racetrack to hug coach and get flag. Eats small official who tries to stop her. First NZ gold in track and field events since 1952.

Sweet as!

And in other news - the Blackness dealt to the current world cup holders South Africa - in a serious butt whipping - to the tune of 19 points to nil. Captain Tackles McAWE led the way, and the beer-swilling, biltong-munching afrikanner hordes had no reply. Smashed 'em bro!

Fucking A!!!

:D

Re: Olympics
 

And for all of you getting sick and tired of stupid questions from inane TV presenters trying to turn every event into a momentous Rocky-esque moment.

The Answers we all really want to hear.

How do you feel?
Well, one of my nuts popped out at the 500 metre mark - I had to do the last K and a half with lefty chaffing the seat. The skin in that area’s pretty raw and I’m fairly sure it’s sunburnt, too. I’m in a great deal of pain and I can’t walk in a straight line. I’ll probably vomit if I see another oar.

....

Have you got anything to say to the family back home? I’m sure they’re watching.
I just wanna say to my partner Sarah, I love you. Mmmmm-mmmm. But baby, I’m a man. A man needs to relax sometimes, living in that village, with all those… athletes. I’m just saying. Nothing to worry about. Just think of my gold medal dreams. Our gold medal dreams.

hehehe

Re: Olympics
 

good weekend for the brits - dominating the cycling, golds from the water (swimming, sailing, rowing) - shame that murray fucked up so badly, and that we've barely a hope in the athletics stadium - enjoying the giddy heights of 3rd place in the medal table, as it won't last too long...

Re: Olympics
 

And then Usain Bolt of Jamaica happened. I hadn't been that awe struck by a gold medal sprint since Michael Johnson's 200m WR at Atlanta 1996. Just fascinating. --Jason



http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...6201614,00.jpg

Re: Olympics
 

Holy shit. Yes. That was an amazing run by Bolt. And the fact that he just kind of strolled the last 10. "Strolled" being a relative term of course. Superb. Last time I remember being that blown away by sheer speed was 1988 - when Ben Johnson did his thing.

Here's hoping whatever Caribbean juice Bolt is drinking - is all natural. :)

And just in case you're getting bored of trampolining, and swimming - I feel we need more sports involving weapons. Shotput, arrows, javelins are all good - but big fuck off guns added to regular events would be ace too.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/...c4b324e6_o.jpg

Re: Olympics
 

...happy to eat my words about the athletics after gold and silver today; and happy to still see gb 3rd in the table, with more to come tomorrow.

but best of all, is that i'm still feeling like i always have once the olympics get going - happy to see people doing it for sport - acheiving things they've planned for years - i feel no differently about china; it's just a backdrop - the spirit of the event is way more important :)

Re: Olympics
 

The Redeem Team is certainly doing well...now that they've had a bunch of games under their belt, they can start to work their magic on Argentina and maybe the winner of Lithuania/Spain. Their shots seem to be falling with greater frequency now, also. Good things. We need our gold medals back!

Re: Olympics
 

sweet as. unknown nz guy wins gold in board-sailing. brilliant!

unknown nz bmx rider in with chance at winning medal. vaguely well known nz kayakers also in with chance to win medals.

Re: Olympics
 

I'm pretty stoked the Afghan guy won his medal. In some events, athletes are disappointed with anything but gold. For some, though, any medal will give them the greatest sporting moment of their lives. It's always fun to see the underdogs win (unless it's in basketball).

Hey Miguel, what do you think the chances are of Spain vs. USA in the gold medal basketball game?

Re: Olympics
 

haha how about that swedish guy who threw down his bronze in disgust...

boy there was a lot of talk about "the honor and ideals of the sport" on that one.

Re: Olympics
 

*cough*

anyways

more to come i think in boxing and another canoeing one tomorrow if todays gold is anytihng to go by....

Re: Olympics
 

better still is seeing that the aussies are taking it all with their usual good grace and sportsmanship!

Re: Olympics
 

almost made a seperate thread for this, but, well, it's all part of the olympics innit

INNIT

look at this because it's fun and exciting and we might forget one day that Nike are a bunch of shits.

Re: Olympics
 

I have a sneaking suspicion the crowd at the gold medal basketball game will be squarely behind the americans. One more game against a very good spaniard team but I don't think this game will be closer than 30 points when the final sore is posted. Kobe will probably use the stage to increase his reputation as one of the best players on the planet, which I don't think will actually help the team very much. This tournament has been a real re-coming out for Dwayne Wade. LeBron is goig to use this experience as a tool to get the most outrageous contract in basketball because of the attention he's been giving to the idea of playing in Europe.

Re: Olympics
 

I just get a bad feeling that Spain will win a close one. The US clearly has every advantage, and has played way beyond that I thought they would. But in a close game, Kobe Bryant and LeBronze James and the rest of them will start chucking up bad shots, like they always do in a NBA game. Spain will probably try and beat up the US unlike anything they seen this tournament. It's Spain's best shot, to me.

Jason

Re: Olympics
 

Look for LeBron to take over. He has looked more and more... focused and annoyed as the tournament has gone on. Spain has about a 10% chance of winning, but I think USA might be getting more cohesive; maybe too cohesive to beat.

Re: Olympics
 

You're right, it's probably only 10%, but the US has all of the pressure to win.


J

Re: Olympics
 

Spain played out of their minds but, in the end, they found out why Kobe Bryant is the best clutch player on the planet.

We got our medals back!

W0000000000000000000000000000000T!!!!!11!!11!!1

Re: Olympics
 

he's not the BEST, but he's a pretty good clutch player; don't forget D. Wade keeping us in the game in the first half. That's not the first time D. Wade has dominated in a crucial situation (2006 NBA finals), and he would have had more points if he hadn't been slipping in the "paint" as much as he had.