Summer Olympics: Beijing, China

[femme fatale]

Originally Posted by fluff

I also see no need for beach volleyball to be included.
There's already indoor volleyball, what next, frisbee?
In the spirit of equality the male beach volleyball players should really be decked out in Speedos.

Amen to that, fluff

I really don't see the need for the football (that's soccer to you ) tournament. There's the World Cup, World cup for those under 21, Euro Cup, American (or South American?) cup, not to mention all Clubs tournaments as well. The best players are not at the Olympics, they're in the other competitions. The Olympic gold is not the best medal in the football world, the World Cup is.

As compared to hockey for the winter games. NHL and other leagues don't close down for the World championships, but they do for the Olympics, hence we have the best players for the Olymics but not for the World cup. Therein lies the difference.

[Google]

 

[Unklescott]

Originally Posted by fluff

I also see no need for beach volleyball to be included.
.

Yet they are doing away with womens softball? I would much prefer to have that as a sport even though womens beach volleyball is quite easy on the eyes.

[myrosiedog]

I love the synchonized diving. I am so amazed that they can be so in sync. I think it's kind of cool.

Well I woke up the entire house last night as the American just began to eek it out against the french in swimming. I jumped up and was yelling GO! GO! GO! which got the dogs barking and woke up hubby and daughter who were not amused and not n early as excited as I was to know the relay team had won gold.

See there, French team, that's what trash talking will get you!

I was sad to see Katie Hoff just barely lose the gold medal for the silver. I thought she would make it. But it was nice to see England medal. So many teams don't medal because there are so many powerhouse countries, that while I was said for Katie, I was happy for the British girls.

Those Chinese girls look so young. No way do they look 16. But I have a SIL that is asian and her girlhood pictures, she looks so much younger than she was. But still, I think there was some fiddling with birth certificates and passports in Gymnastics.
But how inspiring is the 33 year old woman Gymnast from Germany? I loved her.

It's interesting how the average age of the men gymnasts is mid 20's and the women is 16. The men need so much more strength that they can't get until they are a little older. With the women, it seems that the goal is small and light and flexible and not strength so much.

I also agree that there are some sports that I find questionable in the Olympics. BMX racing is new to the Olympics this year and I thought that was odd.
I also think that badmiton and ping pong are kind of weird, but that is more my American bias as those sports are very popular in other countries. But beach vollyball? What bothers me is the outfits the women have to wear. The top is modest enough, but how can you fully concentrate on your match when you are constantly tugging on the bottoms to get them out of your butt every 5 seconds?
And the men don't have to wear anything nearly as ridiculous.

Those swimming suits are somthing. I thought Phelps might actually lose his last night the way he was jumping up and down and had it already pulled way down.
But I heard that to put them on, they have to put plastic bags on their feet and tape on their fingertips just to get them on. And it looks like they are squeezed tighter than my grandmother's girdle. But it doesn't appear to hamper their swimming at all. Just the opposite. The top FIVE teams broke the world record in that relay last night.

I am so sentimental, but I love seeing the medal ceremonies and hearing the national anthems, even when it isn't ours. I love to see the athletes (from all countries) when they sing their national anthem.

[Lois Lane]

Anyone else hate that blonde crone who "interviews" the swimmers after their meets? She asks the dumbest questions, doesn't seem to listen to their answers and then just has absolutely no emotion at all when she speaks.

Originally Posted by CrossingGuard

Too bad about Hoff. She missed out on the gold by that much. But hey, silver isn't bad, and I believe she still has many more events coming up.

I felt bad for Hansen. The commentators were saying that this could be his last olympic race and he really wanted to win a medal. But he lost to his Japanese rival and didn't even get a medal.

I felt bad about Hoff, too. But I was glad that if she had to lose the gold, it was to the Brit and not one of the favored two. The stupid commentators basically discounted everyone but the French and Italian women--the drama over that stupid useless boyfriend. I heard those commentators flip and flop all evening saying basically, "Oh, it's never going to happen." Two seconds later, "It's happening." "They don't have a shot for a medal," then, "They're going to win a medal." Gees people--if there are 8 people racing, it's anyone's shot to win one of the medals. It's not like they've got me in there swimming for cripe's sake. They've got world class athletes!

The commentators basically retired Hansen. When they interviewed him, he said he wasn't ready to quit yet. He may not go another 4 years for the Olympics but I think he wants to race a few more times.

Originally Posted by fluff

As for synchro swimming, meh, I appreciate the skill involved but it's not something that interests me.
I also see no need for beach volleyball to be included.
There's already indoor volleyball, what next, frisbee?
In the spirit of equality the male beach volleyball players should really be decked out in Speedos.

Here here! I LOVE 6-man or 6-women indoor volleyball. As a spectator, that's a more exciting game for me to watch, regardless of which gender is playing. But what the heck? I think I'd rather that frisbee throwing was an Olympic sport, but only if each member of the team had to have a border collie as the catcher! I agree that if the women have to play beach volleyball in wedgie-inducing underpants, then the men should at least have to be shirtless. It's ridiculous. But even moreso than the "uniforms," it's just freaking boring for me to watch. That's when I'd go cook something, empty the dishwasher etc.

Originally Posted by myrosiedog

Those swimming suits are somthing. I thought Phelps might actually lose his last night the way he was jumping up and down and had it already pulled way down.

I was thinking the same thing! I wanted to say, "Little boy! Pull up your pants!" But that's kind of his thing--the really low rider swim skins and apparently there has never been a wardrobe malfunction!

Originally Posted by myrosiedog

I am so sentimental, but I love seeing the medal ceremonies and hearing the national anthems, even when it isn't ours. I love to see the athletes (from all countries) when they sing their national anthem.

Same here. I love seeing our athletes win, but I also enjoy seeing the joy of other countries being honored at their ceremonies. I like hearing the anthems!

[Newfherder]

While I'm waiting for something exciting to happen (kidding! The men's 4x100m was pretty exciting) I've been trying to dredge up my earliest identifiable Olympic memories. I have vague memories of watching swimming during the '64 Olympics, but the first identifiable memories come from the Mexico City games. I remember Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the victory stand and thinking that it took a lot of guts to do what they did, and I remember Bill Toomey in the 1500m of the decathalon.

[daddyzgirl]

Great 4x100 last night!

Does anyone know if the Opening Ceremonies are going to be rebroadcast? I had them on my DVR and accidently deleted them.

I couldn't find anything on NBC or CSC's websites however maybe someone on here has some insider info?

Thanks!

[jacobson00]

i can't get into the women's, sorry girl's gynmast this year. it is just unconftable to watch expecially with the whole age thing.

and yes, i am with you all, Beach volley? why aren't the guys in speedo only. they accepted beach volley but refused karate? they accepted diving but refused dancing

soccer is so so so popular oversea that if it wasn't part of the olympic people will just boycott it. even if they don't watch it they have to put it in.

[Ellen]

Originally Posted by Newfherder

. . . I've been trying to dredge up my earliest identifiable Olympic memories. . .

While I was alive for the '60 and '64 Olympics, my first real Olympic memories are of Peggy Fleming winning the gold for figure skating in Grenoble (France) in 1968. My sister had a huge crush on Mark Spitz; the poster of him wearing his medals and stars-and-stripes Speedos hung in our room after the '72 games in Munich. (Then in '74, when we went to Germany with our high school German class, we visited the Olympic village in Munich.)

Then there were the related "groaners":

Q: What's green and skates backwards?
A: Peggy Phlegm [Flem] (followed by a snort for emphasis).

Q: How did they fill the Olympic swimming pool in Munich?
A: Mark Spitz (spits).

[Lois Lane]

Wait...karate isn't an Olympics sport? WTH? Didn't it used to be? Or was it never? I know judo and tae kwon do are Olympic sports...

The thing I can't stand when I tell people I don't like beach volleyball is that men always say, "That's 'cause you're jealous." Um, no, not every woman is jealous of other women. But that's what the assumption is. Even when I tell them that I can't stand watching the men's beach volleyball...it's just B-O-R-I-N-G! (And I doubt I'd be any more interested if the men were wearing their underpants on the court...although that'd be funny.)

I like soccer so I'm glad it's a competitive sport.

How come golf isn't included? Not that I like golf...but I always wonder why some sports are and others aren't included.

[myrosiedog]

Newf, I remember that raised fist on the podium too in the 68 games.

We've been excited that CNBC and MSNBC have been broadcasting boxing. SO many of the great boxers we have all come to know and love came out of the Olympics and today professional boxing is so boring and such a disappointment to watch. There will never be boxers (or the sport of boxing as they've changed it so much) like Ali, Holyfield, Frasier, Foreman, Robinson, etc.
So I really enjoy the Olympic boxing matches.

And Lois, yes that swimming commentator drives me nuts. When she interviewed the relay team, she pretty much focused on Phelps. What about the guy whose first Olympic swim it was, or the anchor man who basically won the match for them?
Actually all sports commentators really bug me. And the Olympic ones are the worst it seems. They have to fill airtime, so they just say innane things. The worst ones in my opinion are the former athletes who say things that they may see, but that the average viewer doesn't see and then go on and on and on about it and they get so technical, that I don't understand it or even care and then relive their glory days instead of focusing on today's competitors.

But I'm like you too in that there are world class athletes competing, so while there are favorites, it's anyones race. Look at the difficulties the Chinese women's gymnastic team had and they had been touted to be FLAWLESS. Well one fell off the uneven bars. And so did some of the Americans. They went on and on about how perfect they had been in practice. Well, everyone has an off day occasionally and sometimes it doesn't matter how much you practice, there are factors during the competition that can either go your way or not, so I think they need to quit the hyping so much.

Besides, if the competition is going to be predictible, then why watch it? I like the upsets and the small victories. I hate the gossip and that crap about the French and Italian and the boyfriend was pointless. THEN they say: "Oh, look, they've put their animosity aside and spoken to each other in the pool". What did they expect (and I think were hoping for) was that one would shoot a bird at the other one and call her an ugly name? They keep telling us that the Olympics is about putting aside differences and coming together as a Global community and competiting in a spirit of peace, etc. Then they dredge up rivalries and nude photos and ex-boyfriends. Please.

I also felt bad for Hanson. They had him retired before he got out of the pool. I'm glad he put that woman in her place and said he would continue to compete.

I had to laugh at the interview with Bela Keroli last night. I kept saying: "what? What did he say?" and my husband finally said: "I think I'd understand him better if he spoke Romanian". But my question is why didn't we see him with the American team last night? They kept talking about him being there, but all I saw was his wife and some of the other US coaches.

I think it's also cool that there are so many athletes (from several countries) who are the children of former Olympic athletes.

And I think volleyball is more fun to play than to watch. And I used to play vollyball, but I find it incredibly boring. But not nearly as boring as watching water polo.
I want to see some of the other events. When does the equestrian stuff start? And the boating stuff. I like some of that. Not all of it, but some of it. I even like watching some of the shooting. And I LOVE fencing and never even saw any of that even though the US women medaled in it.