Summer Olympics: Beijing, China - Page 7

Susan Elizabeth · 08-09-2008, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireWoman

It was before my time.. but in news footage.. yeah.. it was a powerful moment in sports boradcasting with out a doubt. But McKay was a CLASS act, and Costas doesn't even come close. As you said, McKay was the Olympics.. and I can still hear his voice as I watch.

I didn't get to see the tribute, and I'm very sorry I didn't. I too, loved Jim McKay. It's just not the Olympics without his voice. I'll never forget that awful day in Munich, when he said "They're all gone." Unfortunately, what happened there politicized the Olympics even more than before, and the world being what it is, that's not going to end anytime soon. Sad, but true.

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FireWoman · 08-09-2008, 10:05 PM

Let me see if I can fine a link for it and Ill PM ya.

psycobabe007 · 08-09-2008, 10:09 PM

I thought that the Opening Ceremonies were absolutely wonderful! I think it represented China and its beautiful history in a wonderful way. The attention to even the smallest details was absolutely amazing. My only complaint would be the commercials but someone's gotta pay the bills, lol!

How adorable was Yao Ming and the little boy! I was crying when Yao was holding him up and showing him the lighting of the cauldron! Just the pure energy of the Chinese people last night was enough to get anyone excited!

I will be watching for my boy LeBron and the "redeem" team, but definitely watching out for Michael Phelps and Laura Wilkenson (Alumni from my high school WOOT).

MamaC · 08-09-2008, 11:24 PM

I really got into the opening ceremony last night. Agree, I could have done without all the jibber-jabbering between Bob and Matt.

The flag-bearer for the US team lives in central NY, south of Syracuse. So I had seen his story on the news before the games. The family didn't want to have to beg the locals to contribute money at fundraisers, etc., to send him on his way, what with the economy and all. However, the entire town really came out to support him. Everyone is so proud of him out there.

Loved Yao Ming and the little earthquake survivor boy. When Bob Kostas said he was 9 years old, I thought he was only about 4 or so! D'uh! I guess he is of normal heighth, just looked so small compared to Yao Ming!

One thing that cracked me up was all those woman who were like cheerleaders lining the track for the parade of nations. At first they are really gung-ho. Towards the second half they are exhausted and basically just moving their feet, barely moving their arms, etc. They did get back into it when the Chinese delegation came out.

I can't even imagine how someone goes about even beginning to think of the choreography, lights, sound, etc., that goes into one of these kind of ceremonies. I thought it was fantastic. My only complaint was when the parade of nations was going on, I had a hard time seeing what countries were coming up. The first tab was lighted fine, but the next three tabs were somewhat faded and I had a hard time seeing which countries would be coming in next.

My sister out in WA called me around 10:15 and I asked her if she was watching. She said that they hadn't started out there yet. I told her that the parade of nations was on the tube and she couldn't believe that they were still doing the parade. I told her that she had to watch the show. I emailed her later to tell her when the US, Greek, Irish and Aussie teams came out....so she would know. Her hubby was born in Greece but moved with his family to Australia years later. So we covered all the bases.

---------------------------

My Olympic connections:

I actually went to the Montreal Olympics in 1976! It was so funny, a bunch of us just decided to wing it and drive up there for a weekend. We were able to walk around the Olympic Village. At one point, one of my girlfriends had to go to the bathroom so I decided to go with her. We asked some people where the bathrooms were and they pointed to a door. We walked in, went to the bathroom and then realized that we were in the building where the women's diving competitions were going on! So we walked right in and sat down! Our other friends were mighty pi$$ed when we caught up with them about 2 hours later. I would imagine security is much tighter nowadays. But what a blast!

I went to school with a brother of Jeff Blatnick, who won a gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling in 1984. He had qualified to go to the Olympics in 1980, but the boycott took that chance away from him. Then a year or two later he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was well enough to try out for and patricipate in the 84 games. Jeff is now the wrestling coach at my daughter's high school.

One of my good friends lives out in Park City, UT and she and her family were all volunteers at the winter games in 2002. She was a mascot and walked around the Olympic Village waving in costume to everyone. She loved it. Took that time off from work as vacation and everything. (She and I were in Ireland when the 2000 Sydney games were on, and there was little to no Olympic coverage, not like here in the States.)

And my older daughter was born on 8-8-84 (and yes, she weighed in at 8 lbs., 8 oz. too!), while the Olympics were going on. I was actually watching the TV when I went into labor....haha....and watched a lot of competitions and the closing ceremonies while in the hospital with her. I told her a few months ago that there was going to be a huge party for her in Beijing this year, but she didn't appreciate my humour.

Broadway · 08-10-2008, 12:19 AM

Congratulations to Michael Phelps!! I think he just has 3 more golds (or even medals) to go to be the winningest Olympian ever! WOOHOO!

**waywyrd** · 08-10-2008, 12:36 AM

Yes! I watched him blow that one out of the water. The guy is amazing.

Lois Lane · 08-10-2008, 01:29 AM

Phelps didn't even look winded! I loved seeing his momma and his two sisters cheering him on...and then him looking in the stands for his mom. Well done, all around.

I was also pleased that South Korea won their first ever medal in swimming--and it was a gold, courtesy of Tae Hwan Park, who I just read was only 18. Sports Illustrated had picked him as a silver medalist, but there he went and won the gold. And he's only about 5-foot-9.

I also loved seeing Dara Torres race in the relays and thought she did a wonderful job! Go Dara!!

AshleyPSU · 08-10-2008, 01:41 AM

I watched Phelps tonight too. He was awesome. Dara Torres is amazing for being 41 years old. She can compete with the best of them!

myrosiedog · 08-10-2008, 10:30 AM

I was amazed when they showed Phelps and he wasn't even breathing hard. Hearing his mom cheering him on was great too.
I then promptly fell asleep and missed the rest of the evening.

I did like that CNBC carried boxing yesterday. I like boxing and that's another one they hardly ever show. Do hubby and I watched several matches yesterday and got to see an American advance after winning his match. Got to see a really good KO too, but can't remember what countries were fighting at the time.

canadian_angel · 08-10-2008, 12:52 PM

I have toadmit, I thought that the opening ceremonies were pretty darn good. But for 100 million dollars, not so much. I think that that money could have been better spent on helping the people of China and they still could have had plenty left over to make a fantastic opening ceremony with a fraction of the cost.

08-09-2008, 10:05 PM	#62
FireWoman I Bleed Scarlet And Gray Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: At the High Rollers Table Posts: 4,077	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Let me see if I can fine a link for it and Ill PM ya. __________________ "Irregardless? That's not even a real word. You're affixing the negative prefix 'ir-' to 'regardless', but, as 'regardless' is already negative, it's a logical absurdity!" ~Steve Smith "Once I swore I would die for you, But I never meant it like this."

08-09-2008, 10:09 PM	#63
psycobabe007 I'm not a witch at all! Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Good ol' Ohio Age: 27 Posts: 1,485	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China I thought that the Opening Ceremonies were absolutely wonderful! I think it represented China and its beautiful history in a wonderful way. The attention to even the smallest details was absolutely amazing. My only complaint would be the commercials but someone's gotta pay the bills, lol! How adorable was Yao Ming and the little boy! I was crying when Yao was holding him up and showing him the lighting of the cauldron! Just the pure energy of the Chinese people last night was enough to get anyone excited! I will be watching for my boy LeBron and the "redeem" team, but definitely watching out for Michael Phelps and Laura Wilkenson (Alumni from my high school WOOT).

08-09-2008, 11:24 PM	#64
MamaC addicted Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NY Age: 54 Posts: 2,362	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China I really got into the opening ceremony last night. Agree, I could have done without all the jibber-jabbering between Bob and Matt. The flag-bearer for the US team lives in central NY, south of Syracuse. So I had seen his story on the news before the games. The family didn't want to have to beg the locals to contribute money at fundraisers, etc., to send him on his way, what with the economy and all. However, the entire town really came out to support him. Everyone is so proud of him out there. Loved Yao Ming and the little earthquake survivor boy. When Bob Kostas said he was 9 years old, I thought he was only about 4 or so! D'uh! I guess he is of normal heighth, just looked so small compared to Yao Ming! One thing that cracked me up was all those woman who were like cheerleaders lining the track for the parade of nations. At first they are really gung-ho. Towards the second half they are exhausted and basically just moving their feet, barely moving their arms, etc. They did get back into it when the Chinese delegation came out. I can't even imagine how someone goes about even beginning to think of the choreography, lights, sound, etc., that goes into one of these kind of ceremonies. I thought it was fantastic. My only complaint was when the parade of nations was going on, I had a hard time seeing what countries were coming up. The first tab was lighted fine, but the next three tabs were somewhat faded and I had a hard time seeing which countries would be coming in next. My sister out in WA called me around 10:15 and I asked her if she was watching. She said that they hadn't started out there yet. I told her that the parade of nations was on the tube and she couldn't believe that they were still doing the parade. I told her that she had to watch the show. I emailed her later to tell her when the US, Greek, Irish and Aussie teams came out....so she would know. Her hubby was born in Greece but moved with his family to Australia years later. So we covered all the bases. --------------------------- My Olympic connections: I actually went to the Montreal Olympics in 1976! It was so funny, a bunch of us just decided to wing it and drive up there for a weekend. We were able to walk around the Olympic Village. At one point, one of my girlfriends had to go to the bathroom so I decided to go with her. We asked some people where the bathrooms were and they pointed to a door. We walked in, went to the bathroom and then realized that we were in the building where the women's diving competitions were going on! So we walked right in and sat down! Our other friends were mighty pi$$ed when we caught up with them about 2 hours later. I would imagine security is much tighter nowadays. But what a blast! I went to school with a brother of Jeff Blatnick, who won a gold in Greco-Roman Wrestling in 1984. He had qualified to go to the Olympics in 1980, but the boycott took that chance away from him. Then a year or two later he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was well enough to try out for and patricipate in the 84 games. Jeff is now the wrestling coach at my daughter's high school. One of my good friends lives out in Park City, UT and she and her family were all volunteers at the winter games in 2002. She was a mascot and walked around the Olympic Village waving in costume to everyone. She loved it. Took that time off from work as vacation and everything. (She and I were in Ireland when the 2000 Sydney games were on, and there was little to no Olympic coverage, not like here in the States.) And my older daughter was born on 8-8-84 (and yes, she weighed in at 8 lbs., 8 oz. too!), while the Olympics were going on. I was actually watching the TV when I went into labor....haha....and watched a lot of competitions and the closing ceremonies while in the hospital with her. I told her a few months ago that there was going to be a huge party for her in Beijing this year, but she didn't appreciate my humour.

08-10-2008, 12:19 AM	#65
Broadway One in every crowd.. Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 18,484	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Congratulations to Michael Phelps!! I think he just has 3 more golds (or even medals) to go to be the winningest Olympian ever! WOOHOO! __________________ My body is like a rum chocolate souffle. If I don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise.

08-10-2008, 12:36 AM	#66
waywyrd dazed and confused Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 11,794	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Yes! I watched him blow that one out of the water. The guy is amazing. __________________ I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

08-10-2008, 01:29 AM	#67
Lois Lane On a cupcake mission! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Right behind you Posts: 5,063	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China Phelps didn't even look winded! I loved seeing his momma and his two sisters cheering him on...and then him looking in the stands for his mom. Well done, all around. I was also pleased that South Korea won their first ever medal in swimming--and it was a gold, courtesy of Tae Hwan Park, who I just read was only 18. Sports Illustrated had picked him as a silver medalist, but there he went and won the gold. And he's only about 5-foot-9. I also loved seeing Dara Torres race in the relays and thought she did a wonderful job! Go Dara!! Last edited by Lois Lane; 08-10-2008 at 01:32 AM.

08-10-2008, 01:41 AM	#68
AshleyPSU We Are Penn State! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Central PA Age: 26 Posts: 4,986	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China I watched Phelps tonight too. He was awesome. Dara Torres is amazing for being 41 years old. She can compete with the best of them! __________________ "...and just like that, I lost my head." - Carrie, SATC 2/3 of the Earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Troy Polamalu.

08-10-2008, 10:30 AM	#69
myrosiedog FORT Fogey Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: All jacked up on Gator Juice in the Swamp. GO GATORS!!!! Age: 47 Posts: 15,221	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China I was amazed when they showed Phelps and he wasn't even breathing hard. Hearing his mom cheering him on was great too. I then promptly fell asleep and missed the rest of the evening. I did like that CNBC carried boxing yesterday. I like boxing and that's another one they hardly ever show. Do hubby and I watched several matches yesterday and got to see an American advance after winning his match. Got to see a really good KO too, but can't remember what countries were fighting at the time. __________________ Que me amat, amet et canem meum (Who loves me will love my dog also)

08-10-2008, 12:52 PM	#70
canadian_angel Home to loving arms Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: the province with the really long name Age: 25 Posts: 5,188	Re: Summer Olympics: Beijing, China I have toadmit, I thought that the opening ceremonies were pretty darn good. But for 100 million dollars, not so much. I think that that money could have been better spent on helping the people of China and they still could have had plenty left over to make a fantastic opening ceremony with a fraction of the cost.