The Olympic Games

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Originally Posted by Tilden

He officially announced that his first competition will be Skate America. He did this Friday on the Today Show. He's also now living with Vera Wang, who's designed costumes for him in the past and has designed his 2012-2013 season costumes as well.

Johnny Weir says he's back in too. Sounds like Joanne Rochette of Canada may be too, likely because Canada's one obvious weakness in the new team competition would be in ladies. I think the team competition concept may be drawing a lot of former Olympians back to competition. Word is Plusheynko is training for a return too.

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That explains why she recently filed for divorce. Interesting.....

SO sad about our women's volleyball team. They were playing like champs and then Brazil just sunk them. :(

Tilden - the problem I have with McKayla's sour face is that she did it on the medal stand. For me, that's very different from sitting down in a chair and crying after not getting the gold. IMO, you pull it together and, as a representative of your country, you show good sportsmanship and realize that ANY medal is pretty damn great. Like Abby says on Dance Moms, go cry into your pillow. And, no, I can't believe I used something she says as the right way to behave. In the past, we've seen disappointed medalists take their medals off or stomp off the medals stand or even refuse interviews. I think it's all bad sportsmanship and I always feel embarrassed for those athletes. It's a poor example of how to behave.

They've ALWAYS crammed the camera in the face of every athlete who falls, loses, whatever. I HATE that about sports coverage. I don't need to see that moment. It's just too personal.

The thing about Twitter - and one of the reasons I don't like it- is that it allows people to say the most atrocious things without any conscience and then get reinforcement from a bunch of people really quickly AND people can say it directly to the person they're commenting about. I guess the Internet in general allows that, but Twitter seems even worse. I think I would have gotten up and finished that race, even knowing I'd come in last, but that's how I would react. We don't know if that runner was injured or just couldn't do it. That camera in her face was awful. I couldn't watch someone in that much pain. My heart broke for her.

Those rhythmic gymnasts are amazing! They're better than anything Cirque du Soleil puts out! I had to laugh when, the other day, one of the commentators made a crack about how we wouldn't be seeing an unpointed toes with these gymnasts! :lol

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Originally Posted by Critical

That explains why she recently filed for divorce. Interesting.....

SO sad about our women's volleyball team. They were playing like champs and then Brazil just sunk them. :(

Tilden - the problem I have with McKayla's sour face is that she did it on the medal stand. For me, that's very different from sitting down in a chair and crying after not getting the gold. IMO, you pull it together and, as a representative of your country, you show good sportsmanship and realize that ANY medal is pretty damn great. Like Abby says on Dance Moms, go cry into your pillow. And, no, I can't believe I used something she says as the right way to behave. In the past, we've seen disappointed medalists take their medals off or stomp off the medals stand or even refuse interviews. I think it's all bad sportsmanship and I always feel embarrassed for those athletes. It's a poor example of how to behave.

They've ALWAYS crammed the camera in the face of every athlete who falls, loses, whatever. I HATE that about sports coverage. I don't need to see that moment. It's just too personal.

The thing about Twitter - and one of the reasons I don't like it- is that it allows people to say the most atrocious things without any conscience and then get reinforcement from a bunch of people really quickly AND people can say it directly to the person they're commenting about. I guess the Internet in general allows that, but Twitter seems even worse. I think I would have gotten up and finished that race, even knowing I'd come in last, but that's how I would react. We don't know if that runner was injured or just couldn't do it. That camera in her face was awful. I couldn't watch someone in that much pain. My heart broke for her.

Those rhythmic gymnasts are amazing! They're better than anything Cirque du Soleil puts out! I had to laugh when, the other day, one of the commentators made a crack about how we wouldn't be seeing an unpointed toes with these gymnasts! :lol

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I have a hard time blaming anyone for a face--a comment, an action, sure, but sometimes people, especially young people, just have a terrible time controlling their facial expressions. She's sixteen, she's just blown the one whole reason she was even named to the team, and she was really ticked off at herself, or at least that's what she's said. And it showed. But to me, that's not anywhere close to the same level of behavior as, say, Surya Bonaly crying and removing the silver medal from her neck at the 1994 Worlds, because she felt she had outskated Yuka Sato (she hadn't) and had been unfairly judged--and Bonaly made that clear too. If I hadn't loved Yuka Sato already, I would have fallen in love with her for the look of pure sympathy she gave Bonaly. She had every right to be very angry that Bonaly was pitching a fit over her winning, especially when they were in Japan, Sato's home country and she'd just had the skate of her life. But she'd finished just off the podium enough to know how much it hurts to miss out on what you were sure was yours this time.

The woman runner who was tripped (not that it was intentional--there was just a scramble as so many runners tried to break from the pack at once) was originally said to have just bumps and bruises, but she was bleeding from a gash on her leg when she left the track. I don't know that she was seriously injured, but I'm sure that, on top of her disappointment, didn't feel very good. I assumed that once she fell apart emotionally like that, she just couldn't pull herself together before the race was over, and if she'd gotten up and finished then, wouldn't she have just detracted from the attention the winners were getting?

Oh, and after watching the rhythmic gymnasts and synchronized swimmers, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I better never hear anyone whining about the ridiculous costumes on ice dancers ever again. Not that the swimmers and gymnasts weren't good, but their outfits were every bit as over the top as anything I've ever seen on an ice rink. Except maybe for the culturally insensitive Australian aboriginal costumes/makeup the Russian team had for the short dance in Vancouver.

Re: Evan Lysacek and Vera Wang. Neither of them have, so far as I know, actually confirmed that they are romantically involved. Just living together. Whether that means as a couple or friends or what isn't clear. If they are a couple, Vera definitely falls into the cougar class, because Evan's got to be a lot younger than she is.

Evan was looking very thin--competition skinny--on the Today Show. But then again, he is living with Vera, and I swear, when I saw Rise, I wanted someone to get her a burger, quick. She was way beyond slender.

I've heard/read that the big focus of the closing ceremonies is going to be given over to the British music of the 1950s through today. Nothing against British contemporary music, but isn't that pretty much what they did for the last third of the opening ceremonies too? I'm pretty sure the cultural history of Great Britain is more diverse than that.

Why is it up to Tom Brokaw to talk about the blitz and the remaining RAF pilots who were active in the defense of Great Britain? Considering London last hosted the Olympics for the first post-WWII Olympics, when evidence of the blitz was still quite obvious, you'd think the opening ceremonies could have made some small reference to that and held off on the musical montage at the end if they were going to use the same theme for the closing ceremonies.

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Originally Posted by Tilden

I've heard/read that the big focus of the closing ceremonies is going to be given over to the British music of the 1950s through today. Nothing against British contemporary music, but isn't that pretty much what they did for the last third of the opening ceremonies too? I'm pretty sure the cultural history of Great Britain is more diverse than that.

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The Spice Girls and The Who, Annie Lennox. Nice. :clap

I don't know what they will do. But I will really really enjoy it:biglove I am just hoping they add some Monty Python :rofl

Congratulations today to Team Jamaica especially The Bolt of lighting.

What a great team, and a great runner.O-M- G

Loved the Brokaw piece but why, why, why, since they did briefly mention WWI in the opening ceremonies was what happened in London during WWII overlooked? Geez, how many more opportunities do they think they're going to have left to recognize the people who stuck it out through the Blitz while they're still around to appreciate it?

But hey, I guess recognizing the importance of twenty-something's lost cell phone is way more hip.

Great Britain has a (known) history going back thousands of years; the Opening Ceremony kicked things off in pastoral pre-industrial revolution times (age indeterminate - circa 18th century) and ignored everything preceding. So WW2 was not the only event passed over. That said, I know they can't include everything so..
The Closing Cermony is usually more a free for all. From what I've heard, and as per above, there's going to be a lot of musical acts (Spice Girls, Jessie J, Russell Brand singing I am the Walrus (!?!) etc); it is supposed to be like an after-party if you will (someone likened the Opening Ceremony to a wedding with the Closing Ceremony being the party afterwards). I seem to recall Monty Python being mentioned but I don't know if that was supposition (something about Eric Idle and The Sunny Side of Life - I think that's a song? I don't really know anything about Monty Python). I saw a picture of mini London landmarks being offloaded (London Eye, the Gherkin building etc) as well.

Congrats to David Boudia on winning gold in the 10M platform diving! :yay And to Tom Daley for taking the bronze!

The diving has been a bit boring this time because it's pretty much expected that the Chinese divers will win everything....and they pretty much have. Boudia was in 18th place (the last place to move on to the next round) after the first qualifying round. I think he was 3rd or 4th in the semis and then he went and won the whole thing! He definitely peaked at the right time!

Sorry, but I still don't think age is an excuse for bad sportsmanship. Part of playing sports is learning how to lose with grace....and win with it too. We've seen examples of ugly arrogance from gold medal winners as well over the years and I don't find that any more appealing.

The Tom Brokaw piece is starting here. I love that man. I've had a crush on him for many years.

Loved when Daley and a fully dressed bunch of Brits (his teammates?) jumped in the pool.

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Originally Posted by Critical

Congrats to David Boudia on winning gold in the 10M platform diving! :yay And to Tom Daley for taking the bronze!

The diving has been a bit boring this time because it's pretty much expected that the Chinese divers will win everything....and they pretty much have. Boudia was in 18th place (the last place to move on to the next round) after the first qualifying round. I think he was 3rd or 4th in the semis and then he went and won the whole thing! He definitely peaked at the right time!

Sorry, but I still don't think age is an excuse for bad sportsmanship. Part of playing sports is learning how to lose with grace....and win with it too. We've seen examples of ugly arrogance from gold medal winners as well over the years and I don't find that any more appealing.

The Tom Brokaw piece is starting here. I love that man. I've had a crush on him for many years.

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Speaking of the ugly arrogance business, I know he's a fantastic runner, but I really could have done without Bolt repeatedly referring to himself as a legend, particularly the last time he gave the whole "I am a legend" bit by sticking his head in the camera. Somehow, I feel like the term "legend" isn't something one should ever apply to oneself.

I guess we're just going to have to disagree about the bad sportsmanship business. I just don't see how someone crying in disappoint with herself and making a face over the same thing is all that much different--and yes, I realize one was on the medals platform, but we don't know why she was making that face and she says it wasn't about the medal, it was about feeling angry with herself for sitting down on the job, so to speak. And she is very young, so it's possible she will learn to be very circumspect about showing any feelings publicly after this fiasco. I just can't help wondering if she'd let a tear of disappointment escape on the medals platform over the exact same feelings if she'd have been sympathized with instead of criticized, because that would have been viewed as more acceptable.