The Olympic Games Thread...

[Anna0499]

Yay for Phelps!

I am enamored with Lochte, Lezak, and Piersol. Grevers seems really sweet too. Our swimmers seem so humble and really just happy to be swimming for their country. Dara is so adorable! She seems so genuinely sweet and lost by the same amount of time that Phelps had won by...how crazy! I was happy that she was able to grab another medal and that Coughlin made history as well.

Did you guys see Usain Bolt?! He was unreal, but his showboating across the finish line definitely slowed his time down even though it was amazing. I felt really bad for Gay though, what a horrible time to have an injury like that!

Looks like Shawn got another silver and Nastia a bronze...not bad! The Russian gymnasts are so graceful, I''m not surprised they are doing well in individual events. The Chinese men are sweeping everything, as expected.

 

[Anna0499]

Poor Alicia! I felt so bad for her for placing 4th, especially since you could see the tears in her eyes. The vaults were pretty ugly for the most part & it all came down to the starting values, I guess. Is anyone else getting sick of Bela complaining about judging after every event?

Congrats to Oksana, though! I *love* that she medalled! She''s SO adorable!

 

[blondebunny]

grrrr at tonights womens uneven bars.. the new scoring is simply stupid IMO... seriously... stupid....blahhhh...

 

[NewEnglandLady]

First the vault scoring fiasco and now the uneven bars...it''s sad when the judging takes away from a sport. I realize that gymnastics has always been subjective, but this is beyond ridiculous. For 10 minutes nobody could explain what might happen in the event of a tie, it was a complete mystery. I honestly expected the "software" to award Phelps a 9th gold medal in the event of a tie on the women''s uneven bars.

Oh well, looking forward to the beam tomorrow where the winner will be awarded by pulling random names out of a hat.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 8/19/2008 12:20:51 AM
Author: NewEnglandLady

Oh well, looking forward to the beam tomorrow where the winner will be awarded by pulling random names out of a hat.

LOL! You caught me by surprise, NewEnglandLady!

Still chuckling,
f-d-l

 

[ucdcows]

I don''t really see how the new and "improved" scoring system is better and more fair....when I think of a medalist, whether its gold, silver, or bronze, I think of perfection or near perfection, not someone landing on their knees. At this rate, a gymnast can train super difficult skills without worrying about landing on their feet because they can still win.....the scoring at the gymnastics at this Olympics has left me so confused

 

[Anna0499]

I agree that the tiebreaking system is complicated & obscure. On the other hand, I'm sure that every single participant was given a copy of the rules before they competed. If the tiebreaker had given the medal to Nastia I doubt the rule would've been given such negative treatment by the announcers, news media, etc. I am by no means a gymnastics expert, but I assume the participants are given the right not to compete if they don't like the rules. The rule was applied fairly and with full disclosure, which is all that I would ask for in a competition such as this. I just tried to look at the situation objectively, as I have throughout the Olympics because of the understandably biased US media. It is just too bad that Nastia was not given a gold medal, but she won the biggest individual one, so I didn't feel *too* bad for her silver. The subjective scores of the judges is definitely more debatable IMHO, but again, I'm not a gymnastics expert so I can't comment much there either, especially because the announcers don't really dissect the routines of the non-US gymnasts that much. Nastia said that she thought Yang Yilin should've scored higher, so it might not just be as much bias as people think...

Yay for Shawn finally winning gold on the beam & Nastia getting silver!

Horton over-performed and brought some more hardware for the mens team.

China's mens team is just unreal.

The 400m hurdles sweep was great to see as well. Did anyone see the silver medalist for pole vault get pretty much degraded by her coach after she medaled?! I wanted to slap him in the face! She looked so sad after that conversation, I'm glad they got it on camera. Yelena was absolutely adorable after breaking her own WR, & Shelly-Ann with her braces - so cute!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

We continue to enjoy the games.

My DH and I were screaming watching Simon Whitfield race (in the end) of the triathalon. Great race and brilliant finish. Made my heart stop.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/19/2008 11:14:50 AM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

We continue to enjoy the games.

My DH and I were screaming watching Simon Whitfield race (in the end) of the triathalon. Great race and brilliant finish. Made my heart stop.

cheers--Sharon

Oh those -athalon athletes are phenomenal! All-around athletes in every sense of the words. Simon made an amazing move to finish strong & really showed heart at the end.

 

[ucdcows]

Date: 8/19/2008 9:51:26 AM
Author: IndyGirl22
I agree that the tiebreaking system is complicated & obscure. On the other hand, I''m sure that every single participant was given a copy of the rules before they competed. If the tiebreaker had given the medal to Nastia I doubt the rule would''ve been given such negative treatment by the announcers, news media, etc. I am by no means a gymnastics expert, but I assume the participants are given the right not to compete if they don''t like the rules. The rule was applied fairly and with full disclosure, which is all that I would ask for in a competition such as this. I just tried to look at the situation objectively, as I have throughout the Olympics because of the understandably biased US media. It is just too bad that Nastia was not given a gold medal, but she won the biggest individual one, so I didn''t feel *too* bad for her silver. The subjective scores of the judges is definitely more debatable IMHO, but again, I''m not a gymnastics expert so I can''t comment much there either, especially because the announcers don''t really dissect the routines of the non-US gymnasts that much. Nastia said that she thought Yang Yilin should''ve scored higher, so it might not just be as much bias as people think...

Yay for Shawn finally winning gold on the beam & Nastia getting silver!

Horton over-performed and brought some more hardware for the mens team.

China''s mens team is just unreal.

The 400m hurdles sweep was great to see as well. Did anyone see the silver medalist for pole vault get pretty much degraded by her coach after she medaled?! I wanted to slap him in the face! She looked so sad after that conversation, I''m glad they got it on camera. Yelena was absolutely adorable after breaking her own WR, & Shelly-Ann with her braces - so cute!

I agree with Nastia, I think the bronze medalist should have actually won gold as all their routines start from the same value and she made the least visible mistakes and stuck her landing.

The coach of the silver medalist on pole vault was so mean and rude...if that was me, I would find another coach when I get back to the US....I mean, she just started competing 4 years ago...I think a silver medal is pretty good the first time around!

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/19/2008 2:20:26 PM
Author: ucdcows
I agree with Nastia, I think the bronze medalist should have actually won gold as all their routines start from the same value and she made the least visible mistakes and stuck her landing.

The coach of the silver medalist on pole vault was so mean and rude...if that was me, I would find another coach when I get back to the US....I mean, she just started competing 4 years ago...I think a silver medal is pretty good the first time around!

I agree as well. After re-watching the routines, I must say that Yang Yilin's was the cleanest. I would've given He Kexin the silver & Nastia the bronze. There has been so much discussion about the tiebreak on gymnastics boards and I read breakdowns of all the deductions from gymnastics experts (from the US) and most agree that the judging was fairly scored between He & Nastia (not YYL), regardless of their opinion on the tiebreak rule. You could clearly tell that Kexin & Nastia thought YYL's was the best too if you watch their reactions when she stuck that landing. Kexin lifting Yilin in the air (or trying to) was the cutest moment of the Olympics thus far for me.

OMG I was so glad they caught that jerk on camera...now everyone knows how he reacts when his athletes win a silver medal in her fourth year of vaulting against the world record holder.

 

[blondebunny]

all I can say is YAYYYY for Shawn!! I wanted her to win a gold so bad, she is just so darn cute!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 8/20/2008 12:56:35 AM
Author: blondebunny
all I can say is YAYYYY for Shawn!! I wanted her to win a gold so bad, she is just so darn cute!!

Ditto!! She always has a huge smile, but THAT ONE isn''t going away for a long time!!

As for the tie break fiasco--

.

The scoring is wack in general. They need to get some of this shiz worked out in the next 4 years. Because it''s not even fun to watch like this.

Not to mention reevaluating the age thing...

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet...




















DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/20/2008 1:51:22 AM
Author: fleur-de-lis
Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet..

DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

Haha...that''s the kind of bling you get when your FI is an NFL star!

This is the best pic I could find! http://www.iaaf.org/mm/photo/competitions/other/42924_w600xh400.jpg

I did feel bad for her for running out of gas at the end...so crazy!

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/20/2008 1:14:48 AM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 8/20/2008 12:56:35 AM
Author: blondebunny
all I can say is YAYYYY for Shawn!! I wanted her to win a gold so bad, she is just so darn cute!!

Ditto!! She always has a huge smile, but THAT ONE isn''t going away for a long time!!

As for the tie break fiasco--

.

The scoring is wack in general. They need to get some of this shiz worked out in the next 4 years. Because it''s not even fun to watch like this.

Not to mention reevaluating the age thing...

Yeah, Shawn is adorable! I think that''s one of the main reasons she gets more publicity than Nastia. Nastia smiles sometimes, but she normally just looks so sullen, it doesn''t make for great media pictures.

I had fun watching the gymnasts regardless of the scoring system & the womens team collected so many medals; I am happy for them! I think discrepancies between judges will always occur & the person on the losing end will always have that excuse, but Nastia (not her father) & Shawn have been very gracious in their comments IMO. Maybe the IOC/FIG will change their system, but I have to admit the new system has made it more exciting for ME. It has definitely been a ratings booster for gymnastics, as well. When your start value means so much gymnasts invent & attempt higher difficulty skills, which makes it more exciting for people who don''t watch gymnastics regularly. Just my .02 though.

I''m excited to watch Usain tonight...I don''t much care for his attitude, but his talent is undeniable & historical.

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 8/20/2008 1:51:22 AM
Author: fleur-de-lis
Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet...





















DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

LOL... I thought about making a post about it, I even made my BF rewind the DVR so I could see it again, that thing is HUGE! I mean geez I wouldnt wear it while running, it looks like it would tack on some extra weight.. haha

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 8/20/2008 1:51:22 AM
Author: fleur-de-lis
Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet...
DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

HI:

Funny, my DH made a point of mentioning this to me!!!!! I saw it on her hand.....

Another day of chills and spills! I''m lovin these games!

cheers--Sharon

 

[jas]

Date: 8/20/2008 12:06:34 PM
Author: canuk-gal

Date: 8/20/2008 1:51:22 AM
Author: fleur-de-lis
Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet...
DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

HI:

Funny, my DH made a point of mentioning this to me!!!!! I saw it on her hand.....

Another day of chills and spills! I''m lovin these games!

cheers--Sharon

My DH wondered about the drag that rock would cause. Hubba hubba.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 8/20/2008 9:41:45 AM
Author: IndyGirl22
Yeah, Shawn is adorable! I think that''s one of the main reasons she gets more publicity than Nastia. Nastia smiles sometimes, but she normally just looks so sullen, it doesn''t make for great media pictures.

I had fun watching the gymnasts regardless of the scoring system & the womens team collected so many medals; I am happy for them! I think discrepancies between judges will always occur & the person on the losing end will always have that excuse, but Nastia (not her father) & Shawn have been very gracious in their comments IMO. Maybe the IOC/FIG will change their system, but I have to admit the new system has made it more exciting for ME. It has definitely been a ratings booster for gymnastics, as well. When your start value means so much gymnasts invent & attempt higher difficulty skills, which makes it more exciting for people who don''t watch gymnastics regularly. Just my .02 though.

I''m excited to watch Usain tonight...I don''t much care for his attitude, but his talent is undeniable & historical.

She really is adorable. With the floor routine and the balance beam, BF was rooting against Nastia because he wanted Shawn to walk away with at least one gold medal. It was amusing. Nastia is a beautiful girl, but I think she''s just more serious, while Shawn is a more happy go lucky optimist. I have never seen anyone concentrate as hard as Nastia did though. Holy cow, I was expecting her to start levitating or something!

As for the scoring, I remember watching the Olympics when I was six and thinking how amazing it was when anyone was assigned a perfect ten. It''s so rare, that when it does happen it''s amazing. Even with diving, while it''s subjective, it happens so very rarely that when it does, you know you''ve been in the presence of excellence. While this one exemplifies the harder elements, there are a lot more errors, and it''s made gymnastics harder to judge because of all of the little dopey errors. Not to mention it ups the possibility of athletes hurting themselves.

Regardless, there is something wrong with the scoring if a gymnast lands on her knees and still wins the bronze, while others who didn''t land on their knees go home without anything. I don''t care about difficulty level, one of the fundamental goals of gymnastics is to land on your feet. Hops, jumps, steps, fine, take points off-but if she lands on her knees, the vault was not done well. Period.

Usain is amazing. And a typical 21 year old guy. When he comes back in 4 years, and there is a 21 year old hot shot that can give him a run for his money...I find him to be amusing. And gifted.

What was the tennis controversy? I remember hearing a segment where James Blake was saying something about the guy he lost to, but I wasn''t in the room, so I didn''t hear it. Could someone fill me in?

And I''m not surprised that Venus and Serena lost. From what I can tell, Serena has basically stopped training, gained a LOT of weight, and neither of them consider tennis to be their main priority anymore. And the USA doesn''t have any amazing men players right now. I''m glad Nadal won. He''s an incredible player, and watching him beat Federer at Wimbledon was probably the most amazing matches I''ve ever seen. I''m very surprised that Federer lost to Blake though-but I really think the best of three games instead of best of five is something that could have had an impact on his game. And I''m guessing that he had an off day...Don''t mind me, tennis was very much my life for about 17 years...

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/20/2008 12:50:36 PM
Author: FrekeChild

She really is adorable. With the floor routine and the balance beam, BF was rooting against Nastia because he wanted Shawn to walk away with at least one gold medal. It was amusing. Nastia is a beautiful girl, but I think she''s just more serious, while Shawn is a more happy go lucky optimist. I have never seen anyone concentrate as hard as Nastia did though. Holy cow, I was expecting her to start levitating or something!

As for the scoring, I remember watching the Olympics when I was six and thinking how amazing it was when anyone was assigned a perfect ten. It''s so rare, that when it does happen it''s amazing. Even with diving, while it''s subjective, it happens so very rarely that when it does, you know you''ve been in the presence of excellence. While this one exemplifies the harder elements, there are a lot more errors, and it''s made gymnastics harder to judge because of all of the little dopey errors. Not to mention it ups the possibility of athletes hurting themselves.

Regardless, there is something wrong with the scoring if a gymnast lands on her knees and still wins the bronze, while others who didn''t land on their knees go home without anything. I don''t care about difficulty level, one of the fundamental goals of gymnastics is to land on your feet. Hops, jumps, steps, fine, take points off-but if she lands on her knees, the vault was not done well. Period.

Usain is amazing. And a typical 21 year old guy. When he comes back in 4 years, and there is a 21 year old hot shot that can give him a run for his money...I find him to be amusing. And gifted.

Yeah, I agree that Nastia is just more serious in her facial expressions whereas Shawn just smiles no matter what she''s thinking. She''s so cute. I know I mentioned this earlier, but did anyone else see Kexin lifting Yilin in the air after the uneven bars? ADORABLE no matter what country they''re from! The main thing I didn''t appreciate about the whole tiebreaking thing is that the announcers kept talking about it throughout the medal ceremony & instead of showing the gymnasts we saw Valeri getting the scoring explained to him by the judges. I love seeing the gymnasts get their medals & I was annoyed. I also heard that comment by Tim (I think) about the judges not having gold medalists coming from their countries...I just thought that was a lowblow & irrelevant.

Usain is so above the curve right now, it''s amazing for sure. I don''t mind his chest-thumping, dancing, etc. because that''s his choice...the part I didn''t like about his attitude was not going for it all. This is just my personal feeling, but if I was that far ahead of the pack I would go all out & finish with the best possible time/world record time. His high-stepping the last 20 meters or so is just something I wouldn''t have done because it increased his time, but obviously I''m not in his position nor will I ever be! Shelly-Ann is 21 too & she was so cute after winning.

Diving last night was so beautiful! He Chong was absolutely dominant & scored 11 perfect 10s...he was in a whole different league. I could really see the Chinese sweeping diving 8 for 8.

 

[diamondfan]

Canuk, is Sanya the one engaged to the NY Giants football player, who just won the Superbowl? Surprised she runs with that baby on!

I think some things artistically are more subjective. One judge can like the balletic look while one likes the more athletic and no one can tell them what to like. However, when the Chinese girl had a lower degree of difficulty AND literally lands on her shins and knees and STILL gets a medal something is WRONG. This new scoring system is odd, and again, while some things fall under a personal opinion, I disagree that a landing like that deserves a medal when someone else just did their vault better.

the tie breaker crap for gymnastics was just ridiculous. Could they not come up with better? It worked better in the men's scoring but still seems needlessly impractical to me.

I also do not get the slowing down as the runners get to the finish...would you not want the fastest time you could get instead of slowing down the last 15 meters or so? Seems odd to me.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 8/20/2008 1:59:29 PM
Author: diamondfan
I also do not get the slowing down as the runners get to the finish...would you not want the fastest time you could get instead of slowing down the last 15 meters or so? Seems odd to me.

I think that Usain was just celebrating early--someday if he does that again in the finals of a big race he''s going to regret it. With preliminaries, they runners are trying to conserve energy and their muscles so that they don''t exert too much or hurt themselves really badly before the big race. They don''t ordinarily do it during the finals--usually they keep blazing until they pass that line. Usain is the only one I''ve witnessed pulling up before the fact. I think he races later today/tonight so I''ll be watching to see if he does it again. I''m pretty sure he won''t though because I bet someone has told him his early celebration wasn''t well received...

I''m liking the Men''s Beach Volleyball. Dalhausser is fascinating to watch.

 

[snlee]

Date: 8/20/2008 12:28:05 PM
Author: jas

Date: 8/20/2008 12:06:34 PM

Author: canuk-gal

Date: 8/20/2008 1:51:22 AM

Author: fleur-de-lis

Ladies, since this is Pricescope, I can''t believe that no one has noticed/mentioned it yet...

DOES ANYONE HAVE A CLOSE-UP OR KNOW THE CUT OF U.S. 400M RUNNER SANYA RICHARD''S 7 CARAT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING??!??!

f-d-l

HI:

Funny, my DH made a point of mentioning this to me!!!!! I saw it on her hand.....

Another day of chills and spills! I''m lovin these games!

cheers--Sharon

My DH wondered about the drag that rock would cause. Hubba hubba.

Yeah, I''m surprised she runs with it on. I thought it was at least 5 carats when I saw it. Wow, 7 carats!

 

[diamondfan]

Freke, do you know origin of Dalhausser''s shaven head?

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/20/2008 2:24:44 PM
Author: FrekeChild

I think that Usain was just celebrating early--someday if he does that again in the finals of a big race he's going to regret it. With preliminaries, they runners are trying to conserve energy and their muscles so that they don't exert too much or hurt themselves really badly before the big race. They don't ordinarily do it during the finals--usually they keep blazing until they pass that line. Usain is the only one I've witnessed pulling up before the fact. I think he races later today/tonight so I'll be watching to see if he does it again. I'm pretty sure he won't though because I bet someone has told him his early celebration wasn't well received...

I'm liking the Men's Beach Volleyball. Dalhausser is fascinating to watch.

Yeah, I get why he wouldn't go full-go during a prelim but during the 100m final was something else - I had never seen a runner do that. He makes everything look so effortless.

I think our beach volleyball will sweep; we are definitely the favorites (I would assume) & both teams have looked pretty strong. The Beijing Beast & the Professor are a great team. I wish more basketball was shown at night because they have just been dominating everyone.

***SPOILER***
The 200m final has already taken place this morning & Usain beat Johnson's record running a 19.3 flat. From all accounts, he ran the entire way through. He probably could've run the 100m in 9.6 or 9.55 if he hadn't showboated at the end. Oh well, his perogative I guess. Crazy DQs gave the US silver & bronze...it's funny how they accepted the track protest hours after the race but in other events you have to object before the results are announced (i.e. Hamm winning the gold).
***END OF SPOILER***

 

[Anna0499]

Date: 8/20/2008 3:19:41 PM
Author: diamondfan
Freke, do you know origin of Dalhausser''s shaven head?

DF, I''m not Freke (obviously) but the announcers said that he always had a full head of thick, dark hair (you can see it in photos) & then one day he realized he was going bald so he just shaved it all off! They said he was worried he wouldn''t have a good looking head but it looked fine & he''s more intimidating on the court so it''s been that way ever since. I don''t know if this is true...it''s just what the announcers said in one of the first games they played.

 

[snlee]

I''m sad swimming and gymnastics is over.

Watching Phelps win 8 gold metals was AMAZING and so exciting!

I was very upset about Alicia not getting bronze for the vault and Nastia not getting silver. I understand it all came down to the star vault for vault but Cheng Fei shouldn''t have gotten suh a high execution score for vaullt when she landed on her knees! How can you get a metal after landing on YOUR KNEES!? And the tiebreaking thing for the uneven bars was ridiculous! I think Nastia should have gotten a higher execution sore than He Kexin. Her routin was cleaner and she landed her dismount.

I am so happy for Shawn winning the gold!!! And Johnathan for winning the silver.

Watching those routines always make me so nervous!

Lolo not getting gold or any metal last night was so heartbreaking to watch. I felt so bad for her.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 8/20/2008 3:23:08 PM
Author: IndyGirl22

Date: 8/20/2008 3:19:41 PM
Author: diamondfan
Freke, do you know origin of Dalhausser''s shaven head?

DF, I''m not Freke (obviously) but the announcers said that he always had a full head of thick, dark hair (you can see it in photos) & then one day he realized he was going bald so he just shaved it all off! They said he was worried he wouldn''t have a good looking head but it looked fine & he''s more intimidating on the court so it''s been that way ever since. I don''t know if this is true...it''s just what the announcers said in one of the first games they played.

He was 21 when he started to go bald. My mom thinks he''s a hottie. Lol. I''m 5''2 and I''d be staring at his belly button being that he''s 6''9.

His high school pics with his full head of hair are awesome. I don''t know about him being more intimidating at all though-he''s too skinny to be intimidating--maybe this would be different if I were on the other side of the net. They talk about his hair at least once a match...

 

[meresal]

How did I never see this thread?!?!

Did anyone see the interview with Bella and another gymnast person(??) about the judging, it was on Sunday or Monday night, I believe during the 6 or 7 o''clock hour CST. They were talking about how the Olympics are trying to represent as many countries as they can, as far as judges go. Well, what this means, is that there are going to be very inexperienced judges that can be very easily influenced by crowd reactions. Did you all notice how no matter what the Chinese did, they always ended with a fist pump, and a huge smile. The crowd went crazy no matter what. I think this attitude factors in alot with judges that aren''t as veteran, and don''t notice all the deductions they should be seeing.

FYI: One of my friends is running tomorrow night in the 400m Men''s Final. His name is Jeremy Wariner. FI is already padding the walls, because he knows I''m going to be screaming for him. LOL!!!

I''m so excited!!! This is his second Olympics, but he has another USA sprinter that is running against him and their times throughout the past year have been very close. So if anyone knows who he is, please cheer!!