Pyeongchang

[weezie]

Holy #!^!^

The Tongan guy...finished 114 out of 119 competitors...

I would be happy to represent DBR in Tonga at Pita's welcome home parade. Contributions gratefully accepted for my travel expenses. And, can I get one of those DBR press credential passes in order to interview the young man? The very attractive, very well built young man?

[duketaylor]

Not only that, but I've seen them hose the course before a race to make it icier/faster. So, the skiiers are barreling down the mountain going almost 80 mph and then have to edge super hard on ice to make turns. I wish we could see a solid weekend warrior athlete alongside Olympic athletes skiing, swimming, running, etc. It would really put into perspective how phenomenal they are!

If you play weekend/fun golf, just go play some of the courses in your state that host State Ams, Opens or Tour events and play the tees all the way back. That's about as close most folks can get to the appreciation level that you're talking about. I've been watching luge and skeleton with incredible awe, I'd fear death trying that. Hence, I love curling, as long as there are kegs on both ends!!!

[BigWayne]

Pros vs Joes, Olympic edition. Would be great TV.

Would generate a lot of new footage to compete with Vinko Bogataj's crash.

[DukieInKansas]

My goal each Olympics is to see at least a little of each sport. So far, the only one I have missed this time around is Nordic Combined. Can I count it as seen if I have seen Ski Jumping and Cross Country but not as part of the same event?

[DukieInKansas]

So an athlete has failed a drug test. Show of hands - who thought the first announced positive to a drug test at the Olympics would be a curler?

[camion]

So an athlete has failed a drug test. Show of hands - who thought the first announced positive to a drug test at the Olympics would be a curler?

Well maybe. Does the athlete frequent this online space for drug information?

[DukieInKansas]

Well maybe. Does the athlete frequent this online space for drug information?

Only if they are the 12 oz. curlers and not the curlers that let the stone go before the hog line in the hopes that it will cross the other hog line and the rock will land on the button in the house. (Or something like that - just threw in as many curling words as I could think of off the top of my head.)

[Tom B.]

So an athlete has failed a drug test. Show of hands - who thought the first announced positive to a drug test at the Olympics would be a curler?

A curler? No. A Russian? Well, duh.

Speaking of Russians and doping, Dan Patrick was raving about the documentary Icarus on his show this morning. It's nominated for an Oscar. Might have to check it out.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXoRdSTrR-4

Some grumbling and griping in various corners of the Internet about the USA's pedestrian medal haul so far. There have been some individual disappointments, like Nathan Chen in men's skating and Lindsey Vonn in the Super-G (though, to be fair, that's not her best event -- her specialty is the downhill). But in every Olympics, there's always a few individual medal hopefuls who fail to get on the podium, and a few surprises who do. That's nothing new.

The biggest question, IMO, is what has happened to U.S. speed skating? The U.S. won double-digit medals in speed skating in 2002 (11 -- 8 long track, 3 short track), 2006 (10 -- 7 long track, 3 short track), and 2010 (10 -- 4 long track, 6 short track). But now we're looking at the second straight winter games in which the U.S. wins a grand total of one speed skating medal. In 2014, it was a silver in the men's 5000m short track relay. So far in PyeongChang, the U.S. has only John-Henry Kruger's silver in the men's 1000m short track race. The U.S. does have a shot at a medal in the women's long track team pursuit event (though the best we can hope for there is probably bronze, because the U.S. is matched up in the semifinals against the Netherlands, which has been crushing the speed skating events).

The U.S. also isn't doing as well in the freestyle skiing events this year as it's done in the past, though there are still some events left -- both skicross events (but the U.S. doesn't have an entrant in the men's skicross) and the men's ski halfpipe.

Really looking forward to U.S. vs. Canada for the gold medal in women's hockey.

[OldPhiKap]

Vinko Bogataj's crash.

That's an indelible childhood memory. Every weekend.

[sue71, esq]

SPOILER ALERT
Women's Figure Skating
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US ladies succumbed to nerves, pressure, whatever. Not a great showing. 2 of the Russian (OAR) ladies owned it. So did Osmond from Canada.

Side note: trying a harder jump and falling gets more points than the same jump perfectly executed but one less revolution?!? Dang, I'd try all super hard jumps just for the points. I know, artistry, component scores, etc. But still, it doesn't seem right. Reward daredevils and penalize (essentially) clean, perfectly executed routines.

[DukieInKansas]

I don't get that scoring issue. I think a perfect double should count at least as much as a failed triple.

[JasonEvans]

Look, I quite often find Deadspin to be provocative and sarcastic and foul-mouthed just for the sake of it... but every so often they really get it. Like in this scalding criticism of Bode Miller's skiing announcing (warning, lots of NSFW language in that link).

You are watching the rote, bloodless recitation of a script written and published at the dawn of time. It’s like having the games narrated by Anton Chigurh, only without the enlivening possibility that he will murder someone.

A grisly, spectacular crash is disappointing but inevitable. A bad run is disappointing but inevitable. A good run that falls short of the medals podium is disappointing but inevitable. A gold-medal-winning run isn’t disappointing, but then again nobody in particular deserves any credit for it, because the skier didn’t do anything any better than anybody else, and more probably did many things much worse, but under more favorable circumstances; it was inevitable. Miller’s task is to make sure you understand that none of this has the capacity to surprise him in the least. The purpose of the Winter Olympics is to prove the Winter Olympics cannot get a rise out of Bode Miller.

He is like a vampire that sucks fun and drama out of sporting events. He has turned some of the Olympics’ most exciting and dangerous spectacles into dirges.

-Jason "I'll admit it... the article made my laugh out loud at times" Evans

[gus]

Look, I quite often find Deadspin to be provocative and sarcastic and foul-mouthed just for the sake of it... but every so often they really get it. Like in this scalding criticism of Bode Miller's skiing announcing (warning, lots of NSFW language in that link).



-Jason "I'll admit it... the article made my laugh out loud at times" Evans

Bode Miller has an enormous amount insight and knowledge about the sport and amazing gift for making me tune out and look for something exciting, like curling.

[BigWayne]

Bode Miller has an enormous amount insight and knowledge about the sport and amazing gift for making me tune out and look for something exciting, like curling.

Maybe they can put him at the curling arena so we don't have to listen to that one dude explain the rules every ten minutes.

[Tom B.]

Look, I quite often find Deadspin to be provocative and sarcastic and foul-mouthed just for the sake of it... but every so often they really get it. Like in this scalding criticism of Bode Miller's skiing announcing (warning, lots of NSFW language in that link).



-Jason "I'll admit it... the article made my laugh out loud at times" Evans

I think my favorite Bode moment was last night during the women's downhill. Sofia Goggia of Italy was a little bit behind at the first two or three intermediate time checks, and Bode couldn't stop harping on how critical it was that she not lose time on the top, how much trouble she was in because she was running behind, how virtually impossible it would be to make up time on the lower half, etc. Then she stomped on the gas in the middle section, crossed the finish line in first place, and won the event. From that point on, Bode couldn't stop gushing about what a great run she had.

Then, for good measure, after the first 10 or so skiers had completed their runs, Bode starts talking about how the course and wind conditions early in the competition were so much more favorable, but now they've gotten worse and there's no way any of the remaining skiers will be able to put together a good enough run to get on the podium. Sure enough, along comes Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel -- 19th in the start order -- and busts out a great run that puts her in second place, just 0.09 seconds behind Goggia. More gushing from Bode.

It reminded me of the Duke-UNLV game in the 1991 Final Four, when Duke was down by five late and Billy Packer kept saying Duke didn't need a three-pointer -- then Hurley comes down the floor and drills a stone-cold three, as if to say, "Shut up, Packer." Then Billy turns on a dime and starts hyperventilating about what a great shot that was, "because it was available!"

[BigWayne]

Holy #!^!^

The Tongan guy who only started cross country skiing 3 months ago so he could carry the flag in the opening ceremonies again and show off his physique to the world didn't finish last in the cross country event today. He didn't finish 2nd to last either. He finished 114 out of 119 competitors. That's kinda amazing when you consider that he had never even put skis on his body until 3 months ago.

It's like a little club of Eddie the Eagle wannabes.

Interesting article that explains some of how these Olympic tourists get there.

One that takes the cake though is Elizabeth Swamey.

[duke79]

It's like a little club of Eddie the Eagle wannabes.

Interesting article that explains some of how these Olympic tourists get there.

One that takes the cake though is Elizabeth Swamey.

LOL, yea, give me a few days practice in the half pipe and I think I could put in a better performance!

[Tom B.]

[/B]

LOL, yea, give me a few days practice in the half pipe and I think I could put in a better performance!

Best part is the commentators desperately trying to come up with something -- anything -- to say about her run.

[wilson]

The US women’s cross country skiing gold medal is a pretty great story:
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorc...her-last-event

[JasonEvans]

Hockey and Curling!! Suck it Canucks!!