The Winter Olympics are a month away

[Lavender Brown]

Anyone looking forward to them this year? I've always liked the winter sports more than the summer ones. I know that's weird. :shrug:

[StopTheMorans]

1. didn't even know they were coming; does that count?

:shrug:

[Lavender Brown]

4. Grrr

:P

[xmas74]

2. Been keeping my eye on speed skating

and skeleton.
Chad Hedricks is looking good. Might pull off something huge this time around.

[Lavender Brown]

5. I always watch some of the speed skating

What's skeleton?

[xmas74]

9. Skeleton luge.

On the luge track but (easiest way to explain it) they go down head first.
I believe that it was in the early Winter games but then was banned. They finally brought it back in 2002 as a full sport.

[Lavender Brown]

13. I remember that now... they are adding more and more scary sports

The ski jumping that is judged like diving really freaks me out. Those people are awesome. :wow:

[xmas74]

16. Skeleton is cool to watch.

We, as Americans, tend to place quite well in it on an international level. Maybe it's because it's a sport that you obviously shouldn't use your brain too much or you'd never leave the startline.

[u4ic]

37. Ski jumping is my favourite

of all the winter sports. I don't know if they're incredibly brave, or just lunatics. :rofl:

[bigwillq]

3. I like the summer ones better

I just enjoy the summer sports more. But I will watch the winter ones too!

[Lavender Brown]

6. I watch almost any Olympic event

But there's something about sports involving ice that draws me in. :silly:

[StopTheMorans]

8. it's because you're so cold-hearted

:silly:

[Lavender Brown]

10. Don't pretend you're not a fan of international luge

:P

[xmas74]

11. I love luge

and wish I had the guts to do it.

[StopTheMorans]

12. yeah, nothing does it for me like a bunch of men in spandex and helmets

crammed onto a small, phallic projectile.

[TheMightyFavog]

29. What about the two man luge?

Or as Robin Willims calls it "Boys, get a room!"

[GOPisEvil]

7. Man, did they sneak up on us or what?

For some odd reason I've always liked winter olympics better too. Perhaps because they're not as Ameri-centric. Summer Olympics always seem bloated to me. I dunno.

[Lavender Brown]

15. I've always like the locations more

The Summer Olympics are always in big cities, which are cool, but the little mountain towns where the winter sports are so interesting.

[GOPisEvil]

19. That's true. Plus I really like the mountains and snow.

We don't have either where I live. :)

[mwdem]

14. I was at the last Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City..

I can't believe four years have gone by already!

[Lavender Brown]

21. Which events did you get to see?

:)

[mwdem]

24. Speed skating, a lot of the skiing events in Park City,

didn't see the luge events, and some of the figure skating. Tons of fun, even in SLC.

[Patiod]

17. Not much hype for Torino

Most folks I know don't even know the Olympics are being held there

[Lavender Brown]

20. My parents can't wait for the opening ceremonies

They're Italian, and they're so excited about it being there.

[LynneSin]

18. I use to love the Olympics

but today it's all 'heartwarming stories' and hardly any competition.

I just wish that the Olympics would take the TV rights away from NBC who have ruined this game. In the evening time we should have a choice of channels to watch - one for people who just wanted to be pumped full of "GO USA" and another channel where we can watch the sports we love without excessive interference from the TV stations.

[Lavender Brown]

23. I hate those teasers

I like to know the backstories, but the announcers for the ice skating especially are so sappy. Everything is a sob story.

[LynneSin]

26. I don't mind an occasional backstory

but the Olympics are now basically back-to-back backstories with a few cut-aways to see just the American perform.

It's not that I'm anti-american, but I love to the competitors from other countries. That allows me to size up what the Americans are facing out there and makes it more enjoyable to watch.

[Arkansas Granny]

31. I still love the Olympics, but like you, I can do without all the

little dramas and soap opera style coverage that has been given lately. I want to watch the competition, not life histories. A little goes a long way in that respect.

[AllegroRondo]

32. I agree!!!

I think they got some of it right with the 2004 Summer Olympics. I liked having coverage on 5 different networks, especially Soccer on Telemundo (who cares if its in Spanish? I dont watch soccer for commentary.)

But I'm afraid the upcoming games are going to be more of the 'heartwarming stories hyped to death' again. The main programming will be on in the evening, 8 hours after it really happened in Italy, giving them lots of time to edit and make it more tear-jerking.

[Initech]

45. Personally, I blame Oprah!

[northzax]

22. yeah, baby!

I can't wait for the curling! and the winter biathalon!

[Lavender Brown]

25. oh come on

Curling is exciting. :P

[northzax]

28. actually, it can be

a close match, with two teams playing equally, where one toss is the difference between a lifetime of telling the story "I was in the Olympics" to bored people in bars and having them bribe you with beer to tell the story to them, that's tense.

I say equally, cause I really don't know enough to know if someone is playing well. I don't want to watch an entire match, give me highlites and the last four rocks.

[ContraBass Black]

27. It seems to me that Coca-Cola is trying to bribe Americans to watch

And support the teams.

[TheMightyFavog]

30. The US Mens Hockey Team is gonna get stomped on.

They're all old farts, fer chrissake!

[Lavender Brown]

36. When was the last time they got a medal?

They even did badly when they had all those pros. :shrug:

[sasquatch]

39. The experience will assist us in beating the Hosers and the Ruskies

:D

[TheMightyFavog]

43. The Czechs will stomp all over us first.

I'd put money on it.

[hopein08]

33. ME! I'm with you on preferring winter to summer too...

My preference may be explained by the fact that the first time I ever paid attention was when my 4th grade teacher had us watch the 1992 Winter Olympics and completely incorporated it into class. That was the first time I got interested in current and world events.

Anyway, I like figure skating best but alpine skiing is good too.

[SeattleGirl]

34. The Winter games are my favorite

Summer games are okay, but the Winter games -- yahoo!

[Stockholm]

35. Luge is so Grenoble -68

Curling, that´s the future.

[sasquatch]

38. As long as there isn't any fucking figure skating

It's a non sport that takes up way too much tv time.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

42. Since figure skating is such a non sport, I'd love to see you

do a triple axel or a triple lutz.

Believe me figure skating is a very physical sport. The judging system sucks, but don't take anything away from the training those men and women do.

[alarimer]

40. I am

I like the Olympics in general. I went to the ones in Atlanta. I am hoping to make it to a Winter Games' someday. I like curling for some reason.

[tigereye]

41. I can't wait!

I love the winter Olympics even more than the summer one. The skating! The skiing! Apollo Ono! Speedskating! The Bobsledding! Skeleton! The drunken Europeans in the snow! Even the cross country races! I love it! I wish it were every year!


:woohoo:

zat enough enthusiasm for ya? ;)

[Initech]

44. Hell yes! I love the winter olympics, but...

I'm fucking sick of NBC's Oprah-esque coverage of it all! Shit, it's like 10 hours of sentimental bullshit followed by 15 minutes of actual event coverage. :argh:

But I love the winter olympics far more than the summer ones. Great sports like the biathalon, the luge, the bobsled, curling... :woohoo: