Some things leave you slack jawed

[Occhidiangela]

I get to see bits and pieces of the Olympics, and my first look was at the last Romanian lady doing her floor routine, the performance that helped win her team a gold over the US silver. It was awe inspiring, fluid, graceful, powerful, and just plain brilliant.

Have seen a number of the American and Chinese male gymnasts. They raise the bar in degree of difficulty and innovation each time a new Olympic Games is held. Incredible what those men can do.

But this morning, I was left slack jawed. I watched a young lady from North Korea, Pyon Kwan Sun, put on a display of artistry on the uneven bars the likes of which I have never seen. Oh yeah, full double back flip lay out dismount, nice landing.

Have been watching with interest the ladies gymnastics since Olga Korbut's day, and since my daughter indluged in that sport until she got tall and focused on tumbling. I realize that a lot of young ladies hurt themselves in their quest to perform these gravity defying feats of agility and strength.

The margins of performance difference are so small, and the performances are crowd pleasing.

Wow!

Occhi

[Guest]

Are the Olympics every year? I thought I heard that somewhere, but everybody seems to be making a big deal out of it this year so I'm noticing it?

[Occhidiangela]

. . . anyone feed the troll. He will eventually go and hide under a bridge if he is just ignored.

Thanks to you all. :D

Occhi

[Munkay]

Whole heartedly agreed. I've been in complete awe of the gymnastics competition. I dated a gymnast for a long time, and my appreciation for the sport has only grown. In my mind it's one of the best sports (I'm still a sucker for a good football game though).

I'm just pleased that the gymnastics stars from the Olympics will be touring the US, and make a stop in Boston on the 26th of September. With reasonably priced tickets, I can't wait.

Cheers,

Munk

[Artega]

Where did it originate from that trolls live under bridges? I remember reading a book, Knight's Wyrd, if memory serves, that had trolls living under bridges, but I don't think I've ever heard of them living under bridges in other literature.

/hijack

I'm not particularly interested in gynmastics, or the Olympics, but I do have to admit that what those men and women do is downright awe-inspiring :)

[FenrisWulf]

@Artega:
Billy Goat Gruff, I believe, and his two brothers, encountered a troll under a bridge in some sort of classic fairy tale.

@unrealshadow13:
In case you actually were being serious, the Olympics occur periodically, every 4 years. Summer and Winter Olympics are out of synch by two years.

[Occhidiangela]

Fenris, bold lupine hero of Sancturay, most pleazee, meester, no feedee, no feedee.

If we just ignore it, maybe it will look for a forum near a bridge . . . over there, where the sweet grass grows, and there are goats.

Rogue who likes goat cheese

[kandrathe]

I think I remember the Trolls from the tale of Three Billy Goats Gruff living under the bridge. And, besides, the Norwegians would know.

[Nystul]

And the moral of the story is "Don't bite off more than you can chew."

On topic, the gymnastics meet was rather impressive. I personally couldn't stand on a balance beam for the length of a routine without falling, so actually moving on one would be out of the question! I also wonder if I could even get myself up onto the rings apparatus without losing my grip. But the top athletes now are so solid, and the skills are getting harder all of the time.

The bad thing about watching gymnastics is that a lot of times I find myself thinking "Blah, blah, blah... let's hurry up and get to the part where he takes a step on the landing and blows the whole routine." It may be because the U.S. teams are very solid now, NBC is only showing the other top teams, and it becomes harder to appreciate a great routine when you watch 15 of them in a row that look identical. Particularly on the men's pommel in the apparatus final, they are absolutely amazing but it's hard to tell what the judges might be using to pick a winner.

[kandrathe]

How about the US shooter, Matt Emmons, who had a gold medal in his sites, and on his 10th and final shot -- shot the wrong target. Doh. A classic snatched from the jaws of victory scenario.

I'm a big fan of modern pentathlon, I mean who can shoot, run, jump horses, fence and swim all at an Olympic level. Now they just have to have an interest in archeology and they're Indiana Jones or Lara Croft.

I'm a little embarrassed by how the US is doing at the games. Not, the loses, but all the winning. It's like going to Christmas, and finding that you got almost all the presents. Part of the problem is the excessive amounts of money we spend helping these people to train and do nothing else from the age of three, but it still seems not fair somehow.

But, some Karma balance has occurred. The US Olympic baseball team blew the trials with Mexico, and so "our" game can be played without us. And, the "pro" packed US basketball team is struggling against "real teams" that are not just tossed together a few weeks before trials. It seems though that many nations have their niche sports as well. Fencing seems primarily dominated by Europeans, Dressage is Germany's and Judo seems solidly Asian.

My wife was skeptical when I told her I was watching the riveting Olympic Badminton and Ping Pong -- but she outright called my bluff when I described the domination of the Russians in Olympic thumb wrestling. :)

Edit: typos

[degrak]

I am not really interested in the Olympics, so I do not try to watch them. However, if I am near a television full of boredom (which has been the case lately), I will give them a watch.

Gymnastics has always been the area in the Olympics that I like to watch. The only other events I can manage are fencing, judo , and weight lifting. Maybe basketball. Archery is neat, but I would probably be bored watching it. (I never actually watched it.)

The only events I actually had a chance to see were gymnastics (m team, m/w all-around), some volleyball, and a tiny amount of judo. (And maybe seconds of some others.)

I am sure all of the Olympic athletes are incredible, but the gymnasts are amazing. It is awesome how they can do all of that.

I never root for a country. This also makes it easier to watch and enjoy.

[Refrigerator]

I saw an Olympic medal comparison a few days ago, and as of then, the U.S. and Canada's medals added up to 50 in total.

U.S - 47
Canada - 3

:lol:

Well, at least we have that tutu guy... :lol:

[TaiDaishar]

And with Israel's medal it goes to 51!

Just like Israel is the 51th unofficial state!

[Nystul]

I'm a little embarrassed by how the US is doing at the games. Not, the loses, but all the winning.

I'll take all the medals we can get, as long as our athletes are playing by the rules. After the BALCO thing, it's hard to watch any of the U.S. track team without wondering about drugs. I look at Germany's swimming results: 0 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze. East Germany used to have the best women's swim team in the world, and everyone knew the reason why. I hope that's not the way we look back on the U.S. track dominance (or swimming, for that matter) a few decades from now.

It seems though that many nations have their niche sports as well.

Absolutely. The only sports the U.S. group is really dominating are swimming, short-distance track, and various women's team sports. U.S. teams have always done well in those areas, so it's really nothing new. China is dominating a bunch of sports most Americans don't really follow, are not all that far behind in the medal count, and are keeping up nicely in terms of gold medals.

[kandrathe]

China is dominating a bunch of sports most Americans don't really follow, are not all that far behind in the medal count, and are keeping up nicely in terms of gold medals.

One thing I noticed about China was that they do well in sports that require individual commitment and relentless practice. They will only improve though as more of a middle class emerges and the former peasants have some free time to devote to sport.

[kandrathe]

Hmmm, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. If they were a state, I would have some terse words for your governor and legislature.

[Occhidiangela]

Gold Medal in the high bar, and what a way to win!

I was impressed with Mr Hamm's performance, fluid, graceful, and a fine dismount.

And then, I was blown away.

Igor Cassini gave us a breathtaking and brilliant performance on the high bar. The aerial circus he performed over the bar, catching it every time, and the tight landing after his squirrel cage of a dismount was a stunner. See the replay if you can, it is amazing that he was able to pull this off.

The Russian who followed him was working into a fine follow up when he missed the bar. Drat, was hoping to see yet another mind bender.

Those guys are GOOD!

Occhi

[kandrathe]

Wow! Yeah, I saw that with Mrs. K tonight. That was one of those "How did he do that?" moments. Like seeing your first quad ice skating jump. These guys are going to have to start training with the circus trapeze artists.

[degrak]

I was able to catch some of the individual events last night.

I think the most interesting part was with Alexei Nemov. He had an amazing routine; many big releases and a so-so dismount. But the interesting part was after the judges gave him his score.

Two of the judges only gave him a 9.65 (I believe) and the audience was going crazy. The audience kept going crazy. Then the person in charge of the judges or whatever came out and the two judges that gave the low scores raised their scores.

I thought that was interesting anyway. The announcers said they never saw a crowd like that.

But yes, Igor Cassina had the best routine. All of those difficult, twisted releases. He was awesome. Mistakes or not, they were all awesome.

[Griselda]

Did you see the way Cassini was shaking his head during the medal ceremony? He did *not* look happy. They cut away right after that, but I would love to have heard his thoughts on the events of the evening. Did he think Nemov should have been there instead of him? Was he disappointed with the audience? The judges? They interviewed Hamm, but he didn't seem to have much to say about the whole thing. I almost wonder if it even registered with him.