Canadian VJers Commentary on Winter Olympics 2010...

[MrsCat 6]

Maybe its just me, while I love watching snowboarding, I just don't find them to be Olympic quality disciplined athletes. They're better suited for the X-Games.

I'm gonna get blasted aren't I?

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

Maybe its just me, while I love watching snowboarding, I just don't find them to be Olympic quality disciplined athletes. They're better suited for the X-Games.

I'm gonna get blasted aren't I?

Wellll...you could make the same comment about many of the Olympic events. I mean, who thought that two guys in spandex lying on top of each other on a little sled and sliding down a chute of ice would be a great idea for an event? Or ONE person doing the same thing headfirst? And even curling...half of the skips are chubby, at the very least. Not exactly "athletes" now, are they? BUT! That's why they're called the Olympic GAMES, and not the Olympic Sports.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

I mean, who thought that two guys in spandex lying on top of each other on a little sled and sliding down a chute of ice would be a great idea for an event?

[hehpen 0]

Firstly, I love watching figure skating, and I want to cheer them all on with great love for their great work and the enjoyment I get watching these athletes.

I also though have a small thing that bothers me. Today and yesterday, I keep hearing from the sports commentators the following phrase, ‘quad vs. quality’ regarding the figure skating. Dear Canadian commentators, please change the phrasing of the argument to something which reflects the situation better. Quality and quad are not two comparable quantities. There is quality (playing safe with triple jumps to make no mistakes) vs. risk (attempting a quad to push the limits of your abilities in the sport, which in my opinion a person ranked #1 in the world should do), and there is the quad vs. a triple axel, but there is no such thing as the quad vs. the quality.

I understand that you are implying that the quad is such a difficult jump that it takes out a large share of the training time and leaves less time to practice other elements, however, the phrasing ‘quad vs. quality’ makes it sound the Plushenkos’ program did not have any quality to it except the quad.

Quality = how good something is. When I compare two programs I see for example that a) Lysander had better spins (quality) b) Plushenko had better footwork (quality) c) Lysander had cleaner landing in some of the jumps (quality) d) Plushenko had faster speed and execution of the elements (quality).

The quad for an Olympic champion does not and should not hinder his program so much that the rest of his elements turn into junk. So this is NOT about ‘quad vs. quality’ because Plushnkos’ program aside from the quad had plenty of edges that pwned over the moves Lysander could execute. This is NOT about one jump vs. the entire program. This is about one program which involves risk vs. another program with less risk. So the phrasing 'quad vs. quality' is ridiculous.

[La Souris 19]

Beautiful pictures here: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/v...art_1_of_2.html

I think this one is my favourite:

[OBX 51]

Beautiful pictures here: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/v...art_1_of_2.html

I think this one is my favourite:

What a great site; amazing photos!

[Flames9_RN 358]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Olympics/2010Van...0/12963271.html

Elvis Stojko agrees with ya

Firstly, I love watching figure skating, and I want to cheer them all on with great love for their great work and the enjoyment I get watching these athletes.

I also though have a small thing that bothers me. Today and yesterday, I keep hearing from the sports commentators the following phrase, ‘quad vs. quality’ regarding the figure skating. Dear Canadian commentators, please change the phrasing of the argument to something which reflects the situation better. Quality and quad are not two comparable quantities. There is quality (playing safe with triple jumps to make no mistakes) vs. risk (attempting a quad to push the limits of your abilities in the sport, which in my opinion a person ranked #1 in the world should do), and there is the quad vs. a triple axel, but there is no such thing as the quad vs. the quality.

I understand that you are implying that the quad is such a difficult jump that it takes out a large share of the training time and leaves less time to practice other elements, however, the phrasing ‘quad vs. quality’ makes it sound the Plushenkos’ program did not have any quality to it except the quad.

Quality = how good something is. When I compare two programs I see for example that a) Lysander had better spins (quality) b) Plushenko had better footwork (quality) c) Lysander had cleaner landing in some of the jumps (quality) d) Plushenko had faster speed and execution of the elements (quality).

The quad for an Olympic champion does not and should not hinder his program so much that the rest of his elements turn into junk. So this is NOT about ‘quad vs. quality’ because Plushnkos’ program aside from the quad had plenty of edges that pwned over the moves Lysander could execute. This is NOT about one jump vs. the entire program. This is about one program which involves risk vs. another program with less risk. So the phrasing 'quad vs. quality' is ridiculous.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

Ya know, I love watching figure skating too but I don't get the new points system, not at all. It does nothing but confuse me. I don't know where the points come from, where they disappear, why things are reduced when they are, and why things are graded really high when they don't look all that impressive. So, given that, I really don't know who deserved to win the men's gold, I really don't. All I know is that Evan's long program was very dynamic and interesting. I enjoyed watching it, the footwork was great, the movements were soft, the edges looked good and it was skated clean. Plushenko's program on the other hand I found rather generic and boring. The jumping was fantastic, definitely, the jumps had great height and he had the quad, which nobody else was able to pull off. But all the stuff that happened between the jumps? It was just ok. It didn't pull me in and make me want to keep watching, it just seemed like a jump fest with some ok choreography. But, you're right hehpen, "quad vs. quality" really is a poor way to paint it. Lets not pretend that Plushenko has nothing going for him other than the quad... he isn't a 3 time Olympic medalist because his skating has no quality.

What upset me is Johnny Weir's crappy score. I love him and the way he skates! He's so interesting and he has so much passion and expression in all his movements. I think he deserved a lot more than what he got. There goes that confusing points system again...

Did we talk about Canada's gold in the Skeleton yet? I was just watching the medal ceremony, woo!

[Rhiannercakes 14]

Ugh, they just showed a close up of Apolo Ohno's crotch (not on purpose ) in his skating tights.

I didn't need to see it.

[MrsCat 6]

Ugh, they just showed a close up of Apolo Ohno's crotch (not on purpose ) in his skating tights.

I didn't need to see it.

I missed it. Was there lots to see?

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I missed it. Was there lots to see?

Not really, he had his legs spread wide open and you could kinda see SOMETHING poking out

[MrsCat 6]

Not really, he had his legs spread wide open and you could kinda see SOMETHING poking out

[Hugglebuggles 60]

ewwww!

Last night I was watching men's Skeleton and the one guy from Latvia had a male camel toe. There was serious ball separation... And he was running. Just think about that for a moment.

[MrsCat 6]

^ goodness, I'm not going to sleep tonight.

Edited February 21, 2010 by MrsCat

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

ewwww!

Last night I was watching men's Skeleton and the one guy from Latvia had a male camel toe. There was serious ball separation... And he was running. Just think about that for a moment.

Ha! That's so funny...I mentioned "male camel toe" aloud a few days ago regarding a speed skater too. Those spandex suits certainly aren't for the faint of heart.

I was actually wondering how a particularly well-endowed guy's "endowment" would negatively affect his performance (er...performance on the ice, ladies). I mean, aerodynamics are a big factor in speed skating. It would kind of suck if one's package was preventing a medal. "Damn it all, I would have had that extra tenth of a second if I didn't have such a big schlong!"

I'm only half-joking! There's a female speed-skater who has just won a few medals who has virtually NO bust. Her chest is almost perfectly flat. And I seriously believe that the lack of curvature there has helped her performance. I guess there's a lesson there for women: "When life gives you lemons, you become a speed skater."