Hello Sochi 2014

[charybdis]

General Olympics thread.

Wasn't sure whether I should make one, especially since the American team is extremely shitty this year on the skating end of things, but then I watched (which is super weird and occurs before the opening ceremony) and fuck it, I'M EXCITED.

Here's the Sochi2014 youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Sochi2014?feature=watch

When I can find a video of that Hanyu short program, I'll post a link. Seriously though, that triple axel was unf. (Here's the full replay of the Men's Short Program on NBC. http://stream.nbcolympics.com/figure-sk ... FzczIwMTQh. He skates last.)

(Also, no matter what anyone says, until the day I see Patrick Chan skate a clean program, all his supporters can just go fuck off.)

[ramseames]

:(

[charybdis]

Still excited in a super unseemly manner. Just watched the team pairs short program.

The Russians and Canadians really brought it. If you only watch part of it, those would be the two programs I would watch. The US pairs team is lovely, but they're kind of awkward to watch because he's just so much taller. Puberty really screwed them over.

It's been forever since the Russians were considered good at figure skating, so it's interesting to see them dominating—and not just because they're skating on home ice.

Sorry I'm just babbling about figure skating. It was a considerable part of 12 years of my life.

Edit: Also, reading articles about this has drawn my attention to Plushenko's 2002 exhibition program/on-ice striptease

[stappard_]

I'm desperately trying to ignore all the Other Stuff because the winter olympics is ridiculously fun, much more so than the summer version. Even though, as an British person, our team would have about as much chance in most events if we sent 30 or 40 moderately well trained dogs to compete for us

[ballast]

i'm looking forward to this olympics only because of how terrible everything seems to be. a comedy of errors.

feel like this video sets the tone for the olympics.

[charybdis]

[sknss]

i'm guessing ballast is talking about the shady organisation of the games (and not about the athletes' possible fails)

it is pretty funny to watch russia try to cover its flops

this wasn't shown on russian tv thanks to deffered airing but all the other countries saw it

[midvh]

I LOVE the olympics!!!

My childhood friend competed in slopestyle today, he didn't make it through the semi though. Still, it was amazing to watch him on national television competing in the olympics!

[rublev]

Woo! Hoo! Yeah! Looking forward to the ridiculous amount of coverage this will be getting over the next few weeks. Like a few people mentioned above, winter is always way more exciting than summer... more things to do with nature, snow, mountains, ice, people seem to fall over a lot... ICE HOCKEY!! Really hoping for a USA vs. Russia final but i have no idea how likely that is.

[charybdis]

Agh, I wish I could enjoy the ladies event, but every time I see Wagner, I get upset. And it's not really her fault.

If you haven't heard about it, (FYI, the article I linked is a very balanced assessment.)

One of my friends argues that the reason they did it was straight up racism. And by that I don't mean the judges were sitting around in KKK hoods calling Nagasu a dirty Jap, but because east asian countries have been dominant in the women's singles what with Mao Asada and Yu Na Kim and etc, and it's sort of like that Starcraft "Foreign Hope" nonsense. I do personally think that if Nagasu was a white girl, they wouldn't have done it to her, especially since she finished fourth at the last Olympics and was ace at nationals. My mother thinks it's also because Nagasu didn't have a coach at the time of nationals to advocate for her, so she got trampled. Plus, she doesn't have the star power someone like Michelle Kwan does.

I don't think it's fair to take it out on Wagner like a lot of the internet has been, but it reminds me of what being an asian girl in the states really means sometimes. You get passed over.

(On a more cheerful note, whooo Meryl Davis and Charlie White. When I was a flag bearer at the Skate America competition one year, I was on the same ice as them, which was really cool.)

[charybdis]

Women's slopestyle was really cool. Makes me regret never learning to snowboard because I am a coward. I don't think I've ever watched the women's snowboarding events, but this makes me want to go watch the rest of them.

Also,

[ramseames]

fuck college humor. Just remembered this though and its maybe the funniest thing they've ever done so its worth posting.



canadian skiing is a bit of a joke right now so I really can't talk but any day where bode miller feels bad about himself is a good day.

Also for anyone who cares about curling, how nuts is it that kevin martin isn't competing this year? Feels like the end of an era. Hope he comes back for 2018.



Gold medal highlights from 2010 for anyone who wants to reminisce

[edward]

Yeah slopestyle was rad as hell. Stoked for the other snowboard events as well, hoping for Lindsey Jacobellis to finally get that gold.

Also Silje Norendal is such a qt

[hooplah]

i freaking love the olympics

the theme song gets me all teary-eyed

i've been trying to catch EVERYTHING, i've been learning stuff about new sports i didn't know anything about like mogul and downhill skiing and luge. i was watching luge and they were going 85+ mph and i was like holy shit! and then i watched downhill and THEY were going 85+ mph and i was like HOLY SHIT

i actually got to wear a gold medal once; my childhood best friend's mom's friend's daughter (whew) medaled in synchronized swimming and i went over to her house and got to meet her and wear her medal (smiling) it was very heavy

[saniityhd]

[rublev]

It clearly isn't cold enough??

[prawnzee]

hey

Enni Rukajärvi

(love)

[prawnzee]

really happy with the halfpipe results, finns didn't get into the finals so I was rooting for the japanese. great!

[charybdis]

Halfpipe was really fun to watch.

Fifteen year old Japanese kid was adorable and I was also rooting for the guy who won. Too bad about Shaun White though. :< I think the pressure got to him.

Also, also the Japanese mems skaters are super dorky and adorable but I expect they will decimate the competition in their ugly shirts during the short program.

[brlmski]

feel really bad for the german team that fell twice in their pairs freestyle

[odradek]

feel really bad for anyone who has to contend with the "snow"

[charybdis]

Watching the men's short right now. Plushenko withdrew, but considering that he has a herniated disk, I'm not surprised.

Might be interesting to see a Japanese sweep.

Edit: 19 year old american did really well

Rooting for Hanyu tho, even though admires Johnny Weir's judgement and taste.

[brlmski]

i'm not sure what's more adorable. young ones at their first olympics or old veterans at their last.

[kewks]

I really hope the Filipino boy medals!! I don't know how likely that is but if he does that would be absolutely amazing.

I remember the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver were awesome. Everyone was so happy and so patriotic and GO CANADA!! it made me want to cry. I was working when we won hockey gold and it was so dead in the store, we tried to watch a stream of it online. When we won, everybody started parading down the street chanting CA NA DA!! It was awesome but I wish I could have enjoyed it too! :( anyways. I miss the Olympics but watching them is fun too!

[ramseames]

2010 olympics were the best, never had more fun in my own city than that. Wasn't even about the events i went to so much as just the general feeling of being downtown and high fiving random dudes and watching shit on the screen ctv had set up. Wish I'd been of age at the time but what can you do.

[odradek]

[charybdis]

WHOOOOOOO.

That said, not many people skated clean programs, including hanyu and chan. Although, since it's the long program (i.e. four minutes of wanting to die) I'm not surprised.

The ONTD-Figure skating

Nice job to Dennis Ten tho. Everyone was fighting for third and he held it together and skate a clean program.

[edward]

[deadkitty]

I'm in love with Paul-Henri de le Rue

[sknss]

i'm in love with polo's ham