The Olympic Post
(First of all, apologies for the lack of noise emanating from me lately. My computer at work has been acting up a lot lately and hasn't let me properly view images (like Postsecret) for weeks now and it's very distracting.)
So, anyone else watching the Olympics?? I am officially enthralled. I've watched so many hours of coverage over the last week, it's hard to even make sense of it all. It's been a wild ride and I have been enjoying it immensely.
I'm no fan of Figure Skating but the Pairs competition from the beginning of the games was an incredible sight. The historic triple-axle was so impressive, as was China's female Zhang seeming to break her knees, get back up, skate up a storm, and walk away with a silver medal. And in the men's competition, I was impressed by the grace of the skaters.
Speedskating, both Short Track and Long Track, has been the highlight for me. This looks like the sport of the future! With their aerodynamic outfits and the flashy icerink, it's a mesmerizing visual experience. The Short Track competitions are wild and crazy just like four years ago while the Long Track races have a cool, cold, charm that seems to match up with the skater's moods. The obvious tension in the American team between all the gold medalists (think about a room full of Oscar-winning actors in a competition for a single role) is just another facet making this sport interesting.
Curling has been fascinating just like in Salt Lake City. Although I wish the announcers wouldn't assume the audience understands what the hell we're seeing and helps us a little more to grok the sport. It's a weird sport, cross between Bowling and Shuffleboard and Chess (apparently). I like how people make fun of it and then I defend it.
Skiing does not hold as much interest to me as it once did. The more modern variations on the sport like Moguls and Ariels are real, real, fun. But even with the cool blue lines on the snow, watching guys and girls ski through slalom just doesn't excite me anymore. Snowboard competition, on the other hand, feels fresh and new and I was very impressed by the brand new Snowboard Cross. Looking forward to that next time.
The luge/bobsled/skeleton events have held minor interest to me. I think skeleton is the most fun to watch because it's the most dangerous. But the 93 million dollar course looks incredible and is, again, apparently, one of the fastest in Olympic history. This sport is a little like NASCAR. You watch it for the hopes of someone making a big mistake and when that doesn't happen, you watch with fascination at the tiny differences in times. A strange sport that kinda reminds me of the past.
I wanted to rattle off some cool moments from the last week, but I find my brain overloaded with images from all the wonderful events and the faces of all the hard-working Olympians. Hopefully some of you out there have been watching as well and can share a memorable moment.
So, anyone else watching the Olympics?? I am officially enthralled. I've watched so many hours of coverage over the last week, it's hard to even make sense of it all. It's been a wild ride and I have been enjoying it immensely.
I'm no fan of Figure Skating but the Pairs competition from the beginning of the games was an incredible sight. The historic triple-axle was so impressive, as was China's female Zhang seeming to break her knees, get back up, skate up a storm, and walk away with a silver medal. And in the men's competition, I was impressed by the grace of the skaters.
Speedskating, both Short Track and Long Track, has been the highlight for me. This looks like the sport of the future! With their aerodynamic outfits and the flashy icerink, it's a mesmerizing visual experience. The Short Track competitions are wild and crazy just like four years ago while the Long Track races have a cool, cold, charm that seems to match up with the skater's moods. The obvious tension in the American team between all the gold medalists (think about a room full of Oscar-winning actors in a competition for a single role) is just another facet making this sport interesting.
Curling has been fascinating just like in Salt Lake City. Although I wish the announcers wouldn't assume the audience understands what the hell we're seeing and helps us a little more to grok the sport. It's a weird sport, cross between Bowling and Shuffleboard and Chess (apparently). I like how people make fun of it and then I defend it.
Skiing does not hold as much interest to me as it once did. The more modern variations on the sport like Moguls and Ariels are real, real, fun. But even with the cool blue lines on the snow, watching guys and girls ski through slalom just doesn't excite me anymore. Snowboard competition, on the other hand, feels fresh and new and I was very impressed by the brand new Snowboard Cross. Looking forward to that next time.
The luge/bobsled/skeleton events have held minor interest to me. I think skeleton is the most fun to watch because it's the most dangerous. But the 93 million dollar course looks incredible and is, again, apparently, one of the fastest in Olympic history. This sport is a little like NASCAR. You watch it for the hopes of someone making a big mistake and when that doesn't happen, you watch with fascination at the tiny differences in times. A strange sport that kinda reminds me of the past.
I wanted to rattle off some cool moments from the last week, but I find my brain overloaded with images from all the wonderful events and the faces of all the hard-working Olympians. Hopefully some of you out there have been watching as well and can share a memorable moment.
posted by elad at 11:33 AM
1 Comments:
I like to watch the skating competition because the commentary is hilarious. The man and woman who do the commentary diss the skaters and talk about the skater's personal problems - like eating disorders and personal tension with their skating partners. They are just trying to bring the drama! I LOVE IT!
Post a Comment
<< Home