2014 Sochi Olympics

mapper wrote: I told my wife that skeleton is the winter sport for me. Why, she asked? Because you do it lying down, I answered. On topic: I love the downhill skiing and events like skeleton. They remind me of autocross/time trials. I can relate them to things I actually participate in.

Remember that CSP national champion that GRM featured a few years ago? IIRC, he was a former slalom skiier.

The evening NBC coverage just had a nice description that any autocrosser can relate to- about speed, blind corners, and that you have to plan your corners 3 corners in advance. The Super G has the added benefit of just allowing the skiiers a walk though- no practice. Very cool.

alfadriver wrote:

mapper wrote: I told my wife that skeleton is the winter sport for me. Why, she asked? Because you do it lying down, I answered. On topic: I love the downhill skiing and events like skeleton. They remind me of autocross/time trials. I can relate them to things I actually participate in.

Remember that CSP national champion that GRM featured a few years ago? IIRC, he was a former slalom skiier. The evening NBC coverage just had a nice description that any autocrosser can relate to- about speed, blind corners, and that you have to plan your corners 3 corners in advance. The Super G has the added benefit of just allowing the skiiers a walk though- no practice. Very cool.

Yeah, we're watching that, too. Super G is awesome. Watching some of these ladies get way behind some of those corners and just scrub off speed trying to get back on line—especially in the lower part of this course—is something every autocrosser can relate to.

MrJoshua wrote:

oldsaw wrote:

Alexandri Petri said: This being said, I love ice dancing and figure skating

Leave Samuel Jackson out of this.

Why don't fat guys downhill ski? Physics says they would go faster before the jump, ere go more distance, and you'd think they'd be more aerodynamic...

In reply to Javelin:

Because landing?

Javelin wrote: Why don't fat guys downhill ski? Physics says they would go faster before the jump, ere go more distance, and you'd think they'd be more aerodynamic...

Not a physics major, are ya Jav. ;)

Speaking as a fat guy I don't think my knees could take the pounding all the way down. I thought I would have a better chance in bobsledding but my wife said even if there were a self I could fit in with three of my friends we'd probably end up halfway to Moscow before we could stop.

In reply to JG Pasterjak:

You read my mind. I was watching them set up for corners, late apex most things, and was thinking that this is just autocross on skis! Very cool to watch.

I've always wanted to see someone run the skeleton course on an old school Flexible Flyer sled.

Nathan JansenvanDoorn wrote:

Javelin wrote: Why don't fat guys downhill ski? Physics says they would go faster before the jump, ere go more distance, and you'd think they'd be more aerodynamic...

Not a physics major, are ya Jav. ;)

No, I am not. I know everything accelerates at the same rate due to gravity (assuming equal friction on their skis, etc). Force = Mass x Acceleration, and since A is constant, you would think that a larger mass would end up with more force. Since the jumpers have a groove to go down in, and no corners, it sort of made sense.

But thanks for the snarky comment instead of actually trying to explain it to my feeble brain.

Does Sex Really Distract Olympians?

well that is one reason our expected winners aren't

In reply to Flight Service:

Oh, so now you go and bring Lawrence Fishburn into it to.

Sir Richard Attenborough's take on curling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPYOoPy3t5A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Snowboard Cross is officially my favorite winter Olympic sport.

Snowboard Cross was awesome, although the women getting their sleds sideways in 2 person Bobsled was awesome too!

If people belive the talking heads, particularly the Russian Sports writers, Russia JUST lost the Olympics. Regardless of all the medals they get.

Finland 3, Russia 1.

Soumi!!!!!

It's true. Russia is probably the only other nation in the world that takes hockey as seriously as Canada does. One of the reasons that the Summit series is one of the greatest sports events that's ever occurred.

alfadriver wrote: If people belive the talking heads, particularly the Russian Sports writers, Russia JUST lost the Olympics. Regardless of all the medals they get. Finland 3, Russia 1. Soumi!!!!!

I wonder how much whining there will be about the disallowed goal in the US game now. If my one Russian facebook friend is representative of the rest, there will be a lot, even though it was the correct call.

This just in, mass grave just dug outside Olympic Village for Russia Hockey team, by Putin with the skull of the team's head coach....

By Russia's own account, this Olympics will go down as a failure. Russia was expecting no less than Gold in Hockey and they said that is what would dictate the Olympics being successful.

I was BS'ing with a friend here at work about Russia and their obsession with the hockey gold- I wonder if it were possible that the remaining Russians mail in their performances the rest of the way.

Although, for some of them, that would still result in a gold....

But it would be funny (interesting, I mean ) if the fan base dropped their enthusisam, which would mean less home court based adrenalin.

I caught the end of the Women's curling semi-final this morning between GB and Canada. highly distracting (Kaitlyn Lawes is a little hottie).

So we blew the lead in 2 woman bobsled.

Still got Silver and Bronze

Not bad for a rebuilt sled from a bunch of Nascar and F1 mechanics.

In reply to Flight Service:

I think I heard that the USA 1 team used a BMW sled that was on display at Sochi. Did the team use that one (with updates) or did they repair the original?

They repaired the original with parts from the display sled.

The women's gold medal hockey game:

It goes to overtime. Why isn't it 5 on 5 for the final?

Anyways, that first penalty on Canada. Definitely a penalty in the first period, almost certainly in the second period, maybe in the 3rd... but by overtime, I don't think I'm calling that.

So maybe that explained the extremely weak call on the slash, because that wouldn't have been called in the first period if I'm reffing that game.

Now, the cross check... That was not a cross check. If anything, it was a trip, but I definitely did not see any contact in the one replay that I saw. The ref was out of position, but those are the problems with a 3 man system (I have no idea why they would go with 1 ref, 2 linesmen in the Olympics).

Now that you know I disagree with the call... Let's say that it was indeed a good call, it was a penalty through and through. Why was it not a penalty shot? It met all criteria! (Infraction occured from behind, it was past the blue line, it took away a scoring opportunity, no one between the goalie and the player, and player was in clear possesion and control of the puck).

EDIT: For what it is worth, I am a referee, and I ref everything from mites to High School to [extremely crappy] juniors to ACHA. I actually have reffed with one of the Women's refs in Sochi (not on this game).