It appears that there are more athletes than ever falling and injuring themselves on the outdoor courses at the Sochi Olympics Games. In response, the athletes complain that the the snow is too soft, jumps are too big, course is too steep, ice is too thin, etc. As a spectator, it seems to me that these conditions should normally be easy to overcome for the professionals competing at the Olympics who can make necessary adjustments. In other sports, players often encounter challenging conditions including intense heat, rain, and wind. Even at Wimbledon, the grass on the court doesn't stay too long after the first couple of rounds. For the skiers in the family, do their arguments hold water or is it just whining on the part of the athletes?On Feb 17, 2014, at 8:51 PM #6 Opened a discussion while Sochi was in full progress:
Sent from my iPadOn Monday, February 17, 2014 6:07 Ole JJ replied to #6: (I refuse to translate!)
il y a plusieurs raisons a la multiplication des plaintes de concurrents malheureux aux Jeux de Sochi:
- les journalistes,en majorite de gauche,n'aiment pas Putin et font tout leur possible pour deconsiderer ses jeux olympiques. Ils amplifient donc plus que d'habitude les recriminations contre la preparation des hotels, la nourriture, l'etat des pistes et le manqué de spectateurs.
- les vieux routiers des pistes, habitués aux difficulties des Alpes ou des Rocheuses,ont ete desarconnes par le Caucase. Plutot que de blamer leur manque de preparation, ils ont critique
Le pays organisateur.
- Nous avons suivi les jeux a la tele francaise et, franchement, nous les avons trouves tres plains ants et bien organises. Vu d'ici, ils se sont deroules dans la bonne humeur et l'esprit sportif le plus pur.
Ne vous fiez donc pas aux journaux Americanism qui sont tous pourris.!
Bisous a tous,
Papa
I think the athletes have been making excuses.On Monday, February 17, 2014 7:31 PM, #7 joined the debate:
For the outdoor courses, they're allowed to give their input, and adjustments are made accordingly before they start the actual competition. Reina and I have watched the games on the Canadian website, so we haven't had much of the American perspective. As you can imagine, the Canadian commentators are rather boring and pretty neutral. They made a comment here and there that a course has a few tricky parts, but they'll usually lay an athlete's failure upon the athlete, plain and simple. I agree with Enguerrand, the flying tomato, and all his slacker followers, under-performed; I personally think he's just gone corporate and the world's caught on to half-pipe snowboarding and the other newer events. As for the other sports, I haven't really taken much of an interest since I think most of the downhill stuff is contingent on many chance factors that make it hard to judge a skiers true merits. However, we have looked at the figure skating competition, and there certainly are a great deal of falls there. Due to the way the scoring works, so many of these skaters have impossible routines that still allow them to win despite falling on half their jumps. The gold and silver for the men, some Japanese dandy and Patrick Chan (a Canadian mega-star) attempted numerous quadruple spins--something unheard of only a few Olympics ago--fell on half of them, and scored a cool 20 points higher than all the other skaters. This bizarre way of assessing coupled with the dull obvious commentary of the Canadian hosts has turned me off from an event I used to really like to watch. It even made me nostalgic about French skater, Philipe Candolero, ripping off his shirt and throwing his shirt to a group of hooting old woman at the end of his program. Reina and I have now turned to the X-game sports to see creativity in athletics properly awarded.As for the arguments against Putin and Russian desolation, I guess I don't disagree with the criticism, but it certainly isn't anything new, and it hasn't negatively impacted the Sochi. Frankly, there was way more to criticize in the way of human rights abuses in the Beijing Olympics, but most people seemed to overlook that, So far as progressive empowerment goes, this Olympics takes the cake introducing a female counterpart to every event--even women's hockey.I haven't heard much about the gay thing, but maybe the American pundits are still cackling about it.Overall, the Americans have sucked it up this Olympics, and they're resorting to every little excuse they can. Then again, it's only the Winter Olympics and over half the events are somewhat ridiculous--seriously, luge relay, and women's curling?--so I'm not sure why they see the need to save face. Let the Scandinavians and Canadians have their day in the winter sun.
On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 11:02 PM, #5 opined:why high expectations for americans? most disappointments were over the hill and over hyped. and yes the world can do x-sports too. alpine events are cool to watch but the results are erratic and subject to change by the temperature of the snow. i like it when the champions excel in the olympics in sports like biathlon, cross-country, skating, and sleding. but i agree, champions usually can adjust accordingly. martin fourcade took 6th in the first race of biathlon, then took two golds after adjusting his skills to the softer snow.
On February 18, #1 who lives in Moscow added:Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 10:55 AM #6 responded:You took the words right out of my mouth. I was just remarking to Roxanne that I really like watching cross country and biathlon these days. There is something so admirable about watching the guys and women slug it out on the snow and then collapsing from exhaustion at the finish line. I also like the events because it seems like older competitors (25+) have a competitive chance like the Norwegian winning at the age of 42. In addition, I was particularly impressed to see the Swedish woman Khala come back from way behind to win it.For me, speed skating might as well be the equivalent of swimming in the summer olympics: too many distances and boring to watch after a while. Unlike #7, I like figure skating. I don't think I am alone in taking pleasure in watching the skaters either land difficult jump combos or falling on their butts. For those like Auguste that appreciate the more graceful side of skating, there is always ice dancing where the competitors don't jump but offer twizzles in unison instead.I agree with #5 & #7. The X-factor events are no longer the exclusive domain of Americans. Although, I do like the snowboard cross event. It's a bit like short-track in that competitors will inevitably fall. You really have to feel for Lindsey Jacobelliis who's been close to winning the gold medal for the last three Olympics only to experience a wipe-out near the end of the course.
Dear All,To whom cares to read this. I also viewed some events, albeit after fitness training at a swimming pool overloaded with chlorine and other chemicals, which eventually caused mild skin irritation on my face and hands.I was quite disappointed the French couple didn’t win at least bronze for their stellar performance in artistic skating but agree with Gabriel, the biathlon is more exciting to watch than latent sports such as curling.The problem with watching the games on Russian TV is that the commentators are extremely biased and almost cruel when it comes time to recognise that other some foreign athletes can do better in some events than they can such as speed skating or biathlon. For this reason, I usually watch the games, when I have time, in mute mode.The most discussed events in Russia of late has been a lady falling on her back and then undergoing a six-hour long spinal cord surgery in the local hospital, (the local medics should haves sent an SOS to Richard to fly over with a scalpel or two) as well as the contested defeat of the Russian hockey team against the USA. I just nod away and smile when asked my view by disgruntled locals about the questionable objectivity of the American referee at this hockey match. Of course the first goal should have been awarded to the Russians, of course they, the Russians, should have won, etc. So I nod away and hope that the best team will eventually win. The Russians have another chance to battle their way to the hockey finals but will have to confront tougher teams to get there rather than Slovenia. As an aside, I remember Bishop Ott’s commentary, repeated at least four or five times during homilies for teens back in 1986, whilst in Baton Rouge, “Adversity made LSU a better team”, referring to coach Dale Brown’s complete revamp of the LSU tigers, a truly puny team and enabling them to reach the final four of the SEC conference that year (sport trivia for Julien). So the Russians, if they are really the best hockey players, will have to brush aside their initial disappointment and prove that they are indeed the ‘better’ team by defeating all others in the league.I don’t really like the integration of professionals into the Olympics as it was intended for amateur athletes. Regretfully, this seems to be the preferred trend these days. Figure skating has become excessively geared on acrobatics than any real artistic quality. I can still remember being very impressed with Katerina Witt, an East German figure skater, who ‘stole’ the gold medal from the US favourite, Rosalynn Summers at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984 because of incredible artistic interpretation on music themes of Bizet’s Carmen. She went on to ‘steal’ the gold again from Rosalynn Summers at the World’s skating competitions a few months later.Unfortunately it seems that quadruple- -and maybe in a few years quintuple—jumps are required to obtain the better score. The athletes are also getting younger. At fifteen, an adolescent girl enjoys much more body flexibility than an older girl of 18 or above. The trend seems to mirror the preference for gymnasts who are 11 or 12 rather than fully grown adults…shouldn’t there be a threshold to make this a genuinely adult event?Besides a few accidents and the soft snow issue, there does not seem to be many scandals yet. The gay protesters are keeping quiet for the time being but maybe preparing a surprise before the games are officially over. Wait and see.In fact, the question that I care to dwell on most about is to figure out if Sochi will remain a sustainable and affordable ski destination once the Olympics are over. Will the real estate bubble burst? If so, what impact will the Sochi demise have on investment confidence and tourism and hotel development in other regions in this vast, forsaken land? The risk is dire and imminent like Damocles sword swooping over the heads of the investment and banking community. A cliff hanger of sorts. If the resort topples over like a card castle under the weight of sheer greed and unrealistic speculation, then I may have to pack my bags for another emerging market to continue developing hotel projects.Continue enjoying viewing the canned Sochi games from wherever you are, be it in Dallas, the Colony, Rockwall or San Antonio. As an alternative, it may be more refreshing to view the games from a Hispanic point of view on Univision or Telemundo. I doubt that there are many Mexican or South American athletes at the Winter games, except maybe a bob-sled team or two.Warm greetings from Moscow where it is really hot this winter: +1-3°C
sent from my iPad
Subject: RE: Is it the snow or unprepared athletes at the Olympics? #4 Joins the Conversation on Feb. 19----
All:
I thought I would join in on the conversation. I'm glad to see we're all big fans of the Winter Olympics, and I usually I'm trying to catch as much of it when not busy with work and running a household. Claire and Lou Henry seem to be paying close attention, and already have taught themselves to cheer for their fellow countrymen, even to the point of cutting out little American flags and taping them on sticks!
So far I think the Sochi games have been going pretty well, and having watched many an Olympics in my lifetime, the criticisms in the press about this or that are nothing new. American media is always looking for something to talk about, the less newsworthy the better. Russia is fortunate to have such a deep reservoir of culture to draw from that it was a pleasure watching the opening ceremonies and listening to classic Russian tunes while enjoying the figure skating. I thought the Opening Ceremonies was tasteful and expertly choreographed, and was happy to see references to Russian deconstructivist art and traditional craft patterns found on the matrioshka dolls. These spectacles have come along way, especially since their lowpoint during the '96 summer games in Atlanta, when it was thought to be great idea to have an army of pick-up trucks running around the stadium (ugh).
Since I receive the standard roster of cable channels at home, I've been unfortunately subjected to the silly coverage from NBC and its affiliated cable channels. Scary pink-eyed Bob Costas is annoying, always trying to assert some dopey opinion about this or that (which made me strangely appreciate his replacement Matt Lauer, whose inherent lack of depth is a plus here), and naturally the focus on American athletes is overwhelming, with countless sob-stories to complement the heavily edited footage of the actual competition (a 9-hour time difference only encourages broadcasters to play up the drama as much as they can get away with). After all, for NBC it's all about having compelling prime-time entertainment to get the highest ratings possible, not an honest account of the events and the competitors. Of course they had to make some time for the Jamaican Bobsled team, as they barreled down the course bumping the sides like bumper cars--it's moving story, and don't we all remember the cute movie "Cool Runnings"! It's a bit better on the NBC Sports Network, since they handle live coverage in the wee-hours of the night and morning, and their announcers seem to consist of actual experts on the event, such as Dan Jansen for speedskating and Johnny Weir (he's a hoot, but he's been there) for figure skating. I do notice that the commentators for cross country and biathlon are among the most animated of all the events.
Yet any smart follower of the Olympics knows that it's best to go on-line to find out who actually won. There's also some more interesting detail to uncover about the things going behind the scenes, such as this particularly story of how the Russian organizers were able transport an emergency shipment of salt for the alpine events. It reminded me of Papa's commodity deals with the Nigerians back in the day. Riveting reading!
As for the athletes complaining about snow conditions, I can relate to a degree. Having skied a lot, I can understand how weather affects the quality of snow, with warm temperatures turning the bottom of the hill into mashed potatoes and effectively making it impossible to maintain control. Snow conditions change throughout the day, and part of the strategy among the racers is to use this knowledge to your own advantage. I remember one of the skiiers complained they didn't finish as well as in their training runs because he didn't get Lasik earlier that year. That makes sense since its difficult to ski under cloudy skies since the dull light makes it impossible to see the terrain in front of you. You would think that a premier skiing competition would try to guarantee optimal conditions, but there's only so much organizers can do. Competitors should know better than everyone how weather changes the snow, and how to deal with it. Sounds like a lot of whining to me, and the results have been pretty consistent regardless. The same usual suspects from Austria, Norway, Italy and Slovenia seem to dominate on the slopes near Sochi. In spite of the failures of the geriatric American star athletes, the US is faring pretty well in the medal count for a Winter Olympics. American TV needs a tantalizing narrative for compelling primetime viewing, so they hang onto whoever fits the bill, whether its the bruised and past-his-prime Shaun White, the aging Bode Miller (!?) crying fo to a reporter, or the emotionless but ethnically correct Shani Davis. Luckily, there are new stars to briefly take the helm, such as all the freestyle snowboarders and skiers, and the Ice-dancing gold medalists (now that's an event that mystifies me when it comes to how it's judged; I enjoyed the routine of the French ice dancing couple more; their twizzles were more exciting to me).
Stephane, I love that reference to Bishop Ott in Baton Rouge. Every time somebody mentions the word 'adversity' I instantly think of that homily. God bless him.
