A tribute to the olympians

[tiltjlp]

Well, the winter olympics are pretty much over, and aside from the stunning beauty of many of the women ice skaters, I'm again amazed with the raw courage it must take to begin learning some of those sports. Sure, some of them can be practiced in water, or with nets, but still.

I might be the least courageous person alive, being terrified of heights, and not at all thrilled with speed. but think about it, how can you become a ski jumper other than by ski jumping? And with how impossible it is for some people, including me, to even stand on a pair of ice skates, how can these men and women find the nerve to attempt their first spinning jumps.

Those Xtreme sports may or may not belong in the olympics, but who in their right mind would be dumb enough to jump five stories into the air, twist and turn and flip and flop, knowing they're going to wipe theirselves all over the mountain the first 250 times they do it? I'm in awe of every single one of those olympians, more so the last place finishers who never had a chance of winning.

I find it hard sometines, now that I'm 59, over 300 pounds, and still as clumsy as ever, to realize that those memories of me playing full contact football, being a catcher in baseball, and bowling in countless leagues, are real. Now I walk with a limp and a cane, and not very far. To think that I once was young enough to do those things stuns me. To realize I was once foolish enough to do them make me grin and chuckle a bit. Nowadays, strolling down Memory Lane works up a sweat.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

maudlin.

IMO the xtreme sports are crap and don't belong in the olympics, but on the flip side sports like curling would prolly never have made it if people were willing to accept the opposite of extreme- that is to say, 'boring'.

it's been a great games. lots of interesting stories, more americans making jackasses out of themselves, underdogs winning sports they weren't projected to win, and a really great nordic matchup in hockey for the gold- sweden versus finland.

and here i bash americans yet again, but the vast majority of them spent more time watching garbage like "american idol" instead of the games. then again, most americans can't read a map and know almost nothing about the world, so i guess that's acceptable.

 

[tiltjlp]

Maybe I'm the exception, but I've never watched any of those "talent" or "reality" shows. I watch a few comedy reruns, PBS, Jeopardy, and college basketball, and little else other than movies a friend lends me. I can not only read a map. for 25 years I was a 3rd shift cab dispatcher. And at least the media coverage in the US sure did hype the Americans to the point that they couldn't do anything but fail to live up to all the artificial expectations.

 

[kristian]

If we lose to the damn Swedes......hmm......I think I'll drink a bottle of booze....or two.

But if we win.....I think I'll drink a bottle or two anyway. :)

Sweden vs. Finland is like Brazil vs. Argentina in football. Two rivals.....it can always go either way.....come to think of it....even the jersey colors match.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

i was just reading about that. i hadn't realised before that sweden strong-armed finland into being part of the country before russia and independence came along. kind of reminds me of japan and korea...

anyway, i surely hope the fins win- nittymakki and the defense has been incredible, the guy wasn't supposed to even be on the team and here he makes shutout after shutout, much of it on his own strong play alone. i love stories like that.

i just hope next olympics they expand the "snowboard-cross" sport into more than one event, because it's the best new sport i've seen in a long, long time.

 

[bob]

I'll be rooting on the Finns for ya :) but I also be rooting for that one guy to lose another tooth. :)

I would liked to have seen USA play a little better than they did. I ate supper last night at the club with 3 old Canadian semi-pro hockey players age 78, 79 and 81 and they were as giddy as little girls over the Winter Olympics. You should have seen them when someone changed the TV channel to Nascar :) I thought they were going to the penalty box, but the channel was changed back.

 

[kristian]

@nic: Sweden never "strong armed" Finland. Where did you read that? It wasn't anything like that....it was a "friendly" bond back then.....kinda like Ireland and Wales being parts of Britain.......

But compared to the Swedes Finns are hard.........we have to be.....we had to fight with the Russkies......TWICE....in WW2...and considering the circumstances we did well......Finns are born in a cement mixer........and we drink Koskenkorva and eat rock cakes every day .........so bring it on......Swedish pussies. :)

Seriously.....Swedes are very tough team mentally.......they're always dangerous. Let's hope Ruutu will give Sundin or Forsberg a few nice "kisses".

 

[kristian]

I'll be rooting on the Finns for ya :) but I also be rooting for that one guy to lose another tooth. :)

I would liked to have seen USA play a little better than they did. I ate supper last night at the club with 3 old Canadian semi-pro hockey players age 78, 79 and 81 and they were as giddy as little girls over the Winter Olympics. You should have seen them when someone changed the TV channel to Nascar :) I thought they were going to the penalty box, but the channel was changed back.

The problem for the US team was the big ice surface.....you have guys like Chris Chelios (age: 44)....Matthew Schneider (39).....etc. they're doing well in the smaller rink....but when there's more space and strict referees....they're in trouble.

Finns have size in the defense too....but our key players are fast and furious.....I think US and Canadian teams were built wrong......when building up the team......they should have concentrated on speed and skill instead of getting the beefy guys like Bertuzzi, Hatcher, Pronger and Thornton there....

Finnish team is a great combination of size, strength, speed, youth and experience. The Flyers goalie Niittymaki has been exceptionally good....I wasn't that familiar with the guy before....let's hope he continues to shine tomorrow.

If we win there's going to be at least 200.000 people celebrating the victory in Helsinki tomorrow. They already built a HUGE stage in the market square. We don't really give a shit about how we perform in the other olympic events here.... but hockey is like religion in Finland.

Oh by the way...forgot to mention.....I bet 500 Euros on the Swedish victory...... If we lose at least I get some extra money....to reduce the pain..... if we win.....c'est la vie......

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

@nic: Sweden never "strong armed" Finland. Where did you read that? It wasn't anything like that....it was a "friendly" bond back then.....kinda like Ireland and Wales being parts of Britain.......

i just checked wikiP and the philly paper for where i might have read that. so i stand corrected- dunno where i manufactured that thought from. oh well.

as far as a friendly bond between ireland and being part of britain- um, that's some very nice vodka you're drinking, no? :)

anyway yea, i like that betting technique- lose either way but at least it's known and expected. win either way but you still get to enjoy the surprise of it when it happens.

it's kind of sun tsu, i'd think. or maybe bob dylan. :)

 

[kristian]

as far as a friendly bond between ireland and being part of britain- um, that's some very nice vodka you're drinking, no? :)

You obviously missed the quotation marks... and the sarcasm. Perhaps comparing the bond to Ireland/UK is a bit too much but you get the picture.

15 minutes til' the game starts when I'm writing this......

 

[GHoSTFaCe]

Oh by the way...forgot to mention.....I bet 500 Euros on the Swedish victory...... If we lose at least I get some extra money....to reduce the pain..... if we win.....c'est la vie......

Niklas Lidstrom's blistering slapshot early in the third period gave Sweden a 3-2 win over Finland and the gold medal at the men's ice hockey tournament on Sunday in the final event of the Turin Games.

Sorry about the pain, but enjoy the money!