Citius Altius Fortius Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 Sports I have been very satisfied of the performance of the German team so far. I hope for some more medals (including golds) for the German team! I really like "surprising" gold medals like the one in ski jumping for women - "that was really a surprise!" I am a little bit sad about the performance of the German Curling team, since it is the team of the Hamburg Curling Club. I didn't expected a medal at all, but I hoped that we will see some more victories. My sport highlights so far: Alpine Ski - Downhill Men Alpine Ski - Downhill Women Alpine Ski - Combined Women Alpine Ski - Super-G Women Biathlon - Men's Individual 20 km Cross Country - Women Relay 4x5 km Figure Skating - Pairs Figure Skating - Men Freestyle Skiing - Moguls Men Freestyle Skiing - Slopestyle Men Ice Hockey - USA v. RUS Luge - men single Luge - women single Luge - men's double Luge - team relay Nordic Combined NH/10 km I had fun to watch the Opening Ceremony - I liked it! Very well done by Russia!!! There was a big flaw at the OC in my point of view: it was an "anti-climax" that the lightning of the flame was outside of the stadium - and the deserted huge square even made it even worse.... Rodnina and Tretjak looked like they were the only human beings on earth... The atmosphere in the venues of the Ski Cluster seems to be good - one major low point in my point of view is the Olympic Park (not the building and not the cauldron - they look amazing), but that "park" is just boring - no entertainment - the few people who are visible in the park look like that they are lost in the eternity of nowhere... I am sure that the Russians are very friendly to the guests - and I am hoping that the second half of the Games become even better!!! (and of course we shouldn't forget the bad side of the medal - but that is another thing - its time now to support the athletes - and the people of good will) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 Noriaki Kasai beating a bunch of kids that weren't even born when he won his first medal Kevin Reynold's skate in the figure skating team event Tina Maze finally wining gold The Dufour-Lapointe 1-2 The whole men's moguls competition The upsets in men's hockey (Slovenia beating Slovakia, Switzerland beating the Czech Republic) Jennifer Jones going 7-0 in women's curling Ole Einar Bjørndalen wining the men's sprint Poland's gold rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 I hope the CLosing Ceremony tops the Opening!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 exciting to see the host nation leading the medal count! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted February 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 exciting to see the host nation leading the medal count! You are talking about the US-way of medal count? Do you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triplecast Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 The Noelle Pikus-Pace's joy at the medal ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofan Posted February 15, 2014 Report Share Posted February 15, 2014 What the hell is an upshot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 The Noelle Pikus-Pace's joy at the medal ceremony. Sort of regretted not mentioning that. She's gone through so much to get that elusive Olympic medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympic Fan Darcy Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Lydia Lassila winning Bronze Torah Bright becoming the best winter Olympian in Australia's history (along with Dale Begg Smith) after winning silver. Alla Tsuper winning gold in her 5th olympics! Both the Male and Female slopestyle finals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Highlights for me - the OC and the slopestyle, freestyle events. Pleasant discoveries - slopestyle, biathlon Personally, I feel like I've over-indulged in too much of a sugar fix. Ten down here have given us a banquet of extensive, full and relatively uninterrupted coverage of just about everything. And I've had the time to wallow in it. I used to complain a lot in much past Winter Games coverage that we only got very truncated highlights of events like the luge and cross country and such, and this time we're getting run in full, from heats and qualifications through to medal. think I'm finding with a lot of these sports where the competitors perform one at a time, that it all gets a bit tedious and repetitive. I've really had my fill of things like luge and alpine downhill events. Loving the new freestyle events and looking forward to to board and ski cross events, and have enjoyed finally seeing extended coverage of the cross country and biathlon events. Overall, I think these have been gorgeously packaged and presented games - top notch in the ceremonial and visual departments. But while things like the extensive Cyrillic use, the obviously excited local Russian crowds and the matryoska give it a taste of its location, I can't shake the feeling it's like it's happening in an isolated and quarantined bubble. I miss the feeling of a games really integrated into a host city and its citizens who are both celebrating their home town's time in the sun while conducting their day to day lives. I miss the vibe and proud citizens' embrace and participation of a Vancouver or London. It's like it's all taking place in some huge isolated Bond villain's lair tastefully done up in folk Russian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Ya, those games definitively have an artificial feel you didn't get from Salt Lake or Vancouver. Russia is still doing a good job, though. It just shows that Sochi isn't really a winter sports city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Highlights for me - the OC and the slopestyle, freestyle events. Pleasant discoveries - slopestyle, biathlon Personally, I feel like I've over-indulged in too much of a sugar fix. Ten down here have given us a banquet of extensive, full and relatively uninterrupted coverage of just about everything. And I've had the time to wallow in it. I used to complain a lot in much past Winter Games coverage that we only got very truncated highlights of events like the luge and cross country and such, and this time we're getting run in full, from heats and qualifications through to medal. think I'm finding with a lot of these sports where the competitors perform one at a time, that it all gets a bit tedious and repetitive. I've really had my fill of things like luge and alpine downhill events. Loving the new freestyle events and looking forward to to board and ski cross events, and have enjoyed finally seeing extended coverage of the cross country and biathlon events. Overall, I think these have been gorgeously packaged and presented games - top notch in the ceremonial and visual departments. But while things like the extensive Cyrillic use, the obviously excited local Russian crowds and the matryoska give it a taste of its location, I can't shake the feeling it's like it's happening in an isolated and quarantined bubble. I miss the feeling of a games really integrated into a host city and its citizens who are both celebrating their home town's time in the sun while conducting their day to day lives. I miss the vibe and proud citizens' embrace and participation of a Vancouver or London. It's like it's all taking place in some huge isolated Bond villain's lair tastefully done up in folk Russian. i think it's more........ Russia-Sochi is emotional and beautiful -a pageant of exceptionalism -incredible games and life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 What the hell is an upshot A kind of conclusion/analysis/report... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zekekelso Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I thought an upshot was what papparatsi take of actresses getting out of cars in short skirts. As for Olympic Park, it may detract a bit from local color, but it's Fantastic from a spectator/logistics standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted February 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I thought an upshot was what papparatsi take of actresses getting out of cars in short skirts. title edited... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Ceremony.... Balance was spot on. Easy to connect with on a human level, great fun in parts which I perhaps wasn't expecting so well done to Russia, music stunning and so right that they went in the (obvious) direction with the score, Soviet imagery striking (the lead up to the Soviet section with the giant wheels etc. was so Pandemonium-esque, I loved it). Some of the set pieces were outrageous like the Troika moment, amazing. And the whole thing was just beautiful to look at. BUT the two money shots were let downs; the rings failed (these things happen but it's still not good!) and like others Ithough the cauldron lighting felt very lonely. Sport... Culring's back on tele, yay! A sport I only ever watch every four years, but it draws you in doesn' it? Some good results for GB, Yarnold most obviously and to have Pikus-Pace getting silver after all she'd been through was great. Kasai getting that silver, and he might be back in 2018. Slope-style has been great fun, the snowboard cross of 2014, a bit of a revelation for me and getting a medal in it always helps! The conclusion to the women's cross-country was a bit more exciting than I was expecting, given that I only turned it on to fill a bit of time. And yesterday's ice hockey match between USA and Russia was was intense and a rare occassion where I've felt nervous watching a match where I have no attatchment to either team. Not a huge winter sports fan, but it's always fun to watch sports you wouldn't normally watch. A few grumbles...short track rules need looking at after yesterday's controversy. If a sport wants to gain new audiences it needs to make sure things are in order. It's not of the magnitude of stupidity that was the badminton heats at London 2012, but disqualifying an athlete for being 1cm out is a nonsense. Also, whilst I've not been impressed by the sportsmanship of Russians over the ice hockey referee yesterday, is it really right that a goal net being an inch off its line means a goal is ruled out? Lastly, the bad taste in the mouth surrounding these Games - the corruption, the contruction failures and their knock on effects, the anti-gay laws - is still there and is hard to shake off. Nor should people forget these things. Lastly, and to end on a positive, given that only 70% of the tickets had been sold till very recently, I think the crowds have been impressive for the most part. Sure, we've apparently got empty NOC/sponsor seats again (so the IOC didn't fix that like they promise to do after every Games ), but it's great the public are out supporting athletes and of all colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheal_warren Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 For me I am loving the freestyle skiing as well as the more traditional skiing events. The temperature in Sochi has been warmer than wellington on some of the days! We are meant to be in summer. Am just loving the Olympics being on again. As the cool runnings movie famously stated: 'I am feeling very Olympic Today' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 Unfortunately, I had a lot of things going on in my professional life last week, so I haven't been able to watch as much as I had hoped, but from what I'm seeing, these are quite beautiful Games and the Russians have done a pretty good job of packaging and presenting them. I don't think anyone would or should expect the atmosphere to be anything like what you saw on the streets of Vancouver or London. Sochi is smaller and the Russians aren't like that. But once again, the Olympic Games show that while the stories for seven years are all about expenses and security and organization and legacy, for two shining and wonderful weeks, the athletes push that all aside and give us an even better story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Mata Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I wish these olympics end soon/become boring because my productivity at work falls bellow 50% during games time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox334 Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 I wish these olympics end soon/become boring because my productivity at work falls bellow 50% during games time... My grades are definitively taking an Olympic hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted February 16, 2014 Report Share Posted February 16, 2014 A kind of conclusion/analysis/report... best vibe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTHarner Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Great games thus far. Just a month ago I was hoping they would come and go quickly because the daily onslaught of negative publicity was draining my anticipation. Now I'd rather the Games not end so quickly because it's like hanging out with a close friend who I will not get to see for another 30 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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