The Olympics

[missypie]

<p>

I sure wish Plushenko would learn a thing or two about sportsmanship after seeing the ladies’ performances and results. The #2 ladies skater was the “first woman” to skate a triple-something in her performance. Accomplishing this feat didn’t result in her first place either, but she was gracious to the end.

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<p>Yes, it’s such a nice parallel. Plushenko with the quad and Mao with the multiple triple axels. Both got the sliver. Mao didn’t look thrilled but so far, no snarky interviews, no home made platinum medals and no governmental involvement.</p>

[marite]

<p>And no sexbomb youtube video. I don’t know how I got to that video, but it was just unbelievably gross.</p>

<p>Kim Yu Na was flawless. It helps that she is very slim and naturally graceful. Her jumps were tackled at speed. Mirai has wonderfully graceful spins. If she can improve her jumps, she will be a real competitor for a gold medal. Mao Asada flubbed some jumps which cost her a lot. But I would not have expected that large a spread between her scores and Kim Yu Na’s. Miki Ando seemed to be on auto-pilot. Joannie Rochette was a real profile in grit and grace. I did not take to Rachelle Platt’s performance so much, though she was fine. I miss Michelle Kwan’s graceful glides.</p>

[laxmom]

<p>So…what are your thoughts on the Canadian Womens Hockey Team on ice celebration!!! It’s causing quite a ripple on SportsCenter and other news feeds.</p>

<p>Celebrating with champagne, beer and cigars…ON the ice.</p>

[JustAMomOf4]

<p>They are going to find themselves in a little hot water over that, I’m sure. </p>

<p>How can anyone NOT love curling!
Yesterday I got to watch it all day. The Canadien’s are in both men’s and women’s medal round. The men will be playing the Norwegians and their <em>Pants</em>. Those pants sure have brought luck and publicity to a team who would have gone unnoticed.</p>

[Youdon_tsay]

<p>I think it was a bad move to celebrate like that, with at least one underage player, on the ice where they won in their country’s uniforms. Poor form. Take it to a bar or your hotel room.</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>Personally, I don’t think it should be a major scandal and I can appreciate their exuberance and desire to celebrate a victory for which they have no doubt made many sacrifices in terms of working hard and living clean for quite a while.</p>

<p>I think the main problem was having the party right on top of the Official Olympic emblem. And guzzling the booze straight out of the bottle while in uniform. I’m a nurse and well over the legal age, but it was made clear to me at my hospital orientation sessions that I am required to remove my hospital badge while out on the town in my scrubs.</p>

[Schmaltz]

<p>Toneranger, I was actually hoping for Donna’s view on that subject, as she might have some insight that the rest of us are missing.</p>

<p>And yeah, Riggs was old when he lost to BJK, but that didn’t stop women from thinking it proved something. In case you’re missing the subtext here, I think it’s obvious that men are different from women physically and mentally, just like they are in every other species, including the ones we supposedly evolved from. But I’m so sick of hearing people claim there is NO difference, that I like to throw out stupid ideas like men competing with women, just to watch the hypocrites like Toneranger suddenly drop their we’re-all-the-same rhetoric in favor of the complete opposite. Reminds me of my daughters, who act like they’re as tough as boys…until there’s a spider to kill.</p>

[cartera45]

<p>

that the rest of us are missing.

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<p>Do you have a mouse in your pocket, because I don’t see anyone else missing the point. You are baiting Donna, and if she takes the bait, you will be the one who looks small and petty, so why not just discuss the games and be done with it?</p>

[missypie]

<p>

And guzzling the booze straight out of the bottle while in uniform

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<p>Yes, that’s my daughter, the one on the left with the can of beer and the cigar…</p>

[intparent]

<p>Schmaltz, can you please take your testosterone-laden immature vitriol back to the political forum where it belongs? This is not a thread about gender politics, it is about enjoying and discussing the Vancouver games.</p>

[Cardinal_Fang]

<p>

Donna, I’m guessing you think that in everyday life, people’s gender identity is more dependent on what’s “inside” than what is or isn’t dangling on the outside, right? However, you are irate when the French-Canadian commentators seem to voice (albeit in a crude manner) this same view, by wondering if perhaps Weir needs some gender testing (i.e., while a quick peek in the locker room would indicate he’s a male, what’s “inside” him might be more female than male).

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<p>Not Donna, and not speaking for Donna. I’ll take a stab at it.</p>

<p>It’s offensive for a commentator to assume that a gay man wishes he were a straight woman, or thinks he actually is a woman. Weir appears to be secure in his identity as a flamboyantly gay man. (Or a flamboyant straight man if he’s straight.) I know of no evidence that would make me think he believes he is actually a woman.</p>

<p>The Olympics do not classify competitors by their gender identity, but by their biological gender. In my view, this is correct. Too many people will do anything to win. If we allowed transmen and transwomen to compete in their transgender, we would open the door to rampant cheating. Totalitarian governments would make pretend transwomen to take advantage of men’s superior strength and size, just as East Germany fed unwitting girls steroids to make them swim better. Individual competitors desperate for success would transform from male to female in give themselves better chances for victory. Unfortunately, in the system we have right now, real transmen and transwomen have to compete in their biological gender, but if we changed the system to benefit real transpeople, we would get legions of phony transpeople.</p>

[toneranger]

<p>“Just to watch the hypocrites like Toneranger suddenly drop their we’re-all-the-same rhetoric in favor of the complete opposite.”</p>

<p>Evidence please? Wow…you are a real TOOL.</p>

[teriwtt]

<p>

I thought the ladies skating program last night was wonderful, and so happy NBC ran it without commercial interruptions. It would have nice to see it earlier.

</p>

<p>It is shown live, which by Central Time Zone standards, was over at 11PM, but by Pacific Time Zone standards where the Olympics are located, was in prime time, ending at 9PM. </p>

<p>One thing I will say about the women skaters… I pretty much agree with the judges scores, but I particularly enjoyed watching Joannie Rochette because her physique seems healthier. She has curves and muscles (that show). When she jumps, etc., I’m not wondering how fragile her little bones are. I understand that she’s older than most of the competitors and has had more time to develop physically, but I guess I just appreciate how gracefully she handles herself on the ice.</p>

[JustAMomOf4]

<p>Ahem…</p>

<p>let’s talk about Mancuso and Vonn. anyone else think the media made a mountain out of a mole hill?</p>

[nngmm]

<p>[Ski</a> Jumping’s Weight “Problem” Sociological Images](<a href="Ski Jumping’s Weight “Problem” - Sociological Images)
what do you all think? why isn’t there ski jumping for women?</p>

[Cardinal_Fang]

<p>Teriwtt- How I wish the figure skating had been shown live, but here on the West Coast it was on a three hour time delay. The Olympics is happening in my time zone, but I’m forced to endure a three hour time delay.</p>

[swimcatsmom]

<p>I enjoyed the women skaters as well. The Gold medal winner was wonderful, completely deserved the gold. The American girl who was 4th was just a delight to watch. Her joy in the experience was contagious. She was so thrilled to be 4th (unlike the silver medal winner who looked very unhappy to be 2nd).</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>^^^^I heard an interview on the radio with the American girl. She said she’s never even competed in World’s yet, so finishing 4th in the Olympics as her first adult international competition was in her words “a good start.” Ha ha, to put it mildly.</p>

[Rachacha]

<p>Definitely agree Teriwtt about Joannie. Did you see the other Canadian skater they showed earlier that needed a few years to adjust to her growth spurt?? My D wasn’t as lucky, which is one of the reasons why she switched to hockey after her spurt…</p>

<p>We were discussing Frank Carroll last night as well - he and our figure skating coach are good friends, and have that same old school style. I hope he does stick around. The piece that NBC showed of Patrick Chan’s late coach reminded us of both of them.</p>

<p>nngmm - did you see that interview of the female ski jumper, saying something like “are they afraid that our uteruses are going to fall out when we land?” or something of that nature? If anything - a tall willowy female ski jumper may just go further than a man (might be just what they ARE afraid of!! One already has) </p>

<p>“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the women’s exclusion isn’t discrimination. President Jacques Rogge has insisted that the decision “was made strictly on a technical basis, and absolutely not on gender grounds.” But female would-be Olympic competitors say they don’t understand what that “technical basis” is. Their abilities? They point to American Lindsey Van, who holds the world record for the single longest jump by anyone, male or female. (Ironically, she broke the record flying from a jump built at Whistler for the Vancouver Olympics).”</p>

<p>If they have women’s aerials, they should have women’s ski jumping</p>

[nngmm]

<p>^^Yes, that’s what the article I linked to actually claims (and I agree):

The International Olympics Committee and the International Ski Federation list a myriad of reasons for this, ranging from claims that the sport is not yet developed enough, to the idea that adding women would crowd an already overwhelmed Olympic schedule, to the assertion that the sport is not “…appropriate for ladies from a medical point of view.”
The rationales seem transparently thin, leading to the suggestion that the real reason that women aren’t allowed to compete is because they might kick ass. If being lighter is an advantage, then women might beat men at the sport. In fact, the world record holder on the ski jump track at this year’s Olympics is held by a woman: Lindsey Van.

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