Friday, February 19, 2010

Olympics - Odds & Ends

Olympics - are you watching?

I'm watching. It's been a rough week at work and I've hardly touched my guitar in the past three days - but I have been watching the Olympics.

Everybody's heard about Apolo Ohno and Shaun White. And Lindsay Vonn, although her story is pretty incredible. (Bummer she fell on Thursday.)

Here's some odds and ends you may have missed...

Wednesday night, the Olympics beat American Idol for viewers. For the first time in over six years, something beat Idol. 30 million watched Vonn, Davis, and White win Gold while only 18 million watched Idol kick off a few more singers.

The snowboarder for Japan, Kazuhiro Kokubo, received public verbal flogging for his attire at the Olympics. He arrived wearing his uniform a little 'liberal' shall we say. Add his dreadlocks to the mix and Kokubo was officially declared a shame to his country. His father apologized. He apologized. It's pathetic! He's a snowboarder!!!! And a kid. Sometimes I think they are just a little too uptight in Japan...

I've also noticed they've cut down the human interest stories in favor of more sports. I'm all for that!

One of the 'curlers' was five months pregnant. As Jimmy Kimmel said, any sport where you can compete pregnant is NOT a sport...

USA hockey team is kicking butt and taking names. Showdown with Canada will be awesome.

And finally... men's skating. Okay, I'm just not gonna go there!!! Except that Evan Lysacek's win Thursday night was the first time since 1988 that a Russian hasn't won the event. Guess we were due...

What's your take on the Olympics so far? Any favorite moments?

11 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Yeah, the men's skating is a bit much sometimes. But I've enjoyed the other sports!

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Helen Ginger said...

Don't know when they're showing the hockey games. Somehow I'm missing those! Curling I'm missing on purpose. I watched the snowboarding and some of the downhill. Stayed up last night to watch men's figure skating. Was so glad to see Evan win. I thought his skating was much better than the Russian's (seriously, not because he was from the US).

Helen
Straight From Hel

Sarah Ahiers said...

we're pretty big fans of curling here in MN. our curling team was the last olympic team too. I mean, you could slip on the ice and hit your head and die in curling, so does that count?
i dunno. I think there are quite a few sports in the olymipics that are really more of a game. But what can you do?

I actually haven't had any time to watch the olympics at all this year. sigh.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Helen, the hockey games are usually later in the evening.

Falen, I've never met anyone that curled! And while it is more of a game than a sport, at least it's not judged. Any sport based on someone's opinion is questionable - like figure skating or gymnastics.

JournoMich said...

I love when Julia Mancuso finished her slolum by landing on her back and pumping her ski-clad feet in the air. The pure joy is infectious and inviting. I LOVE it! So glad you're getting into it as well.

I hadn't heard the Japan snowboarder story. That's sad.

Michele
SouthernCityMysteries

Jemi Fraser said...

We're pretty obsessed up here in Canada :)

There have been a ton of great moments - Shaun White's halfpipe, moguls, snowboard cross (awesome insanity!), skating, hockey, ...

As I said, we're a little obsessed!

I hadn't heard that about the Japanese boy - how sad - we even talked about what a cutie he seemed - always grinning.

The Old Silly said...

Thanks for the updates. I really don't pay too much attention to the Olympics - more of a Pro sports fan, also some college hoops and football. But when I DO happen to watch the Olympics I'm always amazed at the gymnastics and the figure ice skating. What amazing skill those young people have!

Marvin D Wilson

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Michele, that is the very essence of the Olympics!
And Japanese snowboarder's story was on CNN I think...

Jemi, your country has every right to be obsessed!

Marvin, the best of the figure skating is coming up - the women!

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy the Winter Olympics. I was born and raised in the great state of Michigan and love the snow and skiing and such.

Still trying to make sense of Curling in the Winter Olympics. Kinda hard to think of men with brooms as athletes. Maybe its just me.

Stephen Tremp

Anonymous said...

They've hardly registered at all in the UK, except for the 'London has to do XYZ better than Vancouver' stories. (At least one of X, Y or Z will definitely be better done. Summer Olympic surfaces don't unexpectedly melt...)

Although 'we' did win our first gold overnight in the hitherto unknown event of Woman Sliding Down Ice On Tea Tray....

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hampshireflyer, that's a shame! Olympics are always a big production here.

Yeah, the lack of cold weather in Vancouver is a bit of a bummer. Summer Olympics in London will rock!