Sure, Sochi.ru says that the Olympics "began" on Day 0, but why's that? I could get prelims not really counting, but since the actual team skate competition began that day, that should really be "Day 1". Is this going to turn into a "Year 0" argument, now? I mean, if zero means "nothing" did that day really exist? And when you really look at it--
[rest of post deleted]
All that said, here were the various thoughts and observations for Day 7 (for us rational thinkers) / Day 6 (crazies):
--Luge doubles is just a Rule #34 doujinshi waiting to happen…
--Part of me wants to see luge triples just for the sheer heck of it (*previous note not included*). It'd be like Jenga in motion…
--Aw, c'mon NBC, you really didn't have to do a zooming close-up shot into the pelvis area of the guys rocking their sled back and forth before the start… This is like the Sochi version of their gratuitous super-slow-motion shots of the women going through the water cooling section during Beijing's walk events…
--Volosozhar and Trankov (Russia) do more than just great technical stuff, they perform with a pure, natural artistry and passion. That marriage of abilities is something that I always look for in a figure skating routine and that is what separates the truly great from those who are just solid and technically-proficient. The awesome show of emotion from Trankov served to underscore why I like them so much…
--Germany's pair, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy (who kind of looks like Barack Obama), performed to a nice choice of The Nutcracker, given its Russian (score) and German (story) roots, as noted in the primetime telecast. They tried to hold a strong face after both falls in a good show of spirit, and still managed to beat the Chinese pair of Pang and Tong for their second straight bronze, thanks to their higher short program score and difficulty.
--Farewell Qing Pang and Jian Tong, who, after 20 years, four Olympic Games, and one silver medal from the last Winter Games, will be retiring after this season and finally make due on their long-delayed marriage. They have been my favorite pairs team for a long time, skating with a distinct level of skill and grace. They have had to contend with other, more notable pairs and the Russian dynasty, but they have still managed to make a lasting impression. As seen with other couple-pairs, there is a certain unity and feeling to their performances that are hard to deny. Hmm…maybe Volosozhar and Trankov…
--After learning of Dominique Gisin's (Switzerland) nine knee surgeries, her two crashes in the previous Olympics, and not being able to win a major event in the last few years, I was really rooting her on and hoping that she could retain her top time. If there was anyone else I would have gotten behind, it would have been Tina Maze (Slovenia), who herself had not been doing well after a record season and was a big, beloved star in the eyes of her people. Her nation never won an alpine medal, either, but all of that change when she scored the exact same time as Gisin, leaving both women as gold medalists! Such a circumstance is very rare in the sport, and perhaps even more so when it is the two people you were rooting for the most. Hard to imagine a better outcome than that…
--And now, this brings me to my perennial pet peeve: ties and medal standings. As Gisin and Maze both won gold, Lara Gut (Switzerland) was awarded…the bronze, even though she had the second best time. As you might surmise, the person with the third best time--Italy's Daniela Merighetti--got nothing. I have never agreed with the logic behind this, as the point of a contest is to determine who has the best time/score, as well as the second and third best. In that respect, medals should be awarded for the three best times/scores. However, there seems to be a fixation on only honoring the three athletes with the best times/scores, and not the defining values, themselves.
It's nonsensical and makes a mockery of placement, and it's a practice that stretches beyond the Olympics. How, in the given example, does it make sense for Gut to get third-best honors when she earned the second-best time? Or even totally ignore Merighetti's achievement? There have been instances of double bronze winners (along with singular gold and silver winners), and yet, no one can make room for honoring 2nd and 3rd in other various tie configurations (I thought there was an instance of 1G-2S-1B, but I cannot remember specifically at this point, though I do recall there being discrepancies in other medal allocations). I can only imagine what it is like for the person(s) that happen to fall into that position, especially if they were left out by fractions of a second.
I don't know how big of a deal it is within the athletic community, and I may be in the minority in this, but I truly do hope organizations change course and give those proper second- and third- placers their just due.
--Lots of fallin' goin' on in women's snowboard halfpipe, but what a sight to see newcomer Kaitlyn Farrington best the last three gold medal winners (2010's Torah Bright (Canada), 2002's Kelly Clark (USA), and 2006's Hannah Teeter (USA), respectively) to win the event. Perhaps an even better sight was to see the warm and supportive camaraderie between the four females, who were giving hugs and being genuinely happy for one another. The celebration of the new halfpipe gold medalist with those of the past afterwards, in all of its friendly and historical context, made it all the more significant and memorable…
--Between Shaun White and Shani Davis, I have to say that I rather like seeing dominate figures and teams getting upset when everyone focuses on them and all but pegs them to win and make history. Nothing at all against the two, whom I both like, but I never like it when people (particularly media and commercial/ad types) look ahead beyond a star's competition and want to crown them automatically. I think we have a recent example of this…
--On a somewhat related note, I tend to route for the athletes I like, underdog countries, or ones that have yet to win a medal more than I root for the country that I live in (in this case, the United States). I don't mean that in a rude or spiteful way, and some people feel otherwise, but at the same token, I've got a mind of my own and will root for someone if I like them, regardless of their nationality…
--One of the most likable figures to come out of the Games as been U.S. luger Kate Hansen, but as much as I have gotten a kick out of her dancing, personality, and her interviews with Lewis Johnson and Lester Holt, I really hope the media does not go into overkill mode on her. I think many people can attest to what can happen when that occurs, and that would be a shame if that happened to her. She's cool and easy to like, but similar with so many others, coverage can turn into a zombie-like obsession and tide turns against them, often through no fault of their own. It would also be a disservice to the one that actually won a medal and made history, Erin Hamlin--who, herself, has a great story with her hometown/#1 Fans.
—One of a -very- few blogs that discusses about anime, boxing, and a little bit of randomness…
No comments:
Post a Comment