2010 Vancouver Olympics

#1
I know other people are watching, 4 days in and no thread except the one about the unfortunate luge accident?

I feel like the TV coverage has been a bit poor so far, is it just me? Maybe because its in my own timezone that the tape delays are far more obvious?
 
#2
You sir are correct! I don't get NBC's logic. In the internet age, I dunno how you can avoid knowing the results till primetime when Yahoo plasters them on the front page.

I hate how were are in the same timezone as the games yet we (West Coasters) have no chance of seeing these events live(on NBC). Very horribly managed programming by the NBC suits.
 
#3
It also seems that the CNBC, MSNBC and USA stuff isn't as wall to wall as it was last time. Maybe I'm wrong and it will pick up.

I'll be in Canada for the 2nd week so it will be interesting to compare the Canadian tv's coverage.
 
#4
I don't particularly mind that things aren't always live -- condensing some of the more popular events into the prime time hours makes sense and is good for DVR watching. I would think it'd make more sense to hold off on posting the results until after the last time zone's feed has aired, though. My mom already does a good enough job of spilling the beans without getting the interwebs involved.

In general, it never makes sense to me how relatively little of the games are actually televised. Especially when the prime time block is repeated on NBC every night/morning and I've seen reshuffled and reorganized versions of the same clip package of Apolo Ohno's training routine more times than I can count (though with those thighs that part's really more of an observation than a complaint). I have a hard time believing there's nothing more interesting happening that they could be covering.
 
#7
Are they wearing oxfords?

You know, I'm all for new stuff, but I don't think I'll be making an exploration of the exploratory things unexplored as it pertains to "curling".
 
#10
Its like shuffleboard. Each team has 4 stones, tries to get closest to the center circle of the scoring zone. You score by having the closest stone to the center of the scoring zone (the button), + as many other stones that you have closer to the button than the other team that are inside the scoring zone. There's actually a ton of strategy involved depending on whether you shoot first or last.
 
#11
Curling is oddly fascinating. I'm quick to make fun of it, but the few times I've watched it's been hard to change the channel.

And I want me some of them Norway pants.
 
#12
The clip package they just showed for Yevgeny Plushenko is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Every 30 seconds (or so) of him speaking was intercut with dramatic music, and images of his serious face, the Kremlin, and/or the statue of Lenin. Subtle.
 
#17
Yeah. I watched those two Japanese guys mess up, and had to do other stuff before I saw Shaun White, but I just watched his run online. Incredible. What I really like about that event is how short the runs are. That's a whole lot of excitement packed into about 20 seconds.
 
#19
I never was a huge fan of Shaun White but those runs changed my mind.

I'd like to think NBC was listening at least partially because they showed a significant chunk of the women's downhill last night after only showing a handful of runs in the men's event. This was one of the premiere events in the past, though skiing has taken a backseat to snowboarding. However the cynic in me couldn't help but note almost all of the women that weren't Americans they did show wiped out rather spectacularly.
 
#21
One more night of crappy NBC coverage and I'm Vancouver bound in the morning.

So one last complaint... figure skating is and always will be the premiere televised event of the games. How in the h-e-double hockey sticks can they tape delay the men's program, won by an American, past midnight on the west coast??? The people running that network are the biggest boneheads on the planet between this year's coverage, Jay Leno vs. Conan, killing off or only doing half seasons of their best shows for the Leno mess... Uggh. Can ABC or CBS or Fox or somebody please step up? I understand NBC's contract only goes to 2012, hopefully the IOC will terminate it after this bungle if NBC is still able to survive that long.
 
#22
So one last complaint... figure skating is and always will be the premiere televised event of the games. How in the h-e-double hockey sticks can they tape delay the men's program, won by an American, past midnight on the west coast???
I wondered the exact same thing. On the one hand, I like that they stuck to one sport at a time last night (for the most part). But considering that none of what they showed was actually live, the decision to not even start the premier event of the evening until after 10:00 PM was just nutty.
 
#23
I wondered the exact same thing. On the one hand, I like that they stuck to one sport at a time last night (for the most part). But considering that none of what they showed was actually live, the decision to not even start the premier event of the evening until after 10:00 PM was just nutty.
It's a joke now. Maybe NBC is affraid a live event on the west might mess up the editing they've already set up for 3-4 hour primetime block. I just said screw it and and just went an unofficial online feed as I cannot deal with waiting for an alpine skiing final to air 8 hours later on primetime.
 
#27
So it appears Plushenko is pouting that he should have won solely on the basis of completing a quad? That is ludicrous, it isn't a required element and all his jumps were off balance and completely fugly looking. I'm pretty sure you can still count the number of skaters to complete quads on your fingers and quite a few were fringe contenders for a bronze.

Its funny when Johnny Weir gets docked like crazy (I think he should have got the bronze) for being too easy that Plushenko can't see that Lysacek had a perfect balance of difficulty and form.
 
#28
Stuck around Portland long enough to watch the USA-Sweden curling match and so just got into our Vancouver high rise home for the next week. 10 mins here and I see that Canadian tv coverage destroys NBC's. Watching short track speed skating and it is just event after event and I think I saw one commercial, but it could have just been a fact break.

I think I have curling, speed skating and hockey tickets tomorrow. But may let someone else have the curling tickets. USA plays Canada tomorrow in hockey, unfortunately we have the tickets to the game after. So close!!!

Some pics from our balcony:

Science World (doubling as the Russian gathering spot)

Olympic Village
 
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#30
Just back from 1500m women's speedskate. Got to see 2 USA vs Canada matchups despite missing the main one today - first in women's curling in the morning and then the final skate of the speed skating event. The US-Canada curling was a dud but the Japanese team made up for it going down 6-0 early to Russia and then completing the comeback win in an extra side.

We also sat next to super fans for both events - one guy was practically leading the whole skate center in cheers against the Dutch. The speed skate arena was a sea of orange and it seemed like there was a Dutch skater in every pair. They took the gold but Canada silver but you wouldn't know from this guy.

At curling we were told we were in the Canada section by a guy passing out flags, we were happy to take one until we saw who they were playing. When Canada scored 4pts in one side I felt something brush my head - it was Superfan's giant 10ft flag.

Had a great time, now going to relax and take in the 3rd period of the hockey match in a safe place to root for the USA and then go to the 9pm hockey game. Sweden vs. Finland... may not be US vs. Canada or Russia vs. Czechs but that's a pretty intense rivalry in itself with some medal history.