This afternoon I watched the Swiss team eliminate the US team in curling mixed doubles. It was a great match, with the US scoring two points to tie late but couldn’t keep the Swiss from scoring in the 8th round. The physics of this game fascinate me, and a game that one can play that inherently keeps your beer cold when you set it on the field of play has a certain allure.
On the other hand, the US Women’s hockey team is embarrassing the Swiss right now with a 5-0 1st period. They scored two goals in under 30 seconds. They look really sharp.
Definitely going to watch Mikayla Schiffren ski GS tonight, postponed from yesterday due to winds. 6:30 MST on NBC.
Can’t say I paid a lot of attention to the Olympics but I will agree that curling is the best sport to get drunk watching. I wonder if we have a local league in Utah.
Watched a little. Ski jumping and luge was fun. Watching moguls hurts my knees.
I don’t get this whole team team ice skating. Maybe I missed it in the past. There’s individual/pair events after this, or is this it. Nevermind, I don’t really care.
When the Winter Games commence on Feb. 4, there will be 38 athletes with ties to the U competing in Beijing, the most of any university in the world. Thirty-one of those Olympians will be representing Team USA.
I thought I heard the other day that around 1/3 of the total US contingent has a tie to Utah with the training facilities and such here. That’s pretty cool.
So, obviously some hate the Winter Olympics. I love them. There are amazing events. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since SLC. I was a volunteer at Deer Valley and Park City. Some of the most fun I ever had and I’d do it again in a heartbeat, and I really only got to see two events when my teams were assigned to stadiums that day - Women’s Aerials and Women’s Super G - and even then I was too busy to focus on the event.
As a long time curling fan and somewhat of a purist, I find mixed doubles to be a bit gimmicky. Why not just do regular mixed rinks like every league in every town and city in Canada. Have men’s, women’s, and mixed with 2 men and 2 women like God intended.
I’ve been meaning to post this question for some time now, but keep forgetting:
My wife is not a girly-girl, and as far as sports go, she would prefer to participate in (probably in this order) cycling, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and finally tennis; but she has no real interesting in watchin any of these sports. For spectator sports, she prefers college basketball and football (she’s the oldest of three girls and spent a lot of time with her dad at Ute sports events).
I am, however, reminded and amazed with each new Winter Olympics, how figure skating can somehow, turn her into a little girl again.
Is this unique to my wife?
And, on a related note (since I recall there are a many former Sugarhouse residents on the board), how many here, spent enough time at Hygeia Ice to learn that figure skating is a lot harder than it looks?
No, it’s not unique. My tennis-playing NFL-fan wife who grew up playing driveway basketball with 5 brothers is mesmerized by all ice skating, especially figure skating. Also, I miss Hygeia! It was walking distance from my childhood home.
Since my wife and daughter have been binge watching Queer Eye, and the spin-offs, Johnathan Van Ness’ “Getting Curious with Johnathan Van Ness” did an entire episode dedicated to figure skating.
It was very informative and might even explain your wife’s transformation during the events.
Now, to the what should be the surprise of absolutely nobody, the Russian Olympic Committee is front and center with a doping scandal. I do wish the IOC would get some gonads and tell them they’re out for two Olympic cycles.
BTW, the documentary “Icarus” on the 2014 Sochi Olympics doping scheme, and specifically the guy who is now in US witness protection that developed the scheme and then spilled the beans, is a great watch.
