Natalie and Meaghan: Canadian Golden Girls

[Shermie]

Or they could just get jobs, like the rest of the world. Yes, they need flexibility for hockey, but junior A and B players manage games and practice while working or going to school. As do amateur golfers, rising figure skating stars, garage bands, struggling novelists...

We all have our dreams that the public doesn't finance and Natalie and Meaghan have achieved much more than the average person.

On TARC they won $20,000 and seven trips - most people would be thrilled to have that on top of a three-week trip around Canada, to Hong Kong and France.

[mledawn]

It isn't that they shouldn't "get jobs" - the discussion is stemming from the notion that they are portrayed as "professional" athletes, when they don't really get paid that much at all. Junior A hockey players (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) get paid more than "professional" women hockey players (in North America). You're equating them with amateur golfers, up-and-coming figure skaters - that's certainly a more apt comparison.

 

Many of the women on the Olympic team do have "real" jobs, from which they take a leave of absence to compete. I won't say all, because some, like Shannon Szabados, actually DO play hockey for money, and some are students.

 

I am sure Meaghan and Natalie are thrilled with their race and its winnings. Nothing they have said would indicate otherwise.

[UsernameFatigue]

I disagree about not letting athletes run the Race. Everyone has some sort of skill set that, at some point, is going to give them an advantage. Mickey & Pete basically won the Race after jumping into 1st place at the rafting task. And Pete just happens to be a rafting guide. Hardly seems fair to the other teams but that's just how the Race works.

I don't know why people keep saying that Pete is a rafting guide. He may have done that at one time in his life, but even his TARC profile lists him as a 'deck builder'. In reality he has spent the last 4 years in university studying tourism. I read somwhere that he is planning to specialize in adventure tourism, but his full time occupation is hardly as a rafting guide.

 

One would think that it was hardly fair to have a hockey challenge when one team are gold metal Olympic hockey champions - if there was any blatant 'unfairness' in a task this season, that would be it. Turned out to not be an advantage, but I am sure when the task was included in a leg TPTB did not see the end result as a possiblilty.

 

Many of the tasks were absolutely amazing in their difficulty, and time and time again it was a surprise as to who excelled. Alain sucked at the race car challenge which he expected to do well in; Sukhi and Jinder had never skated before and did well at the hockey challenge, as did Sukhi in the shooting challenge. Just because someone has never performed a task before doesn't mean they will suck at it, and someone who should breeze past a challenge may not.

 

All three teams ended up at the final challenge together and if either of the other teams had gotten the pictures right at the first, they would have won. Just turned out that Mickey and Pete got theirs right first despite having a few missteps.

Edited September 25, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[shok]

 

I don't know why people keep saying that Pete is a rafting guide.

 

Maybe because he said it himself on the show when he was gloating about how he couldn't have asked for a better challenge on the final leg?

[TV Anonymous]

Sure now.  AFTER being on this show. But at the time she made the statement about what Olympians get paid she was speaking of her past.

 

Do you follow Canadian women's hockey team at all? Among the 21 of them, Meaghan Mikkelson is the one with the most popular media appearance. And that started years ago, after she won Vancouver gold. As I wrote above, she did Sport Chek commercials (Father's Day and Mother's Day edition) and she did sexy spread on Sportsnet Magazine. She is not just one face in the crowd, even among teammates. On ice, she is a starting defence(wo)man. With the distinct exception of Hayley Wickenheiser, Caroline Ouellette and Shannon Szabados, one can argue that Mikk is one of the most recognized faces in the team, even before the race.

 

And speaking of Olympic hockey players livelihood, while it is true that they do not make $8.7M Sydney Crosby does, they are far from suffering. Beside the endorsements that they have from COC and Hockey Canada, they also have personal sponsors. Remember the matching Adidas outfit? Also, there are support from Canadian and provincial governments. Own the Podium program for example. There are also engagements and appearances that they attend. Lastly, some of them do have side businesses like hockey clinics or training centers. In a hockey-crazy country like ours, there are plenty of things they can do.

[UsernameFatigue]

Maybe because he said it himself on the show when he was gloating about how he couldn't have asked for a better challenge on the final leg?

If you are referring to the actual epi, it wasn't Pete who commented on the task, it was Mickey. He said that Pete used to work as a rafting guide. But then this was also posted on the epi thread with regards to Mickey, so sometimes people misremember things:

 

Nope, definitely said he owned an outdoors company that did rafting tours.

 

In any case it didn't seem like Rob and Ryan had a problem with the task. The girls were uncharacteristicly inept from the first, when one was sitting in the raft while it was still on the rocks and wondering why it would not move. I've never rafted but I think even I would know if I was sitting in the raft on the rocks, it likely isn't going to move.

Edited September 25, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[shok]

Canada is playing the US in the final of the Four Nations Cup tonight and midway through the third period it's tied 2-2. The Canadians made a great play into the US zone and after the puck bouncing around the goal for a bit, Natalie Spooner swooped in and fired a beauty through the 5-HOLE to put Canada up 3-2*. I wonder if the thought fleetingly crossed her mind how she couldn't hit the 5-hole for love nor money during the TARC challenge. :D

 

*Fuck!!!! The goal was disallowed. There was a delayed penalty being called on the US and the referee claimed the puck had glanced off a US stick before Natalie took her shot. Really shoddy call from the ref. The Americans definitely didn't have control of the puck. If it did touch their stick it was by a whisker at most. Pfffft. (The game's now going into overtime.)

 

eta: After a scoreless OT Canada won the shootout and thus the Cup. Wahoo!!! Great game! Natalie didn't score although she assisted on Canada's two goals and had loads of really good chances. Meaghan Mikkelson didn't play this tournament as they're trying to work ten new young prospects into the team as part of the four year Olympic cycle but she'll be back for other games.

Edited November 9, 2014 by shok

[mledawn]

I came to this thread specifically to talk about the 4Nations Cup, and am impressed that someone has beaten me to it!

 

But what I really wanted to comment on was how Natalie was interviewed after the game (around the 2:13 mark) and I think everyone will be pleased to learn that she has seriously scaled back on the black eyeliner and has moved to a tealish eye shadow.

Bringing you the things that matter, right here.

[shok]

I came to this thread specifically to talk about the 4Nations Cup, and am impressed that someone has beaten me to it!

 

Heh. I was watching the game (switching between the Canucks game and the womens game - womens was much better!) but probably wouldn't have posted anything if it hadn't been for that beauty of a 5-hole goal for Natalie. Was it Natalie or Meaghan who joked on the reunion show when they were being taunted about not winning that challenge that if the US goalie had been in the net they would have scored? :)

[HistoryGirl]

Meaghan is asking the public to choose the name of her baby boy. 

[HistoryGirl]

Meaghan's top 10 baby names are now up for voting on. 

 

I feel sorry for this kid if he winds up being named Molson. lol What a Canadian name though. 

[Vyas]

Team Everett all the way - as for the other three "duels", definitely Emerson/Vaughn/Calder.

 

Carter evokes that sixth-place twerp from Survivor: Philippines rather than President Jimmy, Mikael is too similar to her maiden name, and Spencer is the same appellation as the bigoted third-placer from Big Brother US 15.

 

Kinda disappointed that she and Scott didn't include something starting with "P": exactly three letters away from "M" and "S", it would symbolize the equality behind their relationship.

[kingshearte]

Molson would be unfortunate.

 

But I actually think this is a fun strategy, and maybe helps take some of the pressure off choosing from the zillions of names available. For one thing, they're not bound to anything. They're completely free to disregard the public's choices at any point and name their kid anything they want. But I also think it could be one of those situations where you flip a coin not to leave something entirely up to chance, but to see how you really feel about the result. For example, if Molson were to win this round, and they found themselves super disappointed to have lost Everett as an option, then maybe that's a clue as to their real feelings. The participating public might be disappointed if their results aren't ultimately followed, but at the end of the day, who cares, if they end up with a name they like.

 

That hopefully isn't Molson.

[Vyas]

Introducing Calder A.W. (Mikkelson-)Reid, a serene child Libra for two serene parents:

 

[Supay]

Big Sis Meagh appeared on The Dr. Oz Show to give her testimony on USANA health-products as well as to redeem herself after that time in Winterpeg:

 

[Kanaloa]

Calder's mom also looks out for Canuck minors of a disadvantaged socioeconomic position: