Small Talk: See you in 2 or 4 years

[walnutqueen]

I, for one, am appreciative of the connections I make with otherwise unknown posters during the Olympics games.  So, in the spirit of camaraderie, I'd like to have a forum for us to just say "HI", and "I'm happy to see you again".

Shout out to all my peeps - you can tell from my likes who y'all are!  ;-)

I'll start the punch bowl dipping by admitting I'm Canadian, yet have lived for over 35 years in the good old USA.  I'm MEH on sports, but live for Olympics. especially the winter games.  I just love them all, and my DVR is stretched to it's absolute limits during these trying times.

When I see a familiar poster's name pop up on my screen, especially one who has been through the proverbial Olympics wringer with me for many years, well. it just warms the icy cockles of my cold black heart.

And a special shout out to everyone who knows a little sumthin' about sumthin' about the sport I am watching.  Your patience and expertise explaining the intricacies of your sport are much appreciated.

Edited February 19, 2018 by walnutqueen

[galaxygirl76]

I'm Dutch but have lived in the US for almost 13 years. Obviously speed skating is my jam and have been watching this for as long as I can remember but I enjoy all the other winter sports too. Hockey would be my least favorite but that's probably because that's a small sport in the Netherlands unless it's on grass then we're pretty good at it lol.

 

I love the summer games too :)

[legaleagle53]

So when you're originally from another country but you've been living in the US for x number of years (and are presumably US citizens now), how big of a conflict are the Olympics for you?  Do you ever find it hard to know which team to root for when they go head-to-head?

[galaxygirl76]

I root 100% for the Dutch team, if there are no Dutch people my loyalties vary lol

[emma675]

Aw, I love coming to this area of the forums every few years! I remember a lot of you, esp. from the Hotties of the Olympics threads, lol!

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

So when you're originally from another country but you've been living in the US for x number of years (and are presumably US citizens now), how big of a conflict are the Olympics for you?  Do you ever find it hard to know which team to root for when they go head-to-head?

I love the USA so much I jumped through hoops to live here ... but I never did become a citizen (damn that pesky pledge wording!) and have no problem rooting for more than one country.  I've been known to go apeshit when the Canadian women beat the USA in hockey or curling (eh!), but am equally happy when the USA wins.  Hell, @galaxygirl76 has convinced me to root for the Netherlands during many a skating competition!  ;-)

I also have a soft spot for underdogs, and thoroughly enjoy an unexpected upset - or an uplifting back-story that makes me cheer for #114 out of 119 ...

I guess the Olympics brings out my International Spirit.  ;-)

Edited February 19, 2018 by walnutqueen

[mtlchick]

Honestly, the Olympics section is my favourite part of this board and was on TWOP.  

[Trey]

This is my first post on the 2018  Olympic  boards so far but I've been reading the posts and enjoying them.

You figure skating people!! I can't keep up with all your posts! I love the knowledge of the sport you all bring to the board.

I am Canadian and naturally root for Canadian athletes but cheer on everyone and am happy to see a great performance by anyone. And groan along with the falls and spills. And, like walnutqueen, I do like to see an underdog have his or her day.

I haven't seen too much live action, since I have to either stay up late or get up early, but I keep checking results and news on CBC tv and website.

I think Canada has been top total medalist country for the last two winter Olympics (not positive of that)  but I am not sure we'll be able to get past the Norwegians this time - they are really knocking it out of the park this year.

[walnutqueen]

36 minutes ago, Trey said:

This is my first post on the 2018  Olympic  boards so far but I've been reading the posts and enjoying them.

You figure skating people!! I can't keep up with all your posts! I love the knowledge of the sport you all bring to the board.

I am Canadian and naturally root for Canadian athletes but cheer on everyone and am happy to see a great performance by anyone. And groan along with the falls and spills. And, like walnutqueen, I do like to see an underdog have his or her day.

I haven't seen too much live action, since I have to either stay up late or get up early, but I keep checking results and news on CBC tv and website.

I think Canada has been top total medalist country for the last two winter Olympics (not positive of that)  but I am not sure we'll be able to get past the Norwegians this time - they are really knocking it out of the park this year.

Far be it for me to name names, but the first time I received a "Like" from @Trey, I knew my Olympics experience was complete.  I have SOO much lurve for y'all - 2 or 4 years to reconnect seems like a tiny blip on my Radar screen of Love.

And, yes, the figure skating thread is OUT of Control.  They did not come to play.   ;-)

[legaleagle53]

1 hour ago, walnutqueen said:

And, yes, the figure skating thread is OUT of Control.  They did not come to play.   ;-)

So what are you going to do if Virtue/Moir get knocked off the podium tonight?  :-P

[walnutqueen]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

So what are you going to do if Virtue/Moir get knocked off the podium tonight?  :-P

Say, WHO?  I couldn't pick them out of a police line-up, much less care if they win, lose, or draw ...  ;-)

(sorry, figure skating fans, but it's just not my jam).

[legaleagle53]

1 minute ago, walnutqueen said:

Say, WHO?  I couldn't pick them out of a police line-up, much less care if they win, lose, or draw ...  ;-)

(sorry, figure skating fans, but it's just not my jam).

They're the top Canadian Ice Dance pair, and they're considered a heavy favorite for the gold medal tonight along with France.

[walnutqueen]

6 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

They're the top Canadian Ice Dance pair, and they're considered a heavy favorite for the gold medal tonight along with France.

Well, then, I suppose I shall be watching - my DVR records it all, I just wake from my stupor and press "play" or "fast forward" on my remote.  ;-)

[galaxygirl76]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

So what are you going to do if Virtue/Moir get knocked off the podium tonight?  :-P

I imagine there will be riots and a double gold medal will be awarded ;p

[walnutqueen]

I am watching Olympic curling & hockey with a little less enthusiasm of late  ... I have been rumored to run down my street half nekkid sporting a CANADIAN t-shirt  and sparklers in both hands, when all decent working folks were dead asleep.  But I've grown older and achier, yet none the wiser.

I just yelled myself hoarse screaming "NOOOOOOO" when the US beat Canada in curling (whilst remaining firmly implanted in my recliner!).

Sacre fucking bleu.

[blueray]

I'm American but live so close to the Canadian boarder that I often root for it as well, and am mostly watching that coverage. NBC is annoying in the way that they are covering it. I'm really enjoying the snowboarding and skiing events this year.

Edited February 19, 2018 by blueray

[ombelico]

I'm glad I remembered these forums and joined in time for these Olympics! I recognize a few names from the old TWoP versions of this board in previous Olympics (going back to Athens). I missed all of this conversation and snark in Rio! Looking forward to Tokyo.

[walnutqueen]

13 hours ago, ombelico said:

I'm glad I remembered these forums and joined in time for these Olympics! I recognize a few names from the old TWoP versions of this board in previous Olympics (going back to Athens). I missed all of this conversation and snark in Rio! Looking forward to Tokyo.

We'll always have Rio.  ;-)

[ceecee]

Living in Michigan,  I've been able to watch the CBC coverage as well as NBC...in the summer games the CBC is the only place to see the Equestrian events! ..and have maxed out my dvr about every day. I started being a rabid Olympics fan back in Junior High when we would get extra credit for watching.  =)

It's been so great to come here and read all the comments on the various events.  None of my friends are as glued to it as I am, sigh. The ice skating knowledge here is AMAZING! 

I'm already dreading the withdrawal starting next week...

[Fukui San]

I'll put this here since it's my observations of confusing things in various sports in the Winter Games, not just one sport.

Things I genuinely don’t understand about the Winter Olympics sports:

• Speedskating Mass Sprint scoring. It’s like Quidditch at the end with scores being 15X larger than what’s gone on before.
• Why curling teams leave stones in the upper corners early in innings. That helps how?
• Relay luge squads being 1 woman and three men. They couldn’t have made it 3 and 3?
• Why style has to be judged for ski jumping, beyond not crashing.
• The ice hockey shootout rule that led to one guy from the US taking all of the shots last Olympics. This is dumb.
• Why hockey fighting isn't a sport. The Winter Olympics needs its own martial art!
• I won't list figure skating and ice dancing as I don't pay enough attention to be confused by it.

[Cindyluwho]

4 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I'll put this here since it's my observations of confusing things in various sports in the Winter Games, not just one sport.

Things I genuinely don’t understand about the Winter Olympics sports:

• Speedskating Mass Sprint scoring. It’s like Quidditch at the end with scores being 15X larger than what’s gone on before.
• Why curling teams leave stones in the upper corners early in innings. That helps how?
• Relay luge squads being 1 woman and three men. They couldn’t have made it 3 and 3?
• Why style has to be judged for ski jumping, beyond not crashing.
• The ice hockey shootout rule that led to one guy from the US taking all of the shots last Olympics. This is dumb.
• Why hockey fighting isn't a sport. The Winter Olympics needs its own martial art!
• I won't list figure skating and ice dancing as I don't pay enough attention to be confused by it.

I can answer some of these...

 

In curling, the stones in the upper corners are called guards. They can't be removed by the opposition until 4 rocks have been thrown. You try to put your other rocks behind these so they are more difficult  for the opposition to remove,

I don't think there is women's doubles in luge.

 

Hockey shoot outs?     Dumbest rule ever for a championship final!

[Souris]

I'm so sad the Olympics are pretty much over. But I'm also happy the Olympics are pretty much over, because I now have a ton of other stuff stacked up on my DVR because I watched pretty much nothing else but the Olympics for the past two weeks, and I'm exhausted because I have been staying up til the wee hours to watch events.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Souris

[walnutqueen]

1 minute ago, Souris said:

I'm so sad the Olympics are pretty much over. But I'm also happy the Olympics are pretty much over, because I now have a lot of other stuff stacked up on my DVR, and I have been staying up til the wee hours to watch events.

Moi aussie.  I cleared the decks of my DVR in anticipation, and still barely managed to keep up with all my Olympics recordings  -  but I watched most of them!

Sooo - Yay for Me?  (I have no life?).

The critters still got fed, so throw the first (curling) stone ...  ;-)

[Fukui San]

Thanks @Cindyluwho. The curling thing makes some sense, though I'd think a more centered guard would make more sense than a corner guard.

One more thing! How is Iceland not good at ANY Winter Olympics event? I was wondering why I hadn't heard Iceland's name and looked up their Winter Olympic history. They've never won a Winter Olympics medal in their history. How is this possible? It's not like they're unathletic. They've qualified for the Soccer World Cup and made noise in the Euro. How can a country named after ice not be good at any Winter Olympic sport?

[Bort]

My dvr is still empty. Every show I watch has been on hiatus for the olympics.

[walnutqueen]

5 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

My dvr is still empty. Every show I watch has been on hiatus for the olympics.

You don't watch enough shows!  ;-D

[Bort]

Just now, walnutqueen said:

You don't watch enough shows!  ;-D

I have 23 shows on my record list. None of them are airing. Only Counterpart, but I don’t record that because I’ll watch it on demand before it airs.

[legaleagle53]

So isn't anyone going to watch the 2018 Paralympics starting in about a week and a half?

[walnutqueen]

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

I have 23 shows on my record list. None of them are airing. Only Counterpart, but I don’t record that because I’ll watch it on demand before it airs.

Only 23 ?!?!?  Now you've made me feel like I'm demented!   ;-)

 

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

So isn't anyone going to watch the 2018 Paralympics starting in about a week and a half?

I surely will, DVR be damned.

[redpencil]

Quote

I'm so sad the Olympics are pretty much over. But I'm also happy the Olympics are pretty much over, because I now have a ton of other stuff stacked up on my DVR because I watched pretty much nothing else but the Olympics for the past two weeks, and I'm exhausted because I have been staying up til the wee hours to watch events.

Are you me? I could have posted this word for word. At least I have enough stuff piled up on my DVR to not get bored for awhile.

[blackwing]

I'm sad the Winter Olympics are ending.  Canadian-born but pretty much raised Stateside.  I always root for Canada over the US.  Love the Winter edition because Canada is actually competitive, unlike the Summer games where a medal is much rarer.

I live for the Winter Olympics, but at the same time, my backlog of "regular" shows is getting unbearable.

Hoping Calgary wins the bid for 2026!

[walnutqueen]

9 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I'm sad the Winter Olympics are ending.  Canadian-born but pretty much raised Stateside.  I always root for Canada over the US.  Love the Winter edition because Canada is actually competitive, unlike the Summer games where a medal is much rarer.

I live for the Winter Olympics, but at the same time, my backlog of "regular" shows is getting unbearable.

Hoping Calgary wins the bid for 2026!

Ditto.  But always happy when the US wins, if not Canada.  Or, for that matter, any other country wins - my allegiances change with the winds during the Olympics.  I just find a very foreign allegiance to the spirit of sports every 2-4 years, whilst ignoring them the rest of the time.  It's a mystery.  ;-)

[Trey]

Already suffering from Olympic withdrawal symptoms:)

I didn't get to see as much live coverage as I would have liked but it was still good - and probably easier on my blood pressure.

As always, I really enjoy coming to this board and sharing the Olympic camaraderie.

See you all in Tokyo, 2020.

[walnutqueen]

7 minutes ago, Trey said:

Already suffering from Olympic withdrawal symptoms:)

I didn't get to see as much live coverage as I would have liked but it was still good - and probably easier on my blood pressure.

As always, I really enjoy coming to this board and sharing the Olympic camaraderie.

See you all in Tokyo, 2020.

I do hope to see you all again, then (IF my own blood pressure allows!).

Without agenda or any need for virtual hugs or condolences, I must say that this is the first time I haven't shared the Olympics with my Mum (in 60+++ years) - and you've all made it totally bearable, and reminded me that there is still joy to be found in the Sports arena.  For that alone, I give you thanks, and hope to see you all again, very soon.

[/maudlin sentiments]

 

{insert the love/heart emojicons here, if you need translation}

[mtlchick]

11 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

So isn't anyone going to watch the 2018 Paralympics starting in about a week and a half?

I'll try to squeeze a few events in.  CBC said they'll have 300 streaming hours.

 

It's been fun kids.  May our hearts go on as loudly and as somewhat off key as this rag tag group of hosers! 880 days until Tokyo!

 

[walnutqueen]

5 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

I'll try to squeeze a few events in.  CBC said they'll have 300 streaming hours.

 

It's been fun kids.  May our hearts go on as loudly and as somewhat off key as this rag tag group of hosers! 880 days until Tokyo!

 

Still not as awful  awesome as the USA Curling mens's attempts at karaoke.  ;-)

[fireice13]

This was my first time really diving into this thread and it's been great. I usually only watch the figure skating but this year I really got into luge and curling. I'm American so I tend to root for the US first and then other former British colonies and members of the Commonwealth (which is a lot of countries!). I also really like seeing underdogs win or have unexpected results. I loved Ledecka winning the Super G and standing in shock at the bottom and the announcer's excitement when the US won the women's cross country sprint.

One thing I'm not too excited about is that the next two Olympic sites are Tokyo and Beijing. I think it's great for them and awesome to see (especially Tokyo since Beijing has been more recent), but the timezone difference is brutal. I think it's hard not just on viewers but the athletes as well.

[galaxygirl76]

I gotta say I'm a little annoyed that it's three Asian games in a row. Mostly it's Beijing I have issues with because I fear it's either going to be another Sochi or the events are so far stretched out that it will feel off. It's sad none of the European and north American countries had any real interest that the choice became between Kazakhstan and China. 

 

I'm perfectly cool with Tokyo. 

[mtlchick]

12 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

It's sad none of the European and north American countries had any real interest that the choice became between Kazakhstan and China.

A lot of it came down to how expensive the Games would be to host it and you had a secure team to build things in time and hopefully not corrupt.  Athens and Rio LOOK pretty in pictures, but they were not stable to begin with when they won.  After Sochi, it wouldn't surprise me they felt that Beijing was the safer bet despite political issues because most of the venues used the Summer Games can be easily changed over for Winter events fairly easily and they aren't going to fall apart in 2 years. 

[walnutqueen]

20 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I gotta say I'm a little annoyed that it's three Asian games in a row. Mostly it's Beijing I have issues with because I fear it's either going to be another Sochi or the events are so far stretched out that it will feel off. It's sad none of the European and north American countries had any real interest that the choice became between Kazakhstan and China. 

 

I'm perfectly cool with Tokyo. 

Meh.  Olympics venues come & go. More often than not, they are indistinguishable. If they are spectacularly bad, we have a forum for that, and will relentlessly bag on any nation brave (or foolish) enough to try to host this wonderful clusterfuck.

Gotta take the bad with the really bad.  ;-)

[kittykat]

I'm hoping the US can pull a bid for 2026 or 30.  I'm trying to figure out where unless they reuse SLC, which will be 28 years removed.  As far as major cities: Denver will never get the chance again, Seattle has the money but only gets like four days of snow (one of which was today) and I DON'T WANNA DEAL WITH THAT EXTRA TRAFFIC!!!  And it needs to be near decent skiing venues unless we're utilizing the whole country.

My other thought was since 2024 is 100 years since the Chamonix games that France can pull a bid (I know it will technically be 102 years).  Perhaps refurbish some of Albertville's and Grenoble's venues since they're all so damn close.  But since they have Paris 24 I'm guessing they don't  want double the expenses.  Unfortunately 2022 fell victim to "nobody wants them so these guys will do.". Between the current competitors of Sion, Sapporo, Calgary, and Stockholm I'm pulling for Calgary.  

Anyhoo, another snarkalicious games with you all.  It's been fun.

[BuckeyeLou]

I am nodding my head in agreement with Mike Tirico's commentary, Sports does give us a break from all the depressing news in the world...we can all take time out to cheer and enjoy the talents of these young people.   

[Dots And Stripes]

38 minutes ago, kittykat said:

I'm hoping the US can pull a bid for 2026 or 30.  I'm trying to figure out where unless they reuse SLC, which will be 28 years removed.  As far as major cities: Denver will never get the chance again, Seattle has the money but only gets like four days of snow (one of which was today) and I DON'T WANNA DEAL WITH THAT EXTRA TRAFFIC!!!  And it needs to be near decent skiing venues unless we're utilizing the whole country.

My other thought was since 2024 is 100 years since the Chamonix games that France can pull a bid (I know it will technically be 102 years).  Perhaps refurbish some of Albertville's and Grenoble's venues since they're all so damn close.  But since they have Paris 24 I'm guessing they don't  want double the expenses.  Unfortunately 2022 fell victim to "nobody wants them so these guys will do.". Between the current competitors of Sion, Sapporo, Calgary, and Stockholm I'm pulling for Calgary.  

Anyhoo, another snarkalicious games with you all.  It's been fun.

The US will have the summer Olympics in 2028. Apparently the IOC is having more trouble finding a host for 2026. This article is a good read. From the article, Beijing was one of only 2 options for 2022. Four cities are showing preliminary interest in 2026: Stockholm, Sweden; Calgary, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Sapporo, Japan. The US, Norway, and Austria are potentially interested in 2030.

[emma675]

Aw, I'm sad that it's over and this crazy little section of the forums will soon close down. Onto Beijing (or Tokyo, if you're an all around Olympic nerd like me)!

[bonniejmac]

On 2/18/2018 at 9:20 PM, legaleagle53 said:

So when you're originally from another country but you've been living in the US for x number of years (and are presumably US citizens now), how big of a conflict are the Olympics for you?  Do you ever find it hard to know which team to root for when they go head-to-head?

My dad is Canadian, mom is American. My grandpa's job transferred him from NYC to Toronto in the early 70s and mom met dad the next summer. The year after they got married, they decided to move to the States and so he's now been here 41 years this fall but not a US citizen. No question, he roots for Canada first, US second. And I love to tell people that when it's US vs Canada, I win either way.

My favorite part of the closing ceremony is when the IOC guy calls upon the youth of the world to meet again in 4 years. So comforting and hopeful to hear it repeated the same way every time - I guess I just love the tradition of it.

[blueray]

23 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

So isn't anyone going to watch the 2018 Paralympics starting in about a week and a half?

I hope too. I can't always find a place to watch it :(.

[blackwing]

38 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

The US will have the summer Olympics in 2028. Apparently the IOC is having more trouble finding a host for 2026. This article is a good read. From the article, Beijing was one of only 2 options for 2022. Four cities are showing preliminary interest in 2026: Stockholm, Sweden; Calgary, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Sapporo, Japan. The US, Norway, and Austria are potentially interested in 2030.

Calgary 2026!!!  I'm surprised Sapporo is bidding considering there is Tokyo 2020, but then again there could potentially be Los Angeles 2028 and then Salt Lake 2030.  

Re cost.  I heard Johnny Weir say that a lot of the Beijing 2008 venues are being used again... the Birds Nest stadium for opening and closing ceremonies and I think I heard him say the Water Cube (the swimming venue) would be transformed into figure skating.  

[walnutqueen]

Calgary ... so the fringed gloves were just before their  time?

[NUguy514]

According to Wikipedia (so, take it with a grain of salt), Salt Lake City is interested in hosting the 2030 Winter Games.  I imagine the odds of that happening increase 1) if the IOC doesn't award the 2026 Games to Calgary (although I guess it's still possible, that would make three North American Games in a row, almost immediately after three East Asian Games in a row) and 2) if the IOC awards the 2026 and 2030 Winter Games at the same time next year (like they did with the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games last year) since there may not be enough cities ready to commit to a Games eleven years out.  Still, no matter what, the IOC may not want to award two consecutive Games to the US.

[gingerella]

Will there be a paralympics thread here?