The Official GMHockey 2010 Winter Olympics Thread - All Talk Here!

PKC wrote:The Canadian alpine team has been a monumental failure this year. You'd think that racing on their hill would be even a slight advantage. Right? Wrong.

Of the 3 skiers so far today: two DNFs + 14th place finish so far. Pathetic.

It's odd, to say the least. Maybe it's because the conditions are really bad, and their familiarity with the hill is actually a detriment.

wprager wrote:

PKC wrote:The Canadian alpine team has been a monumental failure this year. You'd think that racing on their hill would be even a slight advantage. Right? Wrong.

Of the 3 skiers so far today: two DNFs + 14th place finish so far. Pathetic.

It's odd, to say the least. Maybe it's because the conditions are really bad, and their familiarity with the hill is actually a detriment.

Really? The Americans, Austrians, Swedes, etc. haven't had as much problems as we have.

PKC wrote:

wprager wrote:

PKC wrote:The Canadian alpine team has been a monumental failure this year. You'd think that racing on their hill would be even a slight advantage. Right? Wrong.

Of the 3 skiers so far today: two DNFs + 14th place finish so far. Pathetic.

It's odd, to say the least. Maybe it's because the conditions are really bad, and their familiarity with the hill is actually a detriment.

Really? The Americans, Austrians, Swedes, etc. haven't had as much problems as we have.

My point was that for every one else it's just a hill. For the Canadians, their brains (possibly) can't let go of the memories burned into them over the endless training runs. Their memories of that the hill is like in good conditions are getting in the way.

A stretch, for sure. It's much more likely that the other countries are using better sports psychiatrists.

No-one qualified for the aerials. Bauer was something like 3rd after her first jump. Would have been 3rd or 4th if she got a similar score on her second.

What a thriller -- Switzerland defeats Norway 5-4 in OT. But Hiller was a little shaky.

They were just talking about a cross country skiier (I didn't catch her name, I think it is Justyna Kowalczyk from Poland) who crashed and fell off an embankment breaking 4 ribs and collapsing a lung. She continued to compete (I'm guessing in another event today), and won a Diddling bronze medal, all with 4 broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

I'm trying to find out more about this, because I am just dumbfounded. Walking and drawing breath is painful as hell with broken ribs, much less while going full out at the Olympics. If this isn't the most courageous performance of these Games, I don't know what is.

PKC wrote:The big problem is that the fringe American competitors are coming through, Julie Mancuso has medaled this year in alpine, Lysacek medaled in figure skating, Shoni Davis in speed skating, Scott Lago in snowboard...it's not like the Canadians are performing exceptionally poorly - although there have been some disappointments so far, especially in alpine - the fact remains that the Americans are pulling some medals out of their asses.

Shani Davis isn't one of those though. He's the reigning WR holder at the 1000M. The Americans fell Donkey backwards into two medals on the 1500M short track final though. Korea was running 1-2-3 going into the final turn, when one of the Koreans blew a tire and wiped himself and one of the other Koreans out. Apolo Anton Ohno and J.R. Celski literally coasted to 2nd and 3rd. That's basically 2 freebies right there. But yeah, that's sort of the the point we were making about Americans, Germans and Norwegians exceeding expectations.

Hamelin brothers!!!!!

4 th and 5th !!!!! aaaaahhhhhhhh

Tough break for the Hamelin boys. Ohno becomes the all time winnest Winter Olympic Athlete in U.S. history with that Bronze I believe.

As much as I am not one to crap on Canadian athletes, Charles Hamelin and Denny Morrison really have to be disappointed with their respective performances. Morrison finished 9th tonight. His PB is two and a half seconds faster than tonight's Gold Medal time. Hamelin didn't medal in an event he's the world record holder in. That's a tough pill to swallow as I bet the COC was counting on those medals to "own the podium".

hemlock wrote:Tough break for the Hamelin boys. Ohno becomes the all time winnest Winter Olympic Athlete in U.S. history with that Bronze I believe.

As much as I am not one to crap on Canadian athletes, Charles Hamelin and Denny Morrison really have to be disappointed with their respective performances. Morrison finished 9th tonight. His PB is two and a half seconds faster than tonight's Gold Medal time. Hamelin didn't medal in an event he's the world record holder in. That's a tough pill to swallow as I bet the COC was counting on those medals to "own the podium".

that was a really disappointing run from the brothers, much respect for them but Canada could have used those medals, good job on them getting as far they did though. Koreans are really taking over in the skating this year

sens4win wrote:

hemlock wrote:Tough break for the Hamelin boys. Ohno becomes the all time winnest Winter Olympic Athlete in U.S. history with that Bronze I believe.

As much as I am not one to crap on Canadian athletes, Charles Hamelin and Denny Morrison really have to be disappointed with their respective performances. Morrison finished 9th tonight. His PB is two and a half seconds faster than tonight's Gold Medal time. Hamelin didn't medal in an event he's the world record holder in. That's a tough pill to swallow as I bet the COC was counting on those medals to "own the podium".

that was a really disappointing run from the brothers, much respect for them but Canada could have used those medals, good job on them getting as far they did though. Koreans are really taking over in the skating this year

Yeah, the Hamelin's seemed to try and make a point out of that race and tryed to dominate the whole way only fade.

Major bummer.

I don't really blame the Hamelins ... they're good but just not that good.

The Koreans are skating machines , I don't think they're human (what do they feed them there).

And Ohno ... well he does his patented passing from behind. Maybe they should be more aggressive at blocking him (legally). Dunno.

I just don't think we're THAT good.

Hoags wrote:I don't really blame the Hamelins ... they're good but just not that good.

The Koreans are skating machines , I don't think they're human (what do they feed them there).

And Ohno ... well he does his patented passing from behind. Maybe they should be more aggressive at blocking him (legally). Dunno.

I just don't think we're THAT good.

i dont think francois was as good but hamelin is ratted pretty high but i do agree with you on the korean point you threw out there

Hoags wrote:I don't really blame the Hamelins ... they're good but just not that good.

The Koreans are skating machines , I don't think they're human (what do they feed them there).

And Ohno ... well he does his patented passing from behind. Maybe they should be more aggressive at blocking him (legally). Dunno.

I just don't think we're THAT good.

I don't know much about speed-skating but it seems in groups being the leader off the start doesn't end well.

M_Christopher wrote:

Hoags wrote:I don't really blame the Hamelins ... they're good but just not that good.

The Koreans are skating machines , I don't think they're human (what do they feed them there).

And Ohno ... well he does his patented passing from behind. Maybe they should be more aggressive at blocking him (legally). Dunno.

I just don't think we're THAT good.

I don't know much about speed-skating but it seems in groups being the leader off the start doesn't end well.

that what always seems to happen most of the time

Hoags wrote:I don't really blame the Hamelins ... they're good but just not that good.

The Koreans are skating machines , I don't think they're human (what do they feed them there).

And Ohno ... well he does his patented passing from behind. Maybe they should be more aggressive at blocking him (legally). Dunno.

I just don't think we're THAT good.

Charles Hamelin is the WR holder at the 1000M. How is that "just not that good?"

sens4win wrote:

hemlock wrote:Tough break for the Hamelin boys. Ohno becomes the all time winnest Winter Olympic Athlete in U.S. history with that Bronze I believe.

As much as I am not one to crap on Canadian athletes, Charles Hamelin and Denny Morrison really have to be disappointed with their respective performances. Morrison finished 9th tonight. His PB is two and a half seconds faster than tonight's Gold Medal time. Hamelin didn't medal in an event he's the world record holder in. That's a tough pill to swallow as I bet the COC was counting on those medals to "own the podium".

that was a really disappointing run from the brothers, much respect for them but Canada could have used those medals, good job on them getting as far they did though. Koreans are really taking over in the skating this year

The scariest part about this is that going into these Games, they'd never medalled in Long-Track. They've got 4 medals in 5 events in Long-Track now. Yikes. A new world power is emerging very quickly here. Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, USA all better take notice (as if they haven't already). Apparently, speed skating in Korea is as or more popular than hockey in Canada. It's a religion there, much like swimming in Australia.