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I've just finished watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, and, as one announcer said, "When it comes to Opening Ceremonies, retire the trophy." They were stupendous and spectacular, and after the torch was lit, the Chinese, who invented fireworks after all, set Beijing on fire!
The whole city was ablaze with light and magic for about a square mile around the stadium...simply breathtaking!
I think the one who captured me most, though, was that little boy from Szechwan Province who, after digging himself out of the earthquake rubble, went back to rescue two of his classmates...he is nine years old, and a national hero, as well he should be. His eyes were big as saucers taking it all in, and he was carried around (so he could see above the crowd) by China's 7'6" basketball star, Jao Ming.(?) Next to the big man, the little boy looked to be about 3years old, until they explained the height and ages...pretty cute.
I love the Olympics and probably won't be around too much for the duration!
Watched the ceremony as well, Bat, and found myself impressed by the fireworks. And once more all those very little countries challenged my geographical knowledge... I've always watched the Olympics since I was a child of five.
I remember that my parents tried to keep me away from the TV after the terrorist attack on the Munich Olympic Village.
And I remember finding myself starting to drink coffee trying to stay awake all night long during the 1984 Olympics at LA.
Don't know yet how much I will be able to watch this time. School starts again on Monday and the start of a new year at school will be a bit chaotic and stressful like every year.
Anyway, I'll try to watch the women's soccer, athletics, cycling and, and, and...
What are my fellow Rudies going to watch?
MIMI
hoops
08-09-2008, 07:18 AM
I'll be watching womens beach volleyball, womens soccer, womens basketball, probably some power lifting events, and tae kwon do and goodness knows whatever else catches my fancy. i always seem to find the gymnastics and diving a lot of fun too. i didn;t watch the opening ceremonies, sorry i missed it. oh and i will be watching mens events too. have a gander at tae kwon do, i think you may enjoy it.
peace
hoops
Oak Kitten
08-09-2008, 08:39 AM
I watched most of the opening ceremony, and it was truly a spectacle. It will indeed be a challenge for anyone to top that production. I found it interesting to see our President chatting amicably with Vladimir Putin while the Russians have launched a full-out war against the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
As to the rest of the Olympics coverage, I will probably only watch it in snippets. I cannot abide NBC's insipid ethnocentric commentary and coverage. If someone could invent an anti-banality filter for television programming, they could become quite rich. Of course, there would then be pretty much nothing left to watch. That is not necesarily a bad thing.
Oak
I don't know if everyone gets access to MSNBC, but you can watch various events that are not televised, so they say. I don't know if they are on-demand, that is that you can watch them whenever you want...have to look into it further, but know that you can see sports that are not featured on TV.
I just installed Windows Silverlight...it's a beta, but we'll see.
KarenSews2
08-09-2008, 09:45 AM
I was in awe for most of the evening. That part with the boxes moving up and down to create graphics??!! Holy COW! Ned and I kept speculating how they were doing that. I thought it was surely computerized. What a shock when the people popped out to wave at the end!! And the lighted unitards??!! Then to hear that someone decided on Tues. to change them from black to green! "Oh yeah, I need 2,000 of these in 2 days!" I guess they have the manpower to do that.
I kind of thought the torch itself was rather unspectacular, but EVERYTHING leading up to it was amazing. What a night.
Those poor girls on the sidelines during the parade of nations. I knew they would run down over the course of it. I don't blame them, but given the level of humanity that often comes from that part of the world...
I found it interesting to see our President chatting amicably with Vladimir Putin while the Russians have launched a full-out war against the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Do I remember correctly that during once upon a time in Greece, thousands of years ago, the Olympics were a time of peace?:confused: But maybe George and Vladimir slept at school...
MIMI
trish55
08-09-2008, 05:35 PM
I watched about half of the opening ceremonies, honestly wasn't that impressed. I didnt like the "millions" of drummers who kept drumming wearing those dresses for it seemed an eternity. I did like when the little children, dressed in their cultural costumes from all over China walked up to meet the soldiers. I do enjoy the Olympics, even though they can be political. I love the swimming, gymnastics and track and field!:D
Ohhhh, I loved the drummers, Trish....but then I'm married to one, so I could be a bit predjudiced?? And those 'dresses' were great Mandarin type clothing of the ancient days, maybe worn by monks, or soldiers or musicians of the olden days... I'm not up on my Chinese history, but I'm sure they were Classic traditional, usually made of heavily brocaded silk. I can see where 2008 drummers could leave a big impression on one's ears, tho...still liked them!
They had style, for sure!:D
Mary6906
08-09-2008, 08:15 PM
.... womens beach volleyball, womens basketball, probably some power lifting events
yes, those are about all the events I'll probably watch ... actually those at the BBQ who played volleyball should watch the women's team... we could all learn a thing or two from them... they only play with TWO people on each side... and they make it look soooo easy!!
diver_boy
08-09-2008, 08:37 PM
i'm with bat, i won't be on much....i am a huge olympics fan, i watch any and all sport.
although my fav has to be the women's weightlifting (75kg+)....i know, i'm weird.
Looks like the Chinese woman has it iced, DB...she was phenomenal!
I like the men's gymnastics...such awesome strength and agility required... Horton was incredible on the high bar!! I've never seen such a routine!
The women's beach volleyball is still dominated by Kelly and Misty-May, the best in the world up to now, and look like they'll retain the title.
The 41 year old gorgeous-thing-swimmer should do very well, too...I hope she puts the young thangs to shame!
I am going to be watching the sailing, too, eventually. The final is on the last dayof the Olympics. Not really too exciting to watch--unless you're a sailor and realize all that goes into making that little boat go just inches faster than the other guy; then it's very exhilirating to view. You have to keep in mind that,in one hour, half a foot gain per minute will put you 30 feet ahead of the pack at the finish! A boat-length-plus is a good margin to win by, though nerve wracking to the leader.
I think track and field has to be my favorite...love to watch those guys run, especially the sprinters, male or female. Their legs look like Snoopy-on-wheels when they hit their stride!
(I love exclamation points, can't ya tell!? :D )
All this while trying to put a living room to rights that has too much stuff of not the right sizes in it:confused: ...but I'm good at figuring out spatial puzzles, so if anyone can do it, I can! I hope.
dragonlady
08-09-2008, 08:59 PM
We watched the opening ceremonies and were pretty amazed by the combinatiion of high and low tech...the huge LED screen in the middle of the floor that the dancers created a sumi-e like painting with their bodies...all of the choreographed blocks creating the Confucian symbols like of drops in a pool of water that like Karen said were all people powered and timed.
I'm with Oak regarding the commentators...we kept the sound down unless it was integral to what was happening on the screen...the only decent commentator has passed away (Jim McKay) so there really isn't anything worth listening to...the cultural guy had interesting things to say but that kind of information seems paternalistic in the way it was delivered...besides this was a performance and we didn't need talking heads...they could have shut up and let us watch.
The fireworks were nothing short of amazing!!! Pretty much lit up the whole city it looked like!! I liked the Tae Kwando guys in perfect circles and perfect unison...it was lovely to watch. I thought that the parade of nations in alphabetical order, since Chinese doesn't have an alphabet, was fascinating. To find that is was based on the number of strokes making up the character of the country's name was one of the most interesting elements of the evening...Kathleen and I had been wondering how they would do that - language freaks that we are...:D.
NBC's coverage was less than stellar considering they were showing a prerecorded show as if it were live and having us miss portions of the show that we didn't need to miss since it was prerecorded...all for the sake of commercials...though a few of commercials were amusing like the dog working the Clydesdale out to get his place on the team back...:) .
We'll be watching as much of the coverage as we can especially the women's sports, swimming, diving and track and field. Equestrian if it is on at a time we are home and gymnastics since it is fun to watch especially if the points get close for the overalls. Again we won't be listening much since the coverage is (like Oak said) so ethnocentric and condescending it is not really informative, quite repetitive and boring.
-di
lucille
08-09-2008, 10:27 PM
I hate to put a damper on it, but I frankly feel the Olympics is a huge waste of money. I enjoyed it when it was am amateur competition (back in the olden days:p ), and no drugs were involved, but now it seems to be a matter of who has the best undetectable drugs. And the money spent is obscene.
Well, Wendy, like 'em or not, your women swimmers are fantastic!! And gorgeous! (Rice;) ). Congrats to the Aussies!
DaveM
08-10-2008, 12:10 AM
I don't have the full list of Olympic sports but it would be interesting to find out which oddball sports are still on the competition list. Beach volleyball has sort of an odd sound to it, as does ping pong. I believe there is still Olympic bowling, though to my knowledge badminton has been phased out. Water polo is still in as far as I know.
I honestly wonder about cricket, darts, and a few other things that seem more to be pastimes than sports. Mind, I hate to think of the competition standards for Olympic darts.
lucille
08-10-2008, 12:10 AM
Well, Wendy, like 'em or not, your women swimmers are fantastic!! And gorgeous! (Rice;) ). Congrats to the Aussies!
As yet I haven't seen any news, or Olympic coverage, so presume we won something. Thanks Barb.
Anna from Dublin
08-10-2008, 02:53 AM
While I think the Olympic ideal is admirable, I do agree with Lucille that you cannot take it seriously anymore since you just never know who is doping. It makes it all a farce really. I haven't seen any coverage yet and don't intend watching any.
Marcia Drummergal
08-10-2008, 08:40 AM
DaveM, badminton is still part of the competition...I watched it yesterday.
This is the last year for softball and baseball.....too bad.
Marcia
aabram
08-10-2008, 09:50 AM
I shall try to watch the Equestrian Events and the Gymnastics and the Diving, but I wish Mr Abram would do something with his holiday instead of just sitting there in front of the telly vegetating while the rest of the planet gets on with their lives, and I just go out if he doesn't.... :p
Annabel
coffeegyrl
08-10-2008, 01:06 PM
I haven't seen any coverage yet and don't intend watching any.
Same here. Not really interested. But I don't watch too much TV.
I hardly ever watch TV, but I do love to watch the athletes...baseball is about as boring to me as watching golf and sailing are to other people, ditto basketball, with gymnastics a close third...I like sports that don't get judged by anyone, the results speak for themselves, like archery and swimming...you either do it and win, or you don't, and nobody has to tell you what is going on. The Argentinian judge in gymnastics doesn't like Americans, so he gives our kids bad marks...there was one gal on the balance beam that should have gotten at least a 9 or better...she got a little over 8 because of him (according to Bela Karoli...they aren't showing us the scoring this year, for some reason). Not fair, sez I. I don't watch ice skating for the same reason.
I guess that's why I like track and field best...or darts:D (We had a bunch of Irishmen in our yacht club, back in the day, who could have given any olympians a run for their money!)
DaveM
08-11-2008, 02:28 PM
I lost the url, but there is a web page for Olympic sports that are no more. These include tug-o-war, shooting with dueling pistols, one-hand weightlifting, lacrosse, rope climbing, croquet, and I forget what else.
Oh heck, I missed the badminton competition....I actually wondered what badminton is like on a world competition level.
It's a very devious, tricky game whoever plays it! You can smash the bird, it will go a certain number of feet...and die. The opponent takes a wicked swing at it and misses by a mile, dives for it and just...can't...quite...reach...it. Most frustrating, even for the Chinese.
Oak Kitten
08-17-2008, 09:47 AM
A couple of people who have impressed me most in the Olympics (Michael Phelps is a given):
Darrah Torres - at 41 she is more than holding her own against competitors half her age, missing out on the gold by 1/100th of second. She is also one of the most genuinely gracious competitors I have ever seen - holding up the start of the race so the Swedish swimmer could change into a new suit. I especially liked the way she smiled at the end of her race and went right over to congratulate the other two medalists. A totally class act - she truly embodies the Olympic ideal. It really annoys me when an athlete who "only" wins a Silver or a Bronze medal acts completely devastated. I understand that someone competing at the high a level is geared to WIN, but it still aggravates the heck out of me.
Constantina Tomescu of Romania - Another "oldster" competing at age 38. Not only did she blow away the entire field by finishing the marathon almost a minute ahead of the rest of the pack, she shattered the world's record by 11 minutes! Let's hear it for the old broads! Yay!!!
Oak
... and not forget about French cyclist Jeannie Longo who will turn 50 in October and was only two seconds off a medal...
2 seconds off a medal for veteran cyclist Longo
By JEAN-LUC COURTHIAL, Associated Press Writer
Aug 13, 3:44 am EDT
JUYONGGUANG, China (AP)—Two seconds separated Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli from her fifth Olympic medal Wednesday, 24 years after she first competed in the games.
“I had said that if I won another medal, I would climb the wall. That’s why I braked,” the French rider joked after finishing just behind the Swiss rider Karin Thuerig in the women’s road time-trial.
Longo, who turns 50 in October, said she had a problem with changing gear on the final bend and estimated that it cost her two or three seconds.
She also had a problem with a nerve in her leg that was kicked off by the rain during the women’s road race on Saturday.
“My left leg was pulling today, particular on the climb. I had it massaged but it didn’t help,” she said.
Longo first competed in the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles. In 1992 in Barcelona, she took the silver in the road race; in 1996 in Atlanta she took the gold medal for the road race and the silver for the time-trial; in 2000 in Sydney she got the bronze in the time-trial. She has 13 world championship golds and has been French champion 55 times.
“I had never been as well prepared for the Olympic Games” as this time, Longo said. “It’s rather a pity.”
“I still have confidence. I have to remind myself that I’ll be 50 soon, because I don’t look at the calendar, what matters is now I feel in my body,” Longo said.
“This year, I’ve really trained well.”
Longo has tended to avoid staying with the French team during the Olympics, but on this occasion, for practical reasons, she changed her mind and joined the team. She said she enjoyed rubbing shoulders with stars.
“Fabian Cancellara (men’s road race world champion) came to wish me good luck, and Rafael Nadal was eating in the middle of everyone,” she laughed.
“We all glad to be there, we’re all like kids.”
Indeed! Dara Torres is truly an inspiration, class act indeed!! (and very very easy on the eyes yes?).
Mimi,
We were SO rooting for Jeannie! What a hardbreak! But heck, she was THERE!
I don't really watch a lot of the Olympics, I prefer to participate in sports, but Peggy watches it all. It's worse than the Tour de France. In July of every year I'm a Tour Widow, and every four years I am an Olympics Widow.
LOL That's okay, it means I get to be in Janisland with you all. ;)
Actually, Dar, Dara Torres reminded me of you...a blonde Dar, definitely a type A, with personality oozing out of her at every smile...she is a real winner for sure!;) (and definitely easy on the eyes!:p )
KarenSews2
08-17-2008, 07:45 PM
My daughter had been looking forward to seeing Sam Peszek perform. Sam is from Indianapolis, and is a model for the dancewear company where Bailey works. Bailey recruits and works directly with the models (SP was already a model when Bailey was hired), and she had been excited about Sam being in the trials, etc. Such a crushing blow that she was not able to perform except on the uneven bars. I guess she'll have to go back to driving her Beemer to high school... :rolleyes:
I'm looking forward to seeing synchronized swimming.
Mary6906
08-17-2008, 08:16 PM
Yeah, I watched Dara's races .... wow, to get beat by only 1/100th of a sec... how unbelievable is that.... she's such an inspiration to watch swimming against all those girls young enough to be her daughter.
I'll have to think of Dara for some inspiration the next time I'm feeling tired at the gym... yes, let's hear it for the "old broads"... :)
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