Vancouver Olympics Trash Talk Time

[Christoff]

I don't understand why you need a sticker on your skeleton sled. I mean these guys try to squeeze as much advantage out of their equipment as possible by reducing drags. Removing the sticker will, theoretically even though not by much, shave some time off. Does someone have the answer to this?

It is the most aerodynamic sticker ever invented by human kind. came form a factory i kawasaki

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Being white trash and a hillbilly, the only sticker I could imagine on my skeleton would be something like "If this vehicle's rockin' don't bother knockin'"

[Mulboyne]

I don't think this is her board but it would have looked something like this:



She removed all the sponsors stickers but should have left this one on:

[MrUltimateGaijin]

I don't understand why you need a sticker on your skeleton sled. . Does someone have the answer to this?

the sticker shows that the sled has passed inspection, eg. is within the rules regarding design and weight.

[Doctor Stop]

Once you've had some Mima-Hiroko-Bum, there's no going back.

I'm pretty sure the Greeks win the gold medal in that at every Summer Olympics.

[Mulboyne]

Zimbio: Scotty Lago Medal Pics Send Him Home

Snowboarder Scotty Lago won bronze on Wednesday night, but it was what he did afterward that's really causing a stir. The 21-year-old Lago had pics leaked of himself and a young lady having a good time after the podium, and they've turned into quite an embarrassment. The pictures show Lago having his medal bitten by the young lady, as well as dangling a medal below his waist as the young woman gives it a kiss. It's not unsurprising behavior coming from a young man who just had perhaps the best night of his life, but it was enough to raise the ire of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association...more...

[AssKissinger]

That chick is wicked hot, too.

[Christoff]

the sticker shows that the sled has passed inspection, eg. is within the rules regarding design and weight.

I was looking for a McCain Palin 2012 sticker

[Taro Toporific]

holy shit, Soko Yamaoka is hot and my age. Mad love!!!

[YT]XTehSRXlZUY[/YT]

[IkemenTommy]

id let Moe Meguro mop my jiz any day.

Are you sure about that?

Fuckin A.. how can one change so much in only 4 years?

But I give her mad props for that miracle shot the other day crushing UK.

I qualify for the coveted YBF-waiver

[Greji]

I qualify for the coveted YBF-waiver

Wet Waiver Granted

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I qualify for the coveted YBF-waiver

I haven't got the guts to apply for a waiver, but is there any chance of double-teaming? (I'll give her a Gold Medal if she'll do Miss Japan style).

[AssKissinger]

Women's curling is like sexy baseball.

[BigInJapan]

Japan's Olympic curling team member Mari Motohashi displaying some very good form...

[Mulboyne]

This article gives an analysis of Mao Asada's chances which seems largely absent from coverage in Japan.

At 19, Japan's Mao Asada already skating on thin ice

Less than two months before the 2006 Olympics, Mao Asada of Japan became the first woman to land two triple-axel jumps in the same program. And Asada wasn't a two-trick pony then. She was, at age 15, the best women's figure skater in the world, winner of the 2006 Grand Prix Final, the one about whom everyone said: "Mao -- Wow!" But she had to watch the last Olympics on television. Asada had the bad luck of having been born 87 days too late to meet the International Skating Union's minimum age requirement - 15 years old by July 1 of the preceding year -- for the Winter Olympics. As Asada makes her long-anticipated Olympic debut in the women's short program Tuesday night, the question is whether her time has come -- or gone. Her recent struggles would suggest the latter. Asada has done so poorly in the short program at her three international competitions this season that her best score (58.96) ranks only 11th in the world, nearly 18 points behind the top score of odds-on favorite Kim Yuna of South Korea.

There are a host of theories for why Asada has gone from world-beater in 2006 -- and world champion in 2008 -- to fourth at worlds in 2009 to an utter also-ran on the Grand Prix circuit in the 2010 season. One says she is ill-suited temperamentally or artistically to work with Tatiana Tarasova, the Russian coach with whom Asada began to work in June 2008. Asada was accustomed to long practices full of jumping. Tarasova prefers shorter, less physically demanding practices. Another theory says Asada has put too much emphasis on the 3 1/2 -revolution triple axel, using it as the first jump -- as part of a combination -- in both the short and long programs. She intends to do two triple axels in the Olympic long program. That she has failed to land a clean triple axel in any international short program seems to support that idea. If the one big jump fails, programs tend to fall flat, as Asada clearly understands. "The most important aspect would be to succeed in the short program," she said at a news conference here. "Of course, the jumps are very important, so when I succeed on jumps, the other elements will have better scores too."

Asada was a distant third behind Kim in the short program at her first Grand Prix event of the season, sixth in the short at her next Grand Prix event and then third again at the Four Continents Championship in late January. Even the best of those three performances would probably leave her buried in the much deeper field at the Olympics. "Short program tends to be my weakness," Asada said. "I am better at free skating [long program]. I will approach the day before the short program as if it is the day before the free skating." Asada's international free skates have been generally solid this season, although she has struggled with at least one triple axel in each. Ironically, although she gets props for being the only one among the 30 Olympic competitors planning to attempt the 3 1/2 -revolution triple axel, the jump may not get her enough points to be worth the risk. For instance, Kim's planned triple lutz-triple toe loop combination has a base value of 10, while Asada's triple axel-double toe has a base of 9.7. Kim does a second triple lutz, worth a base of 6.0, compared with the 8.2 of Asada's second triple axel.

Each skater has chosen the most difficult jumps she feels able to handle. Failure for either would be heavily penalized on the score sheet, and Kim's big jumps have been more reliable than Asada's axel. As was the case in the men's event, where Evan Lysacek of the United States won the title without a quadruple jump, far more than execution of one element will decide the outcome under the parameters of the sport's highly complex scoring system. Japan's Miki Ando, the 2009 world bronze medalist and 2007 world champion, concedes Kim has a great advantage in a competition that has taken on geo-cultural dimensions because of the centuries-old animosity between Japan and South Korea. "In the world, Kim Yuna is regarded as the strong favorite," Ando said, "I believe that she's a great skater. I think she has something I'm missing in terms of expression and also in the solid jumps"...more...

After reading that, I have a better understanding of what Mao needs to do to have a chance at winning. Incidentally, the article also points out that Mirai Nagasu is representing the US. She was born in the US to Japanese parents and apparently did commentary for Fuji TV during last year's World Championship.

[BigInJapan]

Japan's Olympic curling team member Mari Motohashi displaying some very good form...

Oops, photo got waylaid, here it is.

[BigInJapan]

Going back to biased Olympics reporting mentioned earlier in the thread, I read the following in an article about Canada's ice dance figure skating gold medal yesterday.

The first North American team ever to win the Olympic ice dancing gold medal, Virtue and Moir joined the very short list of Canadians who have ever come away from an Olympics with gold medals in figure skating...
Moir and Virtue conquer ice dance; win historic gold as youngest Olympians

This was in a Canadian publication, writing about Canadians, but they are referred to as "North American". I wonder if the American media refers to their athletes in the same way...

In a related article, it would seem that some of the competition was not too happy about the results (and this wouldn't be the first time).
Canadian ice dancers' victory under fire from Russian, Italian teams

[Adhesive]

Going back to biased Olympics reporting mentioned earlier in the thread, I read the following in an article about Canada's ice dance figure skating gold medal yesterday.


This was in a Canadian publication, writing about Canadians, but they are referred to as "North American". I wonder if the American media refers to their athletes in the same way...

Yup, heard it on the "today show" on NBC this morning when they interviewed the winners, they kept mentioning how they were the first North Americans to take gold. I think they were trying to emphasize the fact that not even Mexicans, I mean Americans, have won gold in the event.

In a related article, it would seem that some of the competition was not too happy about the results (and this wouldn't be the first time).
Canadian ice dancers' victory under fire from Russian, Italian teams

Not surprising.

[Yokohammer]

Well, the theory that Mao Asada might have trouble medaling just went out the window I think.

She just pulled 73.78 in the short program and is currently in the lead by about 10 points.

And now ... Kim is skating ...

[Yokohammer]

Oops ... Kim skated a 78.50.

[Doctor Stop]

Takahiko Kozuka looking his best:

[Marked Trail]

Lowrider geisha paintjob on the Japanese women's bobsled...

...more...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Lowrider geisha paintjob on the Japanese women's bobsled

Reminds me of this....

[IkemenTommy]

Reminds me of this....

The [I][I][I][I][I]decotora[/I][/I][/I][/I][/I]!!

Oops ... Kim skated a 78.50.

No surprise there. I have been reading the foreign media (mostly US) and none mentions anything about Asada Mao. Most of the coverage has been all over Kim Yona and she is by far the house favorite.

[Yokohammer]

No surprise there. I have been reading the foreign media (mostly US) and none mentions anything about Asada Mao. Most of the coverage has been all over Kim Yona and she is by far the house favorite.

That's a bit surprising, because Mao is in second place after the short programs, and only by just under 5 points. Joannie Rochette (Canadian) is third. Miki Ando is fourth. The free skating on Friday promises to be interesting.

[Greji]

That's a bit surprising, because Mao is in second place after the short programs, and only by just under 5 points. Joannie Rochette (Canadian) is third. Miki Ando is fourth. The free skating on Friday promises to be interesting.

Joanne Rochette is the girl whose mother died unexpectly on Sunday. If you watched it today, Kim was the pick of the litter, but the US two and the Italian girl were also very good and (I thought) should have gotten higher scores.

It will be interesting to see if Ando fires a quad at them in the final. She may have to place.......

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

It will be interesting to see if Ando fires a quad at them in the final. She may have to place.......

If she fires a quad at me, she can have my place...

[Yokohammer]

Joanne Rochette is the girl whose mother died unexpectly on Sunday. If you watched it today, Kim was the pick of the litter, but the US two and the Italian girl were also very good and (I thought) should have gotten higher scores.

It will be interesting to see if Ando fires a quad at them in the final. She may have to place.......

Yeah, really sad about Rochette's mum. Heart attack at 55 (a little too close for comfort) ... didn't even get to see her daughter skate.

I watched pretty much the whole thing from 9:30 on – one of the bennies of being self-employed . Nagasu (Japanese, skating for US) was very good for a young-un, I thought. Flatt (US) and Kostner (Italy) both turned in strong performances ... but with misses that cost them points. Asada and Kim were close to flawless. Amazing skating from both girls

I don't know if Ando is going to pull off a comeback this time. She seems to be a bit distracted or something, although she claims to be in good condition and relaxed. We'll see.

[Mike Oxlong]

I don't know if Ando is going to pull off a comeback this time. She seems to be a bit distracted or something, although she claims to be in good condition and relaxed. We'll see.

I know something that always relaxes me...I'm off to Vancouver to give it up to Miki.

[Jack]

Oops, photo got waylaid, here it is.

Fuck she's hot.