Olympics anyone?

[ERD50]

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Originally Posted by easysurfer Womens' beach volleyball: revenge is sweet... US beat the other Brazil team (who was ranked #1) to get the bronze. No way, should Walsh Jennings retire. She just had one bad match last night. Though 42 is a lot older than 38.

Yes, their playing against Brazil on the 14th did not appear to me to be at the level we saw in their other matches in the Olympics. USA couldn't get it together in that match, and Brazil did.

But yesterday, against the #1 ranked Brazil team, they played much better. Still it was close much of the way, they didn't dominate.

So it's all relative. Walsh may be having some issues, but they ranked 3 going in and took bronze. But 4 more years after all these shoulder operations, it might be too much, and maybe the motivation just isn't there to do it again? Interesting to me that the ranks 1-4 made it to the semi- finals, no upsets at all. Though I watched the Brazil #1 rank play the #24 ranked Russian team, and it was no run-away.

I need to make a point of watching Beach Volleyball outside the Olympics. I just don't follow sports, but this one gets to me. Players are involved every micro-second of play, and for me, just the right combination of mostly skill, with a little randomness/luck thrown in to make it interesting. Fast, but not always so fast that you can't follow (I did need the replays to catch some details), and the ball is big enough to see easily! And the scoring seems right - high enough for randomness/luck to average out, low enough that every point matters.

In other matters:

Quote:

Olympics is sport... this thread is on the Olympics... if we want to have a thread on Brazil's social ills then start another thread and we'll see how many posts that attracts.

Well, I actually agree with bUU on this one (may be a first for me?). The thread is titled "Olympics anyone?", so that seems open to all aspects of the Olympics, including Rio's readiness to handle it, financials, safety for visitors, etc. Overall all social ills of a country might be going a bit too far to link to the Olympics?

And if you look back at the first 20 posts or so, you'll see a fair amount of some of those sorts of comments/questions.

But since this thread has now turned mostly to analysis of what happens at the events themselves, a discussion of the "Effects of the Olympics" might work better in a separate thread? Just my two cents.

-ERD50

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 ... So it's all relative. Walsh may be having some issues, but they ranked 3 going in and took bronze. But 4 more years after all these shoulder operations, it might be too much, and maybe the motivation just isn't there to do it again? Interesting to me that the ranks 1-4 made it to the semi- finals, no upsets at all. Though I watched the Brazil #1 rank play the #24 ranked Russian team, and it was no run-away. ,,, -ERD50

All the more reason, IMO, to not hang things up as you don't have to be top ranked to win it all...Germany this Olympics proves that. Walsh's diving for the ball by the boards in that one save was more what we a used to.

Just pure speculation but did you notice how happy they were (Ross almost couldn't contain herself) in the end when Walsh was talking to Ross after they won. She had to of said more than just "nice game" or "Yay! We got bronze!". The optimist in me thinks she told her "See you in Japan for the next olympics" similar to "lets win gold in Rio" after the last Olympics. As I said, just speculation.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 I need to make a point of watching Beach Volleyball outside the Olympics. I just don't follow sports, but this one gets to me. Players are involved every micro-second of play, and for me, just the right combination of mostly skill, with a little randomness/luck thrown in to make it interesting. Fast, but not always so fast that you can't follow (I did need the replays to catch some details), and the ball is big enough to see easily! And the scoring seems right - high enough for randomness/luck to average out, low enough that every point matters.

The indoor games are on TV earlier and I've been watching some.

It is almost unwatchable compared to beach, although indoor women's is a good game. The beach game is a much better spectator experience. The skill still shows through, but it is necessarily slower.

Saw a few of the USA women's games, but missed the medal game. USA beach and indoor men were disappointing. Oh well. Today is a USA women's indoor game. I might fire up the stream while on lunch.

[ERD50]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras The indoor games are on TV earlier and I've been watching some. It is almost unwatchable compared to beach, ...

Yes, though take this with a giant amount of salt, as I'm not much of a sports fan at all. But regular indoor volleyball just was not anywhere near as interesting for me. Six people, so each has to only cover a small area, some of it comes down to confusion over who will take the ball. It took me a while to understand the 'campfire' reference, then I saw it - six players standing in a circle while the ball drops right in the middle. They look like they are sitting around a campfire.

Harder to see the action with all those people in the way. I just don't feel the excitement of "OK, there is only one person who can retrieve that ball, can they do it? Can they move that far and still get it over or in position for a 2nd or third hit?" I dunno, just many reasons for me that the beach game is just more fun for me.

And I even watched a men's beach game. I was a little afraid to do that, it might make me feel the women just aren't playing at the same level, and spoil it for me, but I didn't feel that way at all. The men are taller in general, and the net is set higher, so it's a slightly different game, and I suppose the best women would struggle against the best men, but the best of each playing their own matched team is very high level playing.

-ERD50

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 And I even watched a men's beach game. I was a little afraid to do that, it might make me feel the women just aren't playing at the same level, and spoil it for me, but I didn't feel that way at all. The men are taller in general, and the net is set higher, so it's a slightly different game, and I suppose the best women would struggle against the best men, but the best of each playing their own matched team is very high level playing. -ERD50

There is a huge difference between the men and women. The weakest men's team would have no problem easily defeating the best women's team.

[MichaelB]

Do we have to go there?

[CaliKid]

The Lochte story is breaking finally. What morons. It seemed obvious they were lying but couldn't figure out why. Here's ESPN story:

2016 Rio Olympics -- Video shows U.S. swimmer damaging gas station, fighting with security guard in Ryan Lochte incident

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by CaliKid The Lochte story is breaking finally. What morons. It seemed obvious they were lying but couldn't figure out why. Here's ESPN story: 2016 Rio Olympics -- Video shows U.S. swimmer damaging gas station, fighting with security guard in Ryan Lochte incident

This is sad. Sounds like they got drunk partying then made up the story. Wonder if the gas station would have called the cops or not.

Surely hope US Olympians behaving badly isn't the lasting impression as there are so many other good triumphant stories instead.

[Midpack]

Enjoying the 470 and 49er(FX) final (sailing) races today, after no wind on Mon or Wed. Breeze on today!!!

Also caught the mens single canoe and mens kayak double finals today. Holy smokes are they fast!

And we've been watching all the evening broadcasts too, swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball, track, etc. - enjoy it all.

[JoeWras]

US Women volleyball falls to Serbia.

Congrats to the Serbian women. A come from behind victory in the final set.

US Women now play for Bronze.

[Music Lover]

I just heard a "good" drug test story regarding a Belgian decathlete. He underwent a routine drug test back in 2014 and they found markers that indicated that he may have cancer. They advised him, he got tested, and cancer was found. He underwent chemo and recovered fully and is now participating in the decathlon.

[nash031]

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Originally Posted by easysurfer This is sad. Sounds like they got drunk partying then made up the story. Wonder if the gas station would have called the cops or not. Surely hope US Olympians behaving badly isn't the lasting impression as there are so many other good triumphant stories instead.

Par for the course for Lochte. Sometimes we need to remember that these athletes are mostly late teens early 20-somethings, some with huge egos, lots of hormones, and often used to being protected because of their ability.

Lochte has a long history of being a jackass.

[nuke_diver]

Lochte is 32. You would think he'd know better by now but seems like he is trying to follow in the footsteps of other reality stars so you need to keep in the public eye at all times. I guess this was his way, showing what a bad ass he was by having a gun put to his head before surrendering his wallet...

or not

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by nuke_diver Lochte is 32. You would think he'd know better by now but seems like he is trying to follow in the footsteps of other reality stars so you need to keep in the public eye at all times. I guess this was his way, showing what a bad ass he was by having a gun put to his head before surrendering his wallet... or not

Watching the news coverage. I think the Lochte thing may be renamed "The Pitstop Heard About Around the World" .

Looks like a big PR mess. I'm just glad no one got hurt physically.

[bUU]

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Originally Posted by ERD50 Well, I actually agree with bUU on this one (may be a first for me?). The thread is titled "Olympics anyone?", so that seems open to all aspects of the Olympics, including Rio's readiness to handle it, financials, safety for visitors, etc. Overall all social ills of a country might be going a bit too far to link to the Olympics? And if you look back at the first 20 posts or so, you'll see a fair amount of some of those sorts of comments/questions.

Thanks. My consternation is mostly about the double-standard. As we see in the last few messages right above this one, talking about matters beyond the games themselves is okay when those comments are made by some posters, but when I had some comments about crime visited on athletes it wasn't okay. I'm eminently polite about it, so it seems like it is the specific side of the issue that I take that makes my comments off-topic.

[easysurfer]

What's the final main competitive event of the Olympics? The men's marathon? One of my first Olympic memories as a kid was watching Bruce Jenner winning the decathlon (along with Mark Spitz of swimming, who at the time media was questioning, "Would his number of medals ever be topped" ) Watched last night where the guy from USA won the decathlon for back to back Olympics but seems there really isn't much media interest of this event like in days past.

[Nemo2]

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Originally Posted by easysurfer Mark Spitz of swimming

Reminded me of the first Olympic swimmer I can remember........and I wasn't even aware that he died four years ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/sp...ies-at-73.html

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by easysurfer What's the final main competitive event of the Olympics? The men's marathon? One of my first Olympic memories as a kid was watching Bruce Jenner winning the decathlon (along with Mark Spitz of swimming, who at the time media was questioning, "Would his number of medals ever be topped" ) Watched last night where the guy from USA won the decathlon for back to back Olympics but seems there really isn't much media interest of this event like in days past.

It's the US men's swimming team "Escape from Brazil" event. Lochte is sure to get the gold for that.

There's a lot of wrestling and boxing on Sunday, as well as the men's basketball and volleyball finals and a few other events.

Jenner was hyped for the decathlon and delivered so maybe that's why it was a big deal. A few Olympics later we had "Dan and Dave" hyped heavily, and then one failed to make the Olympics (though did win the next one), and the other only got bronze. That may have taken something out of it. I don't know, doing those 10 events well is an incredible feat.

[easysurfer]

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Originally Posted by RunningBum It's the US men's swimming team "Escape from Brazil" event. Lochte is sure to get the gold for that. There's a lot of wrestling and boxing on Sunday, as well as the men's basketball and volleyball finals and a few other events. Jenner was hyped for the decathlon and delivered so maybe that's why it was a big deal. A few Olympics later we had "Dan and Dave" hyped heavily, and then one failed to make the Olympics (though did win the next one), and the other only got bronze. That may have taken something out of it. I don't know, doing those 10 events well is an incredible feat.

"Escape from Brazil"... haha. Upon stopping Lochte at that gas station, he probably asked the security guy "You know who I am?" and the guard said "Well, you're definitely not Michael Phelps" and that might have set him off .

Though I'm not a Lochte fan, I can see why looking at the footage that his interpretation (maybe to strong of a word) was that they got robbed. I think having a gun pulled on you, plus being out partying all night can mess with your recollection big time. Watching the footage, if someone said, "This is footage of a robbery..." I'd be convinced enough.

Thanks for the info about the scheduling. I forgot all about "Dan and Dave".

[pb4uski]

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Originally Posted by CaliKid The Lochte story is breaking finally. What morons. It seemed obvious they were lying but couldn't figure out why. ...

+1 What a moron.

What I don't understand is why they felt a need to say anything at all.... they paid the owner off for their shenanigans so he didn't care so why not just stay mum... and if it ever did come up just say like... yeah, we went of drinking to celebrate and celebrated too much, did some stupid sophomoric things and got caught, worked it out with the owner and that is all we are going to say about it because we are embarrassed at our stupidity. End of story.