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Old 08-12-2008, 09:58 AM   #41
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That trip was my introduction to the tradition of trading Olympic pins and I'll admit it became a near obsession while I was there. By the last day I was walking up to random people on the street asking if they wanted to trade pins. I ended up with more than 100 from different teams and events. My two favorites: the Chinese Alpine Skiing Team and the Jamaican Bobsleigh Team.
Another pin collector. Do you still collect? I started mine in Calgary but became obsessed really got interested at Atlanta. I was a burned out exec had a senior position with a global olympic sponsor and spent much of my free time either in the VIP section or the Coke tent trading pins.

My favorite - the Virgin Islands Bobsled Pin

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Old 08-12-2008, 10:04 AM   #42
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No Olympic pins, but I do have one helluva shot glass collection!
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Old 08-14-2008, 06:09 PM   #43
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Once again NBC leads off prime time coverage by calling on the expertise of Bela Karolyi for gymnastic commentary. I don't have a clue what that guy is saying....
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Old 08-14-2008, 06:13 PM   #44
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He says that, in Romania, they would have never considered cheating...
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ER Forum's adopted Olympian?
Old 08-15-2008, 06:23 AM   #45
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ER Forum's adopted Olympian?

Should it be John Dane, a 58 year-old sailor from New Orleans? He sails for his medal today in the Star class.



2008 Beijing Summer Olympics | John Dane Profile & Bio, Photos & Videos | NBC Olympics

Solomon: Sailor stayed focused after Hurricane Katrina | Sports | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Or is it Dana Torres, 41, a swimmer? If she makes it through the heats and the semis, she swims for medals on Sunday.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1172/bio/index.html
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Old 08-16-2008, 04:10 AM   #46
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Realistically it should be John Dane who probably looks more like us than any Olympian...

However, Dara is my new fantasy girl. Especially after being such a great sportsman, and telling the officials to wait until one of her competitors could fix her swimsuit problems.

Than the hottie goes and blows the competition out and posts the fast qualifying time against girls less than 1/2 her age!!. A real inspiration.
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Old 08-16-2008, 01:11 PM   #47
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I said in my original post that the men's 100-meter dash was one of my favorite events.

The event completed a few hours ago, but won't be shown on TV until tonight. I couldn't resist taking an early peak at the results.

I'll just say...spectacular. Don't miss it.

Tonight may be the best night of Olympics watching over the whole two weeks...the world's fastest men in a 10-second sprint, men's and women's swimming relays, Phelps going for an eighth gold medal, Dara Torres trying to win one for us old guys.
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Old 08-16-2008, 01:32 PM   #48
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I said in my original post that the men's 100-meter dash was one of my favorite events.

The event completed a few hours ago, but won't be shown on TV until tonight. I couldn't resist taking an early peak at the results.

I'll just say...spectacular. Don't miss it.

Tonight may be the best night of Olympics watching over the whole two weeks...the world's fastest men in a 10-second sprint, men's and women's swimming relays, Phelps going for an eighth gold medal, Dara Torres trying to win one for us old guys.
I saw the eventual winner in last night's heat; looked like he could've stopped and had a picnic lunch, and still have won. News reports say he slacked off in the final, too, and still got the WR...
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Old 08-16-2008, 01:52 PM   #49
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I've never seen a sprinter run that easy.
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Old 08-16-2008, 10:40 PM   #50
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He could have gotten 9.59 easy. Seemed more than a little cocky, but I guess you can be when you're young and fast.

Phelps was pretty awesome. The team came together to get him that 8th.

Torres sportsmanship is amazing. I wish more athletes were like her.

Caught the marathon too. That was something else.
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Old 08-17-2008, 05:51 AM   #51
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I don't like the way the networks cover the Olympics. They seem to assume that the audience has a 30 second attention span. I prefer to see the entire event not just the high-lights. Can you imagine if they only showed the touchdowns in a football game yet that is how they show much of the Olympics.

Since I do a lot of endurance sports I would be happy if they showed the entire marathon or triathlon or bike road race but realize that will not happen because 99.9% of the audience would be bored to death.

MB
Well, you got your wish on the women's marathon. I don't see how they could've shown much more of that race, in prime time no less.
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Old 08-17-2008, 05:04 PM   #52
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Hopefully Phelps' 8 golds.

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Old 08-17-2008, 05:15 PM   #53
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Torres sportsmanship is amazing. I wish more athletes were like her.
I'll second that on Torres. A true Olympian, proven more than once this week.

For anyone who missed it, she delayed the start of a prelim race so that a competitor could do an emergency change of a ripped suit and still make the race. You could see her tell the other swimmers "We're all going to wait", and also go over to her coach as a delay to give the swimmer time to get to the start.

And then she gets nipped by .01 seconds in the finals, and she's all smiles and congrats for the winner.

There have been more impressive performances in these Olympics, but I'm not sure there have been more impressive people.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:25 PM   #54
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I'm sitting here at the computer right now so that DW can watch the Michael Phelps worship news coverage, and I don't have to see it.

I agree that he's a good at moving through the water in several different ways, but he got 8 medals, "the best ever," because there are so many different swimming events. Even if a marathon runner could finish the marathon in 20 minutes, he wouldn't be the best ever, because there's only one marathon event.

OK, Phelps coverage is over, so I can go back to watching the news.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:27 PM   #55
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Well whatever you do AL dont post pics of the guy. The thread might get shutdown due to complaints.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:32 PM   #56
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Well, you got your wish on the women's marathon. I don't see how they could've shown much more of that race, in prime time no less.
I was amazed they showed some much of the woman's marathon. I thought the only reason they show so much of the men's marathon is it is the last and only event. It is really long, now that great of a spectator sport, no American was competitive and the race wasn't close.

Definitely a great olympic's for chronologically gifted women with a 38 year old woman winning the marathon by several minutes, the American's woman basketball featuring a number 35 years old stars killing the competition and of course Dara.
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Old 08-17-2008, 08:33 PM   #57
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I'm sitting here at the computer right now so that DW can watch the Michael Phelps worship news coverage, and I don't have to see it.

I agree that he's a good at moving through the water in several different ways, but he got 8 medals, "the best ever," because there are so many different swimming events. Even if a marathon runner could finish the marathon in 20 minutes, he wouldn't be the best ever, because there's only one marathon event.

OK, Phelps coverage is over, so I can go back to watching the news.
If the marathoner beat all of the other world class athletes in 8 marathons over the course of two weeks then I would consider them the best ever also. Bonus points if they were involved in a sprint at the end of one of the races and won by 2/100th of a second.
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Old 08-17-2008, 09:01 PM   #58
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A distance runner could run the 5K, 10, and marathon. In fact the great 10K runner from Ethopia has competed in all 3 events.

Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens both won individual gold in the 100,200, long jump, and 4 x100 relay.

I am not saying it would be easy but I think it is possible for super dominant track star to win 4-5 individual gold medals and one or two relays. For instance the 100, 200, 110 hurdles, long jump, triple jump and 4 x100 relay. Or a middle distance guy, the 200, 400, 800, 400 hurdles and 4 x 400 relay.

There are more relays in swimming than other sports but Phelps won 5 individual medals which is still remarkable.
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Old 08-17-2008, 09:49 PM   #59
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Thorpe's feat was remarkable. I don't know if it was the best ever because I don't know how to compare across sports. But if you say it was the best ever, you might well say that Spitz's was the 2nd best ever, and that seems like too much of a coincidence to me that they are both swimmers.

If Thorpe hadn't retired, would Phelps still have swept?
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Old 08-17-2008, 11:14 PM   #60
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Thorpe's feat was remarkable. I don't know if it was the best ever because I don't know how to compare across sports. But if you say it was the best ever, you might well say that Spitz's was the 2nd best ever, and that seems like too much of a coincidence to me that they are both swimmers.

If Thorpe hadn't retired, would Phelps still have swept?
Not to dimish what Phelp's has done but I think that Emil Zatopek's 5k, 10k, marathon triple is equal to Phelp's 8 golds.

Yes, I think that Phelp's would still have the 8 golds if Thorpe competed. Phelps is a lot faster in the 200 free than he was in Athens. Maybe Thorpe could have turned it around but he appeared to have plateaued at Athens.

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