2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

***Jonathan*** · 02-13-2010, 07:22 AM

At long last the Vancouver Winter Olympics are here! How many besides me are excited about the days to come?

I'll especially look forward to the ice-hockey and alpine skiing. The other skiing events and figure skating will be great to watch as well.

The inauguration was spectacular, one of the best I've seen! Did anyone watch it? It started out good with a cool entrance of a snowboarder jumping through one of the Olympic rings. Then entered the Mounted Police and hoisted the Maple Leaf to the absolutely beautiful tones of Oh Canada! Four giant totem poles of ice were then raised and the indigenous people exhibited themselves and their cool clothes. Even a non-Canadian would have a hard time keeping a dry eye in the midst of this flood of pride and patriotism

The national teams were presented. The Georgian team received a heart-warming applause of sympathy for the luge competitor that died during training the same day. The Canadian team made a grandiose entry, but the best stuff was saved till after the presentations...

Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado performed a lovely duet, after which a huge preternatural "white" black bear emerged from the icy ground. It rose high above the performance artists in the arena, and there were snow and northern lights.
Suddenly the ice sheet cracked open, revealing a sea underneath. The dancers saved themselves upon flakes of ice and floated away. And wow, killer whales appeared swimming in the sea!

Leonard Cohen performed, as did Sarah McLachlan. Later, a violinist descended from the sky, casting a shadow with a life of its own, on a big crimson moon behind him. Maple leaves started to fall from the sky, raining over the dancers in the arena. The very highlight of the inauguration imo, was the jolly good atmosphere created by the wonderful medley of violin music and tap dancing. Kudos to the organisers!

Things calmed down again when a guy came running and flying through fields of rye. Then a huge snow-covered mountain appeared in the middle of the arena, skiers and snowboarders making their way up and down its peak. Red-clad ice skaters (well, rollerbladers actually) circulated the base of the mountain.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was the last to be handed the Olympic torch. There was apparently some mechanical glitch with the actual lighting of the Olympic fire. But well, it lit nicely anyway

Astonishing stuff, Vancouver! * * *

Gwaimir Windgem · 02-13-2010, 11:10 PM

RIP, Nodar Kumaritashvili.

GrayMouser · 02-13-2010, 11:12 PM

While I'm excited about the Olympics, mainly because it's once every four years I actually get to watch a hockey game, I'm always bored stiff by opening and closing ceremonies- to each their own - like my wife who, unfortunately, loves them.

And downhill skiing of course- no guts, no glory!

Must say it's the first time I've heard that mournful dirge of ours referred to favorably, never mind "absolutely beautiful".

Almost all anthems suck, among the few exceptions being "La Marseiillaise" and "Ode to Joy"- it helps when the music is by Beethoven and the words by Schiller.

Still, roll on the Olympics and yay, Vancouver- hope the rain and fog at Cypress hold off.

Gwaimir Windgem · 02-14-2010, 03:33 PM

Which did they use? O Canada, or God save the Queen?

GrayMouser · 02-15-2010, 06:24 AM

Well, they're both mournful dirges, but they no longer sing "The Queen", though we used to every morning back when I was in school- and say the Lord's Prayer and have Bible readings ; none of that multi-culti church/state separation nonsense back then.

As for watching the Olympics...AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!- I had forgotten what country I was in.

Taiwan has exactly one participant in the entire Winter Games; a luge-rider who doesn't even live here and is in the bottom of the rankings.

Which means in the last 48 hours we've had about 44 hours coverage of the luge, with everything else given a quick round-up in the breaks.

***Jonathan*** · 02-15-2010, 03:22 PM

Lol GrayMouser. I suppose luge can't really measure up to hockey for a Canadian

But congratulations on Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil!
By the way, you're only claiming the hockey gold over my dead body

I just finished watching the ladies' 10 km cross-country skiing which resulted in a sweet Swedish gold medal, the first in these games so far.

Grey_Wolf · 02-27-2010, 09:21 AM

Second Time Around!!!

Yippieh!!

After a very exciting match the Swedish ladies won the Final by a near-miss from the Canadian Last Stone which ended the match with the Last Stone of the Swedish team staying put.

YippÃ*eh!!! - Well done, Ladies!!

***VarnafindÃ«*** · 02-27-2010, 08:04 PM

Gratulerer!

Grey_Wolf · 02-28-2010, 04:19 AM

thanks varna!

***Earniel*** · 02-28-2010, 07:09 AM

Merged thread about the Swedish winning curling into the Olympic thread.

Congratulations nevertheless!

(Even though I personally find curling a silly and pointless 'sport'.

)

***Jonathan*** · 02-28-2010, 08:04 AM

You're not the only one to have belittling thoughts of curling

However, coming out on top in a Olympic final, held in a curling-crazed country, against the host nation itself... now that is pretty satisfactory

Today is the last day of what have, all in all, been some fun games to watch.

Poor Lindsey Jacobellis couldn't make up for her blunder in 2006 Olympics in the snowboard cross. Although this time around, she totally aced that last grab

And what was Kramer's speedskating coach thinking? It sucks to set an Olympic record, just to be disqualified because your coach told you during the race "no, go that way instead".

It's good to see Canada claiming the 1st spot in the gold medal league. Now Canada should just go ahead and win that sought-after men's hockey gold as well. That would serve as a nice frosting on the overall Olympic success

And congrats to Norway on its 100th Winter Olympic gold overall. What a feat for such a small country. It kinda overshadows the Swedish achievement of claiming its 50th gold medal

***VarnafindÃ«*** · 02-28-2010, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan

And congrats to Norway on its 100th Winter Olympic gold overall. What a feat for such a small country. It kinda overshadows the Swedish achievement of claiming its 50th gold medal

Thank you!

*goes to a news site to see what we got it for*

***Earniel*** · 02-28-2010, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan

You're not the only one to have belittling thoughts of curling

However, coming out on top in a Olympic final, held in a curling-crazed country, against the host nation itself... now that is pretty satisfactory

I saw a part of the match, it looked quite tense. Insofar that shoving granite blocks is exciting, anyway.

But I can understand curling being one of the more pointless variations on the Winter Olympics takes a backseat to a gold medal. (I wonder if we ever even won one. Lemme check, hey we did! One gold medal on the Winter Olympics. Ever. And about fifty years ago. Everything's relative off course.

)

02-13-2010, 07:22 AM	#1
*Jonathan* Entmoot Attorney-General, Equilibrating the Scales of Justice, Administrator ♎ Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 3,891	2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics At long last the Vancouver Winter Olympics are here! How many besides me are excited about the days to come? I'll especially look forward to the ice-hockey and alpine skiing. The other skiing events and figure skating will be great to watch as well. The inauguration was spectacular, one of the best I've seen! Did anyone watch it? It started out good with a cool entrance of a snowboarder jumping through one of the Olympic rings. Then entered the Mounted Police and hoisted the Maple Leaf to the absolutely beautiful tones of Oh Canada! Four giant totem poles of ice were then raised and the indigenous people exhibited themselves and their cool clothes. Even a non-Canadian would have a hard time keeping a dry eye in the midst of this flood of pride and patriotism The national teams were presented. The Georgian team received a heart-warming applause of sympathy for the luge competitor that died during training the same day. The Canadian team made a grandiose entry, but the best stuff was saved till after the presentations... Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado performed a lovely duet, after which a huge preternatural "white" black bear emerged from the icy ground. It rose high above the performance artists in the arena, and there were snow and northern lights. Suddenly the ice sheet cracked open, revealing a sea underneath. The dancers saved themselves upon flakes of ice and floated away. And wow, killer whales appeared swimming in the sea! Leonard Cohen performed, as did Sarah McLachlan. Later, a violinist descended from the sky, casting a shadow with a life of its own, on a big crimson moon behind him. Maple leaves started to fall from the sky, raining over the dancers in the arena. The very highlight of the inauguration imo, was the jolly good atmosphere created by the wonderful medley of violin music and tap dancing. Kudos to the organisers! Things calmed down again when a guy came running and flying through fields of rye. Then a huge snow-covered mountain appeared in the middle of the arena, skiers and snowboarders making their way up and down its peak. Red-clad ice skaters (well, rollerbladers actually) circulated the base of the mountain. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was the last to be handed the Olympic torch. There was apparently some mechanical glitch with the actual lighting of the Olympic fire. But well, it lit nicely anyway Astonishing stuff, Vancouver! * * * __________________ An unwritten post is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and it immediately becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and itâ€™s halfway to being just like every other bloody entry thatâ€™s ever been written. ☻ Last edited by Jonathan : 02-13-2010 at 08:30 AM.

02-13-2010, 11:10 PM	#2
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	RIP, Nodar Kumaritashvili. __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

02-13-2010, 11:12 PM	#3
GrayMouser Elf Lord Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ilha Formosa Posts: 2,068	While I'm excited about the Olympics, mainly because it's once every four years I actually get to watch a hockey game, I'm always bored stiff by opening and closing ceremonies- to each their own - like my wife who, unfortunately, loves them. And downhill skiing of course- no guts, no glory! Must say it's the first time I've heard that mournful dirge of ours referred to favorably, never mind "absolutely beautiful". Almost all anthems suck, among the few exceptions being "La Marseiillaise" and "Ode to Joy"- it helps when the music is by Beethoven and the words by Schiller. Still, roll on the Olympics and yay, Vancouver- hope the rain and fog at Cypress hold off. __________________ Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them? "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals."- Winston Churchill

02-14-2010, 03:33 PM	#4
Gwaimir Windgem Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, CA Posts: 10,820	Which did they use? O Canada, or God save the Queen? __________________ Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle

02-15-2010, 06:24 AM	#5
GrayMouser Elf Lord Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ilha Formosa Posts: 2,068	Well, they're both mournful dirges, but they no longer sing "The Queen", though we used to every morning back when I was in school- and say the Lord's Prayer and have Bible readings ; none of that multi-culti church/state separation nonsense back then. As for watching the Olympics...AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!- I had forgotten what country I was in. Taiwan has exactly one participant in the entire Winter Games; a luge-rider who doesn't even live here and is in the bottom of the rankings. Which means in the last 48 hours we've had about 44 hours coverage of the luge, with everything else given a quick round-up in the breaks. __________________ Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them? "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals."- Winston Churchill

02-15-2010, 03:22 PM	#6
*Jonathan* Entmoot Attorney-General, Equilibrating the Scales of Justice, Administrator ♎ Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 3,891	Lol GrayMouser. I suppose luge can't really measure up to hockey for a Canadian But congratulations on Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil! By the way, you're only claiming the hockey gold over my dead body I just finished watching the ladies' 10 km cross-country skiing which resulted in a sweet Swedish gold medal, the first in these games so far. __________________ An unwritten post is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and it immediately becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and itâ€™s halfway to being just like every other bloody entry thatâ€™s ever been written. ☻ Last edited by Jonathan : 02-15-2010 at 03:29 PM.

02-27-2010, 09:21 AM	#7
Grey_Wolf Elf Lord Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mirkwood, well actually I live in North-west Scania, Sweden Posts: 9,481	Gold For Sweden In the Ladies Olympic Curling Final!!! Second Time Around!!! Yippieh!! After a very exciting match the Swedish ladies won the Final by a near-miss from the Canadian Last Stone which ended the match with the Last Stone of the Swedish team staying put. YippÃ*eh!!! - Well done, Ladies!!

02-27-2010, 08:04 PM	#8
*VarnafindÃ«* Princess of the Noldor (and Administrative Empress of the Lone Islands) Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Imladris (and sometimes Norway) Posts: 3,304	Gratulerer! __________________ Signature picture art - Bard the Bowman - by vigshane Avatar art - Footsteps of Spring (a young Luthien) - by Henning Janssen

02-28-2010, 04:19 AM	#9
Grey_Wolf Elf Lord Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mirkwood, well actually I live in North-west Scania, Sweden Posts: 9,481	thanks varna!

02-28-2010, 07:09 AM	#10
*Earniel* The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium) Posts: 14,363	Merged thread about the Swedish winning curling into the Olympic thread. Congratulations nevertheless! (Even though I personally find curling a silly and pointless 'sport'. ) __________________ We are not things.

02-28-2010, 08:04 AM	#11
*Jonathan* Entmoot Attorney-General, Equilibrating the Scales of Justice, Administrator ♎ Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 3,891	You're not the only one to have belittling thoughts of curling However, coming out on top in a Olympic final, held in a curling-crazed country, against the host nation itself... now that is pretty satisfactory Today is the last day of what have, all in all, been some fun games to watch. Poor Lindsey Jacobellis couldn't make up for her blunder in 2006 Olympics in the snowboard cross. Although this time around, she totally aced that last grab And what was Kramer's speedskating coach thinking? It sucks to set an Olympic record, just to be disqualified because your coach told you during the race "no, go that way instead". It's good to see Canada claiming the 1st spot in the gold medal league. Now Canada should just go ahead and win that sought-after men's hockey gold as well. That would serve as a nice frosting on the overall Olympic success And congrats to Norway on its 100th Winter Olympic gold overall. What a feat for such a small country. It kinda overshadows the Swedish achievement of claiming its 50th gold medal __________________ An unwritten post is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and it immediately becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and itâ€™s halfway to being just like every other bloody entry thatâ€™s ever been written. ☻ Last edited by Jonathan : 02-28-2010 at 08:05 AM.

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