2014 Winter Olympics - Sochi

[Robin]

Because they seated the athlete's the majority of the show came after the teams coming in, not before as it usually does. I'm glad there was more to see after that.

The way they covered Russia's history was stunning especially with that projection floor. I also liked seeing the Soviet era bit with those classic cars. The floating interpriation of Saint Basil's Cathedral and the navy bit was also good. Pretty much all of it was good!

 

[Kamuifanboy]

Sounds like Japanese coverage ended before the good stuff. :|

 

[Rage Racer]

Medvedev fell asleep.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Commentary is pretty terrible at times definitely. Thankfully Roy HG buggered off.

HG can be annoying on his own, but I think the two of them can be quite clever together - like when they made the backstories of the cartoon mascots out to be something from the pages of Russian literature, all bleak and depressing. And their expert commentary on sports they have no idea about is usually pretty entertaining.

 

[Omnis]

Because they seated the athlete's the majority of the show came after the teams coming in, not before as it usually does. I'm glad there was more to see after that.

The way they covered Russia's history was stunning especially with that projection floor. I also liked seeing the Soviet era bit with those classic cars. The floating interpriation of Saint Basil's Cathedral and the navy bit was also good. Pretty much all of it was good!

That had to be the best winter olympics opening ceremony. Certainly the best I can remember. The best part was the choral music. Just incredible. Those men's choirs are phenomenal.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Watching the mens' alpine downhill at the moment, and it's absolutely bonkers. You know it's madness when the five-time medallist tipped as a favourite does not even come close to threatening the times set by the first non-seeded competitors.

 

[Dean]

Does anyone know when bobsleigh and skeleton's on?

 

[Omnis]

I'm noticing these olympians are mouthing TONS of curse words all the time. It's not very becoming to be able to lip-read "that's bull[squat]" from a figure skater when her scores are read.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

That depends - what are you after? The mens', womens', two-man, four-man?

 

[Dean]

All of those preferably, @prisonermonkeys.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Skeleton is the 13th to the 16th; bobsleigh from the 16th to the 23rd, with a two-day break in there. Sanki currently has the luge.

 

[Barra333]

Just watching the slopestyle final, and am confused by the judging. It seems that a well executed easy trick gets a better score than a really tough trick with a scruffy landing, which the exact opposite of so many other style based sports.

@Dean, www.sochi.ru has a decent schedule up, and your local TV channel should too. The Dutch one does - tells you what is on and what time it finishes as well as what is coming up.

 

[Kamuifanboy]

Just watching the slopestyle final, and am confused by the judging. It seems that a well executed easy trick gets a better score than a really tough trick with a scruffy landing, which the exact opposite of so many other style based sports.

Slopestyle is mostly about how cleanly you were able to execute the entire run. A run with slightly less difficult tricks, but had the grabs, rotations, and landing done well and stomped will always score higher than a run that was more technical but lacked those things mentioned above. Style > Technicality. Huck and Tuck is for moguls.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

And that's the way it should be.

It also seems to be the source of the controversy in the scoring. This is the first time slopestyle has been in the Olympics, so I think the judges took a while to decide exactly what they were rewarding. And I suspect more than one competitor went in expecting the "style over substance" approach. Slopestyle came out of the X-Games, which has always been about crowd pleasing, but the Olympics has always awarded proficiency and technique before the wow factor. It is a way of levelling the playing field a bit, because otherwise you are penalising competitors who simply do not have flashy tricks at their disposal. And it is a little unfair to reward people who made mistakes over people who displayed technique first, since a scruffy landing suggests a *lack* of technique.

 

[Ross]

As a Brit, I'm so happy right now that Team GB have won their first ever Olympic medal on snow! Well done Jenny Jones!

 

[Barra333]

And that's the way it should be.

It also seems to be the source of the controversy in the scoring. This is the first time slopestyle has been in the Olympics, so I think the judges took a while to decide exactly what they were rewarding. And I suspect more than one competitor went in expecting the "style over substance" approach. Slopestyle came out of the X-Games, which has always been about crowd pleasing, but the Olympics has always awarded proficiency and technique before the wow factor. It is a way of levelling the playing field a bit, because otherwise you are penalising competitors who simply do not have flashy tricks at their disposal. And it is a little unfair to reward people who made mistakes over people who displayed technique first, since a scruffy landing suggests a *lack* of technique.

What? The point of the (any) competition is to find the best person at that particular discipline. Why on earth should you bias the scoring toward those who aren't as good? Or probably more accurate to your point, giving a leg up to those who aren't as good.

I would much rather see a person who executes a double backflip (or a 1080 spin) and puts a hand on the snow score higher than a person who does a single backflip (or 720). Note I am talking hand on the snow, not sitting down.
In case there is any doubt, I am referring to Torah Bright's third jump in the first round of the final.

Well done to Jenny Jones though. Amazing that it is GB's first medal ever on snow.

 

[Kamuifanboy]

What? The point of the (any) competition is to find the best person at that particular discipline. Why on earth should you bias the scoring toward those who aren't as good? Or probably more accurate to your point, giving a leg up to those who aren't as good.

I would much rather see a person who executes a double backflip (or a 1080 spin) and puts a hand on the snow score higher than a person who does a single backflip (or 720). Note I am talking hand on the snow, not sitting down.
In case there is any doubt, I am referring to Torah Bright's third jump in the first round of the final.

Well done to Jenny Jones though. Amazing that it is GB's first medal ever on snow.

The sport needs to be judged by those who have grown up with the sport and know about it's people. I would say 90% of my freeskiing friends would rather see a less technical but super smooth and clean run, than someone who did a more technical run but, had a few grabs that weren't held as crisply or had a few landings that didn't look effortless. The judging should be based off of what the sport was originated to be. Which again, leads me to my Style > Technicality point.

 

[Barra333]

Still seems backwards to me, but I will get back in my box and shut up.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

There is bound to be controversy in the mens' 30km skiathlon - when the competitors finish, they must stay in a lane, like in swimming. But the bronze-medal winner appeared to cut across from one lane to another in the last few metres, and that lane was occupied by the fourth-placed finisher. The difference between the two was a tenth of a second. And the guy who finished fourth was Russian.

The commentator was not willing to commit one way or the other, but it looked like the bronze winner intruded into the other lane.

Why on earth should you bias the scoring toward those who aren't as good?

That depends on what you call "good". If someone performs a trick and is forced to put their hand down to stop themselves from falling, then they have clearly made a mistake somewhere. Why on earth should you award points to someone on the basis of how good it would have been if they had got it right? And how on earth is that worth more than someone who performed a less-impressive trick, but got it right?

Look at the gymnastics in the Summer Olympics. If one gymnast performs a triple somersault, but is forced to break their stance to stop themselves from falling, they will get marked down for it. Not as badly as if they had fallen over, but it still shows a lack of precision. On the other hand, if they perform a double somersault and land perfectly, they will get a good mark. So why should it be any different in bordercross? The landing is as much a part of the trick as the speed, rotation and the altitude. If two people perform the sane trick and one lands perfectly while the other puts a hand down to stop themselves from falling, why do they deserve the same score?

 

[Carbonox]

To be honest, while the preparation for the Olympics has recently been laughable, 🤬 has now gotten serious.

https://twitter.com/BexGBbobsleigh/statuses/432082177921392640

Now this, gentlemen, is definitely solid proof that Russia's far from being a competent country to host the Olympics. 👎

 

[Rage Racer]

To be honest, while the preparation for the Olympics has recently been laughable, 🤬 has now gotten serious.

https://twitter.com/BexGBbobsleigh/statuses/432082177921392640

Now this, gentlemen, is definitely solid proof that Russia's far from being a competent country to host the Olympics. 👎

Actually, it's not a rare occasion whan you see an empty elevator shaft in this country. Sometimes I see this in my house, too. All elevator instructions say: "Before entering the elevator, make sure the cabin is in front of you".

I also like this: https://twitter.com/JohnnyQuinnUSA/status/432080704776962048/photo/1

The rival athletes are completely demoralized.

 

[TJ13]

Just a funny tidbit.
Gold is made out of .925% Silver with 6 grams of gold.
Silver is made out of .925% Silver.
Bronze is made out of copper, tin, and zinc. (Worth $3)

 

[Robin]

Can someone tell me what those little things poking out of the snow are in events like the ski jump, cross country skiing etc? They mark borders and lines.

They look like fir tree saplings but I'm sure thats not what they are as they are getting trashed!

 

[JonnyLpizzaman]

Yes I think I heard a commentator say that they were fir branches on the hill. They give depth perception to the jumpers.

 

[Robin]

Yes I think I heard a commentator say that they were fir branches on the hill. They give depth perception to the jumpers.

Thanks, our commentary team explained what they are after I posted.

It also seems to be a tradition dating back to the age before spray paint and laser measuring to mark where people have landed.

 

[Turbotwin01]

So I guess that Russia is.. Putin... on a Good/bad (your opinion) Olympics...

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Now this, gentlemen, is definitely solid proof that Russia's far from being a competent country to host the Olympics. 👎

There are always these sorts of problems when buildings get made to a deadline. An open elevator shaft might be a little more serious than some issues, but it is probably just a problem with the wiring that left the doors open. It's hardly proof that Russia is incompetent - after all, we had the same sort of problems when Sydney hosted the 2000 Games. The only difference is that Twitter did not exist at the time.

 

[Omnis]

I've never seen a door made out of cardboard like that. What the hell? Were they planning on demolishing the entire complex once the olympics are over?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It appears to be plyboard and chicken wire.

 

[Kamuifanboy]

I've never seen a door made out of cardboard like that. What the hell? Were they planning on demolishing the entire complex once the olympics are over?

They can't. That area will turn into the Formula 1 Circuit later in the year.