Winter Olympics

[Spiritof96]

Last night I watched Adam Rippon skate while Johnny Weir narrated and reading an article in the Washington Post about how figure skating is masculine and lamenting that American's think they are all gay...

His was about the most artistic routine I have seen in a while.

[Dwight Schrute]

Short track seems awfully random for my taste. It's like someone was watching NASCAR and said, "Hey lets create a sport for all the speed skaters who were too short to be elite that functions like this. Crashes are entertaining" It is exciting I suppose.

Personally I think we should have roller derby on ice.

[surveyor]

Personally I think we should have roller derby on ice.

It practically is.

[surveyor]

When did Olympic athletes become photogenic? Male and female, but particularly the women. Women's ski jump and most all of them were gorgeous. Norway's Maren Lundby, the Austrian and German competitors. Yowza.

Decades ago the athletes weren't necessarily an attractive lot.
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Maren Lundy - Gold medalist from Norway.

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[Lighthouse]

Last night I watched Adam Rippon skate while Johnny Weir narrated and reading an article in the Washington Post about how figure skating is masculine and lamenting that American's think they are all gay...

His was about the most artistic routine I have seen in a while.

I thought so too, but his score was behind two skaters who fell. I have no idea how they are scored, so maybe it was correct.

[Catatonic]

I thought so too, but his score was behind two skaters who fell. I have no idea how they are scored, so maybe it was correct.

Apparently its better to struggle doing innovative moves than it is to do a perfectly executed traditional routine. His score has been widely criticized, at any rate.

[surveyor]

I've watched figure skating events with my wife for years and got to the point that I couldn't due to the wildly subjective nature of the scoring. She used to be a rabid follower but got to the same point of disinterest later than I did.

[Dwight Schrute]

^^
NBC did a special report suggesting that figure skating judges tend to bias and inflate scores of skaters from their own country. I'm sure it's a bit overblown but I've no doubt that happens.

[Lighthouse]

^^
NBC did a special report suggesting that figure skating judges tend to bias and inflate scores of skaters from their own country. I'm sure it's a bit overblown but I've no doubt that happens.

I am under the assumption that a judge can't score a participant from their country. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Spiritof96]

I am under the assumption that a judge can't score a participant from their country. Maybe I'm wrong.

That may be the rule now but seeing skating and gymnastics judges fight proxy wars for their home country has traditionally been half the draw.

[Dwight Schrute]

I am under the assumption that a judge can't score a participant from their country. Maybe I'm wrong.

Nope.

[Lighthouse]

That may be the rule now but seeing skating and gymnastics judges fight proxy wars for their home country has traditionally been half the draw.

I don't understand your point. Sorry.

[Spiritof96]

I don't understand your point. Sorry.

Throughout my entire lifetime a feature of judged Olympic sports was waiting to see the Russian, or East German, or French judge post an unreasonably low score for US competitors. It wasn't only them, where there was traditional or current political tensions between nations, you would get a judge accused of scoring athlete x too low. They would conversely score their own nation's athletes too high.

[Lighthouse]

Throughout my entire lifetime a feature of judged Olympic sports was waiting to see the Russian, or East German, or French judge post an unreasonably low score for US competitors. It wasn't only them, where there was traditional or current political tensions between nations, you would get a judge accused of scoring athlete x too low. They would conversely score their own nation's athletes too high.

That probably caused the scoring system where they throw out the high and low scores and only count the others.

[TrueblueCATfan]

WOW...How about Shawn White last night...#USA