The 2012 Summer Olympics in London

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by dubc80

Anyone play field hockey and can provide insight?

I don't think junior high-school girls really follow CP.

[GirlySports]

You have to pay (in US dollars) in order to have a score reevaluated, in all Olympic sports.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by dubc80

I always thought that Canada should be better at field hockey based on the skill set required. Looks like both men and womens teams failed to qualify for London.

Probably due to the lack of developmental minor leagues or pro leagues. Kind of the same problem we have with soccer. If you're good, you need to move away as there is nothing past the University ranks unlike ice hockey where you have many more options.

Anyone play field hockey and can provide insight?

If you've played hockey you'd want no part of field hockey. It's such an inferior game. It's like trying to take a slapshot with an umbrella.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

You have to pay (in US dollars) in order to have a score reevaluated, in all Olympic sports.

At the risk of being a moron: that has to be a joke, right?

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Slava

At the risk of being a moron: that has to be a joke, right?

Nope, teams are required to put up a cash deposit when they submit an appeal.
I believe if the appeal is successful they get the cash back, if they are denied they lose the deposit.
It's to keep everyone and their dog from submitting appeals for no reason.

[Slava]

I guess that makes some sense. Really though the judged sports should just be eliminated. There is too much at stake to have people trying to be objective. That and while some of these things are exciting and impressive they aren't really competitive in nature.

The Japanese guy clearly blew his routine last night, and while you can't help but feel for the guy costing his team a medal that's what happens in sports. Next thing you know the judges basically decide it was no big deal and they end up with silver. It's everything wrong with judged events in roughly 15 minutes.

[troutman]

The Judge on the left can't wait to spend that money.

[GirlySports]

So if you need some quick money, just hit one of the coaches over the head, you know he's got 2 grand in pocket

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

So if you need some quick money, just hit one of the coaches over the head, you know he's got 2 grand in pocket

Makes me wonder, do you suppose when they are paying it is exact change only? Or maybe they'd prefer you pay them with a crisp $100 and they'll make change for you later.

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by Fire

Something I can agree with you about. What's next, synchronize parallel bars? The Summer Olympics have too many events already without the need to create synchronized events.

One sport they should consider removing from the Olympic events is Beach Volleyball. I am sure there will be alot of people disagreeing but beach volleyball is really focus on women as icandy for the Olympics. In the last Olympics, they had dancing girls inbetween sets? Hey don't get me wrong, I like eye-candy as much as Clinton, Kennedys and or Joe Sixpack. However, I prefer 6 on 6 hardcourt volleyball where the action is non stop and players get brusied up while digging for loose balls. The sweat from players is a result of hardwork and not from the sun and heat and when players brush their legs, they are checking for scrapes and not wiping away sand. I play beach volleyball in a semi-competitive league and anyway you look at it, it is still very leisure-esque even at the top levels. I hear the next Olympic demonstration sport is Pole dancing on sand...or should I say Pole gymnastic.

[Table 5]

There's something about beach volleyball that makes me think of the X-games. There are a few sports that are questionable, but beach volleyball feels like a bit of a joke. I didn't care about this so much before, but now that now that some of the teams have chosen to wear long-sleeves and or pants, I don't feel like defending them anymore.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

I totally disagree with you guys about beach volleyball. I don't know a thing about competetive volleyball, but I do know what I like.

Indoor volleyball to me is so boring, it's just a contest to see which team can spike it the hardest, 90% of it is the same thing over and over, with the occasional cool dive.
It's basically just:
1) serve
2) medium guy bumps
3) small guy sets it
4) giant guy 1 fakes spike, giant guy 2 actually spikes it
5) giant guy tries to block it, but usually doesn't
6) repeat 2-5 unless medium guy can't get under it

I'd much rather watch 2 on 2 where there seems to be a lot more movement, and the action is a lot more diverse.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Table 5

There's something about beach volleyball that makes me think of the X-games. There are a few sports that are questionable, but beach volleyball feels like a bit of a joke. I didn't care about this so much before, but now that now that some of the teams have chosen to wear long-sleeves and or pants, I don't feel like defending them anymore.

Watching Half-Pipe Snowboarding two years ago in Vancouver was the definite X-Games Olympic moment for me. They didn't look like Olympians at all. Snow Bums, not athletes.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by dubc80

I always thought that Canada should be better at field hockey based on the skill set required. Looks like both men and womens teams failed to qualify for London.

[...]

Anyone play field hockey and can provide insight?

Although they would appear similar, I think field and ice require different skill-sets. As Girly alluded to, the sticks themselves are very different and, consequently, shooting requires a much different process.

Originally Posted by Slava

The Japanese guy clearly blew his routine last night, and while you can't help but feel for the guy costing his team a medal that's what happens in sports. Next thing you know the judges basically decide it was no big deal and they end up with silver. It's everything wrong with judged events in roughly 15 minutes.

The way I look at, the Japanese coach did what Flames fans wish our coaching staff did during game six of the finals in '04; he saved a mistake from being made. While the Japanese gymnast made a mess of things, he didn't deserve to not get points to which he was entitled.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by VERVE

One sport they should consider removing from the Olympic events is Beach Volleyball. I am sure there will be alot of people disagreeing but beach volleyball is really focus on women as icandy for the Olympics. In the last Olympics, they had dancing girls inbetween sets? Hey don't get me wrong, I like eye-candy as much as Clinton, Kennedys and or Joe Sixpack. However, I prefer 6 on 6 hardcourt volleyball where the action is non stop and players get brusied up while digging for loose balls. The sweat from players is a result of hardwork and not from the sun and heat and when players brush their legs, they are checking for scrapes and not wiping away sand. I play beach volleyball in a semi-competitive league and anyway you look at it, it is still very leisure-esque even at the top levels. I hear the next Olympic demonstration sport is Pole dancing on sand...or should I say Pole gymnastic.

I agree. Beach volleyball are for players that can't cut it in real volleyball.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Addick

Although they would appear similar, I think field and ice require different skill-sets. As Girly alluded to, the sticks themselves are very different and, consequently, shooting requires a much different process.




The way I look at, the Japanese coach did what Flames fans wish our coaching staff did during game six of the finals in '04; he saved a mistake from being made. While the Japanese gymnast made a mess of things, he didn't deserve to not get points to which he was entitled.

The Japanese coach did the right thing, without question. The issue is with the judging in general though; its so arbitrary needs to be eliminated.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I don't think junior high-school girls really follow CP.

No, most of Calgarypuck does follow high school girls however.

[browna]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

No, most of Calgarypuck does follow high school girls however.

Maybe they've gotten better, but puzzled always how we put a decent swim team together and syncro swim, but water polo teams are at the bottom. You figure with the amount of time spent indoors all winter, that a sport like that would have decent athletes in this country, although I assume its a funding thing. Plus, you need to have a lot of teams to play against in the city/province/region to gain the skills and experience required.

Field hockey fails in this country because of the limited time to play outdoors on a big field, and handball is a strictly Euro-centric sport.

[Slava]

Have you ever played water polo though? Seriously, its terrible. Basically guys grab each others junk, give wedgies and try to drown each other. There is a game played along side where they try to score and get the ball in the net, but the rest of the game doesn't seem like any fun!

[FlamesFanStrandedInEDM]

I dont know if someone has already touched on this, but the "Michael Phelps greatest Olympian" crap is wearing thin on me. Yes he has more medals than anyone else in Olympic history, but keep in mind that Swimming has the most events that any one athlete could potentially medal in.

A Tri-Athlete can only medal a maximum of once per olympics, same goes for many other athletes. How is it fair that Phelps is crowned the greatest olympian when he gets far more chances to compete for medals than any other athletes. I'm sure that Usain Bolt would have far more medals if he could compete in the 100m back-pedal, or 100m side shuffle as well.

How about we crown him as "The Greatest Swimmer" instead.