Beijing - 1st Olympics 100% man made snow

[Hawk]

Well based on how many world class athlete's, musicians, actors, etc. implode and either die or go off the deep end, maybe it is something to consider when trying to steer a kid. Glad it is not a decision I need to make. I have to think it is a much eaiser and possibly greater joy for the parrents of the kid that created a cure for a disease or some kind of solution to a great social problem. That woud be something I would be totaly behind if it were my child.

 

[abc]

Well based on how many world class athlete's, musicians, actors, etc. implode and either die or go off the deep end, maybe it is something to consider when trying to steer a kid. Glad it is not a decision I need to make. I have to think it is a much eaiser and possibly greater joy for the parrents of the kid that created a cure for a disease or some kind of solution to a great social problem. That woud be something I would be totaly behind if it were my child.

I was trained as a research scientist. I can tell you the competition for "finding a cure for a disease" is absolutely cut throat!

If I had kids who're so inclined, I'd at least warn them very sternly the road to such high places are littered with trashed bodies and minds. But then, roads to any kind of "high places" are equally treacherous. You just don't get to hear about the "implosions" as much because they aren't celebrities.

Much easier life as middling workabee. No question about it. And as long as they never experienced the excitement and elation of a major achievement, they won't miss it.

 

[Hawk]

I think you are right. I like my middling world alot. Money and fame have always been the great destroyer. It's too bad that some of the worst people in the world are created or gravitate to it and suck good people down with them.

 

[deadheadskier]

When I was a Freshman in high school, I competed in some USSA bump competitions and would finish top 5 in my age class. I had zero coaching. But the Killington Mountain School coaches saw me and said if I got coached by them, I could potentially be number one in New England for high school aged kids and who knows, maybe make it on the National team. I asked my folks and they said absolutely not. What if you put all your eggs in that basket and got hurt? Then what would you do with yourself?

Well, two years later I broke my neck and dislocated my shoulder. Done for that year. I obviously could have come back from that injury to compete as I still ski today. But, had the fracture in my neck been about a quarter inch longer, I might be in a wheelchair right now.

Also of relevance to some of the discussion in this thread; I thought at the time that if I couldn't make the US team, maybe I could compete for Ireland due to my ancestry. Would I have been a traitor?

 

[abc]

I like my middling world alot. Money and fame have always been the great destroyer. It's too bad that some of the worst people in the world are created or gravitate to it and suck good people down with them.

But our world would have stayed very much the same had no one went out of their way to create great things! We would have still be watching 360's in ski jumps!

And much of the technology advances would have stayed in the back corner of the lab instead of enriching people's life. Whether those who brought these advancement to the world did it for money or fame or just out of their good heart is irrelevant. We benefited from the result regardless. It's easy to say you'd rather not have the benefit if you can take the money out of the equation.

 

[abc]

Also of relevance to some of the discussion in this thread; I thought at the time that if I couldn't make the US team, maybe I could compete for Ireland due to my ancestry. Would I have been a traitor?

Not as long as you don't podium higher than the US team!

 

[machski]

Technical issue, she actually wasn't a hazard for her fellow competitors where she sat. There were some drone shots of her sitting on the snow and she was probably a good 75-100 ft off to the side of the course with a segment of b-net between the course and where she sat

The reality is that even not paying attention to the subsequent racers as she sat there, she wasn't affecting the safety of the race, and there were plenty more course workers and race officials at other sections of the course, much closer to the race line and not behind any b-net.

Had she actually been in the race line or in a hazardous location of other competitors the technical delegate (the head of the race) in would of received word from other race officials in sight of her, and a "stop - start" order would of been called on the race radios and the starter would of held and subsequent racers until the course was cleared by the race officials from the finish on up to the start, at which point the technical delegate or chief of race would of given a "start - start" order on the race radio and the head starter would of brought the next racer into the starting gate and released them onto the course once the starter verified with the head timer that the timing system is clear and ready to resume.

There's a bunch of specifically detailed protocols and commands that go into how a race is run, and not just at the Olympic or Worldcup level

To add to Dr. Jeff's comments, at this venue unlike almost any other WC venue, MS could have slipped through the B-netting and skied out of camera view down an adjacent trail and had her moment in relative peace. At this venue in China, you really can't do that. The snow is only on the run and anything off that is all exposed dirt and rock.

 

[machski]

I was trained as a research scientist. I can tell you the competition for "finding a cure for a disease" is absolutely cut throat!

If I had kids who're so inclined, I'd at least warn them very sternly the road to such high places are littered with trashed bodies and minds. But then, roads to any kind of "high places" are equally treacherous. You just don't get to hear about the "implosions" as much because they aren't celebrities.

Much easier life as middling workabee. No question about it. And as long as they never experienced the excitement and elation of a major achievement, they won't miss it.

Not just that, but being a ski racer in this country also means you have to scrape and claw to get endorsement deals to keep going on the circuit. Just another added pressure on the athletes. Had the opportunity to meet and ski with Bode a few years ago and one in the group asked him if he was encouraging his kids to be racers. He said absolutely not. If they on their own want to, he would fully support that decision but AFTER he made sure they were fully aware of the pressures and lifestyle. He said it is rough, much more than what he ever thought when he got into the meat of it.

 

[Yo VT Raps]

It's winter! Why should there be leaves on the trees?

Barren is a subjective word. To many, any place cold enough and snowy enough to host an Olympic is by definition barren.

"With no leaves on any of their trees, it looks like the most barren landscape possible."

This means I think it looks barren when there are no leaves on trees, not that there should be leaves during the winter.

Rocky mountains are 10x as beautiful as this place and their fake grids of pine trees. Half of those are probably plastic.

 

[Yo VT Raps]

What I would love to see is an Olympic Tree Skiing or Backcountry event

Maybe they can move the biathalon to the backcountry and give them bigger guns.

 

[chuckstah]

Original topic. It is no longer 100 percent machine made snow. It was snowing today during the aerials. We are safe having a miniscule amount of natural mixed in for another 4 years, at least.

 

[Smellytele]

Meet the American-made China hockey team

With players from the U.S. and Canada, China's men's hockey team might be the most fascinating (and controversial) team at the Winter Games.

www.yahoo.com

so not just skiing/snowboarding

 

[gladerider]

Meet the American-made China hockey team

With players from the U.S. and Canada, China's men's hockey team might be the most fascinating (and controversial) team at the Winter Games.

www.yahoo.com

so not just skiing/snowboarding

i was watching the US-China game yesterday.
the chinese team was checking hard purposely. i know it's hockey but dang. i am glad we trashed them 8-0.

i guess it's their lively hood for the players but have they no conscience to have the chinese change their names?

"Chelios is Kailiaosi Jieke. Smith is Shimisi Jieruimi. Cory Kane, from Irvine, California, is An Jian. Schultz is Enlai Zheng, and Yip, the captain, is Jinguang Ye"

the chinese are doing this purposely to hide what their doing because it is shameful.

 

[deadheadskier]

i was watching the US-China game yesterday.
the chinese team was checking hard purposely. i know it's hockey but dang. i am glad we trashed them 8-0.

i guess it's their lively hood for the players but have they no conscience to have the chinese change their names?

"Chelios is Kailiaosi Jieke. Smith is Shimisi Jieruimi. Cory Kane, from Irvine, California, is An Jian. Schultz is Enlai Zheng, and Yip, the captain, is Jinguang Ye"

the chinese are doing this purposely to hide what their doing because it is shameful.

Giving Chinese names is pretty embarrassing. Then again I work for a Chinese company and most Chinese businessmen I work with have an American first name they use when visiting the states. So, perhaps it's not all that weird in their culture.

 

[abc]

i guess it's their lively hood for the players but have they no conscience to have the chinese change their names?

"Chelios is Kailiaosi Jieke. Smith is Shimisi Jieruimi. Cory Kane, from Irvine, California, is An Jian. Schultz is Enlai Zheng, and Yip, the captain, is Jinguang Ye"

Huh?

Didn't many of the European immigrants from non-English speaking countries also changed their names into more English sounding ones when they got "processed" through Ellis Island?

It's ok your American ancestors did that, but not cool for China???

By the way, "Yip" is a Chinese last name (as his grandparent being Chinese). He didn't "change" it at all. It's the translation back into English that it looks different!

And when you see a last name of "Zhou" or "Xue" in your colleagues, it's then "the American changed it", right? OK, those colleague of yours or schoolmates of your kids had no conscience, I guess. I adopted English names!

No wonder the players just chuckle and roll their eyes at the ignorance of those who aren't there!

 

[Hawk]

I think changing the names in this case is kind of lame. Just own it and so what. I'm not going to delve into the cultural norms to justify that they are playing for a country not of thier ansestry. It is what it is. I am sure all of them have thier reason. Most just want to play hockey and would not have made another team. And yes some for money. I am not going to analyse this and pass judgement. Total waste of time.

What I find most amuseing is the comment above about the Chineese coming out playing a physical style and hitting. Ahh it's hockey not soccer. Everybody should play a physical style. It is a much better product. I hate the no hit skating style of play. It is borring.

 

[Smellytele]

Huh?

Didn't many of the European immigrants from non-English speaking countries also changed their names into more English sounding ones when they got "processed" through Ellis Island?

It's ok your American ancestors did that, but not cool for China???

By the way, "Yip" is a Chinese last name (as his grandparent being Chinese). He didn't "change" it at all. It's the translation back into English that it looks different!

And when you see a last name of "Zhou" or "Xue" in your colleagues, it's then "the American changed it", right? OK, those colleague of yours or schoolmates of your kids had no conscience, I guess. I adopted English names!

No wonder the players just chuckle and roll their eyes at the ignorance of those who aren't there!

The difference with those that came to the US and changed their names is that they stayed living here. These hockey players are mercenaries and once the olympics are over they are gone.

 

[abc]

The difference with those that came to the US and changed their names is that they stayed living here. These hockey players are mercenaries and once the olympics are over they are gone.

Not necessarily. They may stay to play their entire hockey career there, or in other countries as "mercenaries".

The legendary soccer god Pele immigrated to the US "to develop" soccer in this country. I bet many back in Brazil felt the same way about his "mercenary" move.

 

[ThatGuy]

Not necessarily. They may stay to play their entire hockey career there, or in other countries as "mercenaries".

The legendary soccer god Pele immigrated to the US "to develop" soccer in this country. I bet many back in Brazil felt the same way about his "mercenary" move.

You always have cherry picked examples to fit your narratives, Pele spent 95% of his career playing for the same team in Brazil and is still their all time top goal scorer. Also won three World Cups with the Brazilian national team. He spent three years playing in America before retirement, not exactly a mercenary.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

i think mercenary and traitor are pretty strong words to describe kids who just want to play sports at the highest levels

i hope the NHL players get back into the next winter games. i went to torino 2006 and russia v sweden and Canada v switz men's hockey are prob the two coolest sporting events I've personally attended. i went to game 4 of rangers v devils eastern conference finals in 1994 when i was 9. that was cool too.