Thursday, February 25, 2010

More Olympics


Wednesday
The bobsledding competition is really not much more interesting than it was before.  The women's sleds are pretty and the Germans had decorated theirs, but then again Julia Mancuso's helmet has decals giving the illusion that she's wearing a crown, so maybe it's just this year's Olympic chic.  Who knows?  Not I.
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The luge death track is now referred to as the fastest track in the world.  I'm still thinking about that.
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The USA sled-guys at the top and the bottom of the run are wearing long blue coats with white stars all over them.  I really want a coat like that; thankfully I live in Tucson, where it would be impractical.  Otherwise, my friends would be seeing me in that thing next winter for sure.
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 The Germany 2 sled is VW apple green and very very shiny.  There was a lot of hooting and hollering and fist pumping (not bumping... these are German women, after all) and then the best driver in the world began piloting this tiny shiny craft down the fastest track in the world the death track I don't know what to call it and suddenly they're way high up on the side of the track and then the sled is on its side and then the pusher ejects herself from the back of the sled and slides on her butt at 40 miles an hour down the same track where her driver is now careening upside down.  Yes, her head was acting as a runner for the sled.  

Everyone was ok, but it only took me a second to remember that they had started from the Junior line, not the Women's line as originally planned.  What do you imagine will happen here when the track is open for business....because it's just that steep to allow for exceptional commercial exploitation after the games....hence its placement in the steepest and narrowest venue of any Olypmic sliding track ever...... who's going to tell some amped up wanna be slider that he has to start at the girls' line?  And that raises the question.... what do you do with an extra few turns of sliding track .... when that extra bit is at the very top.  It's an awfully steep viewing area or cocktail lounge.
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The ice skating short track relay is fun to watch.  it's colorful and quick and very crowded every once in a while.  It also includes, instead of a baton pass (imagine the consequences of a baton dropped on ice.......   oooooouuuchhhh)  a push on the butt to get the next skater started.  

I want to try that, at least once.
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The US was bumped up to win a bronze medal in the short track relay.  Prior to the disqualification of the Koreans, the US had finished a very distant 4th out of 4 racers.  They were never in the race at all.


Though they did skate around the rink holding an American flag, they had the grace to look abashed about it.
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There was some more hockey.  The US finally scored and won at the end.  

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I think that's all you need to know to get you through today's random conversations.

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