There is a bunch of uproar here in Canada about the judging of the ice dance.
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir scored 75.33, 3 points lower than their personal best despite everyone thinking they had a fantastic performance. Meanwhile the American team Meryl Davis and Charlie White scored a new world record with 78.89 despite a few small errors on the Americans part, and most pundits finding the Canadian pairs having a much more technical and stronger dance.
I didn't exactly watch the icedance, but there was some smoke there before. Did anyone here happen to watch the Ice Dance? What did everyone think? Are people being biased?
I could never be a Figure skater, the pure fact that things can come down to the potential of this sort of thing really bothers me. Although I suppose thats my Starcraft background talking.
I think people that watch the sport and compete in this sport, should just take it on the chin and accept that this is part of the game (or up their skating level and do figure skating). I personally hate ice dancing, because it is unbelievably subjective with a scoring system so complicated for each dance that it is impossible to actually put any value to it.
Outdoor sessions are likely to get canceled today as a thick fog is all over the various skiing sites.
Edit : Women Mass-Start is underway with Tora Berger in a bad situation!
Edit : And Bescond fumbled once again with 3 miss on the first standing shot. With her time on skis she would be a podium contender with a better composure during the first standing shot.
On February 12 2014 01:59 fLyiNgDroNe wrote: To be fair Fourcade and Domracheva both winning - is exactly what should have happened. Both are ridiculously talented and way too strong. Cannot be less happy.
EDIT: knowing that individual race can be unpredictable; i'm looking forward for Fourcade/Svendsen and Domracheva/Berger duels in mass-start. That would be freaking awesome!
So ... no competition for Domracheva this Olympics at all. I'm somehow convinced same thing is reserved for Mr. Fourcade.
the us dismantled sweden in women's hockey, setting the stage for yet another us-can gold medal showdown. hopefully the us shows up a lot better than they did in prelims.
On February 12 2014 01:59 fLyiNgDroNe wrote: To be fair Fourcade and Domracheva both winning - is exactly what should have happened. Both are ridiculously talented and way too strong. Cannot be less happy.
EDIT: knowing that individual race can be unpredictable; i'm looking forward for Fourcade/Svendsen and Domracheva/Berger duels in mass-start. That would be freaking awesome!
So ... no competition for Domracheva this Olympics at all. I'm somehow convinced same thing is reserved for Mr. Fourcade.
Russia, Germany and Norway didn't show up at all these Olympics. Germany is in decline in Biathlon Men despite their outrageous budget, while Norway just aren't on top. Kinda disappointing for the spectacle
On February 17 2014 05:39 iCanada wrote: There is a bunch of uproar here in Canada about the judging of the ice dance.
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir scored 75.33, 3 points lower than their personal best despite everyone thinking they had a fantastic performance. Meanwhile the American team Meryl Davis and Charlie White scored a new world record with 78.89 despite a few small errors on the Americans part, and most pundits finding the Canadian pairs having a much more technical and stronger dance.
I didn't exactly watch the icedance, but there was some smoke there before. Did anyone here happen to watch the Ice Dance? What did everyone think? Are people being biased?
I could never be a Figure skater, the pure fact that things can come down to the potential of this sort of thing really bothers me. Although I suppose thats my Starcraft background talking.
Didn't catch the ice dance myself, but this video of Sid Seixeiro from Sportsnet590 explains that even the inventor of some of the moves popularized in the event believes that Virtue and Moir should have won the gold. He goes on to give a monster rant here:
Other key points he makes is that the same French publication that accused Lance Armstrong 11 years (?) before he admitted to doping, also said that the Russians and Americans made a deal that the former would win the team competition and the latter the ice dance at the start of the Olympics before it actually occurred. He also goes on a rant about how ice dance is a joke of a sport when it's so subjective and that sports like golf, baseball and even MMA, whose base is wrestling and rooted in the original Athen Olympics, can't gain Olympic status. I pretty much agree with everything he had to say.
And yes, the American team has beaten the Canadians in the past Worlds but they seem to crack under pressure like Patrick Chan (who also had won the previous three Worlds and choked in the Men's) and were silver behind Virtue and Moir's gold performance in Vancouver.
On February 18 2014 15:45 AlternativeEgo wrote: Rain during a winter Olympics in February. Now that's just plain wrong. :/
Russia has a landmass almost twice the size of Canada and the IOC decided to host it in a place that has days that are warmer than Florida in February. Just goes to show what money can buy
On February 18 2014 15:45 AlternativeEgo wrote: Rain during a winter Olympics in February. Now that's just plain wrong. :/
Russia has a landmass almost twice the size of Canada and the IOC decided to host it in a place that has days that are warmer than Florida in February. Just goes to show what money can buy
True. But to be fair I have +1C here in the northern half of Sweden today, so it could be raining here too. Winter is acting up this year.
On February 18 2014 15:45 AlternativeEgo wrote: Rain during a winter Olympics in February. Now that's just plain wrong. :/
Russia has a landmass almost twice the size of Canada and the IOC decided to host it in a place that has days that are warmer than Florida in February. Just goes to show what money can buy
True. But to be fair I have +1C here in the northern half of Sweden today, so it could be raining here too. Winter is acting up this year.
Haha, nice trip in the boardcross. Free air ride.
Yes, climate change is occurring; it has been unusually mild in northern Europe this winter while it was -25C in southern Ontario yesterday morning. But the average daily mean temperature of Sochi in February is 6C, whereas Stockholm is -3C (wikipedia'd the climates for both cities). That's a whopping 9C difference. You mean to tell me that in all of Russia they couldn't find a city other than Putin's favourite vacationing spot
Checked the forecast for Sochi in the upcoming week and they're lucky the Olympics will be ending soon as it's expected to be +20C next Tuesday lol.
On February 18 2014 15:45 AlternativeEgo wrote: Rain during a winter Olympics in February. Now that's just plain wrong. :/
Russia has a landmass almost twice the size of Canada and the IOC decided to host it in a place that has days that are warmer than Florida in February. Just goes to show what money can buy
The IOC doesn't choose a country and then decides which city in this country should host the games. It chooses from cities that apply, and for a good reason. Anyway, you are of course right that the weather was very likely to become an issue.
EPT
