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Olympics ?
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

2/25/18 10:43 AM

I like the extra round in relay but not so much in individuals.

The time penalty is too small for individual races which has a larger spread. For relays, a penalty lap would basically put the team out of contention, which will be demoralizing for skiers skiing the subsequent legs.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

2/25/18 10:49 AM

I watched a little bit of speed skating yesterday (have a cold, staying home). I have to confess I don't really care for it. Most likely because I don't skate myself.

I also caught a xc race, which I found mesmerizing. Somehow, I found just watching xc skiers kick and glide, kick and glide, and more kick and glide... was a beautiful sight to behold! I won't be surprised that for others, it maybe as dull as watching paint dry???

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

2/25/18 12:37 PM

Like bike racing, it varies

A 25K XC race is boring most of the time, like a typical long bike race or tour stage. The shorter events are more interesting because they're faster, more intense and dramatic changes can happen rapidly.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

2/25/18 1:01 PM

The 1000M speed skating I did get to see. It is pretty similar to a bike stage in several ways. Going off the front, worthless sprinting point. ;) Getting captured and spit out the back etc...

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

2/26/18 10:23 AM

Who sez curlers aren't athletes

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/former-nfl-star-jared-allen-going-for-olympic-curling-gold-in-2022/ar-BBJzIio?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=iehp

Note that he was an active curler during his NFL career

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

2/26/18 5:00 PM

Ok...

...Rosie Grier used to do needlepoint when he wasn't breaking heads on the field. I don't think you would suggest that it should be added to the Olympics. The fact that an athlete chooses to participate in curling or any other activity doesn't make it a sport.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

2/26/18 5:11 PM

"Rosie Grier used to do needlepoint"

And on that note, in the movie Demolition Man John Sparta the toughest cop of the 20ith was trained in cry o-stasis to sew. Probably wrote this gag thinking of Rosie Grier.

"John Spartan: [commenting on his cryo-prison conditioning program] I'm a seamstress? - That's great. I come out of cryo-prison and I'm Betsy-fooking-Ross... "

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

2/26/18 5:27 PM

OK

Brian, do you think archery and shooting are legitimate Olympic sports?

There are lots of goofy activities in the games, summer and winter. Synchronized swimming? Rhythmic gymnastics? Who cares?

BTW, I hope you noted that for the gold the US curlers beat the Swedes, ha ha.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

2/26/18 5:33 PM

Next thing you know they'll have swimmin'

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PLee
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 3712
Location: Brooklyn, NY

2/27/18 5:39 PM

Considering that the original Olympic sports were basically tests of military abilities, shooting and archery makes sense. Synchronized swimming? Not so much . . .

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

2/27/18 10:45 PM

I didn't watch a single minute of curling. But...

It's a popular game, participated widely in 3 continents. That meets the criteria of an Olympic event.

While doesn't LOOK athletic, it nonetheless REQUIRES some minimum level of physical exertion. It's really not that different from say...shooting!

Speaking of rhythmic gymnastics, I'm told by a former gymnast, it was created specifically for gymnast who grew too tall and too heavy to tumble! And some suspect Ice Dancing was created for girls too heavy to be in pair skating!

But who cares? I enjoy watching ice dancing. Rhythmic gymnastics? Not so much.

As you all know, bowling and ballroom dancing were both trying to become an Olympic sport... oh, perhaps I should say Olympic event! ;-)

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

2/28/18 6:48 AM

Getting off the couch to get a beer...

..."REQUIRES some minimum level of physical exertion", too. Plus it's followed by a set of decreasing weight curls. ;-) They could add it to the Olympics and have separate weight classes for different size bottles and cans.

As Plee noted, shooting sports are part of the history of the games, though if one is going to be completely honest, the only one that requires any real athleticism is biathlon. I was heavily into competitive archery at one point and while it does require some strength and skill, it doesn't require significant fitness. Realistically, I'd guess it's about on par with golf. It's more of a game than a sport.

I'm glad that the US curlers won, but I still don't see is at a sport worthy of the Olympics.

Rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming are a bit goofy, but they definitely do require substantial athleticism.

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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield

2/28/18 2:19 PM

After hearing reports from Jerry Rice, Apollo Ohno, Emmitt Smith and Bobby Phillips, among others, ballroom dancing is more demanding than non-dancers want to believe.

And bowling, smokers need an Olympic sport don't they?

How about the Smolikas games? Darts, pool, Grand Theft Auto

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

2/28/18 10:19 PM

Define athleticism.


quote:
Rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming are a bit goofy, but they definitely do require substantial athleticism.

Synchronized swimming, definitely. Rhythmic gymnastics? It requires about as much athleticism as archery.

How much athleticism does weight lifting requires? It maybe really hard but so is shooting a target with a bow. Or landing a golf ball into little holes on the ground consistently, hole after hole after hole.

I plead ignorance to how much athleticism is required in bobsled.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

3/1/18 8:08 AM

You need to go back...

... and watch some rhythmic gymnastics. I'll bet that nobody here could do that or even come close.

Weight lifting requires both extreme strength and perfect technique.

As a former competitive archer, I think I'm qualified to say that while it requires very precise technique, it doesn't require a lot of strength or any significant level of fitness. They type of shooting I did - 3D shooting - is arguably the most physically demanding form (NFAA field shooting is similar), in that it typically requires a few miles of walking through woods and fields in varied terrain, carrying fairly heavy gear (as archery equipment goes) and shooting a heavy draw weight bow (up to 80#), often from awkward positions. However, my best shooting partner was morbidly obese, archery was his only form of exercise and he actually won the ASA Pro Nationals one year. There are lots of highly competitive "Bubba's" at the top levels in amateur and professional archery. So no, archery does not require significant athleticism.

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walter
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 4391
Location: metro-motown-area

3/1/18 10:15 AM

thats the 2 areas

skill and athleticism. archery, curling, shooting mostly the former. same with golf, but well into 72 holes of golf one needs a modicum of stamina so the one's swing doesnt break down! seems that anything involving a target is inherently biased toward skill.

what are some sports that have high levels of both? i'm thinking field events: long-jump, high-jump, pole-vault. tons of both.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

3/1/18 12:31 PM

Maybe it's just because I'm a klutz...

...but I'd put X/C skiing and skating in that category....actually all skiing, snowboarding and skating events. Track cycling and the kayak & canoe events in summer are similar. Decathlon may be the best example, as you need not only the strength, but also the technique for 10 events.

Just curious, how often does someone play 72 holes of golf in one day in competition? My understanding is that a typical competition day is 18 holes.

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PLee
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 3712
Location: Brooklyn, NY

3/2/18 9:38 AM

Hurdles. I'm amazaed at how fast they run and the timing and skill needed to clear the hurdles. There's always a part of me, though, that thinks it would be a lot more interesting if the spacing of the hurdles were subject to variation and change, like how ski slalom courses can be reset from run to run.

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walter
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 4391
Location: metro-motown-area

3/2/18 11:48 AM

72 holes

speaks to sunday.

i'm thinking in terms of the weekend duffer that walks and carries their own bag -- it adds up.

pros have a caddy, which makes the already modest "athletic" demands that much less of a factor.

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

3/2/18 1:17 PM

Hurdles

I ran hurdles in high school. Not all that good at it but... one does adjust if needed. It's just the best time comes from doing it with the right timing. As I was growing UP, quite literally, so my stride changes as I progress. I went from 5 steps between hurdle to 4 (both side) to 3 strides. If they vary the distance each match, I definitely could have adjusted without too much difficulty.

Skiing, since the snow changes, it'll never be identical between 2 courses.

I know A LOT of over-weight skiers who can out ski me. It's such a technical sport that a good skier can easily beat a fit skier.

I also play competitive badminton and table tennis. Both are super technical. So fitness only comes into play between too similarly skilled players. Obviously, you can't do well on the world level if you are not fit. But just because someone looking very unfit beats you doesn't mean the sport doesn't require fitness.

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walter
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 4391
Location: metro-motown-area

3/2/18 3:20 PM

racquetball and swimming

two sports where technique enable a fairly unfit person to dominate someone that is very fit.

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