The Beijing Olympics
- Thread starter Zeedox
- Start date
I am not a fan of ice skating. I've never considered it a sport per se; rather I've always considered it an exhibition. Like dancing, or theatre or painting.
But what the French did last night simply defied belief.
I was laying in bed and had been watching Skeleton runs when they switched over to the ice skating. They were going to come back to bob sled runs so I figured I'd persevere for a bit.
While everybody else did the usual round in circles, a few hand moves, a couple of lifts, blah, blah, blah, the French came out and what they did had me laying there gape-mouthed in disbelief.
I have never seen two people in any instance so in sync. Their moves were identical in every way. Their feet always hit the ice at the same exact time. Their hands were always in the same exact position even through very fast, very intricate moves. It was like one person and their shadow out there. It was the first time in over a half century of living that I've ever looked at any ice skating and said, "Wow!"
I don't know if they'll carry that through the rest of whatever is in the skating program, but if they do everybody can pack their bags and go home now as far as the gold medal is concerned. It's already hanging around the necks of the French.
The French were out there last night playing chess. EVERYBODY else was playing checkers.
www.reuters.com
But what the French did last night simply defied belief.
I was laying in bed and had been watching Skeleton runs when they switched over to the ice skating. They were going to come back to bob sled runs so I figured I'd persevere for a bit.
While everybody else did the usual round in circles, a few hand moves, a couple of lifts, blah, blah, blah, the French came out and what they did had me laying there gape-mouthed in disbelief.
I have never seen two people in any instance so in sync. Their moves were identical in every way. Their feet always hit the ice at the same exact time. Their hands were always in the same exact position even through very fast, very intricate moves. It was like one person and their shadow out there. It was the first time in over a half century of living that I've ever looked at any ice skating and said, "Wow!"
I don't know if they'll carry that through the rest of whatever is in the skating program, but if they do everybody can pack their bags and go home now as far as the gold medal is concerned. It's already hanging around the necks of the French.
The French were out there last night playing chess. EVERYBODY else was playing checkers.
Figure skating-No slip this time as French dance duo return with a bang
Four years after a costume malfunction cost them the ice dance title in Pyeongchang, French duo Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron made a stylish return to the Winter Olympics with a world record score in the rhythm dance on Saturday.
They made a lot of press. Some of these people (and NHL players), after their careers, end up touring in an Ice Capades type show.
(btw: skate for half an hour, or play a hockey game, and then tell me skating is not a sport lol)
I still cant find video of their performance just slide shows atm.
(btw: skate for half an hour, or play a hockey game, and then tell me skating is not a sport lol)
I still cant find video of their performance just slide shows atm.
I don't consider it a sport because the result is based almost entirely on opinion. It's like a movie, art or music - the score is totally at the mercy of the taste of any given individual.
A sport is simple and pure:
A sport is simple and pure:
- Did you lift the most weight? You win.
- Did you cross the line first? You win.
- Did you do it the fastest? You win.
- Did you score the most points? You win.
- Did you jump the highest? You win.
Yes and no. No more technical then an umpire calling strikes - and be honest some umps see the ball in, some see them out.
The same goes on with field goals and offsides in football. Does the score really count if a human made the in or out call then?
The same goes on with field goals and offsides in football. Does the score really count if a human made the in or out call then?
You're talking about the rules of a game but not the end result.
There is no opinion on a home run or if a runner crosses the plate and scores a run or how many runs were scored.
There is no opinion on an offsides call. You either are offsides or you are not. They have challenges just for that reason.
There is nothing in skating at all that is NOT based on opinion. There isn't one single aspect of it that is beyond any doubt. It is, quite literally, ALL based on opinion and nothing more.
From how a move is done to how the costumes look to how their presentation is, it is all opinion. If you were to read the judging rules of ice skating but change the names of things you could just as easily justify cooking, painting, interior decorating and many others as Olympic events.
In fact, ballroom dancing has a huge lobby behind it to become an Olympic event and has for years. The only difference between it and ice skating is one is done on ice and the other isn't. They are both literally the same thing with the exception of the surface it's done on.
Yet one is considered a sport and the other isn't.
To me there are the arts and there are sports. Ice Skating is an art. It's dancing on ice. There is no end game, nothing you can do that says "I win". It will always be down to the eyes of the beholder as to who actually won.
That why of all sports, ice skating is the most controversial and has more claimed fixes and fraud than any other sport in Olympic history.
There is no opinion on a home run or if a runner crosses the plate and scores a run or how many runs were scored.
There is no opinion on an offsides call. You either are offsides or you are not. They have challenges just for that reason.
There is nothing in skating at all that is NOT based on opinion. There isn't one single aspect of it that is beyond any doubt. It is, quite literally, ALL based on opinion and nothing more.
From how a move is done to how the costumes look to how their presentation is, it is all opinion. If you were to read the judging rules of ice skating but change the names of things you could just as easily justify cooking, painting, interior decorating and many others as Olympic events.
In fact, ballroom dancing has a huge lobby behind it to become an Olympic event and has for years. The only difference between it and ice skating is one is done on ice and the other isn't. They are both literally the same thing with the exception of the surface it's done on.
Yet one is considered a sport and the other isn't.
To me there are the arts and there are sports. Ice Skating is an art. It's dancing on ice. There is no end game, nothing you can do that says "I win". It will always be down to the eyes of the beholder as to who actually won.
That why of all sports, ice skating is the most controversial and has more claimed fixes and fraud than any other sport in Olympic history.
All balls and strike calls are based on opinions. As are all field goals until an instant replay shows otherwise. Be honest - the NFL went to instant replays on the field for a reason - to rule out bad calls by refs.
Actually, no they aren't.
The ball must pass over the plate at some point and must be between the knees and chest of the batter when it does. Are mistakes made? Yes. Is it all down to an umpires "opinion"? No.
That's true.
But a bad call isn't an opinion. If an umpire thinks the ball went across the plate but it didn't, that is a mistake. Typically, umpires wont be umpires for very long if they do that with anything considered regularity.
That's not even in the same ballpark as someone saying, "I don't like their outfits" because the judge's favorite color is blue and they hate orange. That happens in ice skating.
It's also nowhere near the same level of "I hate this fucking song so I'm going to deduct a point" which also happens in ice skating.