# Summer Olympics 2012 in London



## Nick (Jul 2, 2012)

Anyone following this so far? The most interesting thing I have heard about so far is the 100M dash qualifiers, the tie for third place that went to the 1000's of a second. 

Apparently one of the runners is backing out from the run-off (Jenebah Tarmoh), which means the other runner (Allyson Felix) will get to compete in the Olympics. I think that was wierd, what more fair way to determine who gets to go to the olympics than a run off? 

http://tracking.si.com/2012/07/02/jeneba-tarmoh-100m-runoff-allyson-felix/


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## soposkier (Jul 2, 2012)

Nick said:


> Anyone following this so far? The most interesting thing I have heard about so far is the 100M dash qualifiers, the tie for third place that went to the 1000's of a second.
> 
> Apparently one of the runners is backing out from the run-off (Jenebah Tarmoh), which means the other runner (Allyson Felix) will get to compete in the Olympics. I think that was wierd, what more fair way to determine who gets to go to the olympics than a run off?
> 
> http://tracking.si.com/2012/07/02/jeneba-tarmoh-100m-runoff-allyson-felix/




Sounds like Tarmoh is upset because she was originally awarded third place but it was later determined to be a tie.  NBC must be pissed, was probably going to give a boost to the trials rating tonite.


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## Nick (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah, I think it would have been like a kentucky derby of the 100m dash.


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## bigbog (Jul 5, 2012)

They(the games) should be good...  The US teams(track) seem filled with good athletes.  I've been watching a lot of the swimming.  Lots of good USA swimmers ~17yo!!!!  Haven't seen any canoeing(flatwater nor WW), but always love that.  CBC usually gives me the best coverate up here.  I seem to remember that NBC is notorious for cutting & pasteing coverage, combined with Costas' personal Cold Wars with countries strong in the events....usually ends up with commentary as interesting as Pravda's 6pm News of the World...used to be.


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## soposkier (Jul 6, 2012)

looks like NBC will be streaming every event live online, with the requirement that you need a current cable subscription that includes CNBC and MSNBC.  http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/index.html


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## Hawkshot99 (Jul 6, 2012)

soposkier said:


> looks like NBC will be streaming every event live online, with the requirement that you need a current cable subscription that includes CNBC and MSNBC.  http://www.nbcolympics.com/online-listings/index.html



Does Direct TV count as a "current cable subscription"?


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## Geoff (Jul 6, 2012)

I just signed up for NBC streaming through Comcast Xfinity.  I need to find the DVI/HDMI cable to put it up on my plasma screen.


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## deadheadskier (Jul 6, 2012)

Psyched it's in London as that means the tennis events will be played on grass.  The coverage won't be as good, but it's almost like getting two Wimbledon's in one summer, which is my favorite tournament of the year.


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## from_the_NEK (Jul 6, 2012)

I'm excited for the Track and Field events. It will be interesting to see how the US sprinters stack up to the Jamaicans. Bolt was a bit off in the Jamaican trials with Yohan Blake beating him in both the 100 and 200. Bolt was getting off to terrible starts, but maybe he was just making sure he didn't false start like he did in last year's world championships. And now he apparently has an "injury".
Both Gatlin and Gay are neck and neck with the two Jamaican stars. It will be interesting to see who gets left off the podium.

I'm also interested to see if Ashton Eaton will go for a new Decathlon record or just simply try to win the gold.


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## Geoff (Jul 6, 2012)

from_the_NEK said:


> I'm also interested to see if Ashton Eaton will go for a new Decathlon record or just simply try to win the gold.



I haven't been following it.   It seems like every four years, the media hypes some US decathlon guy who is a total bust in the games.   Is this another instance of this?


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## Trekchick (Jul 7, 2012)

I follow tennis and swimming a bit during summer olympics.  
I watches a lot of the qualifying for swimming and cheered on my friends niece who came in 33rd. 
She's young so will try again in 4 years.


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## bigbog (Jul 8, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> Psyched it's in London as that means the tennis events will be played on grass.  The coverage won't be as good, but it's almost like getting two Wimbledon's in one summer, which is my favorite tournament of the year.



Fwiw...CBC offers much better coverage than NBC for Maine tv..but does a good job with swimming and canoeing/kayaking/rowing, and track & field...  Even if it's latenight scheduling for anyone in southern NewEngland...is terrific.  NBC streaming should be great, but CBC usually covers a lot of events...than NBC can be watched for US vs country-X showdowns...usually in Gynastics.


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## Nick (Jul 19, 2012)

Trekchick said:


> I follow tennis and swimming a bit during summer olympics.
> I watches a lot of the qualifying for swimming and cheered on my friends niece who came in 33rd.
> She's young so will try again in 4 years.



Very cool! I was on both the swim & tennis teams in HS although nowhere close to being competent in competing on anything other than a friendly match :lol:


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## from_the_NEK (Jul 20, 2012)

Geoff said:


> I haven't been following it.   It seems like every four years, the media hypes some US decathlon guy who is a total bust in the games.   Is this another instance of this?



Ashton
Eaton is the real deal. He set a world record during the Olympic Trials and he
is still pretty young for a decathlete. He should do very well in London.

The whole Dan O'Brian vs Dave Johnson thing from the run-up to the 1992
Olympics really gave decathletes a black eye even though they were both great decathletes.
You can be the best decathlete in the world and miss your height in the Pole
Vault (like Dan did in the trials) and you're out of contention. Dave went on
to the Olympics that year and won a bronze. Four years later Dan O'Brien went
on to win gold in the next Olympics.


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## JimG. (Jul 20, 2012)

Trekchick said:


> I follow tennis and swimming a bit during summer olympics.
> I watches a lot of the qualifying for swimming and cheered on my friends niece who came in 33rd.
> She's young so will try again in 4 years.



Cool...I know someone whose daughter is on the US gymnastics team and is highly ranked in rhythmic gymnastics which is the event where female gymnasts use props during a floor routine. I think they use a ball, a ribbon, a disc, and one other prop.

I don't know her first name but her last name is Zetlin and I believe she is considered a strong contender for a medal in that event.


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## Nick (Jul 27, 2012)

Opening ceremony started really slow but definitely got better into the music section. Go team USA!


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## MR. evil (Jul 28, 2012)

I am hoping to catch some of the Judo online. Other than that looking forward to the fencing and diving events. Except for synchronized diving. That just a BS made up event.


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## drjeff (Jul 29, 2012)

Just waiting for the folks at NBC to get over the concept that all of the "signature" events should be shown on tape delay during primetime!!  Seriously,  events finals that end between 9 and 10PM or so in London, that's 4 to 5PM on the East Coast and 1 to 2 PM on the West Coast.  THERE WILL BE A CAPTIVE and SIGNIFICANT viewership if you show it live.  Now with the social media connections of so many, one's smartphone starts errupting with updates within seconds of the actual competition's finish.

Atleast I'm getting to watch actual live coverage of the cycling road races!


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## riverc0il (Jul 29, 2012)

The issue is the broadcast model hasn't kept up with the times. And that is because they are still operating in the model that makes them the most money. Once more people start unplugging and stop paying for cable, things will change. We aren't going to get a la carte on demand and live national sport coverage under the current model. And the model won't change until it is not as profitable as a different model. I've never had cable and can't wait for the day that we have a la carte on demand via the internet. Once we get there, I'll start paying for it again. 

Nice seeing women's road biking courtesy of sport-livez.com. I don't think I've ever seen online video coverage of an entire women's road race.


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## bigbog (Jul 29, 2012)

NBC airs its coverage for profit ONLY...personnaly I can't wait to hear more top level tips while watching the many swimming distance races from McEnroe...


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## Nick (Jul 29, 2012)

@Rivercoil did you read the article on Techcrunch about that? They had a very good write up on the issue with the way NBC is handling it. 

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/28/please-dont-watch-nbc-tonight-or-any-night/


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## riverc0il (Jul 29, 2012)

Yeah, I saw that via G+ but I think they aren't following the solution through to its logical conclusion. People need to unplug completely from basic cable if they don't like how the major networks are handling things. All the major networks would run the Olympics like this so it isn't just a matter of not watching NBC. Ratings matter somewhat but a major network will always do the Olympics regardless of ratings being lowered by a very limited number of well connected individuals (that actually care to boycott something that they want to watch). If you are paying for basic cable, you aren't speaking out loud enough against the services being provided.


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## deadheadskier (Jul 29, 2012)

leave it to the Brits to come up with a BS rule where women beach volley ball players are no longer required to wear a bikini.    wtf?  :blink:


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## ctenidae (Jul 30, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> leave it to the Brits to come up with a BS rule where women beach volley ball players are no longer required to wear a bikini.    wtf?  :blink:



At least, leave it to the Brits to have weather so crappy you have to wear long sleeves to pay beach volleyball...

A lot of anger, it seems, over the new gymnastics rules and how they pick the all arounders.


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## SkiFanE (Jul 30, 2012)

Network TV will always suck at Olympics.  When they hire people like Ryan Seacrest to comment, you know it doesn't give a damn about the actual sports.  Cripes...could not believe he was involved with this.  Meredith Vieria?  Can't even remember what she was blabbing about it, but it was irrelevant.

We don't pay for TV, haven't since 1999.  Hasn't done squat to change the pay TV industry.  Oh well...

We were in Paris the first half of the Lillehammer Olympics (1994), got to see live coverage - remember seeing the ski racing...one racer after another, top to bottom....ALL of them, even the sucky ones.  It was tough to pull away from TV to see the sights lol.  THen got home to US for second half, and 50% of broadcast time was spent on the Tonya Harding/Nancy K crap...their drama wasn't even discussed outside the US.  This sucky coverage is nothing new.  

Mens cycling was lots of fun to watch, but we wanted the Colombian to win...damn!


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## deadheadskier (Aug 1, 2012)

McKalya Maroney's vault in super slow mo.  Imagine what this girl could do on a set of skis if that was her sport.  pretty incredible

http://deadspin.com/5930714/relive-mckayla-maroneys-phenomenal-vault-in-super+slow-motion


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## Puck it (Aug 1, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> McKalya Maroney's vault in super slow mo.  Imagine what this girl could do on a set of skis if that was her sport.  pretty incredible
> 
> http://deadspin.com/5930714/relive-mckayla-maroneys-phenomenal-vault-in-super+slow-motion



I could not believe the height when I saw it last night.  If you look during the final rotation there is a break in her feet and her arms could be a little tighter to body.  But how do you see that at full speed.  

Must have been the French judge.


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## RootDKJ (Aug 1, 2012)

Anybody using the NBC Olympic iPad apps (there are two of the)?  I think the video quality on them is embarrassing.


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## SKIQUATTRO (Aug 3, 2012)

Thought:   Understandably there was some upheaval with the USA uniforms being made in China....why is no one talking about BMW being a major sponsor of the US Olympic Team?


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## ctenidae (Aug 3, 2012)

SKIQUATTRO said:


> Thought:   Understandably there was some upheaval with the USA uniforms being made in China....why is no one talking about BMW being a major sponsor of the US Olympic Team?



Making the uniforms in China meant a missed oportunity for a pretty good set of ads, but Ralph Lauren doesn't really advertise like that anyway.

I've been confused byt eh BMW thing for a while, too. Do they support the German team, too?


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## bvibert (Aug 3, 2012)

ctenidae said:


> Making the uniforms in China meant a missed oportunity for a pretty good set of ads, but Ralph Lauren doesn't really advertise like that anyway.
> 
> I've been confused byt eh BMW thing for a while, too. Do they support the German team, too?



Nah, they're sponsored by Chrysler.


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## ScottySkis (Aug 6, 2012)

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...olympics-testing-positive-134606296--oly.html THC in some ones system should not get them thrown out of the games, if anything it makes you tired.


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## MR. evil (Aug 6, 2012)

Scotty said:


> http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...olympics-testing-positive-134606296--oly.html THC in some ones system should not get them thrown out of the games, if anything it makes you tired.



I agree 100%, and being a Judoka myself I can say with certainty that there is no possible advantage that being stoned would give you in a judo match. However it's against the rules, he knew that, and until the rule is changed I don't feel sorry for the guy. 

On a related note, a woman that trains in the Boston area won a Judo gold medal. The first U.S. gold in Judo ever (men or women). Very cool!!!!


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## Puck it (Aug 8, 2012)

I was watching last night notice that Lolo in the semi's looked like she had a stroke.  She was dragging her left leg for two strides.  

Check this out.

http://speedendurance.com/2012/08/07/lolo-jones-justin-gatlin-jamaican-toe-drag-revisited/


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## legalskier (Aug 9, 2012)

Colbert commenting on one US rower's curious flag salute during the medal ceremony:


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## legalskier (Aug 9, 2012)

Olympic divers on the toilet






More- http://weknowmemes.com/2012/08/photoshopped-olympic-divers-on-the-toilet/


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## legalskier (Aug 12, 2012)




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