Cornellians in the Olympics, Winter 2014

[David Harding]

Several Cornellian hockey players will compete in the Olympics this year, as has been noted in the hockey forum.  Today the US bobsled and luge team was announced, including pilot Jamie Greubel '06.  Chris Langton '07, featured with Jamie in the December "Ezra", did not make the team, though his older brother Steve is back.

Anyone else in other sports?

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I was watching the replay of the US-Canada Women's match last evening and I found myself rooting for Canada because of our four players.

I guess I know where my allegiances lie.

[Trotsky]

I guess I know where my allegiances lie.

The best thing about the World Cup is it's fun to root for the US.  In pretty much everything else that's the equivalent of rooting for Exxon.

There is no sweeter feeling than when the US men's basketball team loses.

[phillysportsfan]

I guess I know where my allegiances lie.

The best thing about the World Cup is it's fun to root for the US.  In pretty much everything else that's the equivalent of rooting for Exxon.

There is no sweeter feeling than when the US men's basketball team loses.

I disagree outside of the main sports, basketball, top few track and field athletes, etc many of the US athletes have to live very modestly to get to the olympics because they dont have much time to work and there is no government funding unlike other countries

[ugarte]

I guess I know where my allegiances lie.

The best thing about the World Cup is it's fun to root for the US.  In pretty much everything else that's the equivalent of rooting for Exxon.

There is no sweeter feeling than when the US men's basketball team loses.

I disagree outside of the main sports, basketball, top few track and field athletes, etc many of the US athletes have to live very modestly to get to the olympics because they dont have much time to work and there is no government funding unlike other countries

There's jingoism and then there's the completely natural feeling of being a part of something. I have my issues with the way we collectively run this country but unless there is a particular athlete or storyline pulling me in another direction, I root for the US teams even if we're playing someone we should beat handily.

[Trotsky]

and then there's the completely natural feeling of being a part of something

Part of it is rooting for the underdog -- we are never the underdog -- we have hundred million dollar facilities and we're competing against countries that spend money on, oh I dunno, lowering infant mortality. Part of it is the hatred that network TV engenders.  Anything that ruins Bob Costs' jingoistic day benefits humanity.

In about 20 years we'll be 70's Great Britain and I'll root for us again.  At the moment we're the British Empire and any time we lose, in anything, I smile.

[KeithK]

and then there's the completely natural feeling of being a part of something

Part of it is rooting for the underdog -- we are never the underdog -- we have hundred million dollar facilities and we're competing against countries that spend money on, oh I dunno, lowering infant mortality. Part of it is the hatred that network TV engenders.  Anything that ruins Bob Costs' jingoistic day benefits humanity.

In about 20 years we'll be 70's Great Britain and I'll root for us again.  At the moment we're the British Empire and any time we lose, in anything, I smile.

Really?  Bob Costas is the personification of your dislike for the current state of our society?  And you call yourself a baseball fan?

[scoop85]

and then there's the completely natural feeling of being a part of something

Part of it is rooting for the underdog -- we are never the underdog -- we have hundred million dollar facilities and we're competing against countries that spend money on, oh I dunno, lowering infant mortality. Part of it is the hatred that network TV engenders.  Anything that ruins Bob Costs' jingoistic day benefits humanity.

In about 20 years we'll be 70's Great Britain and I'll root for us again.  At the moment we're the British Empire and any time we lose, in anything, I smile.

Really?  Bob Costas is the personification of your dislike for the current state of our society?  And you call yourself a baseball fan?

Yeah, Costas I don't get.  If he had said Brian Kilmeade, well, that I would understand.

[Scersk '97]

Part of the fun of the Winter Olympics, however, is rooting for the US athletes who compete in sports in which we are underdogs, like biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, luge, and ski jumping, or relative underdogs, like alpine, bobsled, and short-track speed skating; indeed, we are at least relative underdogs in most non-television-contrived (i.e., freestyle "skiing"; snowboarding) winter sports. (Vide some crowd-edited thing.)

And then there's nordic combined, the finest, most exciting discipline at the games, in which the US is suddenly competitive. What a great story, and partially an upstate New York one at that!

(Yes, I got into it all the way back in 2006, before the medals.)

My real ire regarding the Olympics, Winter and Summer, is reserved for NBC, which finds a way, with few exceptions, to ignore relatively or completely every sport in which US athletes are not super, duper dominant, including most of those I mentioned above.

[Rita]

Part of the fun of the Winter Olympics, however, is rooting for the US athletes who compete in sports in which we are underdogs, like biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, luge, and ski jumping, or relative underdogs, like alpine, bobsled, and short-track speed skating; indeed, we are at least relative underdogs in most non-television-contrived (i.e., freestyle "skiing"; snowboarding) winter sports. (Vide some crowd-edited thing.)

And then there's nordic combined, the finest, most exciting discipline at the games, in which the US is suddenly competitive. What a great story, and partially an upstate New York one at that!

(Yes, I got into it all the way back in 2006, before the medals.)

My real ire regarding the Olympics, Winter and Summer, is reserved for NBC, which finds a way, with few exceptions, to ignore relatively or completely every sport in which US athletes are not super, duper dominant, including most of those I mentioned above.

IIRC, NBC actually does a pretty good job with curling coverage. I think they turn CNBC into "the curling network". Which reminds me, I'll need to clear out some space on that DVR thingy.

And if you come across these dudes while channel surfing during the olympics, you have found the curling station (or lost footage featuring Project Runaway's runner-ups).

[Trotsky]

Part of the fun of the Winter Olympics, however, is rooting for the US athletes who compete in sports in which we are underdogs, like biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, luge, and ski jumping, or relative underdogs, like alpine, bobsled, and short-track speed skating;

Agree, except for the last one -- I thought we dominated that.  Wasn't that what that Ohno jerk was in?

[phillysportsfan]

IIRC, NBC actually does a pretty good job with curling coverage. I think they turn CNBC into "the curling network". Which reminds me, I'll need to clear out some space on that DVR thingy.

And if you come across these dudes while channel surfing during the olympics, you have found the curling station (or lost footage featuring Project Runaway's runner-ups).

Yes all that coverage keeps curling clubs in the US afloat, we have gotten over 1000 people show up at open houses during the Olympics in the past

http://www.curldc.org/open-houses-2014/

If anyone lives in the Baltimore/DC area there is a curling club in Laurel, MD. We are having 2 open houses during the Olympics: February 8, 2014 9:00am – 3:00pm and February 16, 2014 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

[billhoward]

IIRC, NBC actually does a pretty good job with curling coverage. I think they turn CNBC into "the curling network". Which reminds me, I'll need to clear out some space on that DVR thingy.

And if you come across these dudes while channel surfing during the olympics, you have found the curling station (or lost footage featuring Project Runaway's runner-ups).

There's always the undercurrent of the viewers thinking, "Curling is a sport? It's like bowling with a flat ball."

With 500 channels, there ought to to be room for a couple views of the Olympics beyond the main channel covering USA-centric sports preceded by the up close and personal stories. Did every athlete lose a father at an early age, or have a special needs sibling?

[phillysportsfan]

IIRC, NBC actually does a pretty good job with curling coverage. I think they turn CNBC into "the curling network". Which reminds me, I'll need to clear out some space on that DVR thingy.

And if you come across these dudes while channel surfing during the olympics, you have found the curling station (or lost footage featuring Project Runaway's runner-ups).

There's always the undercurrent of the viewers thinking, "Curling is a sport? It's like bowling with a flat ball."

With 500 channels, there ought to to be room for a couple views of the Olympics beyond the main channel covering USA-centric sports preceded by the up close and personal stories. Did every athlete lose a father at an early age, or have a special needs sibling?

After you sweep rocks for a full game you'll think it is a sport or at least good exercise

[Trotsky]

With 500 channels, there ought to to be room for a couple views of the Olympics beyond the main channel covering USA-centric sports preceded by the up close and personal stories. Did every athlete lose a father at an early age, or have a special needs sibling?

The rule of television is: whenever there is  single piano, change the channel immediately.  It's the international signal for "Weepy, Ham-fisted Manipulation Ahead."

It helps whenever they run their human interest stories to imagine the skater's mother was secretly a child murderer and richly deserved it.