Winter Olympics - Vancouver (Feb 12-28, 2010)

[Deleted]

No, the emcee had just shared that the US had won more Olympic medals in Vancouver than any other team in any other winter Olympics. They were howling!

WE were laughing.

You could just feel the relief that night, that their time on the ice at the Olympics was done. NOW they could enjoy their friends, families and special guests and finish out with the closing ceremonies.

Many of the parents exited early as they had flights to catch the next day since they did not have tickets to the closing ceremonies. We left around 1:30 a.m. or so, and things were slowing down, but not everyone was leaving.

Overall the athletes were tired and you could tell it, but also jubilant--a natural high!

[mtnme]

Thanks for all the awesome photos Goodtimes! Those were AMAZING! I really appreciate your sharing them with all of us!

...and thank you to Gasp for the commentary!

[Laura (Lori)]

Oh, how sad for this guy...

German speedskater misses race because of turned-off cell phone
By Chris Chase / Feb 25, 2010

sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/German-speedskater-misses-race-because-of-turned?urn=oly,223983&cp=38

A lesson to all Olympic alternates out there: Leave your cell phone on when it's time for your race.

German (long track) speedskater Patrick Beckert missed out on a chance to compete in the Olympics because his cell phone was turned off prior to the start of Wednesday's 1,000m competition. Officials were trying to contact the 19-year old, who was the fourth alternate in the race.

The spot became free when two-time gold medalist Enrico Fabris of Italy withdrew from the race one hour before it was set to begin. Officials attempted to reach the first three alternates to no avail. Once the German delegation got word that Beckert was in if he could get to the Oval in time, a hasty search was put together. Calls were placed to his turned-off cell and his sister, Stephanie, a medal favorite in the 3,000m, also tried to find him. Beckert finally called back 17 minutes before the race, but it was too late to get to the Richmond Olympic Oval.

One German site says that Helge Jasch, manager of the German speed skating team, has taken blame for the mistake because he didn't tell Beckert to report to the oval. He figured that the chances of the fourth alternate making it into the field were infinitesmal. Ninety-nine times out of 100, he'd be right.

But slim is still better than none. The team should have had Beckert arrive at the Richmond Olympic Oval just in case. And he should have kept his phone on just in case. Now, every time he pulls his cell from his pocket he'll be reminded of the call he didn't get.

[mtnme]

Here are some of those AMAZING hi def photos that I would hate to have disappear forever off the net. These were posted on the LA Times under '2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver'. There are lots more, (I focused on mostly the ST unless there was something else that caught my eye) and they've added more since I saved the ones I'm posting.

Hi-res images from Los Angeles Times photographers Robert Gauthier and Wally Skalij


Here's the link:
www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-2010-winter-olympics-hi-res-html,1,329113.htmlstory



Opening ceremonies:








Long Track Speedskating:









Lee Ho Suk and AAO




Airials




Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn after winning Gold and Silver



...Ouch....




Lindsey Vonn's Bronze Medal win



Charles Hamelin in the lead, but Apolo Anton Ohno coming up on the inside




Meng Wang and Katherine Reutter




Jordan's argument with a block...



500m. AAO Dairy Queened....



Women's Relay (Katherine Reutter and Allison Baver)

[Leigul]

Love those! Thanks

[sk8er]

Wow! OK, don't let anyone take your picture unless you are A) young B) in good shape.

Susan G

[Deleted]

Great pics Mtnme! I've noticed hi-def really does a number on the news anchors that have caps on their teeth. Ugh.

On a more serious note. This link shares that 22 members of the "2010 Olympic Family" claimed refugee status with Canada.

civvo.com/olympics/index.php/archives/854

[Laura (Lori)]

'Wanna re-live the best moments from Vancouver?

Coming to Universal Sports, May 24; 9pm Pacific; 6pm Eastern

Watching the promo gave me chills!

Visions of Vancouver - from Universal Sports

[mtnme]

some random images leading up to the Vancouver Games



















...during the Games

[Laura (Lori)]

Beeeeautiful! And so many good memories!

[Laura (Lori)]

I found this excellent blog - Oh!Gravity

The author is a young Malaysian man (Irving Tan) who's studying/living in Canada, and attended the Olympics.

His most recent entry, "With Glowing Hearts/Des Plus Brilliants Exploits - Part 5" is entirely about Short Track, and was a good read. I enjoyed it enough that I kept reading the other entries about his experience in Vancouver - good pics, too!

I thought it was worth posting, 'cause if any of you start experiencing Olympics Withdrawal, this is one of the best 'memoirs' I've seen yet!

snuffleupagush.wordpress.com/2010/06/30/with-glowing-heartsdes-plus-brilliants-exploits-part-5/

[mtnme]

Great blog! I enjoyed that immensely!

[mtnme]

This was part of the media coverage leading up to and during the Olympics, so it probably belongs here as well as the Canadian thread.

I originally posted this video on Ice & Times, and was heartbroken when it was nuked off of youtube soon after.
I'm happy to say, it's back.

Breathtakingly majestic and touchingly heartfelt all at once, this love letter to Canada brings tears to your eyes. I'm so glad it's not lost to posterity.


Tom Brokaw Explains Canada To Americans











Geography has made us neighbors

History has made us friends

Economics has made us partners

and Necessity has made us allies

...those who nature has so joined together,
let no man put asunder.

President John F. Kennedy

[mtnme]

Some more cool photos from the closing ceremonies just turned up in my google alerts.




Feb. 28, 2010 – Canada – (100228) — VANCOUVER, Feb. 28, 2010 (Xinhua) — The Olympic flame of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games is seen in Vancouver, Canada, on Feb. 28, 2010. The Vancouver Winter Olympics concluded on Sunday. .. (Xinhua/Chen Xiaowei.








VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: The United States Team prepares to walk through the stadium during the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)






VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: Russian Dancers perform during the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. The next Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia
(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)





VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: Maria Guleghina performs during the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)





VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: Apolo Anton Ohno and Lindsey Vonn of the United States wait to enter the stadium during the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)




VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: Confetti falls during the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place on February 28, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)


To see more, go here:

celebtrends.info/photos-closing-ceremony-of-the-vancouver-2010-winter-olympics/

[Laura (Lori)]

Interesting post-Olympics study - here are some of the highlights of the article, though I'm not surprised...

• At least 10 percent of athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics sustained an injury and another seven percent fell ill
  
• 287 injuries were reported among the 2,567 athletes who were covered in the study, and 185 illnesses were recorded.
  
• The most dangerous sports were bobsleigh, ice hockey, short track, alpine freestyle and snowboard cross, which notched up injury rates of between 15 and 35 percent depending on the discipline.
  
• Half of the injuries occurred in training and half in competition, and most usually entailed bruises or strains to the head, spine and knee. In nearly a quarter of cases, the injuries prevented the athlete from training or competing.
  

Here's the article:

Winter Olympics: one in 10 athletes injured - study

www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jqkj5yF3JsOk_G4Fgnv9Mk-_gEPw

Tags: Short Track Speedskating