I can NOT believe the Pair results.

The Canadian skaters rocked. The Russians [censored] almost FELL DOWN.

HOW THE HELL do you give the gold to them?

I don't EVEN LIKE the figure skating, but I liked the Canadians.

The Olympic judges need to be beaten with a VERY LARGE AND SPIKED CLUB.

Well, when you compete in a sport that's judged instead of timed or measured, this is bound to happen. It's certainly not the first time it's happened in skating, especially in pairs skating. So much of a figure skating score is based on reputation rather than technical merit. This, however, is the first time that a technically BAD program has bested what was almost a flawless program from the Canadians, and was also, most would say, more artistically pleasing.

A majority of my ethnic makeup (50%) is French Canadian, so I always root for Canada whenever the U.S. doesn't stand a chance. I was rather upset by the marks, but not surprised. I've kinda been around the sport at its lower levels in the past, so I've seen its ugly side on a smaller scale. But this sham of a pairs finals is perhaps the most glaring example ever of the inequity of this "sport." The only differences between amateur figure skating and professional boxing are tighter outfits and Don King.

Plus, I think the canadian chick was hotter than the russian chick, although the russian chick was still pretty hot.

Well, when you compete in a sport that's judged instead of timed or measured, this is bound to happen. It's certainly not the first time it's happened in skating, especially in pairs skating. So much of a figure skating score is based on reputation rather than technical merit. This, however, is the first time that a technically BAD program has bested what was almost a flawless program from the Canadians, and was also, most would say, more artistically pleasing.


Yeah, I know. I just can't see it. I don't like these things. I really don't. The only reason I was watching the performances was because my wife wanted to see them. After watching the Canadian short program, I HAD to watch the long. I'm not a judge, don't really even know half of it, but I can tell when one pair does a better job. One of the bigger insults to me is they were bested on "Performance"... PERFORMING! The Russians got the gold because "They had the better program"... BUT they didn't actually DO that program. If it was based on the performance aspect alone, I'd feel 'eh' towards the results. As it is now, my German Shepard is hiding in the corner cowerring because I'm so upset. But they were given that score even though they didn't execute their 'vision'. That's my problem.

Hell, the Canadian couple actually performed! The Russians just acted out the motions.



But this sham of a pairs finals is perhaps the most glaring example ever of the inequity of this "sport." The only differences between amateur figure skating and professional boxing are tighter outfits and Don King.



That's exactly why I hate these type. It's not a sport if it requires interpretation. Did you pass the line before him? Yes, no. Did you kick a goal? yes, no. Did they have the "zest"? Well, it depends. ARGH!

I commented that this was worthy of Don King when it happened.

You know, I can't remember the last time I was this upset over any sport. I'm in TN, and was disappointed when we lost the Superbowl. But I wasn't upset. I'm pissed right now. AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE FIGURE SKATING!!!!!!!!!!

My apologies for the rant. I'm really sorry. I'm just so incredibly disappointed in those scores. I can't even imagine how they feel. Knowing you won, but not gettting it. Winning, and then having it taken away because of politics. Neither couple had anything to be ashamed or sad about, but now, both are losers because of it.

Thanks for listening.

You don't have to over-compensate in here.

Bruno

Plus, I think the canadian chick was hotter than the russian chick, although the russian chick was still pretty hot.



Hotter? That's an interpretation that I personally don't really like. But she certainly had more charisma. Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm so upset.

Well actually now that I think about it and have seen some of the replays, the russian chick may very well have been a tad bit hotter. I don't know, it was close.

That's an interpretation that I personally don't really like.

Did you expect any less? Or would it be expect any more?

I share your anger synergy. Somebody should have called the cops, cause there WAS a robbery. It seems like they want the Russians to win the gold in pairs for some reason. Revenge is near, final round of ice hockey is in 3 days.

Hmm in the interest of correctness it seems that it was actually the French score that swayed things to the Russians. The goddamn French. Can they do ANYTHING right?

Sacre bleu!

Anthony, s'il vous plaît me dire que vous venez de perdre votre humeur pour une minute!

Well, admittedly some of it is just tongue-in-cheek anti-French silliness coming out. I am somewhat bitter about them sending peacekeeping forces into Afghanistan after all the dirty work was done. I might be ethnically 50% French but that country needs to borrow une paire des boules toute de suite.

"I fart in your general direction!"

Ah, I do just love it (mostly!) when you are angry.

I'll actually give this board the highest points for discussing matters of national politics on a very congenial level. I think it mostly works because there's a general agreement to be a little self-deprecating when it comes to the faults of people's own countries. Still, it can be a dicey proposition -- almost as hard as discussing pizza (and stuff that *pretends* to be pizza which it ain't!).

France, well there's a lot of history there, not all of it glorious (like whose is?) and I'll confess that I was completely ticked off at them --scratched off my vacation list for some years -- for the gratuitous and pointless resumption of nuke testing in the South Pacific some years ago (We are France! We must do what we must do!) . In the end though, I remind myself that the government is not the people, and all governments/people live in some sort of glass hour. Even though I don't find their stance on some stuff admirable (such as what you point out) I've almost come to value countries that act as a nagging buzz in our (meaning the U.S.') ear. What would it be like if every country was in 100% agreement to invade X, Y, and Z? (I know, some might consider that a good thing! -- by the way, anybody see the joke mail "AXIS of JUST-AS-EVIL"?)

In the end, I dropped my post-nuke-testing boycott. I may even buy a Zodiac inflatable dinghy! And I'll visit this June for the bread, the wine, the cheese, the duck, the trains, the beaches, the women (half my age and completely unaware of my existence, of course!), the coffee, the lamb, the pate, the highways....

"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled like elderberries!"

Well chalk up another scandal on the olympic scoreboard. Something is rotten to the core. If you spot one roach...

Calvin

yeah, that canadian chick was hot enough for the gold. Her crossed eyes make her kind of cute. =)

Well, back on-topic in off-topic...NBC reports allegations of vote-trading between French and Russian judges.

I haven't watched any Oly yet, but if I do, I think it's going to be the stuff with stopwatches...too bad...

Well, at least the whole situation was a topic of tonight's Daily Show. Pretty funny stuff. They were hilarious tonight.

I have heard allusions to it but have found no stories describing the exact allegations. Anybody have any links?

Thanks, synergy -- yes, I think we (Canada) was robbed. Everyone in the place knew they HAD the gold. The skaters KNEW.

Probably some good coverage at http://www.cbc.ca

Grr.

I have heard allusions to it but have found no stories describing the exact allegations. Anybody have any links?

I don't know that there are exact allegations. One of the better summaries I've found so far was from the Washington Post

From what I've seen, it seems like the history of figure skating is littered with controversial and questionable decisions, many of them alleged to hinge on cold-ware-era politics.

Well, everything worked out, if not perfectly, at least acceptably.

How addicted am I to the Olympics? I spent two hours last night watching Curling.

That's cool, they deserved the Gold. I'm glad they didn't penalize the russian skaters, they did good too.

Yeah, the Russian skaters didn't deserve the crap they have been getting by some morons. Jay Leno last night showed a box of Wheaties with the Canadian skaters on it, and then another box of cereal with the Russian skaters called Cheaties. What an idiot, I turned him off after that.

I spent two hours last night watching Curling.

Well, if you lived in Canada, you could do this almost every night...along with hockey and ice skating.

Exactly, It's not the skaters' fault, it's the judges. How come nothing's been made of the French skaters? Aah, the media. Logic and thought unto themselves.


BTW which countries are getting Roy and HG - the Ice Dream?

So who got the Bronze medal? Did the Bronze medalists get upgraded to Silver?

Calvin (The things i wonder about..)

All existing medals stay, the Canadians got upsized to Gold. No medals removed.

Upsized?

"Would you like fries with that Upsizing?:

Yeah, Tha'ts how I meant it. By awarding an extra gold they cheapend the value of the medals.
Did anything happen to the judges who pressured the French judge?

What qualifications do you need to be a judge at these events?

Worst of all, I think that a terrible precedent has been established.

I won't argue whether the judges' call was correct or not (I actually preferred the Russians routine, but my preferences have nothing to do with judging standards) but nonetheless, it was the judges' call. Right or wrong, you can't have a system where the judging gets over-ridden by popular demand. The ruling should have stood as called -- and then if necessary and provable perhaps sanctions might be taken against the judge(s) in question. And speaking of judge(s) -- why is the French judge the only one being taken to task? Didn't four other judges vote the same way?

In any case, judging ice skating is so political and so subjective that it is pointless to argue about it.

tanstaafl.

Monday they passed a new voting system that will be voted on in July. Basically, computers will tracks all of the marks made during the actual performance. Then, the computer will randomly select only 4 judges or something.

The other judges are not being investigated because there has been no reports of them being presured. I mean you *expect* former eastern block nations to judge agsinst western countries, but France?! But wait a minute.... they wouldn't let us fly over France to attack Libya... hmm... something doesn't add up here...

"I'm French....." "But what are you doing England?" "Mind your own business!"

I agree that changing the decision does lower the value of the medal.... but it does add some faint glimor of credibility too.... Besides, what whould the Olympics be without controversy? Steroids. Male-hormones. Pay-offs from cities. etc etc

Worst of all, I think that a terrible precedent has been established.

Well, I was ready to boycott the Olympics on principle. First, there's all this corruption. Second, there's the painful irony of having all this corruption in, of all places, Salt Lake City!!!!

Anyhow, I decided to break down this evering, drop the boycott, and tune in for a little figure skating, but, when I did, there wasn't figure skating per se, but ....

Jennifer!! Jennifer!! Jennifer Robinson!!

This is totally unfair. When are they going to resume broadcasting the *normal* Olympics again??

Supposedly, it was not another judge, but a French government official that pressured the French judge.

Corruption in government officials? *GASP* Say it isn't so!