Olympics 2008

[innerSpaceman]

Um, ice dancing anyone?



Speaking of which, from the other end of the spectrum, I'm glad baseball's being dropped after this Olympics. Oh, it's a sport alright. I just don't cotton to professional-type sports mixing with Olympic sports. Yes, that includes soccer.


I think the Olympics should be an outlet for the weirdo sports no one ever gets to see ... like horse dancing.

[scaeagles]

I'm not a diving fan (no gymnastics, for that matter - any sport that has to be "rated" by judges to me is always suspect - not to say gymnastics is easy), but this seems particularly silly. I'm sure training the animal is challanging, but athletic prowess is involved for the human? At least the other events like diving invovle some sort of athletic involvement for the human.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, ice dancing anyone?

With you - i think that's ridiculous as well....but at least it is humans doing the work.

[innerSpaceman]

yet we differ on what interests us in the Olympics. I don't give a rat's asshair who comes in 15 tenths of a second faster in a race. Oh, I admire the athleticism of running or swimming at incredible speeds, but it doesn't matter who "wins."

And so, by that same token of it not mattering who wins, I find the athleticism displayed in the judged competitions of diving and gymnastics to far exceed in human ability, not to mention artistry, the mere notion of moving fast.


So it doesn't matter to me whether the win is competely whimsical or subjective, any more than it matters who's the fastest person on that particular day by a measurement of time completely meaningless to the humans being measured. Diving is fantastic to watch. Gymnastics are amazing to behold. The "contest" is - like most contests - just plain silly.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I'm sure training the animal is challanging, but athletic prowess is involved for the human? At least the other events like diving invovle some sort of athletic involvement for the human.

Have you ever tried it? It isn't easy for the human either. It's not like you take a trained horse out there and just sit there while it runs through a pre-programmed routine.

[lizziebith]

Dressage is insanely difficult for the human on the horse. The problem is it involves tiny physical cues given to the animal that can't really be seen by an observer. The judges only see the results of those cues (changing leads, etc.).

Believe me -- giving those cues takes YEARS to even learn. Dressage is most certainly a sport.

[scaeagles]

I'm not trying to imply it is easy. Cleaning my grill isn't easy but I don't think it should be an athletic event. The training, etc, of the animal is very difficult and I said that. It just doesn't seem require athleticism.

I've ridden horses. When the horse is galloping, there is some effort involved. When the horse is walking, not too much is involved that requries physical effort.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by lizziebith

Dressage is most certainly a sport.

I guess I'll take your word for it. Are those cues physically demanding?

[BarTopDancer]

I wonder what will happen to the Chinese athletes who "bring dishonor to their country" by not receiving a gold medal.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I guess I'll take your word for it. Are those cues physically demanding?

Have you ever ridden a horse at all, let alone such precision riding? Yes. It's physically and mentally demanding.

And we've had this discussion before, iSm. The vast majority of races are NOT decided by inhumanly small margins. You may not be able to count to 5ms, but you can see who crosses the finishline first. Photo finishes are rare exceptions, not the rule. And even when they do happen, the photo clears it up. A winner is declared based on perfectly perceptable, clear cut criteria. Just because we can't count to 1/27 mississippi doesn't mean it's not human scale.