Olympics 2008

[scaeagles]

I call it synchronized boredom.

And uh....Olympic injury video. Weightlifting. Not for the squeemish.

Ick.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

And uh....Olympic injury video. Weightlifting. Not for the squeamish.

Oh, that is brutal. But I do admire how they have the "screen people" rush out to block the view. That's a smart touch.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by Alex

Here's a quick rundown of some of the medical, and technical improvements feeding into the new world records.

Originally Posted by link

Michael Phelps' coach says the LZR suit is fair. "Everybody is in the suit so it's across the board," he argues. That may be true of today's top swimmers. But it's not true of yesterday's. So comparing today's performances to the performances of 20, eight, or even four years ago—which is what "new Olympic record" means—is generally unfair.

That goes back to what I was saying. Who knows what those records would have been if this technology was available then.

Breaking the record by a small amount is feasible, but by several seconds? That's technology.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Eh, old news. Every few years they've come up with some amazing new suit. The records that are currently being broken due to technology were set due to technology, so I have a hard time feeling it's unfair. Technological advancement is part of the sport.

[Alex]

I agree, I was just responding to the question of whether there's a drug influence.

However, it does raise the question of whether we should be racing people against each other or instead just have Phelps swim each distance five times, each in a different suit and then award gold to the manufacturer that wins.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

I agree, I was just responding to the question of whether there's a drug influence.

However, it does raise the question of whether we should be racing people against each other or instead just have Phelps swim each distance five times, each in a different suit and then award gold to the manufacturer that wins.

Phelps does not wear the new techno-nifty suit, or at least not the top half.


Phelps has also volunteered for the "super tester" program where he has been baseline tested leading up to the games and is tested daily.

[Alex]

I know Phelps only wears part of the suit. Which is completely irrelevant to the point. But let me rephrase, Phelps can swim the race five times in five different pool configurations and we'll award the gold to the contractor that built the fastest.

And the great thing about our modern drug environment is that I view passing drug tests as essentially meaningless. Several of the recent drug scandals are not from people failing tests but being forced to admit they were taking the drugs while passing the tests.

I have no particular thought that Phelps (or any other swimmer) is doping, I just assume every athlete is -- especially since modern nutrition and medical treatment is essentially doping anyway, we just like some forms more than others -- accept it, and move on.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I liked the uneven bars and the vaults in gymnastics. I don't like the balance beam and the floor routines. I like the gymnastic skill part, I just hate the extra dance/flippity things they do.

Watching time-trial cycling right now. Gods bless TiVo!

I've been liking the swimming, surprisingly. I've never followed it at all.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Okay, I grant that there have been some very nice bodies. Still too skinny for my personal taste, but admirable in form none the less.

Does this work for ya?
Here's a close-up of his face--he's a cutie!

[innerSpaceman]

Tech advances resulting in broken records is kinda like the new box office champ. The money and time are true, but comparison to past "accomplishments" is practically meaningless.

I wish they would just tout what the result was, and not feel the need to rank it. The rankings are misleading. You can't turn back time.