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A reason to watch Olympic Curling


jacksonbart

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Techincally you could die playing curling.

Couple of examples:

1. Drink too much and pass out at the same time your opponent is gliding the stone down and you get hit in the head

2. Drink too much and pass out on the ice and suffer from hypothermia

3. Hit on Cassie Johnson and her gun-weilding boyfriend shoots you

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Maybe synchronized swimming? Now there's an exciting event.

Men's sychronized swimming?

Cassie? I had 'er.

Wouldn't you have to be a little "sychro" to swim at the WINTER olympics? [:o]

I think they synchronize the sports with the seasons![;)]

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From a Minneapolis news story...

"After their second loss, some of the Americans stayed in the venue locker room during the afternoon men's matches and others went to a nearby hotel to relax. Johnson and her sister Jamie, the vice-skip, went to lunch with their parents before returning for a pre-match routine that involved each player picking a song to play on the stereo.

One of them chose the Big & Rich song "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)."

"It's a huge psych-up song," Cassie Johnson said of the tune they started playing before they won the Olympic trials last year and finished second at the world championships. "It's one of those pick-you-up kinds of songs." "

Toddvj, would you be THAT cowboy? [;)]

I live about 100 miles S of Bemidji, where the sisters are from, and also the entire mens team. (Bamidgy)

I understand a little of Curling, the why's and wherefors of the actions and the calls, it is an interesting sport, although I will admit, rather slow paced. Not that archery gets that much airplay during the summer Olympics. (Isn't archery in there?)

BTY, for those of you that need more, check here:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5058240/detail.html

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Jacksonbart, there is a calendar out there for you of women's curling. Check it out. MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the game, like armadillo racing for example.

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MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure

skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are

inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner

by the nature of the game

Hmmmmm....I don't think any competitive diver in the world would agree

with that sentiment - same goes for any competitive gymnast (I don't

know any competive skaters so I can't comment there). The same amount

of "judging" that goes on in these sports is the same level that goes

on in basketball, football, rugby, hockey, etc etc...Think I'm crazy?

Go talk to some diving judges and see how structured the scoring system

is. The only reason different judges give different scores is because

they don't all see the same things...and that is something that happens

in every sport (especially rugby and water polo, where the refs will

even have the explicit option to not call something).

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MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the game

Hmmmmm....I don't think any competitive diver in the world would agree with that sentiment - same goes for any competitive gymnast (I don't know any competive skaters so I can't comment there). The same amount of "judging" that goes on in these sports is the same level that goes on in basketball, football, rugby, hockey, etc etc...Think I'm crazy? Go talk to some diving judges and see how structured the scoring system is. The only reason different judges give different scores is because they don't all see the same things...and that is something that happens in every sport (especially rugby and water polo, where the refs will even have the explicit option to not call something).

The thing is, a goal is a goal. The ball, puck, or other object is in the net or across the line or not. A home run is a home run. Any other judged event cannot claim this totality. A racer crosses the line before the next racer. If you want to participate in a "sport" where you must be known by the judges, pay your dues, etc. as is heard countless times in "sports" like figure skating, then go ahead and believe it is a sport instead of a combination of politics, coaches politics, international politics and oh yeah by the way performance by all means live your dream.

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Jacksonbart, there is a calendar out there for you of women's curling. Check it out. MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the game, like armadillo racing for example.

Thanks I will check it out.

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MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the game

Hmmmmm....I don't think any competitive diver in the world would agree with that sentiment - same goes for any competitive gymnast (I don't know any competive skaters so I can't comment there). The same amount of "judging" that goes on in these sports is the same level that goes on in basketball, football, rugby, hockey, etc etc...Think I'm crazy? Go talk to some diving judges and see how structured the scoring system is. The only reason different judges give different scores is because they don't all see the same things...and that is something that happens in every sport (especially rugby and water polo, where the refs will even have the explicit option to not call something).

Structured scoring does not a sport make.. For example, as a percussionist in high school there were try outs for all state band involving qualifying, locals, regionals, and then state competition. The scoring was not only structured, it was blind (thanks to the nature of music). It was extremely competitive, even had its own version of overtime to decide contests. I know all this from personal experience. Is it a sport then? No. Although there are many elements of sport I don't think anyone would say that choosing the best musician that day would be a sport. So why would choosing the best diver or figure skater or whatever be any more of a sport? It cannot be argued that athletics is the difference, because I dare anyone to develop the chops needed to play music that physicality is the difference. Sport must be measured, either by mono a mono, team vs. team, or time vs. time.

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MHO is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the game

Hmmmmm....I don't think any competitive diver in the world would agree with that sentiment - same goes for any competitive gymnast (I don't know any competive skaters so I can't comment there). The same amount of "judging" that goes on in these sports is the same level that goes on in basketball, football, rugby, hockey, etc etc...Think I'm crazy? Go talk to some diving judges and see how structured the scoring system is. The only reason different judges give different scores is because they don't all see the same things...and that is something that happens in every sport (especially rugby and water polo, where the refs will even have the explicit option to not call something).

I'd have to agree with OT on this one. I've seen too many instances in the Olympics in events like gymnastics, diving, and figure skating where some judge obviously scored some athlete either very high or very low for political reasons. When the difference between getting a medal or not can be measured in hundredths or even thousandths of a point, that's all it takes to alter the outcome.
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MHO

is that this is more of a sport than figure skating or even diving

because events that depend on judging are inherently less sporting than

an event that determines a clear winner by the nature of the

game

Hmmmmm....I don't think any competitive diver in

the world would agree with that sentiment - same goes for any

competitive gymnast (I don't know any competive skaters so I can't

comment there). The same amount of "judging" that goes on in these

sports is the same level that goes on in basketball, football, rugby,

hockey, etc etc...Think I'm crazy? Go talk to some diving judges and

see how structured the scoring system is. The only reason different

judges give different scores is because they don't all see the same

things...and that is something that happens in every sport (especially

rugby and water polo, where the refs will even have the explicit option

to not call something).

Structured scoring does not

a sport make.. For example, as a percussionist in high school there

were try outs for all state band involving qualifying, locals,

regionals, and then state competition. The scoring was not only

structured, it was blind (thanks to the nature of music). It was

extremely competitive, even had its own version of overtime to decide

contests. I know all this from personal experience. Is it a

sport then? No. Although there are many elements of sport I

don't think anyone would say that choosing the best musician that day

would be a sport. So why would choosing the best diver or figure

skater or whatever be any more of a sport? It cannot be argued

that athletics is the difference, because I dare anyone to develop the

chops needed to play music that physicality is the difference.

Sport must be measured, either by mono a mono, team vs. team, or time

vs. time.

You aren't getting what I meant by "structured" - I don't know what the

exact numbers are so I will make up an example. Say when doing a simple

single forward tuck when diving - there is a difficulty multiplier

associated with the trick. A 10 indicates perfect implementation of the

trick which is then multiplied by the difficulty multiplier to arrive

at a final score. Either the athlete performs the trick or he doesn't

(just like shooting an arrow at a target). Of course nobody ever does

everything perfectly and there is a grid system of point deductions for

flaws in the form (like the archer, you still get points for missing

the bullseye and hitting the target). Let's say the person untucked

early....oops, there goes 0.3 points. It's a giant grid of things you

can do wrong with a corresponding deduction of points. Taking the

judges out of the equation, it would be easy to go frame by frame via

video camera and critique the form up the wazzoo and get a perfect

score for the dive.

As far as politics go....that has no bearing on whether or not

something is a "sport." And you will find that in every sport there is

usually some level of influence by the judges. Why do you think they

have that stupid instant replay challenge thing in football now? It's

because there were too many game pivoting plays where the ref had too

much influence - and made bad calls. How do we know they were bad

calls? because we have cameras and can do instant replay. The same

thing can happen in all the other judged sports - how else could the

observation of political influence exist if there was no objective

standard to be held to?

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