2010 Vancouver Olympics

[ollie]

lol That was awesome to read first thing this morning

I got a pretty big kick out of it myself. The best part is I thought about it for 5 minutes before posting my inquiry.

[AD]

If the Vancouver Canucks are playing the Detroit Red Wings at the Calgary Saddledome at 12:15 local time, and I live in Newfoundland, and want to watch the game on the Eastern Ontario Time Shift station, what time should I be watching the game?

I reject the premise of your question.

[rubberdinghy]

I question the premise of your rejection.

[Kanada Kev]

[Kanada Kev]

Goalie Masks:

http://thepuckdoctors.com/2010/02/more-olympic-masks-leaked/

[ollie]

Any speculation on the final torch bearer? Is Gretzky too obvious?

[Kanada Kev]

Gretzky would be my pick.

There are plenty of rumours abound regarding a holographic Terry Fox lighting the torch after having it passed to him from his mom.

[ollie]

There are plenty of rumours abound regarding a holographic Terry Fox lighting the torch after having it passed to him from his mom.

I was joking at work that they should have Steve Fonyo light the torch. I was surprised that no one even knew who I was talking about. But apparently he's in jail so that's no good.

Gretzky doesn't really embody the Olympic spirit but I can't think of anyone who does that would deliver a big pop from the crowd. The Betty Fox suggestion is nice but would anyone even know who she is at first?

But yeah... having Terry symbolically complete his journey would be pretty chilling in a good way.

[Kanada Kev]

Gretzky doesn't really embody the Olympic spirit

Really? How so?

But yeah... having Terry symbolically complete his journey would be pretty chilling in a good way.

When I first heard about the holographic Fox I shuddered. But now, I think that it could be tastefully done and really special. I guess it wouldn't be very "Olympic" but they could even drive it partway in Terry's van that was recently refurbished

[ollie]

Gretzky doesn't really embody the Olympic spirit

Really? How so?

In the amateur vs. pro sense, which I know opens up its own can of worms. But it's pretty clear to me that Gretzky is known more for being an NHL player than an Olympian. I'm just saying he's not the "best" choice in that sense.

[Kanada Kev]

I understand where you're coming from. However, the whole amateur aspect of the games eroded many years ago.

Gretzky is of course known as an NHLer, but who else in Canada represents sport more and is as recognized globally as Wayne Gretzky??? Who else could they utilize that is as widely known and representative of the competitive spirit, drive, Canada, etc.?

If one goes for historical figures in olympic sport then I'd say get Barbara Anne Scott to do the duties. I think her run through Parliament was fantastic.

In Calgary they had a 'random' kid do it. Represented the future of sport. Kinda forgettable. But hey, in the long run, just get the games started and lets see some competition

[Guest Low Roller]

Georgian luger died today after flying off of the track and hitting a post at 140km/h on his last practice run.

[Hal Johnson]

That is really sad...and probably terrifying for the rest of the lugers.

Not to make light of the poor luger, but I did originally pop in here to see what the hell you guys thought of Arnie running with the torch. That's weird, right?

[AD]

Arnie had to get to the choppa

[Kanada Kev]

[MrBigTime]

Here is the video clip of the tragic luge accident / death. There really seems to be some bad planning on where those steel pillars are located without plexiglass or padding or something to protect the athletes. This will be probably be changed tonight before anyone else goes down.

This hurts to watch, but strangely posted still and only on ctv.ca... (slightly graphic)

Tragic luge run

RIP

[c-towns]

I'm surprised they're keeping that video up, looks like me might have died instantly.

[ollie]

There really seems to be some bad planning on where those steel pillars are located without plexiglass or padding or something to protect the athletes. This will be probably be changed tonight before anyone else goes down.

It really hurts to think that he could be alive with a bit of protection there. 20/20 and not blaming anyone, it's just really sad.

[AD]

I don't think any amount of padding would have saved him after that crash. Plexiglass might be an option, but none of us are track designers...

One luge expert on TV was saying that they don't build those safety 'things' because luge, skeleton and bobsleigh don't usually go up that high on the track.

Lots of people are and have been talking about the speed of the track. One guy got up to 154 km/h. Experienced sliders are saying it's sometimes dangerous.

[Kanada Kev]

Truly horrible crash. It does look like (and hopefully it was) instantaneous.

Pushing the envelope and ever striving for faster, stronger, higher, etc will always come with increased risk. It does look, however, like some form of barrier could have reduced that risk in this situation

Reminded me briefly of speed skiing (was that what it was called?) I believe it was a demo sport in Albertville. It was all about reaching top speeds going straight down a hill with no turns. Kind of like drag racing. They opted out of including it because of the sheer danger factor. Gotta look that up.

Let's hope we don't see any more accidents like this ...

[Kanada Kev]

More on the crash (vid/pics/etc)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/12/nodar-kumaritashvili-cras_n_460474.html

Really, the sport has crashes. However, those crashes allow the competitor to stay "in" the track. Anyone leaving that track at those speeds is dead Human canonballs ... and they are aware of it.

[ollie]

I don't think any amount of padding would have saved him after that crash. Plexiglass might be an option, but none of us are track designers...

Apparently neither was the track designer:

The track's designer, the architect Laurenz Kosichek, in a quote that might come back to haunt him, told Canadian television last month that before starting work on the project he "knew as much about bobsled and luge as probably any average person does – which is next to nothing".

Luge tragedy raises questions over competitors' safety in Vancouver

[AD]

In the mixed zone near the end of the track, the words of a press colleague were hanging in the air: "Better watch this Georgian kid. Coaches say he could get killed on this track."

Not 10 seconds later, Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21-year-old luger, spun off the final turn at the fearsome Whistler Sliding Centre, slamming directly and fatally into a steel pole at something like 134 km/h.

[Kanada Kev]

Based on what has been released so far, the track met all standards provided by all governing bodies. Interesting to note it has been open for two years and over 5000 runs have been made on it. Kumaritashvili had already had 26 runs on the track. In 50 years of the sport it's the 2nd fatality?

Not trying to defend or make light of this tragedy in any way, but it seems as if this truly is a horrific accident.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=40313.html?cid=rsstsn

Officials defend sliding track

The Canadian Press

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2010 11:42 AM ET

Officials are defending the Olympic luge track, saying they went through a long and safe process in preparing it for the Vancouver Games.

Tim Gayda, VANOC's vice-president of sport, says it's a fast track, but measures were taken to make sure athletes were confident about racing on it.

He made his comments one day after a 21-year-old Georgian luger died when he lost control of his sled on the final turn of a training run.

Concerns about the lightning-fast course at the Whistler Sliding Centre had been raised for months. But officials defended it in the wake of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death.

"It is one of the fastest tracks but we never said that it is too fast," Josef Fendt, president of the International Luge Federation (FIL), said through an interpreter at a news conference Saturday.

Still, changes have been made on the final turn and the lugers will now start further down the course to reduce their speeds. The competition opened with the men's singles Saturday.

FIL secretary-general Svein Romstad said the entire luge world was in mourning.

"They lost a friend yesterday, it is emotional for everybody," he said, struggling to control his emotions.

Kumaritashvili was travelling at nearly 145 km/h when he flew off his sled and was hurled into an unpadded steel support pole during Friday's training session.

Gayda said the track had lived up to - and surpassed - its obligations to make the course available to foreign athletes.

"We're quite confident in the number of runs we did provide all the teams," he said.

Romstad noted the track had been open more than two years with some 5,000 runs and that "for lack of a better word" crash ratio "is on par with other tracks."

Officials delayed the reopening of the Whistler track Saturday and scheduled the men to start further down the track at the women's start. They will likely lower the start for the women as well.

Officials also have modified the final curve where he crashed, erecting a wooden wall over the steel beams.

Romstad said the Georgian lost control coming out of a turn and the G-force "literally collapsed his body, rendering it difficult to control the sled. Once this happened, he was literally at the mercy of the path of the sled."

Romstad called the young Georgian a "good athlete," with 26 runs on the Whistler track.

"This is a large number of runs for an athlete of his character."

He had competed in five World Cup events this season, ranking 44th.

"For me personally and for the International Luge Federation, yesterday was the worst day, it was the saddest day...," said Fendt. "We have been competing since '64, so almost 50 years and it was the worst event that happened."

Fendt said the last fatality on an artificial track was Dec. 10, 1975 when an Italian luger died.

[PassedOutGuy]

GOLD!!

Finally. That was freaking awesome!

What a dramatic event with some killer air. Good times.