Olympics Week 2 in review

Sad but true - the Olympics in Beijing have come to an end. I'm so confused - what to do with my time? Is the fall TV season here yet? (Answer - no.) Guess it's time to catch up on my blogging.

My apologies to those of you who might have been hoping I'd continue a day-by-day review of the Olympics, but it became rather daunting! And the sad tragedy that was the U.S. Track team for a couple of days (my word, those relays) got depressing.

That being said, here's a few of my favorite highlights from the second week of competition:

• In Track, Jamaica became the fastest country in short sprints, which means that we should perhaps rename it "Cheetahland." Just think of the Cheetos endorsement deals!

• The American team competed in a very exciting round of team jumping in Equestrian, which ended in a tie. Complex rules gave us the silver, but it was really fun. Also, I like any horse named "Sapphire."

• It may not be as exciting broken up in little broadcast pieces, but the winner of the Decathlon is always a fine specimen of an athlete, and we can be most proud that Bryan Clay took home the gold!
  

• In a shocking upset while looking as cute as a button, Australian Matthew Mitcham took home the gold in the 10m Platform Diving final. He was really spectacular, so very happy to win, and he's one of the few openly gay athletes out there. I'm a total fan!

• Snicker if you will, but I always enjoy watching Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming, even if it means watching the Russians dominate year after year. It's the closest things we get to dance as sport - how can I resist?

• The Field events don't get as much attention, but I actually prefer them to Track. So it was a real treat to see American Stephanie Brown Trafton take home gold in the Discus. You go, girl! (Whoops - duck and cover, everyone!)

• And in a final note to divine male hotness, the U.S. men's Water Polo team had an amazing tournament as the underdog, and should be most proud to win the silver medal in a close game against world superpower Hungary. Can we request more shots of the bench and underwater, please?

The whole shindig ended with a closing ceremony that was pretty lackluster in comparison to the opening, although it had it's moments.

All in all it was an exciting games, and I'm glad that the Chinese were able to put their best collective foot forward. We can only hope that they'll be able to overcome the many other challenges they face when the excitement dies down. In the meantime, perhaps I'll catch up on some NBC video of events I missed, like Handball and Judo.

So that's it for this year! Next up is the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Strap on your skis - I'm ready for the Biathlon!

Olympics Days 5 through 7 in review

As we entered the weekend in Beijing, the Olympics have really been heating up! Here are some of my favorite highlights:

- In Gymnastics, it was time for the all-around competitions. Amongst the men there was a lot of hopping and falling going on, which allowed Yang Wei of China to sail to a win. But it was the tear-stained joy of Frenchman Benoit Caranobe winning the bronze that made it a fun watch. More fun was to be had watching the women, where it was a clear competition between the two Americans. In the end, the long lines and pleasant artistry of Nastia Liukin clinched the gold, but big ups to Shawn Johnson for being one of the sweetest silver medalists ever.

- I did get to watch some Archery online, and as expected, the Koreans dominated the individual competitions. Note to self: Do not wear a Target shirt when visiting Seoul.

- Finally, NBC broadcast some Badminton on TV! We got to watch the gold medal match in the women's indvidual competition, which was between two Chinese women - Xingfang Xie and Lan Lu. I know you won't believe me, but it was so exciting to watch! Xie was so powerful, defending her title to take the gold. It almost makes me want to pick up a racket and play!

- There were a lot of qualifying rounds in various track & field sports. The first medal handed out was in the men's Shot Put, which unfortunately I didn't see, and I don't see it online. But I can tell you that bearish American Christian Cantwell won the silver, and you can see photos of the competition, or you can read a recap.

- Last night while at a party at Sterfanie's new place, we actually sat and watched the entire women's Marathon, and none of us really know why we did! And with so many women in a pack, we couldn't make out countries or names for a long time, so we gave them our own names. Sadly, party favorite "Pigtails and Knee Socks" did not place. It was Romanian Constantina Tomescu who was running ahead all by herself for the gold, while "Big Sunglasses" edged out "Rat Tail" for the silver.

- The fastest man alive is from Jamaica, as Usain Bolt cruised to the gold medal in the 100m Dash, followed by Richard Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago and American Walter Dix. Yeah, mon!

- But of course the biggest excitement was all happening in Swimming. First up was the men's 100m Free, where Alain Bernard got his revenge on my boyfriend Jason Lezak (who settled for bronze). In the women's 200m Breaststroke, it was 19 year-old American Rebecca Soni who surprised us all for the gold! The American men went 1-2 in the 200m Back with Ryan Lochte edging out Aaron Peirsol. Then Michael Phelps picked up another gold with an easy win in the 200m IM. But it was his unbelievable "by a fingernail" touch at the wall to win the 100m Fly that really had the world in disbelief - gold again! Next up was the "splash and dash" 50m Free for the men, where no one expected Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho to take it. For the women, it was German Britta Steffen who just edged out Dara Torres; but we love her anyway! The marathon event of the 1500m Free might not be a big ticket event, but it was a real joy to watch Oussama Mellouli win the first ever swimming medal for Tunisia! And then it came down to the closing events which are always exciting - the 4x100 Medley Relays. For the women, the Americans were really strong and should be proud of their silver medals, because those Australians were crazy fast. And in an incredibly exciting event, the American men won as once again it was my wonderful boyfriend JASON LEZAK who came from behind to take it all! And Michael Phelps enters history as the man to win the most gold medals ever in a single Olympics, with the blessing of Mark Spitz to go with it, but he can scarcely believe it.

Phew! So much excitement! Next up we'll have some event finals in Gymnastics, more Fencing, and we'll see who's the fastest woman alive.

Olympics Days 3 & 4 in review

First off, I've said my piece about the fact that NBC is only showing so much on their broadcasts. (Check out bottom of page 32.) So I promise to stop griping about that. And ScottE helpfully pointed out that you can get tidbits of other sports online - everything from Handball to Archery. So in my very limited free time, I'll be watching!

In the meantime, here are some big highlights the last couple of days:

• Over in the world of Kayaking, we saw the kind of moment that makes me watch the Olympics so religiously. Winning the first Olympic medal EVER for his country, Benjamin Boukpeti of the small West African nation of Togo took the bronze in the men's K1 final. He was so powerful and so frickin' happy - I was beaming ear to ear. He gave an interview and I understood about half of it, but it's clear that he was so proud and couldn't believe the crowd was chanting - "Togo, Togo, Togo!"

• Meanwhile the Chinese continued to dominate both Gymnastics and Synchronized Diving by winning the women's event in both sports. Memo to Alicia Sacramone: SHAKE IT OFF! Good grief, it's not like someone shot your dog.

• All the rest of the excitement was in Swimming. Most notable of course was that Michael Phelps made history by winning more gold medals than any other Olympic athlete. His dominance continues - can he beat Mark Spitz's record? We shall see! (Oh, and he has been breaking world records like...all the time.)

Up tonight (or rather, tomorrow morning in Beijing) - my new boyfriend Jason Lezak goes for his individual gold. You can do it, baby!!!

Olympics Day 2 in review

Did anything happen in Beijing yesterday? Well, let's review what NBC showed us:

- The women's road race happened on the wet streets in Cycling. It was 1% more interesting than the men's race merely because there was quite a pack at the end.

- A newer event to the Olympics - Synchronized Diving took place on the springboard for the women. It was no surprise the Chinese won - they own this.

- There were more qualifying heats in Rowing. Seriously, it is almost as boring as golf! Also there was more Beach Volleyball, which I just can't get into.

- But whatever, let's get down to the real news, which took place in Swimming. It was a bit exciting to watch the men's 100m Breaststroke (poor Brendan Hansen lost again to Japan's Kosuke Kitajima). And then the place went electric for the men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay. The French were talking trash, but it was the Americans who pulled out a shocking upset. And that pool was FAST. Don't believe me? Consider this - the fifth place team beat the world record! And the Americans smashed that record by 4 seconds. And how did they do that? Was it the wonder of Michael Phelps? Well, he did his part for sure, but...

I'd like to introduce you to my new sports boyfriend, Jason Lezak. This amazing specimen of athleticism pulled out the fastest relay split EVER and came from way behind to out-touch for the win at the wall. He is absolutely remarkable! I'm not ashamed to say I sent him a little fan mail on his website.






Aw, isn't he cute?

Jason Lezak - you have made America so very proud!

Olympics Day 1 in review

In case you missed it, here are the highlights:

- The American women were off to a good start in Beach Volleyball. But the men were defeated in their very first match, against the 23rd seed - Latvia. I blame it on the fact that they weren't wearing Speedos. And Todd Rogers agrees - at least with the shirtless part.

- There was a Cycling Road Race. Which bores me to tears for the first 50 hours or so - it's only exciting in the last 5 minutes.

- The men did their short qualifying routines in Gymnastics. Considering they are extra short and not exciting, it was obvious NBC was adding them to the schedule this year so they could stretch out gymnastics to every day. Why couldn't we have seen a little Judo or Equestrian events instead?

- Meanwhile, the American women swept the medals in the Individual Sabre event for Fencing. Way to go Mariel Zagunis (2-time champ), Sada Jacobson, and Becca Ward!

- There were qualifying heats in Rowing. *snore*

- Swimming was where the other exciting action was last night. Michael Phelps easily scored his first gold in the 400 IM, while the American women fell short in the 4x100 Freestyle Relay, as the Dutch took the gold. Most impressive of the night was Australian Stephanie Rice who killed it in the 400 IM for the women. She's adorable! Sadly, Oussama Mellouli fell short of winning the first ever swimming medal for Tunisia (that would just be neat), but it was no less impressive that Park Tae-hwan brought home the first ever gold for South Korea (400 Free).

- Early games were played in Volleyball, and the US women are looking very strong, with a team that includes several players that have been to the Games often. They held off a strong Japanese team to win their first game. Meanwhile the men held off Venezuela to advance. The cutie team captain's name is...Lloyd Ball. No comment.

Up for today - more Swimming, the start of Diving with the Synchronized Women's event, and I'm hoping for at least 5 minutes of coverage on Archery!

Olympic Fever!

It's that time again! Time for me to obsessively watch the Olympic games in Bejing. In case you hadn't heard about it previously, I am a 100% certified addict of the 'lympics. It's really the only time you'll ever see me voluntarily watching sports.

Last night the games opened with a really spectacular opening ceremony put on by the Chinese. Although the huge spectacle was fantastic, what really impressed me was that so much was done by massive coordination of people, not machines. Hopefully it reminded everyone what is good and strong about China, setting aside the obvious issues the country faces in this century. Oh, and we kicked off the night by having Chinese take-out - of course!

On a side note - will someone please put Sarah Brightman into a home? It's unfair to continue unleashing her on an unsuspecting world.

The parade of nations continues to be fun. I think my favorite outfits were those worn by the Marshall Islands - tropical splendor! But what were the Hungarian women thinking with those crazy red flowered get-ups?

And yes, I got all misty when the torch was lit. I always do. Such a sap.

Let the Games begin! Today it's all about volleyball (I love watching women's indoor) and swimming (I don't care about the hype - Michael Phelps rocks). What will you be watching?

photo courtesy of New York Times

Freefallin' - a manifesto

Well of course I'm full of opinions about last night's ladies' free skate. Heck, I was up until 2:30 watching it on TiVo. And I've read various opinions out there, and I'm getting a little frustrated. So what follows is my mini-manifesto on the Torino Olympics. Please don't anyone think this is a personal attack - just sharing my opinions. (And it's my blog, so I'll say whatever I damn well please.)

I feel like all I've been hearing lately is how much of a "failure" the US athletes have been, including the skaters. How could Sasha Cohen fall? How dare Jeret Peterson put his hand down on his aerial landing? Chad Hendrick lost a gold medal!

Quite simply - wake up and get real.

First of all, the US performance at these games has hardly been a disappointment. Joey Cheek rocked the rink. Seth Westcott got a host of new fans to Snowboardcross. Men and women took a slew of medals in the halfpipe. And our women took the silver in the Bobsled.

If we were living in Turkey and those were our athletes, the whole country would shut down for a mass party. (I'm sure the lovely Tugba Karademir would agree.)

The Olympics are not about winning or losing - they're about competition, good will and trying your best. And sometimes your best isn't good enough.

Secondly - shit happens. Sasha was sporting a possible groin injury and had a wrapped leg. It's a miracle she landed ANY of her jumps. Jeret did drop a hand, but he also landed the first quintuple twisting move in Olympic history. Nobody's perfect - that's why sports are exciting. (I can't believe I just said that as a gay man, but...there it is.)

Point the third - I know our American pride swells at Olympic time, but it's also a time to enjoy competitors from other countries doing well. Let's not get all Amero-centric on the world.

OK, that's it. THAT BEING SAID...the ladies' free skate was a bit of a letdown. I had hoped Sasha would rock it like she did the short program. And Shizuka Arakawa won with a clean performance that was safe and a tad dull. Actually the most fun all night for me came from Italian skater Silvia Fontana, who put her heart and soul into her performance for the hometown crowd. It was really beautiful to see.

Ah well - we can always hope that this flawed scoring system will get revamped. Maybe someday there will be a figure skating renaissance, and we can thrill to the likes of Surya Bonaly and Midori Ito once again.

Figure Eight is Double Four

Well as DCFoodBlog pointed out, last night the lady ice skaters took main stage.

What first struck me was how young these girls seemed to be. Like gymnasts, they seem to get younger every year. Remember when Debbie Thomas skated in the late 80s? I swear she was in her late 20s. Now we have tweens!

Anywho, this was the short program, which puts more emphasis on technical elements, less on artistry. But there were some nice moments.

First I enjoyed the American pixie Kimmie Meissner, who although tiny, pulled off a triple-triple combination, which put her in top tier for the finals. She's from Bel Air, Maryland - right around the corner!

Then I liked Fumie Siguri from Japan. She was not as powerful in her jumping, but she had a lovely lyrical quality to her skating, not to mention an adorable smile. But she KICKED ASS when she was skating off to get her scores - someone threw a stuffed animal from the upper bleachers, and she caught it! It was awesome. She will be the first skater turned softball player in history.

I'm sure the media pressure has to be tough on Emily Hughes - she's the alternate who came in to replace Michelle Kwan, and she has a gold medal-winning sister. But she really did quite well, and landed in seventh place, which is damn good.

Oh Irina. Why are you so angry? But seriously, the Russian was very strong, and had a real "don't fuck with me" attitude to her skating. If she loses the gold, it will be because she pushed to hard - mark my words.

The evening ended with Sasha Cohen, who we know makes questionable choices in life - I mean, the girl picked Zulema's dress on Project Runway! But apparently she sensed my criticism and was AWESOME, landing each jump with military precision. She has the tiniest lead on Slutskaya, which sets up what should be the best night of skating for this Olympics. I can hardly wait!

And final comment - shut up, Dick Button.

I should be mad that Lost is a rerun tonight, but there is the premiere of Project Jay, so I'm content.

The rare Triple Axel - Triple Rant combination

So for today's Olympic wrap-up, I have a 3-part rant. Bear with me.

Item the first

What has always bugged me in Olympic coverage, but particularly this year, is how the media builds up one or two "superstars." These are generally just athletes who have won some events in other places, and are entered in multiple events now. "How many medals will he/she win?" Well first of all, most athletes specialize in just one event. They may compete in others, but not be as strong. It's just a big set-up for failure, which inevitably happens, not to mention feeding the person's ego. Remember Michael Phelps from the Athens games? Now it's all about Bode Miller. First the big build-up, now all we hear is what a "failure" he is. You think maybe he's not doing well because he's entered in FIVE EVENTS? Lay off, Bob Costas.

Item the second

Ice dancing has been rather dull, but I did watch the final competition last night. And in it, I was apalled to see Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski from Israel performing to Ravel's Bolero. Now for the uninitiated, let me tell you - NO ONE does Bolero. You do not fuck with that, people. Why? Because it was done to PERFECTION in Sarajevo by the incomparable Torvill and Dean. I consider that dance to be the greatest thing to ever happen on ice. (TV Guide only placed Eric Heiden's sweep as a bigger event.) If you're going to pull that shit, you'd better be so amazing that people momentarily forget the original. And what they gave us was a lackluster performance. HATE. (If you want to see the real enchilada, this video is from Lillehammer, where T&D reprised their famous duet as an exhibition, 10 years after the original. They may be older, but they still are bursting with passion.)

Item the third

Bad commercials are bad, but when they are an Olympic sponsor you have to see them over and over. I have such hate for those stupid VW "my fast" commercials, which appear to be nothing more than advertisements about when to break up with your boyfriend. Not to mention the McDonald's commercials where people talk to an inanimate Ronald - it's bordering on being as creepy as the Burger King giant head.

Up this week, we have more Bobsled, women's Figure Skating, and the final matches in Curling. I'm excited!

Full contact fun

As I believe Dave mentioned, the most exciting event to happen to the Olympics in years is one that I never would have anticipated enjoying so much. I give you...Snowboard Cross!




In essence, it's a twisty hilly downhill course, where four snowboarders go down simultaneously - first to the finish wins. Some contact is allowed (like pushing someone out of the way), but more aggressive behavior (pulling someone's jacket) is not.

I know that description doesn't do it justice - you really have to see it to believe it. And it's drawn some amazing crossover appeal - I loved it, my mom loved it, and the media is just eating it up. An American won the men's event - Seth Westcott.

And a woman from the USA (Lindsey Jacobellis) would have won as well, but when she had a huge lead at the end, she decided to be a dumbass show-off, did a little trick on the last hill, and fell. So the Swiss boarder, Tanja Frieden (who happens to be Westcott's girlfriend) sailed in to take the gold. Again I say - dumbass.

It's hard to find any free video, but try this one for a quick example of what this sport looks like. Enjoy!

I am agog, I am aghast

Today I was watching my morning program of choice, Good Morning America. And my favorite anchor, Robin Roberts, reported on a shocking news item.



There is no women's Ski Jump event at the Olympics. Why? Simple male chauvinism. The Ski Federation determined that it was "too dangerous" for women, despite the fact that several women competing in the sport actually outperform their male counterparts.

How incredibly archaic! What is this the 18th century?

Pardon me while I go fetch my butter churn.

Ligety split

I just had to use that as a post title, because it's an awesome nickname.

So cheers to Ted Ligety for coming all the way from 32nd place to WIN the men's combined skiing event last night! (And allowing us not to dwell on Bode Miller's disqualification. But Bode is still hot, over-hyped media blitz aside.)



But I have to say, this picture is so very gay. I believe it's actually a publicity shot for the upcoming pornographic film entitled "Snowplowing."

The agony of da feet?

So we're a few days into the Winter Olympics, and of course I've been watching countless hours of coverage. It's a tad jarring, as I never watch NBC anymore, and suddenly I'm seeing commercials for Las Vegas, and I'm like, "Is that still on the air?"

Ya know, I am proud to be an American, but it seems like the Olympics are the one time we all feel it more acutely. So I cheered on our American teenagers as they tore up the half-pipe in Snowboarding. I marveled at the abilities of adorable Chad Hedrick and Joey Cheek as they took home gold medals in Speed Skating. And I got a tad depressed when Tony Benshoof got edged out for a medal in the Luge. I will not, however, break into "Proud to be an American." I promise. But I am feeling patriotic, so here's an American flag for you to sing to:



The Luge. I fucking LOVE the Luge. It's without question my favorite Olympic event. How fantastic to watch a man hurtling down an icy track at speeds of 90 mph with only a 4 inch sled beneath him. Awesome! And what's hotter than Men's Luge? Double Men's Luge! Hurtling at that speed laying on another guy's soft goods!

What's been most shocking are the severe injuries and falls all over the place. Two female alpine skiiers tumbled down the mountain like an avalanche. And then a very disturbing fall for China's Zhang Dan, as she landed on her knees coming out of a throw. The woman is clearly in severe pain, and they stop. It's over. So sad. But no! She says she still wants to compete, and they try their best. A few breathtaking moments later, they secure the silver medal. THAT is why the Olympics are fantastic. Power of the human spirit, baby.

What were they thinking?

I admit I was completely baffled by last night's Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics. I was underwhelmed, to say the least.

The only cool part was the people forming a giant skiier.

But what was with the skating pine trees? And were there really people ballroom dancing in cow prints??? Suddenly I was missing the flying guy at the Athens ceremony.



A highlight for me was watching for the 8 African nations in the parade of countries. I mean, how cool is it to see an alpine skiier from Senegal? AWESOME!

Is there a 12-step program for this?

This will come as a shocker, but I'm not a sports fan. For the uneducated, sports are not a real fascination for "the gay."

But I confess that there is one sporting event that makes me quiver like a Jell-O salad. It's the Olympics.

Yes, every four years (or now, thankfully every two years), I become a complete sports junkie. I will sit in front of the TV for hours watching every sport imaginable. Rhythmic Gymnastics? You twirl that ribbon! Curling? Bring out the brooms! Biathlon? (Who the hell invented that sport anyway? Oh - it appears it's been around for ages. Who knew?)

My most embarassing moment was during the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996. At the time I was in college, and thus had far too much free time. Since we were getting tons of coverage in the U.S., I would tape absolutely everything - and watch the daytime broadcast during the commercials in the evening. Seriously - it's an addiction. I have a problem!

So I can hardly wait for the opening ceremonies tonight. And soon...very soon...the Luge. I love the Luge. It is by far the coolest sport EVER. I would love to try it some day. But no way in hell you'll catch me doing the Skeleton. That shit is scary.



(I love that this picture is cropped, so it appears that our daring rider is a bit of a whore.)