The Olympics

[bogie]

Do you find the Olympics to be a big waste of time? Personally, I'm looking forward the the ski jumping.

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by The Ultimate Warrior

Learn something new everyday...

[cosmo20002]

This is a very informative story from Yahoo about those hand signals the beach volleyballers use. Educational, and the photos are very useful for illustrating the signals. Definetely check it out. Seriously, check it out.



http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/olymp...343745068.html

[loochy]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

This is a very informative story from Yahoo about those hand signals the beach volleyballers use. Educational, and the photos are very useful for illustrating the signals. Definetely check it out. Seriously, check it out.



http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/olymp...343745068.html

Oh I checked it out alright

...but they snuck a guy in there. wtf?

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by The Ultimate Warrior

Oh I checked it out alright

...but they snuck a guy in there. wtf?

A couple of guys...I didn't learn anything about their handsignals.

But the rest were very very informative and interesting.

[The Franchise]

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Yes the whole thing.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

They are getting hammered for tape delaying everything in primetime and only showing the "Money" events like Swimming and Gymnastics.


This is no surprise, they do this every 4 years unless the Olympics are in America or close to our primetime time zones.

They are a business and will want to broadcast what brings in the ratings.


Besides, there are a ton of other more obscure stuff on CNBC, MSNBC and online streams if you want to get a different fix.

Imo, they could do both. Live and then replay them.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Valiant

Imo, they could do both. Live and then replay them.

You going to pay for that?

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The good news is that the hottest one is completely legal.

Aly Raisman is 18...and has that whole Alicia Sacramone body type thing working for her.

I exhaled audibly when I found out she was 18. I spent entirely too much time openly gawking at her ass when she was on the balance beam to be comfortable with the possibility of her being underaged.

Phew.

Aly does Massachusetts proud.

Meanwhile, is it just me or do the female gymnasts, other than Gabby of course, look INCREDIBLY similar. I'm having trouble telling a few of them apart...

[chasedude]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHell

A couple of guys...I didn't learn anything about their handsignals.

But the rest were very very informative and interesting.

Oh those are signals! I thought she was just pointing to something wonderful

[vailpass]

Our girls sound like little bad asses. I like it.


USA Women Take Gymnastics Gold

LONDON

The Americans grabbed hands and backed up, eager to get a better view of the scoreboard.

There really was no need. That Olympic gold medal was in the bag the minute they took the floor.

The Americans lived up to their considerable hype and then some Tuesday, routing silver medalist Russia and everybody else on their way to their first Olympic title in women's gymnastics since 1996.

Their score of 183.596 was a whopping five points ahead of Russia and made their final event, floor exercise, more like a coronation. Romania won the bronze.

With the Russians on the sidelines crying, the Americans stood at the center of the floor, clapping, cheering and basking in a winner's glow. When the score for captain Aly Raisman flashed, the Americans screamed and a chant of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" rang out around the arena.

The women held up their index fingers for the cameras — just in case anyone had a doubt.

The Americans had come into the last two Olympics as world champions, only to leave without a gold. But this team is the strongest, top to bottom, the USA has ever had, and the rest of the world never stood a chance. After the U.S. opened with a barrage of booming vaults, everyone else was playing for silver.

Now all they have to do is find themselves a catchy nickname, like "The Magnificent Seven" from 1996. Some have suggested "The Fab Five," but that belongs to Michigan basketball's Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Co. Others have tossed out "The Fierce Five."

How about "Best Gymnastics Team in the World. By A Lot."

Some teenagers might find that pressure tough to bear, but the Americans reveled in it. When they saw the Russians and Romanians peeking in the doorway during training sessions, they would add some extra oomph to their routines, the better to intimidate the competition.

And when the gold was on the line, the Americans were simply spectacular.

They essentially won the gold medal with their first event, vault, putting on a fireworks show right in front of the Russians.

All of the Americans do Amanars, one of the toughest vaults in the world — a roundoff onto the takeoff board, back handspring onto the table and 2.5 twisting somersaults before landing. It's got a start value — the measure of difficulty — of 6.5, a whopping 0.7 above the vault most other gymnasts do, and they ripped off one massive one after another.

World champion Jordyn Wieber went first and did perhaps the best one she's ever done, getting great height in the air with her legs locked together. When her feet slammed into the mat on landing, she threw up her arms and smiled broadly. Anyone who wondered how she would recover from the shock of failing to qualify for the all-around competition got their answer.

Gabby Douglas went next, and her vault was even better. And then came McKayla Maroney, who let everyone know why she's a heavy favorite to add the Olympic gold to her world title in vault. She got so much height on her Amanar it's a wonder she didn't bump her head on the overhead camera. She hit the mat with tremendous force yet didn't so much as wiggle, triumphantly thrusting her arms in the air as she saluted the judges.

The Americans strutted out of the event with a 1.7-point lead, and never looked back.

Russia erased all but four-tenths of the deficit on uneven bars, where Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina defy the laws of gravity, but the team began falling apart on balance beam. Mustafina swayed and wobbled so badly on the landing of a leap it's a wonder she didn't fall off; Komova almost stepped on the judges on her dismount.

The Americans, meanwhile, made the 4-inch slab that stands 4 feet in the air look like child's play. Kyla Ross, the only American who wasn't on that world team last year (she was too young), looks like a ballerina with her long legs and gorgeous lines. She landed one somersault with her left foot curled over the edge of the beam, yet never flinched.

Douglas has struggled on balance beam all summer, with a fall the second day of the U.S. championships costing her the title. But she has been clutch in London, delivering the highest score in qualifying and again Tuesday night.


She whipped off a series of backflips as if she was still on the ground, a look of intense concentration on her face. She had a small balance check on a leap, swaying slightly and waving her arms to steady herself, but it was a minor error. Her score of 15.233 would all but seal the gold for the Americans, and they strutted over to floor exercise eager to close out the night with a big show.

While the Russians struggled — Anastasia Grishina stumbled forward on one pass and botched another when she all but came to a dead stop in the middle of the floor, and world champion Ksenia Afanaseva landed her dismount on her knees — the Americans kicked off their victory party.

Wieber's bright smile grew as she danced and tumbled, the crowd clapping in time to her techno pop music. Fans the world over are going to have the "Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" from the start of Douglas' music in their heads, and little girls are sure to be bouncing in their backyards trying to get as high as she does on her leaps.

Raisman closed it out with a rollicking routine to "Hava Nagila." While her teammates cheered, Raisman soared high on her tumbling passes yet she landed so securely she may as well have been stepping into a bucket of cement.

Coach Mihai Brestyan was jumping up and down as Raisman finished, the tears already starting to fall. But as she fell into her teammates arms, the tears turned to shrieks of joy.

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/gy...Douglas-073112

[chefsos]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Before you all start thinking that I didn't get the point of this video, be advised that I did. Oh yeah.

*Draws in breath through teeth* Yeah.

But jeez, is space so limited there that these girls had to run up a hill and crash into a wall to slow down after the sprint?

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Our girls sound like little bad asses. I like it.

I am really rooting for them, if for nothing else so Jordyn's story will be 'the only gymnasts in her class were her own teammates' instead of 'world champion fails to qualify.'

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I am really rooting for them, if for nothing else so Jordyn's story will be 'the only gymnasts in her class were her own teammates' instead of 'world champion fails to qualify.'

Oh agreed, that was really tough when she didn't qualify but it's all good now. Our girls kicked ass this time.

[vailpass]

Phelps most decorated Olympian ever

LONDON

Michael Phelps swam into history with his 19th Olympic medal, and this one was a more appropriate color.

With a lot of help from his friends, Phelps took down the last major record that wasn't his alone, swimming the anchor leg for the United States in a gold medal-winning performance of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay Tuesday night.

About an hour earlier, Phelps took one of the most frustrating defeats of his brilliant career, making a shocking blunder at the finish and settling for silver in his signature event, the 200 butterfly.

That tied the record for career medals held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, but it was hardly a triumphant moment. Phelps slung away his cap in disgust and struggled to force a smile at the medal ceremony.

But any disappointment from that race was gone by the time he dived in the water on the relay, having been staked to a huge lead by teammates Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens.

Before the race, they all huddled together, fully aware of their role in history.

''I thanked those guys for helping me get to this moment,'' Phelps said. ''I told those guys I wanted a big lead. I was like, 'You better give me a big lead going into the last lap,' and they gave it to me. I just wanted to hold on. I thanked them for being able to allow me to have this moment.''

Berens handed off a lead of nearly 4 seconds to Phelps, who lingered a bit on the blocks, knowing the only way he could blow this one was to get disqualified. Then he set off on what amounted to four victory laps of the pool — down and back, then down and back again, the roar in the Olympic Aquatics Centre getting louder as he approached the finish.

Lochte stood on the deck, waving his arms. Dwyer and Berens pumped their fists. And Phelps touched the wall for his first gold of the London Games with a cumulative time of 6 minutes, 59.70 seconds.

No one else was close. France's Yannick Agnel swam a faster final leg than Phelps, but it wasn't nearly good enough, his country taking silver in 7:02.77. China was far back in third at 7:06.30.

Phelps might have backed into the record a bit by failing to win any of his first three events at these games, but there's no denying his legacy as one of the greatest Olympians ever — if not the greatest.

Phelps has 15 golds in his career, six more than anyone else, to go along with two silvers and two bronzes. After failing to medal in his only race at the 2000 Sydney Games, he won six golds and two bronzes in Athens, followed by his epic eight gold medals in Beijing. And now the swan song, not nearly as epic but enough.

Latynina won nine golds, five silvers and four bronzes from 1956-64.

''You are now a complete legend!'' the public-address announced bellowed, accompanied by the Foo Fighters' song ''Best of You.''

Phelps still has three more events in London before he retires, three more chances to establish a mark that will be hard for anyone to touch.

''It has been a pretty amazing career,'' the 27-year-old said, ''but we still have a couple races to go.''

Several fans held up a bedsheet with ''PHELPS GREATEST OLYMPIAN EVER'' handwritten on it.

Hard to argue with that, though this hasn't exactly been the farewell Phelps was hoping for — a sluggish fourth-place finish in the 400 individual medley, a runner-up showing in the 4x100 free relay, then another silver in the 200 fly.

That was a race he had not lost at either the Olympics or world championships since Sydney, when he finished fifth as an unknown 15-year-old just soaking up the moment, a kid with big dreams but no idea they would turn out like this.

Phelps, after leading the entire race, tried to glide into the wall instead of taking one more stroke. Chad le Clos of South Africa took that extra stroke and beat Phelps by five-thousandths of a second.

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Sure, he's an Olympic smash hit. But how do you develop a long-term plan to extend Phelps' legacy and brand? WATCH FOX BUSINESS EXCLUSIVE.

''Obviously I would have liked to have a better outcome in the 200 fly,'' Phelps said. ''I was on the receiving end of getting touched out. Chad swam a good race. I've gotten to know him a little over the last year. He's a hard worker, he's a tough competitor and he's a racer.''

Le Clos pounded the water when he saw the ''1'' beside his name.

Phelps hung on the lane rope and buried his face in his hands, disgusted with himself for having squandered what looked like a sure gold. Le Clos won South Africa's second swimming gold of the games in a time of 1:52.96. Phelps finished in 1:53.01, while Japan's Takeshi Matsuda took the bronze in 1:53.21.

''It's obviously my last one,'' Phelps said. ''I would have liked to win, but 1:53 flat isn't a terrible time. When you look at the picture of it, it's a decent time.''

But the finish was a shocker, given that Phelps had won a memorable race at Beijing when a rival made the very same error. Milorad Cavic of Serbia thought he had the 100 fly in the bag after his final stroke, but Phelps made the split-second decision to get in one more stroke and slammed into the wall — one-thousandth of a second ahead of Cavic.

This time, it was Phelps on the losing end. He was again denied a chance to become the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three straight Olympics, though he can still do it in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly.

Lochte was also feeling better about himself, having struggled in two straight events after opening the Olympics with a dominating win in the 400 individual medley. He swam the anchor of the 4x100 free relay, but was chased down by Agnel after being handed a comfortable lead. Then he was fourth — far behind Agnel — in the 200 free.

''After that relay, my confidence went down,'' Lochte said. ''Everyone just kept on telling me, 'You know what, you're better than that. Just forget about it and move on.' I didn't swim at all this morning, which I thought helped. I woke up this morning and I was back to myself. I was that happy-go-lucky guy, so I think that's what really helped me throughout the whole day.''

In the first final of the night, American Allison Schmitt won the 200 freestyle with a dominating performance that left everyone else, including teammate Missy Franklin, battling for the other medals.

Schmitt won in an Olympic-record 1:53.61. France's Camille Muffat took silver in 1:55.58, almost a body length behind, while Bronte Barrett of Australia took the bronze over Franklin by a thousandth of a second. Barrett touched in 1:55.81. Franklin, who led after the first 50, was fourth in 1:55.82.

''I was just racing,'' said Schmitt, who is quietly becoming one of the stars of the pool. ''I knew I had to kick it. I just look at that scoreboard and see 53 and first place. I couldn't be happier.''

She captured her first career gold medal, to go along with a silver in the 400 free and a bronze in the 4x100 free relay.

The 17-year-old Franklin was denied her third medal of the games, one night after her gutsy victory in the 100 backstroke earned her a tweet-out from pop star Justin Bieber.

''I was trying to do the best that I can,'' said Franklin, who still has four more events in London. ''I was in an incredible heat. I really wanted to go best time.''

China's Ye Shiwen set an Olympic record to win her second gold of the London Games, adding the 200 individual medley title to a world-record performance in the 400 IM that sparked suspicions about doping. Everyone from her fellow swimmers to the International Olympic Committee have come to her defense, and she put aside any distractions to win again.

The 16-year-old Ye took the lead in the final lap and clocked 2:07.57, shaving 0.18 off her own mark set in Monday's semifinal. Alicia Coutts of Australia touched in 2:08.15 to take the silver medal and Caitlin Leverenz of the United States finished in 2:08.95 to take bronze.

Defending champion Stephanie Rice of Australia was fourth.

But this night was all about Phelps, who endured both gut-wrenching disappointment and thrilling triumph.

After losing the 200 fly, he retrieved his cap, went over to congratulate le Clos, and hustled out of the pool to get ready for the relay. Before that, Phelps had to return to the deck for a medal ceremony that he clearly would have preferred to skip. He bit his lip, leaned over to have the silver medal draped around his neck, and forced a weak smile.

It sure didn't feel like a celebration.

But the mood was much different when he came out with his teammates to accept gold. He bantered playfully with the crowd. He posed with an American flag. He propped up a chair trying to reach his mom and two sisters, sitting in the front row.

As Phelps lingered on the deck, doing television interviews, a crowd of U.S. supporters broke into a chant.

''Four more years! Four more years!''

But, really, what's left for someone who's already the greatest?

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/sw...e-relay-073112