Summer Olympics

[Bruinaura]

Now that they're having the Olympic trials, thought I'd start a thread. A good distraction from the vomit fest that the Cup Finals will be lol.

Watching track and field right now, probably my least favorite. I get tired just watching people run.

I like gymnastics, swimming, diving, equestrian.

Winter Olympics will always be my favorite though.

Click to read more...

 

[McGarnagle]

Summer usually isn't as good as Winter.

I do like watching the swimming when there's a dominant performer going for some kind of world record like Phelps or that Hungarian chick with the abusive husband/coach. I also enjoy the more random events like handball or archery too. And I do want to follow fencing this time around since I took a fencing class a couple years ago. Never been big into the track and field though.

 

[BruinDust]

The Olympics? In the summer I enjoy some of the boxing. Winter I guess I like the hockey but I'm not as big of fan of these best-on-best tournaments as some are. We've had good Olympic hockey (Vancouver) and bad (Sochi) in terms of entertainment value.

Overall if the Olympics disappeared from the Earth tomorrow then fine with me.

 

[Raleighfern]

super excited about the olympics. my neighbor buddy is involved with an elite swim program in the area and has 4 kids going to the games. i'd take the winter games over summer though, every time.

 

[ODAAT]

not really a summer Olympics fan, likely because the majority of sports I never played, never wanted to play or if I tried to play them, I sucked at them, simply couldn`t master Rhythm Gymnastics

 

[Bruinaura]

not really a summer Olympics fan, likely because the majority of sports I never played, never wanted to play or if I tried to play them, I sucked at them, simply couldn`t master Rhythm Gymnastics

Really? I always had this picture of you in my head.

Apparently I was way off.

 

[ODAAT]

Really? I always had this picture of you in my head.

View attachment 449565

Apparently I was way off.

bad hips

 

[UConn126]

I'm excited to watch skateboarding now that it's an Olympic sport.

3 on 3 basketball could be interesting. I saw Steph Dolson is on the US women's team. I knew her at UConn, we had a few classes together. Might tune in for that, though I see it getting boring fast. How did the men not qualify for this event?

Weightlifting has an interesting, controversial storyline that I'm sure can't be discussed civilly here, but I'm interested in how that turns out.

Maybe I'll watch some fencing, idk. Not really interested in much else. Like most here probably, I prefer the Winter games.

 

[Gator Mike]

Love both the Summer and Winter Games.

Can't wait for them to start.

 

[Bruinaura]

I also like watching the opening ceremonies just to see what kind of wacky stuff they come up with. Some of the dancing and artistic stuff can be really weird lol.

I liked the Barcelona archer lighting the torch. And the "queen" skydiving

 

[Alicat]

The trials for gymnastics starts tonight.

Full Schedule

2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials

June 24-27, 2021

June 24 - 6:30-9:00 p.m. ET - Men Day 1 - NBCSN (Live) June 25 - 7:30-8:00 p.m. ET - Women Day 1 - Olympic Channel (Live) June 25 - 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET - Women Day 1 - NBC (Live) June 26 - 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET - Men Day 2 - Olympic Channel (Live) June 26 - 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET - Men Day 2 - NBC (Live) June 27 - 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET - Women Day 2 - Olympic Channel (Live) June 27 - 8:30-11:00 p.m. ET - Women Day 2 - NBC (Live)

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I hate this new 4 per country team. Thank god it is going back to 5 for Paris 2024.

Outside of gymnastics I love watching the swimming, diving, basketball and women's soccer.

 

[Alicat]

Summer usually isn't as good as Winter.

I do like watching the swimming when there's a dominant performer going for some kind of world record like Phelps or that Hungarian chick with the abusive husband/coach. I also enjoy the more random events like handball or archery too. And I do want to follow fencing this time around since I took a fencing class a couple years ago. Never been big into the track and field though.

Track hasn't been the same since Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Flo Jo.

This year the USA seems to have a great lineup for track and field from what I've seen during trials.

Desi Linden, who won the 2018 Boston Marathon seems to have a decent shot at a medal in that event.

 

[McGarnagle]

I also like watching the opening ceremonies just to see what kind of wacky stuff they come up with. Some of the dancing and artistic stuff can be really weird lol.

I liked the Barcelona archer lighting the torch. And the "queen" skydiving

London's opening ceremony was probably my favorite.

I just remember 1996 when my dad kept making jokes about how Muhammad Ali was going to drop the torch and burn down the Olympic Village, good times.

 

[McGarnagle]

Track hasn't been the same since Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Flo Jo.

This year the USA seems to have a great lineup for track and field from what I've seen during trials.

Desi Linden, who won the 2018 Boston Marathon seems to have a decent shot at a medal in that event.

I've just never been interested in watching people run. I can respect that Usain Bolt is the greatest in the world and a tremendous athlete. I just can't get into watching foot races. Swimming is compelling to me, running isn't. Can't explain it.

Similarly with gymnastics, everybody always gets so worked up over the gymnastics and the US team always becomes celebrities out of it, but 4 foot tall 15 year old girls flipping around isn't something I feel I need to watch. I understand Simone Biles is the greatest of all time in what she does, but that doesn't push the needle for me.

 

[sarge88]

84 Summer Olympics got me hooked.

The last truly carefree summer of my life. I was 14, which made me just young enough not to be expected to have a summer job (that started in 85) and just old enough to be pretty much left to do and go wherever I wanted. I also had a ton of cash as my birthday and 8th grade graduation were at the end of June, which made things that much more fun.

(For context for the young among us.....I think I had about $400 after birthday/graduation, which is probably like having $1,000 today,..,wiffleballs were .99, a Coke was .75, the ice cream truck didn’t have anything that cost more than $1.75 and the pizza shop nearby had a lunch special of 2 slices and a Coke for $2.50)

My friends and I would swim or play wiffleball early in the day, catch Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, etc. in the afternoon, have baseball practice or a game in the evening or catch the girls softball game, head home catch more Olympics, only to do it over again.

To this day, I can still crack one of my friends up with a reference to Nelson Vails.

(if you know, you know)

I’d truly give my left pinky to go back and do that summer over again.

 

[McGarnagle]

84 Summer Olympics got me hooked.

The last truly carefree summer of my life. I was 14, which made me just young enough not to be expected to have a summer job (that started in 85) and just old enough to be pretty much left to do and go wherever I wanted. I also had a ton of cash as my birthday and 8th grade graduation were at the end of June, which made things that much more fun.

(For context for the young among us.....I think I had about $400 after birthday/graduation, which is probably like having $1,000 today,..,wiffleballs were .99, a Coke was .75, the ice cream truck didn’t have anything that cost more than $1.75 and the pizza shop nearby had a lunch special of 2 slices and a Coke for $2.50)

My friends and I would swim or play wiffleball early in the day, catch Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, etc. in the afternoon, have baseball practice or a game in the evening or catch the girls softball game, head home catch more Olympics, only to do it over again.

To this day, I can still crack one of my friends up with a reference to Nelson Vails.

(if you know, you know)

I’d truly give my left pinky to go back and do that summer over again.

For me that nostalgic experience is associated with the 1998 World Cup. I remember the 1996 Olympics and the hype around Michael Johnson and the gymnastics team, and have some visual impressions of the games, but was slightly too young to really take it all in. 1998 I was 11, old enough to be home alone during the summer but not old enough to have responsibilities, and got hooked on the World Cup and have great memories. I should've had the chance to binge the 2000 Olympics when I was 13, except they put the games in Sydney and didn't start until late September when we were already back in school, and everything was like 12 hours time-difference anyway, so I really got robbed of being able to watch most of that one.

 

[Alicat]

I've just never been interested in watching people run. I can respect that Usain Bolt is the greatest in the world and a tremendous athlete. I just can't get into watching foot races. Swimming is compelling to me, running isn't. Can't explain it.

Similarly with gymnastics, everybody always gets so worked up over the gymnastics and the US team always becomes celebrities out of it, but 4 foot tall 15 year old girls flipping around isn't something I feel I need to watch. I understand Simone Biles is the greatest of all time in what she does, but that doesn't push the needle for me.

Just wait until you see some of the stuff Simone has planned. The best thing about this Olympic team is that they are actually having fun out there and it is back to being about the team first.

Swimming is electrifying. I am always in awe that they can stay under the water for that long. I can't and when I try to do freestyle I end up with water in my nose and mouth.

 

[Alicat]

84 Summer Olympics got me hooked.

The last truly carefree summer of my life. I was 14, which made me just young enough not to be expected to have a summer job (that started in 85) and just old enough to be pretty much left to do and go wherever I wanted. I also had a ton of cash as my birthday and 8th grade graduation were at the end of June, which made things that much more fun.

(For context for the young among us.....I think I had about $400 after birthday/graduation, which is probably like having $1,000 today,..,wiffleballs were .99, a Coke was .75, the ice cream truck didn’t have anything that cost more than $1.75 and the pizza shop nearby had a lunch special of 2 slices and a Coke for $2.50)

My friends and I would swim or play wiffleball early in the day, catch Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, etc. in the afternoon, have baseball practice or a game in the evening or catch the girls softball game, head home catch more Olympics, only to do it over again.

To this day, I can still crack one of my friends up with a reference to Nelson Vails.

(if you know, you know)

I’d truly give my left pinky to go back and do that summer over again.

The 92 Olympics hooked me.

Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller and Dominque Dawes in gymnastics and the Dream Team in basketball

 

[eightspokedb]

I love the horsey events.....

 

[Alicat]

Suni Lee. She’s 2nd to Simone Biles. If she stay s in that spot, she’s Tokyo bound



MyKala Skinner is in 4th place. Left college to come back for one last shot. Best beam routine I’ve seen from her in a long time.

 

[Alicat]

For the first time since 2008, I think the US Men's Gymnastics team has a chance to get a team medal and I do think there will be some individual medals. Just have to pray they don't get COVID or it is all over

 

[Alicat]

Two more team spots plus 2 individual spots still being decided but Simone and Suni got automatic bids for finishing 1-2 at trials

 

[Alicat]

And they took the easy way out instead of going for the highest scoring team.

 

[Alicat]

 

[Bruinaura]

I can't imagine the hours of practice that go into learning how to do that. Specifically, the precise point at which you let go. If you're off by just a little you could wipe out half the spectators lol.

I also have no idea how she stands up straight after spinning like that.

I feel certain I would do myself major bodily harm attempting this sport