2008 Olympics

[Laura]

I'm a little behind. I'm watching the women's sabre fencing from this morning. It all goes so fast I can't even tell what anyone is doing. It's like "stomp stomp stomp" and then one of them (I can't tell which) screams. I guess I was hoping it would be more like movie fencing. Maybe the foil category is more like that?

(P.S. I very briefly dated a fencer when I was in grad school. He also used sabre. Never saw him fence, though, but he used to say really rude things about the people who did foil.)

God, whoever is screaming on every point sounds like a freakin' stuck cat. Oh wait -- the screaming one is the one who won. Um, okay.

 

[samina]

Have yet to ever see an opening ceremony from any games, always watch the news highlights, not sure if I could sit that long! We were dancing last night when it was on.

Some are spectacles to behold, worth the time commitment.

 

[Laura]

I TiVoed it and will watch it tomorrow with a friend. She only ever watches the opening ceremony, not any of the actual sports.

 

[samina]

I guess I was hoping it would be more like movie fencing. Maybe the foil category is more like that?

(P.S. I very briefly dated a fencer when I was in grad school. He also used sabre. Never saw him fence, though, but he used to say really rude things about the people who did foil.)

God, whoever is screaming on every point sounds like a freakin' stuck cat. Oh wait -- the screaming one is the one who won. Um, okay.

Huh. I don't know the difference between fencing and foiling...gonna hafta google to follow along there...

 

[Laura]

Fencing is competed using three different weapons: sabre, foil, and epee'. Foil is the long thin swishy one, epee' is broad and flat (but not as much as a broadsword), and saber is in-between: not thin and swishy like the foil, but not flat like the epee. It's just a pointy straight sword. Today the US women swept the individual sabre medals.

 

[reb]

The Opening Ceremonies were awesome from entertainment, cultural, technological, organizational, sport, art, and worldwide perspectives.

I think I heard there were 80 heads of state in attendance including the first sitting US President to attend an Olympics outside the US.

If you saw it, you know what I mean and can probably add more.

If you didn't see it, I highly recommend to find a way to watch it somehow.

 

[samina]

Wow, good for them! Thanks for the break-out, laura.

 

[samina]

The Opening Ceremonies were awesome from entertainment, cultural, technological, organizational, sport, art, and worldwide perspectives.

I think I heard there were 80 heads of state in attendance including the first sitting US President to attend an Olympics outside the US.

If you saw it, you know what I mean and can probably add more.

If you didn't see it, I highly recommend to find a way to watch it somehow.

Sounds about what I would have expected for this one. Complex, highly-charged political reasons for choosing China for this one, IMO. Am not surprised it's politically a visible one as you've described.

 

[reb]

watching the women's sabre fencing from this morning. It all goes so fast I can't even tell what anyone is doing. It's like "stomp stomp stomp" and then one of them (I can't tell which) screams. I guess I was hoping it would be more like movie fencing. Maybe the foil category is more like that?

(P.S. I very briefly dated a fencer when I was in grad school. He also used sabre. Never saw him fence, though, but he used to say really rude things about the people who did foil.)

God, whoever is screaming on every point sounds like a freakin' stuck cat. Oh wait -- the screaming one is the one who won. Um, okay.

Laura, I don't know any more than you do, but one of my high school friends is a fencing coach at Northwestern - you can find him via my facebook connections. It may be a longshot, but I'll try to see if he's interested in signing up for Dance Forums to add some fencing color . . . .

 

[reb]

I didn't describe it as political - that must have been in the eye of the beholder

I think its the opposite of highly-charged political reasons.

China has 1/5 the worlds population, they are relatively new-comers to the Olympic scene, and could/should be a/the dominant force in the Olympic movement.

I think the Olympics is the type of place where its about a combination of things - the world coming together, national pride (from every participating nation), and individual and team endeavor.

This was very evident during the televised portion, although its true that there are lots of attempts to politicize it. I applaud those supporting/participating in this world event.

 

[Laura]

I have a very cynical view of the Olympics, I actually had a rant going there but then deleted it.

Now, just because I'm cynical and ranting it doesn't mean I won't watch and enjoy it -- quite the contrary -- but I have a rather jaundiced eye these years regarding the whole thing -- and NBC's refusal to show anything interesting in real time is part of the problem for me. Well, except for Michael Phelps' finals -- NBC had the host committee re-arrange the swim meet schedule so that they would be in Prime Time on the East Coast of the US. Since Beijing is 12 hours ahead of New York, that means they'll all be in the morning in Beijing. I just think that's so...I don't know...lip-smackingly full of hubris to re-arrange the schedule of the swim meet just for US TV. Like Michael Phelps, as great as he is, is the only swimmer? And that East Coast USA TV-watchers are the only people audience in the world that matters?

My rant boils down to this: over the decades, the Olympics has become some kind of unholy orgiastic alliance of the IOC, US Television, and advertising/product placement. That said, it's still the biggest show on earth

 

[reb]

I agree that the tv coverage has been a problem.

First, there's Bob Costas and we all know his helpful impact on Ballroom dancing

In the past, in order for me to watch things from team handball to other non tv-powers-that-be-interests, I would go places which had some satellite access from other nations so I could see all that the Olympics have to offer.

I hope the more technology, the internet, non-traditional US media, and other countries media come to the front that we'll be able to actually see all the things we want!

During the 1984 Olympics in LA, I bought tickets mostly for those other interesting events - like Archery in the park off the 405 near Long Beach - which I wouldn't be able to otherwise hope to see.

 

[danceronice]

No fencing in the Olympics ever looks like what you see in the movies. It's actually all quite controled and pinpoint in how it's done. (My cousin fenced in college and was good enough her coaches wanted her to consider aiming for the Games, but she wanted to be an engineer more. Go figure.)

Traditionally, saber is a men's event, but womens' is becoming more popular. This is largely because in military use, the saber is the hack-and-slash weapon, used from horseback to slash and cut. It was not quite the brute-strength weapon a broadsword was, but it definitely took more muscle and less fine-motor control. The foil is very, very thin and needle-like and pretty much can only be used as a straight-on stabbing weapon, and if anything is much more flick/delicate than saber.

Bearing in mind, besides my experience with my cousin (who IIRC did foil and epee) my experience with swords comes from SCA, where we fought with rattan weapons and were aiming to hit (I did sword and shield, where unlike formal fencing we're really trying to just whack each other until we've done enough "damage" we win.)

 

[Laura]

I hope the more technology, the internet, non-traditional US media, and other countries media come to the front that we'll be able to actually see all the things we want!

Unfortunately this time around, NBC has the broadcast rights so tightly sewn up that we're at their mercy. Unless you can get a feed, via the internet or satellite, of the likes of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) or the BCC or other non-US station, you're stuck. Although if you have a PC there are some ways you can get feeds from other countries via the Internet, I haven't dug around too much to find out because someone who had been digging says the software doesn't work on Macs.

One thing I'm pleased about: I've been watching for over 3 hours and it's really been all sports -- none of those schmaltzy soft-focus bios about this and that.

Thanks for the fencing info, danceronice. I still wonder about the screaming though

 

[mamboqueen]

Been busy all day. How did Phelps do?