[Olympic][b]WE WERE ROBBED!!![/b]

[EOL]

Here's my theory. I've been to a lot of judged events (mostly women's gymnastics, HELLOOOO NURSE!) And I noticed a disturbing trend, when the audience really gets into it and starts chanting 10! (or in this case 6!) and everyone from the athletes to the commentators are positive that this is the performance of a life time, the judges go on a power trip. Their response seems to be "The audience does not decide this event, the athletes do not decide this event, we do! And just to demonstrate that fact we're going to give the medal to the team that didn't deserve it."

 

[Holy Bovine]

Re: Canada got hosed...

I rarely comment on threads like this (and watch figure-skating even less), but the Canadian pair got totally $crewed. My wife and I saw both performances and was stunned when the the Russian Federation team won.

It was interesting to watch the body language of the Russian pair after the announcement and during the medal ceremony...they KNEW they had been beaten - that the better pair was getting the silver while they got an undeserved gold.

I saw that too (as did my mother-in-law and missus). The Russians looked upset and shaken - they knew the Canadians beat them but were obviously embarrassed that they were collecting gold for a slightly less than perfect performance.

It was blantant collusion between those 5 judges as they were the ones that gave the gold to the Russians and silver to the Canadians. This is pretty much soured the entire figure skating program in my view.

I have never seen such a biased round of judging - I can't wait to talk to my friend whose mom is an Olympic judge (in gymnastics) - I really want to hear her take on this (I suspect she will be more outraged than I was).

 

[Holy Bovine]

Here's my theory. I've been to a lot of judged events (mostly women's gymnastics, HELLOOOO NURSE!) And I noticed a disturbing trend, when the audience really gets into it and starts chanting 10! (or in this case 6!) and everyone from the athletes to the commentators are positive that this is the performance of a life time, the judges go on a power trip. Their response seems to be "The audience does not decide this event, the athletes do not decide this event, we do! And just to demonstrate that fact we're going to give the medal to the team that didn't deserve it."

I'm also wondering if the judges decided that they had to punish the Canadians for David's after-program on-ice 'celebration' (he knelt down and kissed the ice - he said in the post-interview that he loves how good the rink was and was excited that he and Jane had just done the best skate of thier lives).

The Olympics are a lot smaller now IMO.

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

...Here's my theory...when the audience really gets into it and starts chanting 10! (or in this case 6!) and everyone from the athletes to the commentators are positive that this is the performance of a life time, the judges go on a power trip...

It's interesting that you say this: As soon as the crowd went wild, and the skaters appeared overjoyed, my wife said something along the lines of, "I sure hope their reaction doesn't offend the judges".

Unfortunately, I think both you and my wife are correct, because I know...

----------CANADA WAS ROBBED!!----------

BTW, Old One, I agree that the Russians knew--and I feel bad for them as well. The judges did an injustice to both pairs; they stole the dreams of one, and tarnished the memories of the other

 

[Storm Raven]

I don't have a lot of sympathy for any sport that is left up to judges. Granted those people are amazing and they bust there butts and work hard to do what they do but until they have some type of impartial system set up (with a computer or something) you're always gonna hear about people getting robbed.

That goes for ice skating, gymnastics, synchronized swimming or any sport of that nature. Every sport has some type of official but i prefer the "referee" over the "judge" any day. Clear cut rules. A point is a point out of bounds is out of bounds.

Sorry it's always been a pet peave of mine. I can't tolerate judged sports for the most part. Even if I do enjoy watching them. The scoring and commentary always hurt me.

I agree. It is this sort of thing that makes me always say that judged sports are of dubious merit when it comes to sports. In most cases I am disinclined to call them sports, and maintain that they are more "events" or "shows". I am generally not a big fan of any sport that relies entirely upon essentially opinion to determine who won and who didn't. I will also point out that in figure skating this isn't an isolated incident, cases of this sort of bizarre and nonsensical scoring gaffes happen in every single Olympics. Figure skating, as a "sport" is rotten to the core.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't deny that the participants work really hard, and have amazing physical abilities that I could never hope to match, but that doesn't make what they do a sport. Ditch digging, steel working and bricklaying are really physically demanding too, and I don't see anyone clamoring for those to be included in the Olympics. Remember that the Olympic motto translates as "Swifter, Stronger, Higher". It doesn't say "More Artistic" or 'More Aethetically Pleasing".

Now, this rant applies to all of the judged sports to some extent (including gymnastics, diving, rhythmic gymnastics, the whole host of odd sik/snowboarding half-pipe events and so on), but I hold a special disdain for figure skating. Why? Because, by the explicit admission of members of figure skating's governing body, they don't judge events solely based on what happens on the ice. They hold receptions where the skaters meet and socialize with the judges, and the judges take the skater's demeanor at these functions into account when making scoring decisions. They have a practice of "waiting in line" where skaters are not given victories until they "deserve it" having "waited long enough". Any sport in which who wins and who loses isn't decided entirely on the field of competition has forfeited its right to be taken seriously at all.

And what really offends me is that this sort of crap cheapens the legitimate medals won by athletes in real sporting events: the speed skaters, the downhill skiers, the lugers and so on. If I had my way, I'd immediately banish the worthless blight on the Olypics that figure skating has become and let the people who govern that "sport" know in no uncertain terms that they can come back when they are ready to actually be serious about the sport, and not factor in who had the prettier dress at some back hall reception into their scoring.

Figure skating is pretty. It isn't a sport. It's continued inclusion in the Olympics is offensive.

 

[Desdichado]

Haha, Old One, did you see Malcolm in the Middle after the Superbowl, when the older brother was towed naked on the ice after the zamboni?

I second that opinion: let's take those judges down!

I also agree, the Russians simply did not give a gold medal performance relative to the Canadians. For that matter, the Americans gave an absolutely stunning, and relative to the other programs I saw, medal-deserving performance as well. My wife and I are absolutely mystified as to the results.

Oh, and Storm Raven:
i

Figure skating is pretty. It isn't a sport. It's continued inclusion in the Olympics is offensive.

And yet, it's probably the most popular event at the Winter games, just as gymnastics (which suffers from similar problems, although perhaps not as blatantly) is at the Summer games. To take it out would cheapen the Olympics immensely. These sports have a long tradition at the Olympics.

 

[Ashtal]

Figure skating is pretty. It isn't a sport. It's continued inclusion in the Olympics is offensive.

Funny. I used to say that about golf, until I actually tried it and came home with my back seizing in pain.

These are athletes, through and through. The work, the pain, the sacrifices are just as real for them as it is for any of the competitors who reach the Olympics. Unfortunately, how it's judged makes it a competition about playing favorites, not raw power, skill and grace on the ice.

As an aside, what the heck was the Canadian Snowboarding sportscasters TALKING ABOUT? I haven't heard so much lingo-babble in my life. The guy actually used the phrase 'pimp-slapped' during his commentary. WTH? Amplitude? Isn't that a way of saying HEIGHT? Airs? Is that supposed to be about how long they stay airborne? Ugh. It's incredible to watch, but the sports casters, well, specifically the guy, not the girl, totally ruined it for me.


Ashtal

 

[Tsyr]

Here's my theory. I've been to a lot of judged events (mostly women's gymnastics, HELLOOOO NURSE!) And I noticed a disturbing trend, when the audience really gets into it and starts chanting 10! (or in this case 6!) and everyone from the athletes to the commentators are positive that this is the performance of a life time, the judges go on a power trip. Their response seems to be "The audience does not decide this event, the athletes do not decide this event, we do! And just to demonstrate that fact we're going to give the medal to the team that didn't deserve it."

Upon talking it over with my father, he has the same theory... and ya know, I sorta agree with it. It's really, really sick.

And I also don't like people who complain that something isn't a "sport"... skating is as much a sport as running, swimming, what have you. It takes as much commitment from those people as any other sport does.

 

[Storm Raven]

Funny. I used to say that about golf, until I actually tried it and came home with my back seizing in pain.

These are athletes, through and through. The work, the pain, the sacrifices are just as real for them as it is for any of the competitors who reach the Olympics. Unfortunately, how it's judged makes it a competition about playing favorites, not raw power, skill and grace on the ice.

Funny, did you read this part of my post?

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't deny that the participants work really hard, and have amazing physical abilities that I could never hope to match, but that doesn't make what they do a sport.

There is more to a sport than it being physically difficult. The "the participants work really hard" card is played every time the validity of the judged sports is questioned, and it is a complete pile of crap. Broadway dancers work really hard and the pain and sacrifices made by those people are just as real. Does it make what they do a sport? No, it is an art. Just like figure skating.

Figure skating is an art, not a sport. I contend that all of the judged "sports" should be eliminated from the Olympics, but I would be mostly content if the most egriegiously screwed up one, figure skating, was purged.

 

[Storm Raven]

And I also don't like people who complain that something isn't a "sport"... skating is as much a sport as running, swimming, what have you. It takes as much commitment from those people as any other sport does.

That's crap. Hard work and commitement doesn't make something a sport. Fair, objective competition does. Figure skating doesn't have that, and likely never will since like all judged sports it relies upon people putting numbers on a card to hand out the medal.

When a runner crosses the finish line first, he wins. Even if he didn't look good doing it, or ran a race that was extraordinarily above his normal perfomance level. That is sport.

When a swimmer touches the wall first, he wins. It doesn't matter if he said "screw you" to every official in his sport's governing body before the race, he still wins because he outperformed everyone else. That is sport.

When a figure skater performs better than anyone else, he might win, but only if he was nice to the judges and they think the skater is now deserving of a medal because they paid their dues. That is crap.

When a figure skater skates the perfect program, they might win, but they might not if the judges just score them less because they didn't like the skater personally, or thought someone else had skated better in previous competitions so the current performance was a fluke. Or not. Or whatever conclusion their whims lead them to. That's crap.

That an activity is hard does not make it a sport. Saying that it must be sport because it is difficult to do and requires dedication is ignorantly stupid.