Winter Olympics

Originally Posted by Mogs

One of the biggest problems with GB not being able to win is we dont encourage the drive to win at schools, it's all about taking part and prizes for all. All very nice, but the incentive is not there. If the drive is still there after school age, then at club level the top places are taken by better foreign players. Yes, our players have to be better than they are to win, but if they dont get match/race experience then improvement is stiffled.

I don't think that's really the case. Look how well we did in the last Summer Olympics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Su...cs_medal_table

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated

Wood! Pah!
In my day it was fertiliser bags, that's where the skill was at

[CheGuevara]

Tonight - Britain has done Brilliantly!

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

They are talking about the drop in crime due to the increased police presence, and the way that the locals are having to change working patterns etc to accommodate the amount of disruption caused by the number of people having to get to and from the events.

What perhaps is not metioned is the recent militaristic presence of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police -the guys in the red tunics and stetsons who only really dress like that in the supreme court and for parades). From the murder of Robert Dziekanski in the Vancouver airport, to the drunken murder (impaired driving) of a young motorcyclist by a drunk driving RCMP officer (Monty Robinson, who happened also to be in charge during the Dziekanski incident), many important things in Western Canada have been glossed over due to the Olympics and the benefits reaped by those in charge.

Specifically the police have been given carte blache to raid any premises that display any anti-Olympics signage in windows, quash any demonstrations, and have forcibly moved on any of the numerous homeless that might embarrass/discredit the Canadian utopia of democracy and human rights. Forget not that the current Canadian government mounrs the loss of the Republican fear-mongers in the US. Boo Canadians (myself included) for letting the wool creep over the eyes of our once great/admirable nation.

Britain now has a gold medal - the first solo gold for 30 years:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olym...on/8520464.stm

Well done Amy Williams for getting gold!!!

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated

its a kinda steep and rather dangerous mountain that you go down, give it a go on a olympic downhill track and see how you get on

i enjoy watching most of the sports, the half pipe snowboarding was amazing how the guy (shaun white) who won the gold can do a double front flip 1080 with such height and make it look so easy is pretty amazing, his last run was just crazy to watch

watched GB get gold live last night

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by CheGuevara

Boo Canadians (myself included) for letting the wool creep over the eyes of our once great/admirable nation.

Che, I admire your candour.

Are we in the UK listening I wonder? I sincerely bloody hope so.