[WinterPhoenix]

The Olympics, specifically the swimming is killing me, on so late over here, I'm running on empty, and I doubt I'll be getting much sleep at all at Bloodstock this weekend lol

This post has been edited by WinterPhoenix: 10 August 2016 - 02:46 AM

[Abyss]

Briar King, on 09 August 2016 - 06:48 PM, said:

Slow Ben, on 09 August 2016 - 06:36 PM, said:

Briar King, on 09 August 2016 - 06:16 PM, said:

Silence would speak louder then words.

Not to be to eloquent, but bullshit.

Bullshit on that bullshit.
You ever play sports and been booed? It feels horrible. You ever played sports and they don't even bother to acknowledge you are even there or exist in game it feels 100times worst then horrible.

that's the point.

[QuickTidal]

Fuuuuuck the men's indoor volleyball match between Canada and Brazil was hard to watch...made fucking worse by the complete arrogance and lack of courtesy displayed by the Brazilian team (and their clown of a coach). Like Hoag makes an incredible spike that just happens to completely nail Sergio hard in the chest, so he does the equivalent of tipping his hat and holding his hand up to say "sorry that was so hard". The VERY NEXT play, their spike ringer Luc-whatever hits our team captain in the side of the goddamned head...and not only does he not give us the saem croutesy, he fucking charges about shouting his glee.

Anyways they outplayed us (by finding that hole in the middle that we could not keep filled)...but I'm not going to lie, they are as ungracious winners as I've yet seen in these Olympics. Arrogant assholes.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 10 August 2016 - 03:35 AM, said:

Aly just killed the main gym floor! Killed it. Amazing

That. Was. Spectacular.

Wife and I were watching with our eyes bugging out. If that's not perfection at the sport, I don't know what is.

[WinterPhoenix]

So I looked it up, of the 212 or so Olympic Committee's that have ever taken part in the Olympic games - this is including West/East and Unified Germany as separate instances and Russia/Soviet Union also, as well as a number of countries that no longer exist, but not including mixed teams and independent Olympic athletes - only 55 of those countries can boast total medal hauls that exceed Michael Phelps!! That drops to 54 if you don't include the US as it's his home nation, and drops further to 47 if you combine the various German and Russian states into one score, and discount countries like Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and the Unified Team that consisted of ex-Soviet bloc states at the Barcelona games in 92. So to reiterate only 47 current nations can boast a total medal haul that exceeds his, absolutely insane! Also worth pointing out, Michael Phelps has more summer Olympics gold's than Jamaica, the same as Ethiopia and only 4 less than Kenya, even despite their respective domination of certain track events in recent memory!

This post has been edited by WinterPhoenix: 10 August 2016 - 04:31 PM

[Slow Ben]

Briar King, on 10 August 2016 - 04:27 PM, said:

Water Polo is so fucking strange. That's prob the only water sport I ll skip watching. I almost piss myself loln every time I see them "dribbling/nudging" ball onward.

Yeah, me too.

I watch, and enjoy, almost everything. But that is just boring.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 10 August 2016 - 05:17 PM, said:

And he can still add 2 more later tonight. I really thought London was his last and now that he's all gold so far in Rio it makes me want him to say fuck it here I come Toyko.

Who Phelps? No way man, this is the last Olympics for him...you can see it in him after every race. He's huffing and puffing like an old man. He's done a great job in the sport, but his time is passed with Rio. You can tell he still has the drive to push for the gold..but if he's struggling to breathe afterwards now...imagine what he'd be like in 4 years time. Plus, if I were him, I'd want to go out on top of it all like this, decorated with gold medals...and not be ceremoniously unseated by some young upstart in Tokyo and have to accept silver or bronze as my last act in the Olympics of the sport, you know? This was his 5th Olympics, and he'd be 36 in Tokyo...nah, he's good to go out on this.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 10 August 2016 - 07:45 PM, said:

I know. I wasn't being totally serious.

Lol, I know. I just enjoy being salty about Phelps!

[Mentalist]

sigh. So close to that first gold for UA in Men's gymnastics tonight.

UA's best prospect, the fencer Kharlan (recently won World Championship) finished 3rd.

Oddly enough, a Uki tennis player I've never heard of before eliminated Serena Williams in 2 sets and is gonna be playing in quarter-finals. If there's one sport I wouldn't dream of UA winning an olympic medal, it was tennis.

sadly, not really watching any coverage, b/c work has no TV, and I tend to not be home between 730is AM and 9-10 PM these days. so following results online as they come in.

[QuickTidal]

Oleksiak gold in the freestyle!

[amphibian]

Briar King, on 12 August 2016 - 04:03 AM, said:

I think a part of why Phelps is slow to get out of pool is a bit in part to psych oppents out and yes age but the way he swam 37 mins after 22 convinced me. 1st touch was 7th place then he busted ass to get 2nd to qualify.

Nah, it's time-stretching tactics. You linger in each phase as long as possible before an official tells you that you have to get out of the pool/move on. Gets you a few more minutes for your body to build back up some stamina/ATP reserves. Helps a lot with fast turnarounds.

I used to do a little of this at my high school swim meets because I'd swim the 100 yard breaststroke and then hop onto the last leg of a 4x100 relay held immediately afterwards. I wasn't ever a great swimmer and never put 100% of my being into it, but it still was rough to do a fast turnaround like that. I think my fastest time ever was a 25 second 50 yards and these guys are putting up 21 seconds for 50 meters. That's... so ridiculously fast.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 12 August 2016 - 05:21 AM, said:

Briar King, on 12 August 2016 - 04:03 AM, said:

I think a part of why Phelps is slow to get out of pool is a bit in part to psych oppents out and yes age but the way he swam 37 mins after 22 convinced me. 1st touch was 7th place then he busted ass to get 2nd to qualify.

Nah, it's time-stretching tactics. You linger in each phase as long as possible before an official tells you that you have to get out of the pool/move on. Gets you a few more minutes for your body to build back up some stamina/ATP reserves. Helps a lot with fast turnarounds.

I used to do a little of this at my high school swim meets because I'd swim the 100 yard breaststroke and then hop onto the last leg of a 4x100 relay held immediately afterwards. I wasn't ever a great swimmer and never put 100% of my being into it, but it still was rough to do a fast turnaround like that. I think my fastest time ever was a 25 second 50 yards and these guys are putting up 21 seconds for 50 meters. That's... so ridiculously fast.

Speaking as someone who was a competetive swimmer and almost hit the Nationals level over a six year period (this is my sport)...it's exhaustion post-race, pure and simple. He's been at this for nearly 20 years now, his first Olympics was Sydney in 2000 (I think). Six years of this put my body through some serious paces, and my two best strokes were fly and freestyle. Even when I was 16, 100m Fly at super high (second half) pace like Phelps is doing WIPES you out. At his age, and after this many years in the sport, it's taking its toll on him. And that's fine, this sport was never meant as a long term thing, but let's not mistake his post-race slowness for anything but what it is, exhaustion.

And swim meets are not organized so that you jump from a heat right into another heat (nor should they ever be)...Amph, if your school was organizing it that way, it was either a very small meet, or they were not organized well. Usually you have at least a 10-20 minute break between heats. At the Olympics I imagine it's longer just from the number of competing countries, and how things are spread over days.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 12 August 2016 - 12:39 PM

[amphibian]

School vs school meets, maybe fifteen people a side maximum.

Being the last one out of the pool is time stretching tho.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 12 August 2016 - 08:46 PM, said:

School vs school meets, maybe fifteen people a side maximum.

Being the last one out of the pool is time stretching tho.

Oh wow, yeah you'd not have lots of time between heats with that few people.

[Mentalist]

Sadness. Govorov came 5th in the 50m free final, although he was 2nd fastest in the semis.

There's some hope our shooters tomorrow might squeeze some medals out. Beyond that, UA really isn't doing well.

[Malankazooie]

Briar King, on 13 August 2016 - 01:07 AM, said:

Wow holy shit... Dirado just out swam Kitanka in 200 backstroke for gold. That was kinda epic

Caldwell of CAN takes B

That was awesome. That last move she made to touch the wall first was the difference maker! (watch it is slo-mo). More satisfying though, she sent bf steroid back to Hungary.... even hungrier <<<< see what I did there.

[Malankazooie]

Briar King, on 13 August 2016 - 01:30 AM, said:

Mind is blown! Ledecky 800 freestyle gold and world record. That was just amazing!!!!

Holy crap! Ledecky is Aquawoman. When the WR line animation is at your heels there is no disputing it.

[Malankazooie]

Gosh darn but the 50m freestyle is so awesome. My favorite event. They are submarine torpedoes incarnate! I wish I could swim like that.

Most impressively the 2000 Olympic gold winner wins this Olympic's gold (16 years later and the oldest gold winner in swimming).

Is it safe to say that the USA is filled with aqua people?

[Tsundoku]

What's with the USA men's basketball team only beating us by 10 after trailing at one stage, then last night only beat Serbia by 3? Are they fucking about? Most articles I've read don't think so.

Are they relying too much on individuals and not on teamwork?

[amphibian]

Captain Needa, on 13 August 2016 - 05:26 AM, said:

What's with the USA men's basketball team only beating us by 10 after trailing at one stage, then last night only beat Serbia by 3? Are they fucking about? Most articles I've read don't think so.

Are they relying too much on individuals and not on teamwork?

Almost none of them play with each other during the season and they are undoubtedly partying/getting laid a lot almost every single night. They are also not totally serious during most of the game and turn it on at the close of each half mostly. This is playing with house money for them - as they aren't getting paid big money by their countries and they get decent money from their sponsors/shoe companies/apparel companies, who mostly want the players to be flashy and have fun. Here is where "friendships" tighten up between players and behind the scenes recruiting for agents, for teams, for sponsor deals can happen.

That being said, Australia and Spain are good to great teams in their own right. They mostly can push the USA to play harder than they want to.