…the agony of the Thursday Three!
In keeping with the current spectacle before our eyes, of the world gathering to compete against one another in specially modified Ford Torinos, we bring you yet another installment of the World’s Finest Sport, the Axis of Weevil Thursday Three, Olympic Version!
Our questions were proferred this week by famed academician and ice skating judge, Jim Smith, who wonders the following:
1. Do you even watch the Winter Olympics?
2. What is your most memorable Winter Olympic moment?
3. Which Winter Olympic sport would you most like to try?
As always, anyone who passes the drug test may participate in the T3, and in keeping with REAL sports, there will be NO style points. You will be judged purely on objective criteria such as speed, strength, and how nice you look in a Spandex body suit.
ON THEN, NOBLE COMPETITORS! Leave your answers in the comments below, or a link to the answers as performed on your own blog.
As for my answers:
1. Yes, I do. I haven’t watched as much this year as I have some years, but I have watched a few minutes of speed skating, and the luge, and some of the downhill, and a little of the snowboarding. And for whatever reason, since NBC will NOT leave curling alone, I have been forced to see that, as well.
They won’t cover women’s biathlon worth anything (which, as I have noted in the past combines the best elements of sport--guns, muscular Nordic women, and a profound absence of Scott Hamilton) but, by golly, we have curling all over the place. I think it’s because of the absolutely silly nature of it--it’s a lot like the coverage ABC used to give to race walking in the Summer Games. It’s just weird to see such intense devotion to something so totally useless.
You know, kinda like blogging.
2. Most memorable? Oh, I suppose the same thing that everyone else remembers--the savage beat-down Sonja Henie delivered to Dick Button just prior to the ’48 Games in St. Moritz. Absolutely horrid, yet he still went on to win the gold. That takes real guts, you know.
3. Well, skiing just scares the bejabbers out of me when I watch it. For some reason, though, the luge looks like a lot of fun, even though it’s probably just as dangerous. Especially for a large man. Probably curling is more my speed. Or blogging.
So, there you go.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 08:00 AMFirst!?
1. Yes.
2. Watching the 1980 Olympics and the US hockey team beating the Russians. I can still picture where I was sitting and the feeling that the Cold War had warmed up a little. Back then the Soviet Union was still the "big bad bogeyman", and for the underdog US team to beat the favored Soviets felt like it gave the whole country a big lift.
3. Curling. Once I can figure out the rules and scoring. Even an old chubby guy can chuck a stone down the ice.
I just read your slam on curling. Baaah!
You have to watch it on the cable channels, since NBC does not seem to give it much airtime at nights. You'd feel differently if you had watched the thrilling overtime match between the attractive Japanese and US ladies teams two days ago.
[And yeah, I have to agree about the lack of women's biathalon. Must be that MSM conspiracy against guns, like the Cheney thing.]
Posted by: MarcV at February 16, 2006 08:34 AMMARC GETS GOLD IN RECORD TIME! Five minutes flat!
Congratulations, sir--you are a credit to your nation.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 08:35 AMThat is, until I read your slam on my slam of curling. We might just have to see what the AoWOC (Axis of Weevil Olympic Committee) has to say about this unseemly behavior!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 08:37 AM1. No.
2. See 1. above
3. The Luge looks sufficiently insane.
I'm in.
Posted by: skinnydan at February 16, 2006 09:02 AMI'm up.
Posted by: Diane at February 16, 2006 09:10 AM1.) Not really - though I just have to watch curling when it is televised. [I think that the draw of curling is that "Hey! I could do that!" factor.
2.) I'm old enough to remember the 1980 "Miracle" and it ranks as one of my favorite sports moments - almost as good as Auburn finally beating Alabama in 1982 at Legion Field.
3.) I love snow-skiing but am way out of shape to do it too much anymore (much less afford the trip to the Rockies to ski.) I would like to try curling just to see if I'm wrong about the "Hey! I can do that!" factor. ;)
[Two Thursday Threes in a row for me - a *new* record!]
Posted by: Byron Todd at February 16, 2006 10:02 AMByron, it's good to see that you've gotten into the competitive spirit of the Games! And I think Sarah might have gotten hold of an interesting topic for a future Thursday Three--i.e., do you know any Olympians?
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 10:24 AM1. Not in a number of years, which may account for my second item--
2. Ard Schenk, who won THREE speed skating events in 1972's Winter Olympics. His performance in the 10,000 meter event was really something else.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9066109
3. Probably snowboarding, though I'd most likely be as proficient as Rupert Jee was at it on Letterman this past week.
Posted by: Stan at February 16, 2006 12:01 PMDern--the time I miss seeing it is when they have something really cool on!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 12:43 PMHa - the AoWOC should go AWOL!
Today, 5 pm EST, on CNBC, the US Women's Curling Cuties take on the Saaby Swedish Women's Curling team. Yes, there's more than just meatballs and elite fighter jets coming out of Sweden.
Go USA!
But I don't have cable!
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at February 16, 2006 01:51 PM