I lost the link but her former gym is furious. She has PR but what she told Oprah has blown up another bridge (calling her vet dad in Afghanistand a dead beat was her first too truthful utterance). I said get her PR fast.

It isn't helping. She now prefers "Gabrielle" and could make 90 million. I keep reading that figure but from who? Phelps is worth about 40 mil they say after 4 Olympics and a squeaky clean rep. She basicly said her former gym mates called her a "slave" and told her to "wipe down the bar." They are beside themselves and basically calling her a terrible liar. I guess she thought Oprah needed to hear some racism? Why would she think this would be good to say. I can see if kids might have been teasing in VA saying stupid things if this is the truth, but why is she not talking about the family (while) in Iowa that really made her dreams come true? There is something about this kid from all the coverage that was a little off. maybe the others just had more maturity, except for Mackayla who spawned viral videos and parodies with her silver medal "look" after blowing her vault. It was funny and well honest. She isn't the first to look annoyed with silver but what a look. The Fierce 5 has a couple of divas.

I am disappointed in Abby and wonder if she will be a hot commodity. Carly Patterson was not. and she was very PC. Anyone see this interview? It likely is on Youtube by now.:confused:

ETA:

The Oprah interview is on Aunt Joyce and a response from her former Gym, Excalibur, who trained her and who is still owed much money for training a kid like gabby, talented, no money. Then there is a heated exchange that covers every aspect that makes people question which is the real story and every aspect of Oprah's interview. I feel Abby is trying to please Oprah, and her PR people are trying to bring controversy. They are not helping her marketability, as one person said. It leaves one with questions and a bad taste. gabby is cocky and apparently this was an issue with her teammates after being chosen for Olympics. I saw it from interview one. Her confidence was like that of tara Lipinski, except Tara was floored to win the olympics, while gabby felt it was clearly God's destiny for her. Her two families felt that way too. She is calm, cool, collected and very self possessed. I think Oprah did her no favors, but many are not watchinh OWN. A good thing, I think. Very disappointing product, imho. Any still following the champions, what do you think after watching all this?

Read the full article here.

I think brunette win with Catalina Ponor and Hope Solo. Adorable goes to Gabby

Ryan Lochte is pretty hot. He is headed for The Bachelor - though he isn't likely to propose I think.

:rolleye: 25 Broken hearted women-good TV!

It seems that Ali chose Hava Na gila music in honor of the Israeli team that died in Munich in 1972. She was Jewish and wanted to express that. She is geting lots of press here and will gets a heros welcome after the 5 do a lot of visits.

Misty May and Kerry Walsh won another gold medal, but their string of victories in individual sets was broken when they lost the first set in their match against Austria.

The NBC coverage showed the Americans fooling around on the volleyball pit with the U.S. men's basketball team before the match. According to commentary, Misty was OK with the diversion, but Kerry didn't want to do anything that would interfere with their focus on winning the gold medal. Misty prevailed, they had their fun, and they lost the next set that they played -- the first time they lost a set in three Olympics.

What do you think is the best strategy for an athlete? Focus, focus, focus, or lighten up between events?

I think the London Olympics from a spectator's POV were a spectacular success.

It was always in my mind that London, as one of the world's largest and most open cities might fall prey to a terrorist attack.
Thankfully that did not happen and I was glad to hear Sebastien Coe at the closing ceremonies thank "those who protected us."

Anyone who has read my posts about drugs and cheating knows where I stand on that issue.
If I have been tough on Bolt please take it as an overall and overwhelming feeling about what I see as incredible hypocrisy from the IOC and many of the governing bodies of various Olympic sports.

I am getting weary of hearing "I have never failed a drug test."

Several links I posted were made with the intent to show how easy it is to use banned substances and not get caught.


It can be easy enough to conclude the spirit of the Olympic movement exists today primarily as a way for certain bodies to make big money.
Like most sports...the Olympics are not the first to be changed by monetary greed.


But still.......I saw some amazing moments and I remain hopeful for the future.

For me the legacy of the London games will be the great spirit shown by the British people. Of course they cheered on their own athletes but having seen many events I think there was a wonderful and genuine show of good will and support at all of the venues for Olympians of all nationalities.

For now that is enough and I say "London, and Great Britain, well done.

My favorite moment of the games was the goal scored by Alex Morgan to beat Canada....but I am a football nut and a huge Alex Morgan fan.
Gabby the great was my favorite athlete at the games. And Mustafina captivated me as well.

My favorite moment of sportsmanship was by the Japanese Women's football team.
Despite a heartbreaking defeat they showed pure class. To hear the way they were cheered by the crowd as they approached the podium is what has always made the Olympics special to me.

Where were our gymnasts and Michael Phelps? I didn't seen any Russian gymnasts, either.

As far as the ceremony, it was good but I have seen better. The models on the catwalk weren't necessary, imo. The skating nuns were cute! :)

This part requires participants to ride horses they have never been on. Rider and horse are okay.

http://deadspin.com/5933905/horse-go...eo-competition

Did this have athread? I know there was some discussion, though I do not know who if anyone was found out this Olympiad. I read more about Lance and it seems curent opinion is he was doping because everyone of his competitors were. When he competed, it was easier to get by the testers for EPO among other things. It is very sad if his 7 medals are stripped. Lance was a huge star who transcended sport as he survived cancer that had spread and he gave a lot of people hope. It seems people close to him and team mates have said everyone did this, and this is how he gained an edge, 5% on his closest rivals.

i hope they are wrong. like many people, I felt very sad when Marion jones, who was a huge hero in the black community among others lost her 5 medals.

i don't know if this was discussed elsewhere. I know that it seems to be not much of an issue in FS. Or am I just not informed?

I missed so much, it went so fast...any ideas on Oly withdrawal? :popcorn:

Viatcheslav Ekimov was a silver medalist in Sydney, but due to American cyclist Tyler Hamilton's use of banned substances, he was finally awarded gold today. What's even more remarkable about Ekimov's achievement is the duration of his career. He won his first Olympic gold in 1988! Very impressive.

Aug 9 11:30 to 12:15 NBC pm

1:15 to 1:40 NBC pm


Is anyone recording it by any chance? I have to go to lunch :( and I am too dumb to figure out how to record with this machine.

Alex Schwazer, Carolina Kostner's boyfriend, was disqualified after failing a drug test:

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/201...-expelled.html

The clash between Canada and the USA was epic. Canada leading three times, the USA fighting back each time and than taking the victory in the final minute of extra time. Extraordinary stuff from the number one team in the world, and Canada can take heart that they played terrifically and pushed them all the way. I hope Canada wins bronze.

The history and inspiration to such a question could be a lifetime of study in itself. In the modern era I would not know where to begin. For Summer Olympics, Track and Field, it will always be Jesse Owens for me. He inspired an entire race of people who were still yet to be declared "equal" in the United States, and were the subject still of terrible racism in Europe. What he did under Hitler's nose was one of those once is a millenium things that have the handprint of God on it. I was second all around track for my city in 5th grade. My interest dropped off later, but I was a fast little thing at 10 years old. I remember the TV programs about Jesse as a child and was inspired at a time when the 60's unfolded. Every Olympics seems to make someone extraordinary come forward. While I am in awe of Phelps' longevity, and Gabby Douglas' meteoric rise in a sport that is so hard, it is people like Oscar competing with people with perfect bodies while he has prosthetics that amaze me and touch me far more.

We likely have a lot more winter heros and heroines at GS, but it would be cool to hear about who inspires you and why, in this or any Olympiad. For Hockey, there are two matches, when the little American team beat the vaunted Russian team-was it 1982? I have to look it up, but it was a miracle when you look at the makeup of the teams. The Cnadians winning by 1 point in Vancouver was thrilling and it was meant to be. Poor Canada would have gone on a week long binge. It was thrilling Hockey tho we (usa) lost.

For skating, which brings us all here, I have a lot of favorite Olympians and fondly remembered Oly performances. The Olympic performance that hooked me on skating was Peggy Fleming when I was a little girl. i vividly remember her green dress, the outdoor rink, and her balletic approach to the sport. I never could skate well, weak ankles I guess, but that Grenoble Olympics opened my eyes to a beautiful place with a beautiful woman who glided around on the ice. She is unforgettable. The Olympic skater I admired most was Dorothy Hammil as she seemed scared, yet did well. Then she exploded into consciousness and everyone got the hairdo. She was beyond pretty. Forever they are great skaters who defined female ice skaters until Michelle Kwan came along to a younger generation. All three inspire me, but Dorothy went through much more to get where she went and stay there.

Olympic performances that thrilled me were the Battle of the Brians. The atleticism was perfect, and they were elegant too. I recall two male skaters of the seventies that made me think I was watching Nureyev on skates. In 1976, I recall seeing John Curry, and thinking male skaters could be as elegant as the women and do bigger jumps. Another Harvard skater was a man named John Mischa Petkevich. I do not recall what event I saw John in. It could have been the Olympics. The beauty of what they did defines figure skating for me. The performances from the Olympics I thought were worthy of the Olympics were many. When I think of non single Olympians that stay in my mind to this day (and that is not easy, rueful smile) I think of the Russian pair team Rodnina and Zaitsev. I recall speed, power, and perfect unison. I don't think they have an equal. Later another Russian pair would be perfectly romantic and very different, but this R/Z seemed to me what pair skating was supposed to be. In Nagano, there were four inspiring performaances, the best ladies podium ever, and an icedance team from Canada that would never win the medals they should. Bourne and Kraatz were the best team, and I felt as good as the famed British pair who became legends for life after Sarajevo.

As for other winter Olympians, I loved the midwestern girl, Bonnie Blair. She was so wholesome and such an athlete. Dan Jansen thrilled me when he finally won gold. Anton Apolo Ohno's determination with his father made me happy for him. The fearlessness of Shaun White and the joy his smile brings thrill me. One of the bravest and ultimately luckiest skaters is Elena Berezhnaya. It couild have ended so differently. And when I think of Paul I am thankful for Anton S who's love healed Elena to win gold.

There are so many sports besides skating in the winter, but skating consumes me. It is like nothing else exists while waiting for the Olympians who figure skate. I am sure others here are less myopic. Gymnastics is as fascinating as figure skating. The magnificent 7 and Keri Strug were the best. Watching Nadia make her perfect 10 and the expllosion of Bela Karolyi into America. Mary Lou was amazing, a force of personality. The earlier Russian women, Olga Korbut, Ludmila Tourischeva defined gymnastic excellence for me for a long time.

Who inspires you and why from any Olympiad? Every one is this place where several thousand athletes dream their biggest dreams.

McKayla goes 6th out of 8 finalists. I have not read spoilers so it is "live" for me...Have not read the Gymnastics thread, so I am hoping this cutie patootie nabs a gold. She needs a nickname 'The irish missile'? If gabby is flying squirrel, then McKayla needs a moniker. Apparently thee is video of the judges in the team finals with open mouths and NOONE understands why she was deducted anything. There is a place for a perfect score and her vault should have been it.

Oh, poor CanadiAN GIRL FELL FLAT. Anyone watching event finals with me? Sound off! :popcorn:

It starts now on NBC Sports. Very tough sport, btw.

I think it's time to start a track and field thread. So far I've heard about the Women's 10,000 meters, won by an Ethiopian woman who repeated her feat of 2008. How did I miss that last night? Was it run in the first segment of NBC coverage, which I missed because of a work obligation? In any case I did get to see the men's 10,000 meters, and that was a corker. Did anyone else see it? Let's discuss! Expertise not required.

Tonight I think is the men's 100 meters. Or at least, tonight on NBC is the men's 100 meters. Presumably it's already a fait accompli.

Edit: I just had my first opportunity to watch Oscar Pistorius run. What an impressive moment. Several thoughts came to me (one being admiration for this guy's dedication and athletic skills). I've read about the worries that some people have about whether he has an unfair advantage because his lower legs weigh only about three pounds each, and because of the spring he gets from them. But as I watched, I became aware that whatever edge he has is outweighed by the difficulty of side-to-side balance for him. His prostheses have no pivot ability at all--no ankle, no flexible soles. Not only that, with each strike on the ground, he kind of slide-twists his "foot," which must be a very risky move for his knee joints. I'm also fairly sure he wouldn't be allowed to run in races where the athletes run multiple laps around the track and cluster tightly together, as they do in the 10,000 meter race we just saw. His curved metal prostheses could endanger other runners, or he could easily be tripped up himself.

So I think that although the day may come when there are prosthetics that give their wearers an unfair advantage over unmodified runners, this is not that day, and Pistorius deserves his chance to compete here. Besides the basic fairness of it, I think the inspirational value will be huge, and not just to people like wounded veterans or kids with disabilities, but to everyone.

It's so rude of them to put spoilers right there on their front page when some of us want to be surprised by results.

I asked for help in last post of gymnastics thread, expl why I can't sit upright all night to watch the gymnastics coverage. I need a feed for computer-no tv in bedroom, must lay flat. It says on NBC .com live streaming is oover and full replay not ready yet. Please can someone help me find a compputer site to watch the gymastics team coverage with the us ladies covered? eastern usa/english speaking if possible. I hate to miss this but I just cant sit up any more (bed has memeory foam-slightly more comf than lounge chair -THANKS ANYONE FOR GIVING ME SOME LINKS, I AM NOT FINDING ONE YET GOOGLING. :ohwell:

That manmade river is AWESOME. I think this might be - for me - the coolest thing to watch. Grranted if I were in that situation in a canoe/kayak I'd be freaking, but it's so much fun to watch them do it! :popcorn:

It should be a drinking game, each time nbc mentions that the olympic medals are shoused in the same place as the crown jewels throw one back

It's getting annoying.

The Summer Games have ice skaters dreaming of becoming future Olympians -- and past Olympians offering their encouragement :clap:.

Alex Shibutani ‏@AlexShibutani
sinead kerr ‏@sineadskate

Ashley Wagner ‏@AshWagner2010
jeremy barrett ‏@JeremyJBarrett

I'm currently watching Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers (USA) playing. Phil is gigantic at 6'9!

THought it might be interesting to note oddities in the broadcast.



I thought i saw a mishap but then realized I was watching something from a week ago on my DVR.

This is a great event for Connecticut basketball fans! Since the Whalers left (hockey), the UConn basketball teams and the Mohegan Sun ladies team are the closest thing we have to major sports here.

Geno Auriemma of the UConn ladies team is the coach!

And Maya Moore & Diana Taurisi (formerly Lady Huskies) are on the team.

And Tina Charles and Asjha Jones of the Connecticut Sun on the team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...Current_roster

One thing I always enjoy is the commentators the network gets. The best ones are very helpful to viewers, and they do a lot of homework to catch us up on sports that we may not have been following in the inter-games years.

Some of the best experts are often in the less familiar sports. For example, I just watched a really articulate woman take us through the finals of a women's skeet-shooting match. Guns aren't something I generally enjoy, but this woman made the sport not only understandable but interesting. Apparently the eventual winner, American Kimberly Rhode, has just earned her fifth individual gold in five consecutive Olympics. Rhode didn't win all these golds in the same discipline, because as the commentator explained, the IOC abolished the sport the athlete first won in, trap shooting, so she had to train for another sport. Wow! So the commentator managed to draw me in by telling me what people in that sports community would find important.

What other commentators has anyone on GS been impressed by? I always like Rowdy Gaines in swimming, for example.

Sidebar to this topic: it is so cool to realize what some of the venues are here! I think the shooting is being held in some sort of royal military facility, and of course the tennis is at Wimbledon. Honestly, it's like seeing the Olympics in Narnia.

Here's a man who is 71 and competiting. Brings tears to my eyes.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympic...-olympics.html

Congratulations to Lochte of the US on his first gold medal with 400m medley in London! :clap:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympic...-im-field.html

I was so happy because I am rooting for him at this Olympic Games! :)
Sorry about Phelps, though.
And I am also happy for Hagino, a high school boy of Japan, for the bronze medal and very proud of him! :yay:

As for 100m breaststroke Men's final tonight, I am a bit worried about Kitajima...Seems he is not in the top condition.

Anyway, it's just started and we are only in the 2nd day. Best of luck to all boys and girls!!! :yes:

I can't get the CTV Olympics videos to play on my computer though I have no issues with their regular show programs and, previously, Olympics promos. Does anybody else have the same problem?

Choirs, Kenneth Brannagh, rural England, the first brittish Tour de France winner. I am admitting I was spoiled by Bejing and many other opening ceremonies. They showed a royal box with Harry, Wills and Kate looking less than impressed. Well, they have seen it all, Harry and Wills and not much impresses them I imagine.

Oh agrarian to industrial. Brits were the engine of it. Great drumming 10,000 volunteers they said? Today PBS had an awesome show about the Titanic. Awesome. Catch a rerun if you can. Great TV on PBS.

It is thursday 8:20 EST did I miss the opening? I don't see the thread about it...someone plsease let me know...Thank you!!!

McKayla Mulroney has a broken toe, which she just reinjured in practice.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...y-breaks-toe/1

She is still planning to compete on the vault and is in London.

Anna Li, first alternate, injured her neck & will not compete. She has to wear a cervical collar.

There are two other alternates; a third may still be named to replace Anna.

Competition in the Ladies events starts Sunday.

I watched a couple of ladies' soccer games today.

There was a bizarre moment when the South Korean flag was put up for N. Korea. The team went back inside the tunnel and didn't come out for quite some time, until they were assured the mistake was rectified.

I really want to see the gymnastics, especially the team event, and also some of Phelps swims, and especially the equestrian events-the show jumping most especially as it is such an amazingly unique blend of man and beast-athletes together-no other sport like this. I hope people post times as I have a lot to distract me, so I forget. London will be looking so splendid. I hope they have an interesting opening the games. How I envy all those Londoners and visiters who can visit. Tally ho!

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympic...n-twitter.html

I am sure she is regretting her decision to post as she calls it a "joke" on twitter.

Comcast Sportsnetwork had a 3 part documentary on her, and will be repeating it I bet, given that Aly made the gymnastics team

http://www.wickedlocal.com/needham/n...#axzz21MuoEYsM

I'm watching an NBC special in which the public has voted for the greatest Olympic moments (30 of them). Most of them involve Americans, no surprise. It's wonderful to see so many of these again, even if each of them is shown only briefly. Some of my favorites involve women's track and field--Jackie Joyner-Kersee's second heptathlon medal and Australian Cathy Johnson's 400-meter win at Sidney. This is a great way to get in the mood for the Games next week! It's so wonderful to think of everyone coming together. The Olympics is a moment for normally obscure countries like Morocco to shine on the world stage, as stars in sports that don't generally get a lot of air time such as middle and long-distance running. When I think of the sheer variety of sports, there truly is something for everyone--these days even tennis. (Which this year will be played at Wimbledon. A venue like that can't easily be equaled by other countries!)

Related question: Mary Lou Retton is still famous, and Nastia Liukin is as well, but you don't hear much (and never did) about Carly Patterson, the only other American ever to win the all-around gold. Why is that, I wonder? She was the first American to win after Mary Lou, and the first ever to win in a non-boycotted Olympics. (Not to denigrate Retton's win by any means!) So why didn't she have an impact comparable to the others? Or even to Shaun Johnson, who won other golds in Beijing.

Great schedule
You can click on a sport or a date for exact information.

I'm so excited. My favorite discipline, women's football, starts two days before the opening. I'll also watch athletics, gymnastics, diving, handball and probably a lot more :)

what an emotional night! my heart aches for nastia and rebecca bross, goodness...nastia had an outstanding career and she will ALWAYS be an olympic champion. when she was done for the night and waved to the crowd with tears in her eyes i felt for her. I feel so bad for rebecca that she couldn't even get a spot. i don't think she ever really came back 100% since her injury and has just been struggling. i have a lot of respect for her to keep pushing on no matter what. I was so surpised that alicia didn't get on the team over kyla ross. she isn't even an alternate! pretty big slap in the face if you ask me, being that she has a lot of experience over the new girls. but i'm so happy for gabby, jordyn, kyla, mckayla, and aly; they all deserved it so much. when i watched them all walk up to the floor as their names were called and they were all crying with happiness i couldn't help but tear up and just imagine what that would feel like to be an olympian. wow, what respect i have for them. all of their hard work has finally paid off and i am so proud of them! i can't wait to see them compete in london, i know they'll do phenomenal. definitely rooting for jordyn since she's from where i live! i would have picked the same gymnasts but the 5th spot would have been a toss up. what does everyone think?

I don't even like the summer olympic sports, but it's on primetime and nothing else is on - and I actually like the trials... not sure I'll watch the games... tonight was swimming... (it's going on right now for me, actually). I'm so not a Michael Phelps fan, so I'm cheering for everyone else. :laugh: