Country flags (where to buy, tips, etc) | Golden Skate

Country flags (where to buy, tips, etc)

starryxskies

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Not sure if this question is ridics or not but I'm wondering where everyone gets their flags. I'm going to be going to my first international event later this season and really want to hold a flag to show some support:clap:
I'm assuming buying them online is the best and cheaper option? There are so many different sites online so it would be more comfortable to use sites that maybe other GS members have purchased from. If anyone would like to share some of the sites they use, that would be great!

Does everyone usually get the nylon ones? I see so many audience members have autographs/signatures on their flags...don't sharpies fade on nylon after a while? =/ I'm completely clueless about these things.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
What an interesting question! I never even thought about that. I have a couple of tiny flags that you'd need a magnifying glass to see, but I've never had to buy anything but an American flag full-size. Not that anyone asked, but the flags I have are the flags of Wales and Scotland--Wales has an imposing red dragon on it--which I couldn't use for any skater except maybe the Kerrs and--where does Steven Cousins come from again? He sounds as if he has a Welsh accent.

Anyway, I do hope you find a place to get flags! I know it will make your viewing experience even more exciting.
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I *think* there's a site like flags.com (not sure that's the actual link)... if you google you should find it...
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
There are a lot of reasonably priced country flags on Amazon (I just checked). Search Germany flag for example. ($6.63 for a 3foot by 5 foot flag)

For whatever reason Germany flag gives better results as a search than German flag, and Ireland flag vs. Irish flag (this later gives all sorts of school flags like Notre Dame as well as flags for Ireland)
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I can see that... it's a country's flag... so "Ireland Flag" works more in my mind... though it *sounds* better to say Irish flag... etc.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
I *think* Steven Cousins is Welsh.

I bought my little Japanese flag @ 2003 Worlds (to cheer on Takeshi, Shizuka, Fumie, etc.). A friend of Chinese descent bought me a Chinese flag from our city's Chinatown so I could cheer on Shen & Zhao when they were in SOI (too bad I didn't think to buy one @ 2003 Worlds).

Other flags I have from getting locally @ particular events (US - Independence Day activities, Israel - Israel Independence Day parade), or traveling to other countries (Canada, Czech Republic), so having a website for ordering international flags will be very helpful in the future!
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
This inspired me to buy a Polish flag for each of my kids at Amazon. They are polyester; the more expensive ones are nylon. The cheapest I saw was a Swedish flag on sale 3'by 5' for 99 cents! That's cheap enough you could add one to an order and see how autographing it went. You could try different pens on it.

I checked out the flags dot com site and they were selling very sturdy (and expensive) flags for flying from your flag pole in a hurricane sort of flag.
 

starryxskies

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Thanks for all the input!
I'm glad this thread was not too crazy to others haha

I'm glad other people know more about this than I do. Canadians are not so patriotic haha
 

starryxskies

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
I'm not Canadian, but I have to whole heartedly disagree on this one!

Hmm, I don't know to counter this one. I guess it depends on the people but I guess a more accurate claim is we're not as patriotic as our American neighbours. No one has the flag in their yard and even business don't bother, whereas you see the American flag every kilometer. After the middle grade, I don't think anyone even knows the words of our anthem. But of course there's the group of people that love their Canada sweaters haha so I guess there's a good divide.

Canada mostly conisists of ethnic groups and a lot of ethic groups associate themselves with their roots. No one really ever says "I'm Canadian" or even "Chinese-Canadian" this is what I've observed. But I'm glad we appear patriotic in others eyes haha. This is just me spitting out my own nonsense .
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Hmm, I don't know to counter this one. I guess it depends on the people but I guess a more accurate claim is we're not as patriotic as our American neighbours. No one has the flag in their yard and even business don't bother, whereas you see the American flag every kilometer. After the middle grade, I don't think anyone even knows the words of our anthem. But of course there's the group of people that love their Canada sweaters haha so I guess there's a good divide.

Canada mostly conisists of ethnic groups and a lot of ethic groups associate themselves with their roots. No one really ever says "I'm Canadian" or even "Chinese-Canadian" this is what I've observed. But I'm glad we appear patriotic in others eyes haha. This is just me spitting out my own nonsense .

Weird, my take on the Canadians on this board are quite patriotic to my eyes... Canadian mushers that come to AK for the different races also have a lot of Canada pride...

and the hockey fans know all the words to the anthem - as do most olympic athletes and fans...

in the US there's a lot of flag flying and patriotism, but I'd say Canada's on par with us in patriotic show!
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I think the meaning of the flag is very different in the U.S. from what it is in most other countries. It has a profound significance that goes even beyond general patriotism, it seems to me. For example, I don't know of any other country that has a pledge of allegiance directly to the flag itself. (The pledge goes on to say "And to the republic for which it stands," but it starts being addressed to the flag.)

Additionally (and I don't know whether this is true of other countries), there are all sorts of rules about how to treat the flag respectfully: for example, you're not supposed to step on it, or to let it touch the ground or trail in water. In fact, you're really not supposed to keep it flying after sundown or in bad weather, though a lot of people and businesses disregard that one. To store a flag, there's a special way to fold it; you don't just fold it in two or roll it up. Here's an ironic point: with all the anger over flag-burning in this country (it's sometimes done as a form of protest and provocation), the proper way to dispose of a flag that has become torn or damaged is to burn it.

I wonder whether any other countries have as much ritual surrounding their flags. Does anyone know of other examples?
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
you can keep it up at night if it's properly lit... and you can fly an all weather flag in the rain. the burning of a damaged flag is ceremonial, and not done disrespectfully.
 

rvi5

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Some people keep their emotions bottled-up, then eventually it will burst out. I think Canadian patriotism is similar. It may be less in-your-face during day-to-day activities, but give us an excuse and it explodes. Wasn't anyone watching the Vancouver Olympics? :laugh:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
And enjoying any minute of it, rvi5. Heck, I was feeling patriotic for Canada during the Olympics. You guys had ever reason to feel wonderful, from the opening ceremonies on.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Even I know most of the words to the Canadian anthem-we've watched a lot of Montreal Canadians hockey games in the days we lived in Vermont.

Does anyone else remember Roger Doucet? He learned and sang all the different countries' anthems for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, and always sang the anthems at Montreal games.

http://wheretruthlies.com/drupal/si...s of the Dutch and Canadian speed skaters.JPG
This Canadian fan doesn't measure up to the Netherlands' fans though...but neither do American fans measure up to Team Orange in fan patriotism.

I wish I could find a picture of the Canadian fans in their red and white maple leaf sweaters at figure skating events!
 

CoyoteChris

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
What an interesting discussion! Being an odd duck, I see things very differently than other people here.....
First on waving other country's flags....I kind of see this behaviour as odd.....it is a fine thing to hold up a banner that says "Go YuNa, we love you!"
but you wont see me wave a Korean flag. I am an American. I dont agree with alot of what my government does, and I vote my concious, but I am an American.
I may pull for some Russian and Chineese skaters and cheer them on, but I am cheering for the skaters, not their governments. IIRC, the camera during last Sunday's
skating panned to show Jason Brown (who Terry Gannon called a "fan", which is true) in the seats waving an American Flag for Team USA members. That is fine. But I
doubt that he would wave a Russian flag, but I dont know that. I wouldn't. (My friend PaulE disagrees with me and has a quiver of flags of different countries...that is fine...
if this problem were all that was wrong with the world, we would be in good shape...:))
Second, on Canadians. They are certainly enthusiastically patriotic at skating events.....but that is most of the Canadians I personally meet. Those I meet from Quebec seem to have different views....
Any other Canadians want to weigh in?
 

babyalligator

On the Ice
Joined
May 18, 2009
I don't really see waving the flags of other nations along with your own as odd--especially at Olympic events, which is meant to bring nations together and acknowledge one another as fellow humans. Being patriotic to me doesn't mean that I cannot wish well to another country. I certainly don't feel any less American when waving another country's flag with mine. If anything, it is a gesture of acknowledgment to another nation and the cultures found within that nation.

A flag is much more than a representation of government. Or more accurately, a flag can represent many different things at many different times. Sometimes, yes, a flag does represent a government, But at other times, a flag can represent a person's cultural identity. If I reject a flag given to me by another individual, I am in some sense, rejecting a part of who that person is. On the other hand, if I am waving another's flag with my own, I am to some degree, acknowledging a core part of that person's cultural identity. I am acknowledging that person and culture as a equal to myself and my own culture.

once I was thinking about all the flags i would want to wave, how that would be logistically possible, and reached the conclusion that i would just end up having to wave the united nations flag. lol.

It is possible that I am unusual for thinking this. I did attend a K-12 international school in NYC and I am lucky to be relatively well-traveled. I have many friends who are not American. And of those friends who are American, I have many friends who are from 1st or 2nd generation immigrant families for whom a flag is not so much about supporting a particular government, but about celebrating a cultural identity.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
you can keep it up at night if it's properly lit... and you can fly an all weather flag in the rain. the burning of a damaged flag is ceremonial, and not done disrespectfully.

Thanks for the corrections, Toni. I didn't realize about the lighting at night, but it should have occurred to me. As for the burning of a damaged flag, I read that the Scouts have special flag-burning ceremonies, generally on Flag Day, which is one more thing I've learned by exploring this topic. And that's another point I forgot in my earlier post: we have a special holiday to honor the flag, Flag Day, on June 14. I don't know if any other countries have a flag holiday?

For some reason I suddenly thought of that made-up TV program the two characters on The Big Bang Theory have, "Fun with Flags." Since I've only been to one live skating competition (>sniffle<), I've never actually thought about whether I'd display another country's flag. I certainly cheer quite happily for skaters from other countries. Go, Daisuke!
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Thanks for the corrections, Toni.

My dad's a Naval Vet (he was a Naval Corpsman assigned to the Marines in Vietnam), who works for the VA (med tech), and I live at home. I get a lot of "training" in stuff like this. LOL
 
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