Davis: What Are The Olympics About

[quote]doogie wrote:
TriGWU wrote:

Team race was Wednesday. His race was Saturday. You’re an olympian you still need THAT much rest!?

The finals for the team race were on Thursday night.[/quote]

Exactly. I mean hell, if I were to get a leg workout in on Thursday I would probably be sore on Saturday. It’s all a matter of him staying fresh and what he thinks he is able to do.

I didn’t see his interview so I can’t comment on that, but as far as the team event, not every country used their best skaters and some that did still didn’t do well.

The Canadians for example took the silver, but individually I don’t think any of them did great. The team did practice together, focusing on exchanges, and that paid off.

If Davis wasn’t around the team I don’t know why they would have expected him to skate with the team for that event.

[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:

If Davis wasn’t around the team I don’t know why they would have expected him to skate with the team for that event.

[/quote]

they’re being catty that’s why.
say what you want about davis, at least he’s straight up.

Like stated before, athletes and coaches spend most of there carrier paying there own way. Everything from, entree fees, logging, travel (car or air), meals, and anything else that comes along with it. When you are chosen or have earned a place on a US Olympic team, you are there to represent the United State of America as both an individual and as a member US Olympic TEAM.

There is one thing I know for a fact and that is once he was a member of the US Olympic team he hasn’t paid for shit. The only thing that has come out of his pocket is time. All of the clothes he wear’s, the skates on his feet the uniform or suit he wears even the titie whites he sleeps in are given to him and paid for by the Olympic committee’s

And yes I know I can’t spell worth shit

Can anyone enlighten me as to why he wants to be viewed as seperate from US Speedskating?

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
There are not very many likeable athletes in this crop of Olympians.[/quote]

DEAD WRONG: I am a huge fan of the sisters on the U.S. Women’s Curling Team. I’d like more interviews with them because they happen to be my cup of tea if you know what i’m saying.

i demand more cassie and jamie johnson. DEMAND.

Fuck gratuity. Why does he need to express anything he doesn’t feel? I certainly couldn’t give two figgedy fucks about the Olympics, especially with some of the numb-nuts we have representing us, but it seems he has expectations on him that shouldn?t be there in the first place. Does he have some responsibility to the rest of the country to make us proud?

Why should one particular athlete be expected to alienate himself so the rest of the country can feel good? I applaud him. If nothing more than to just piss people off.

No one was out on the ice training for his event but him. No one sacrificed but him. He won because he was better (more prepared) than everyone else. I?m sure the people who helped him get where he is today (family, coaches, friends, etc) know it and have already been appreciated.

[quote]10count wrote:
There is one thing I know for a fact and that is once he was a member of the US Olympic team he hasn’t paid for shit. The only thing that has come out of his pocket is time. All of the clothes he wear’s, the skates on his feet the uniform or suit he wears even the titie whites he sleeps in are given to him and paid for by the Olympic committee’s

And yes I know I can’t spell worth shit
[/quote]

95% of this event was determined before he even knew he was going as part of the team. That being said, why should he have to be extra nice because he won? He trained, he sacrificed, he did what was needed to be done to win a gold for the US in that event–all of which was done before he even made the team. So we have ‘our’ (please note my sarcasm) gold–can we just shut up about it. Its over.

[quote]stumpy wrote:
KJ, that was a very good post, you know… for a cunnuck =)
[/quote]

uh…I’m not sure if that’s a flame or a compliment…

Speaking of Canucks, you can apply everything I said to Canada’s obssesion with Hockey.

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
10count wrote:
There is one thing I know for a fact and that is once he was a member of the US Olympic team he hasn’t paid for shit. The only thing that has come out of his pocket is time. All of the clothes he wear’s, the skates on his feet the uniform or suit he wears even the titie whites he sleeps in are given to him and paid for by the Olympic committee’s

And yes I know I can’t spell worth shit

95% of this event was determined before he even knew he was going as part of the team. That being said, why should he have to be extra nice because he won? He trained, he sacrificed, he did what was needed to be done to win a gold for the US in that event–all of which was done before he even made the team. So we have ‘our’ (please note my sarcasm) gold–can we just shut up about it. Its over.[/quote]

I do give the man credit for what he has accomplished, and to get were he is now (standing in the middle of the podium with a gold medal around his neck) come sacrifices like stated before as an athlete we all make sacrifices to achieve are goals.

There is one thing that the athlete’s and the public need to remember and that it’s not a right to represent the USA it’s a privilege. So if you don’t want to represent the red white and blue to it fullest extent, then don’t try out for the team, and if there were no try-out’s and you were invited then don’t except the invitation.

There have been other athletes that have done the same thing. The US super heavy weight (boxing) at the 2000 Olympic Games he told the media that he didn’t care if he won or lost. (Well shit if you don’t care then take your ass home so someone that wants to represent the USA can do so)

The Olympics are/were supposed to be about sport, about competition between athletes, about sportsmanship.

The original founder had great troubles because certain nations, most really, turned them into international dick waving contents.

It doesn’t matter how many medals you win at the Olympics. It doesn’t make you, your athletes or your country “superior”.

As with most things that have been around a while, it seems like this has been blown out of proportion into some mystical honor or duty.

Relax.

[quote]vroom wrote:
The Olympics are/were supposed to be about sport, about competition between athletes, about sportsmanship.

The original founder had great troubles because certain nations, most really, turned them into international dick waving contents.

It doesn’t matter how many medals you win at the Olympics. It doesn’t make you, your athletes or your country “superior”.

As with most things that have been around a while, it seems like this has been blown out of proportion into some mystical honor or duty.

Relax.[/quote]

Found link that on Schuler’s blog; it seemed appropriate to pass it on here. Thought about posting it on the ‘arse’ thread, but I have lost track of it.

It’s a nice story; particularily so when you are Canadian.

-FC

[quote]vroom wrote:
The Olympics are/were supposed to be about sport, about competition between athletes, about sportsmanship.

The original founder had great troubles because certain nations, most really, turned them into international dick waving contents.

It doesn’t matter how many medals you win at the Olympics. It doesn’t make you, your athletes or your country “superior”.

As with most things that have been around a while, it seems like this has been blown out of proportion into some mystical honor or duty.

Relax.[/quote]

I do miss the aura of something special that used to surround Olympic games. It was - at least for me - about honor and duty, not any more.

[quote]karva wrote:
I do miss the aura of something special that used to surround Olympic games. It was - at least for me - about honor and duty, not any more.[/quote]

I find that it’s interesting that in other countries, such as Finland, where you are, Olympians are treated as rockstars, and for the most part here in the U.S. they really aren’t viewed as anything special, except for those few weeks surrounding the games.

[quote]spaceking wrote:
I find that it’s interesting that in other countries, such as Finland, where you are, Olympians are treated as rockstars, and for the most part here in the U.S. they really aren’t viewed as anything special, except for those few weeks surrounding the games.[/quote]

Becasue alot of them are spoiled rich kids that got lucky to have parents willing to pay for their training and move to accomodate their training needs (a la, that downhill skier chick).

The olymics used to be about amateur athletes who compete in sport for the glory of the game. Now it has become a way for athletes to market their own name brands or to gain more sponsorship. I’m not saying sponsorship is a bad thing just that the way they go about getting it seems ass-backward.

When I see Lindsey Kildow getting endorsements for cosmetics when she can’t even complete an event above 5th place then something is wrong.

What is it we are supposed to value about these games?

[quote]spaceking wrote:
karva wrote:
I do miss the aura of something special that used to surround Olympic games. It was - at least for me - about honor and duty, not any more.

I find that it’s interesting that in other countries, such as Finland, where you are, Olympians are treated as rockstars, and for the most part here in the U.S. they really aren’t viewed as anything special, except for those few weeks surrounding the games.[/quote]

Olympic games used to be the most important sporting event. I don’t know why it has changed. I could make a guess and ramble on about cultural changes, globalization, commercialization etc. but I’ll spare you from that. It is an interesting question, though, and following the lead could give one some interesting insights.

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
spaceking wrote:
I find that it’s interesting that in other countries, such as Finland, where you are, Olympians are treated as rockstars, and for the most part here in the U.S. they really aren’t viewed as anything special, except for those few weeks surrounding the games.

Becasue alot of them are spoiled rich kids that got lucky to have parents willing to pay for their training and move to accomodate their training needs (a la, that downhill skier chick).
… [/quote]

Too true.

[quote]trailer36 wrote:
on a side note i have heard some pretty nasty things about melissa stark from guys that went to college with her.[/quote]

I’ll bite. Cough up some details.

The cold war is over. I just want to see the best athletes in the world in their respective events competing against one another, regardless of nationality.

Shani Davis seems like a lot of these sports prodigies in that he was so focused on sports from a young age that he never developed quite the social skills that might be otherwise expected. He doesn’t come across as a bad guy, rather he just hasn’t thought through the larger ramifications of his self presentation.