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***Silverwing*** · 07-26-2012, 07:27 PM

They start tomorrow. I'm so excited.

This will be thread to discuss the Olympics as they go on. What's funny is that they start right when I finally finish work and they end just when I go off to college, so the timing is absolutely perfect for me! I say it's a message from the heavens that I'm destined to be glued to the TV watching the Olympics for the rest of my summer.

Empire · 07-26-2012, 08:28 PM

That's pretty much the same situation I'm finding myself in now. Of course, it would be more fun if they didn't mess up my tickets order. Actually being there would have been amazing...
I think the opening ceremony is going to be simply incredible, especially because of the music that I've heard is going to be used - two of my favourite bands, Muse and Delphic. I can see Team GB absolutely running (eh) away with everything related to swimming and, above everything else, the cycling, following Team Sky's dominant display at the Tour de France recently. They utterly annihilated everybody else that bothered to turn up.

I don't think Usain Bolt will do anywhere near as well as he did in Beijing 4 years ago, though. He's ill, even if he's not completely admitting it, and I don't think anybody knows why. I honestly think Yohan Blake is going to win the 100m finals rather than Bolt.

But anyway, definitely looking forwards to it. It's a huge event for the UK, definitely, and they're managing it pretty well.

Mauve · 07-26-2012, 08:55 PM

I don't know why but I just don't think I'm all so hyped about it this time around. I was looking through the scheduled events and I didn't really see much that caught my eye. I think the only sports I'd likely watch would be gymnastics, volleyball and swimming. Anything in those areas but I not much else seems to be entertaining.

Empire · (This post was last modified: 07-26-2012 09:09 PM by Empire.)

Yeah, I still don't understand how beach volleyball made it to the status of Olympic sport. I mean, men must have made the decision.

Obviously.

Khaous · (This post was last modified: 07-26-2012 09:18 PM by Khaous.)

I take offence to that statement! lol jk yeah we men totally bent the rules to get volley ball in the Olympics and if i do say so myself it was worth it. wait what am i talking about i dont even watch the Olympics

turtle · 07-26-2012, 09:18 PM

you guys should watch the water polo part of the olympics

Mauve · 07-26-2012, 11:47 PM

(07-26-2012 09:08 PM)Harvest Wrote: Yeah, I still don't understand how beach volleyball made it to the status of Olympic sport. I mean, men must have made the decision.

Obviously.

It's great to watch, what can I say.

Fizzle · 07-27-2012, 02:48 AM

As exciting as the Olympics are i can tell that great Britain wont do nearly as well as they should, you ask anyone here in England and they will all say stuff like ''yeah we only win medals in the crappy sports sailing etc''
the GB football team looks OK but I know its not going to win anything, we wont win any track events apart from a couple i guess (not like the 100m. our best guy only does above 10 seconds)
At least there's something to watch now on TV and also i don't have to stay up 'till late at night to watch any events.

Empire · (This post was last modified: 07-27-2012 11:54 AM by Empire.)

(07-27-2012 02:48 AM)Fizzle Wrote: ''yeah we only win medals in the crappy sports sailing etc''

Well, it's like the Australians said in Beijing - Team GB only win medals at sports that involve sitting down.

Though, granted, swimming doesn't involve that.

(07-27-2012 02:48 AM)Fizzle Wrote: the GB football team looks OK but I know its not going to win anything, we wont win any track events apart from a couple i guess (not like the 100m. our best guy only does above 10 seconds)

I'm not even interested in football, but I did watch GB VS Senegal yesterday, and even I could tell that we weren't great. What was surprising, though, was watching Japan actually beat Spain. I don't like the sport, but even I know that that isn't right.
As far as track events go, I doubt we'd get any medals in the men's sports. I can see the female side getting a couple, though.

The Derpsparce · 07-27-2012, 06:45 PM

I loved the opening ceremony! Apart from the athlete's parade, they could've gone a bit faster... They are athletes, you know? :P

But I am so hyped now, I wasn't until now. Tried to plan my schedule for watching stuff tomorrow but there's just so much on I think I'll have to watch a lot on catch-up. x3 I'm definitely gonna try and watch the archery though, that's definitely my favourite Olympic sport. I fancy watching the fencing too.

Empire · 07-27-2012, 06:50 PM

Okay, I feel bad for thinking that the opening ceremony was going to be a train wreck. As Derpsparce said, the parade could have gone a little faster (massive respect for the drummers that kept up the tempo pretty much perfectly for the entire hour and a bit), but The Cauldron was just truly beautiful - one flame for each nation taking part? Just lovely.

Fizzle · 07-27-2012, 06:58 PM

I think the way they lit the torches was really smart, the athlete's parade was sooooo slow but most of the stuff was good apart from the rave thing whatever that was.

Empire · 07-27-2012, 07:05 PM

Better than Beijing '08? Yeah.

***Silverwing*** · 07-27-2012, 08:17 PM

It still has yet to air over here. We still have about an hour and a half to go and you best believe that I'm going to be there for the entire 3 hours or however long it's going to take! :D I'm expecting it to outdo Beijing.

And I have two different loyalties: to the US (kind of not fair for other people since a lot of times our athletes are immigrants from other countries lol) and China. Although I'll always root for the US over China. They always win medals all the time too (just stating facts here lol) so I probably find a bigger percentage of the events interesting than most people.

I like watching the water events. Gymnastics and diving is my least favorite because they're too damn subjective and you can't quantify them at all.

Mauve · 07-27-2012, 11:26 PM

I personally didn't like the opening ceremony. I didn't want a history lesson that only got as far as making metal. Then the rave thing, as mentioned was ridiculous. I wasn't a big fan of the thing the NHS did either. Everything was just all over the place for me. Too many things happening at once while nothing at all happened at the same time.

I thought Beijing did a much better job at it, personally. I didn't watch the athlete's parade since I had stuff to do and also don't see much entertainment in sizing up the competition.

I dislike rooting for a certain place over another. I mean, I personally don't care about what country gets the most medals or who represented what. I'm more compelled by specific people who do well and excel in what they do and do it for them, not necessarily for their country.

***Silverwing*** · 07-28-2012, 12:36 AM

Yeah I was disappointed by the opening ceremony. I liked the first part the best but yeah way too much emphasis on the industrial revolution and factories and stuff. The whole social network and pop culture icons and giant baby was like wtf. Beijing was way better IMO, mostly because they seemed way more focused on the entire group coordinated to make one huge picture than individual little things going on (typical Eastern vs. Western culture difference lol).

I'm currently still watching the parade though and I actually think they're going relatively fast.

gbgameboo · 07-28-2012, 12:38 AM

I'm a bit sad that I missed the opening ceremony (y'know, since it apparently took place at 3 am over here), but I've never followed the Olympics too closely anyways. As long as I get to watch some of the events, I'll be fine. Hopefully not too many of them take place while I'm asleep, though.

***Silverwing*** · 07-28-2012, 02:00 AM

I just finished watching all four and a half hours of the opening ceremony and now my brain feels thoroughly fried. The mess in the beginning has been forgiven because of the presence of the Arctic Monkeys. :)

The Derpsparce · 07-28-2012, 05:05 AM

I hate to ask, but did you people from the US understand all the references? One of the commentators here commented that it was very British and wondered if people from other countries completely understood it all. :P

Empire · 07-28-2012, 08:44 AM

I said it at the time, the whole NHS thing and the giant baby was a huge collective 'what the fuck' moment for me. That this was creepy as hell. Sad that I didn't see Muse playing, though - they'd better be running the closing ceremony or I'm chalking the whole games up as a failure.