The Show Before "The Today Show"

That's what I was on on Friday morning. Throughout the Olympics, the local station did cute little segments in which they had people come on to demonstrate the sports of the Winter Games. Through my association with a group trying to form a curling club here, I got to participate in the curling demonstration. This required me to get up at 3:20 am and spend the pre-dawn hours on an outdoor ice rink. The things I do for the love of the game. But I got to meet some other curling enthusiasts and club participants. Here's a clip from our segment. You can see me at the end.

Post-Olympic Observations

1. Even though I was ready for them to be done, I always miss the Olympics for a day or two after they end. It's like at Christmas when I was young, and family members would come over, then they'd all leave. The competitions, the stories, and even the "Canadiana" (as Bob Costas called it) were a constant companion, and then they disappear. You'd think that at least the Today Show would hang around one more morning, to help ease us into the non-Olympic season, but no, they were back in New York (at least during the 3 minutes I saw of the show yesterday).
2. As far as I can tell, every sport got some prime-time attention from NBC - except curling. Now, I realize most people don't consider curling to be a barnburner, and I realize it was on the cable stations every day, but I still think the wider national audience should have been given a taste of the sport. It's no less boring than the bobsled, and that was all over prime time. On Friday, the last end of the mens' gold medal match started just as NBC's prime time coverage began. They could have cut in for the last few shots. If you didn't get to see any curling, here are some highlights from the womens' gold medal match.
   
3. NBC really rode Lindsey Vonn, even after she "only" won medals in two of her five events. I figured they would tone down the coverage of her a bit since she didn't medal in three events, but they did not. During the closing ceremonies, they cut a shot of her every five minutes. It was excessive, and it seemed like they wanted to prove that their pre-Games anointment of her as a star was correct.
   
4. I kind of like hockey, but I'm not a huge follower. I watched the mens' gold medal game, and I can see how it could help the sport among the general population. It made me want to go see an NHL game. I probably won't, but I at least considered it, and I'm sure many others will actually take that step.
5. Three of the last four Olympics (Vancouver, Beijing, and Athens) too place at or near a time when I moved to a new place. The Games are kind of associated in my mind with relocation. That being the case, though, I hope I'm still here when the London Games roll around.
   

Olympic Observations

1. I really wish Canada would win a gold medal, because I'm sick of hearing on NBC about how they've never won one "on their home soil." Sports journalists really sink their teeth into a story and shake it around like a rat terrier, don't they? Plus, they should say "home ice" or "home snow" instead of "home soil." These are the Winter Olympics we're talking about right now, although I realize the no golds thing refers to both the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.

2. I don't like how figure skating is the marquee event of the Winter Olympics. First of all, it's a judged sport, making it inherently inferior to real sports. Second, it's boring. I blame women for its popularity; women also make gymnastics the big sport at the Summer Games and make Democrats win elections (PDF). Boo!

3. Curling starts Tuesday! Curling is my favorite winter sport. In the past, I've had to bum other people's cable TV in order to watch it, but now it will be online. Awesome.