The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

The Olympics start in about 6 weeks (February 12th).

I also look forward to the games and cheer unabashedly for the Americans to do well. I especially like the ski jumpers and the biathalon (where they cross-country ski, then shoot guns).

Does anybody else care about these games?

I only care about the sports in which you have a scoreboard or a clock. I can dig hockey or downhill speedskating for those reasons.

I hold great disdain for "sports" (figure skating, for example) in which frikkin' judges give you points for highly subjective notions about beauty or deduct points because the accompanying music wasn't banal enough. So it didn't surprise me a few years ago when there was a scandal involving those judges.

I'm drawn to the speed events like giant slalom and the short track speed skating.  There was a time I would have tried that short track.  A co-worker insists that 'real' sports involve a ball or a substitute for a ball.  Hockey would be a real sport, but skiing, luge, and figure skating are only types of transportation.

Still, I think the Olympics would be more fun if ordinary people could relate to it better.  We'd have to eliminate many of the high-tech features of modern winter competition and resort to a simpler, less structured set of events, something like the Kid Olympics in my childhood.  Our bobsled run started in the Allshouse yard, descended over a couple of bumps through two or three other yards, then plunged into an abandoned apple orchard where the goal was to avoid hitting a tree at high speed.  It was not a timed event.  The 'winner' was the kid who wiped out most spectacularly.

We played ice hockey too, which most often devolved into a brawl on skates, just like its adult counterpart.  But unlike the adult version, there were no referees to separate the combatants, no penalty boxes, and no rules.  Trudging home wet, cold, and bleeding merely hardened our resolve to 'win' the next contest.  And no one ever mentioned the fights to parents because we'd be barred from any further hockey games.

I think your co-worker is too restrictive in his definition of sports.  I go with the definition including a non-subjective winner of an event that involves a human physical activity.  I would include motor sports as more than transportation. Try telling the winner of the Indy 500, Daytona or a Formula One (and many others) race that there was no physical effort required. Pictures I've seen of the America's Cup sailboat races don't have any with the crews relaxing with a drink during the race.  Athletic competition is a subset of sports.

I'm up to see speed skating, hockey, skiing, bobsledding, and watching female figure skaters fall on their butts to the tune of Bizet's Carmen..... the opening/closing ceremonies will be held at B.C. Place Stadium....

Downtown Vancouver including proposed new roof on B.C. Place Stadium for 2011....
(http://www.ziptravel.ro/uploads/documents/vancouver%20stadium(1).jpg)

But I wouldn't be a proper Tulsa soccer guy if I didn't mention at least a couple of local connections to Canuckville.....

Tulsa seemed to be enamored with Vancouver architect Bing Thom, who designed "The Channels"....
(http://static.flickr.com/118/315996774_607b08e192_o.jpg)

....and the River improvements proposed by Kaiser....

On the waterfront: Designer goes with river's flow
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/23/2006  9:12 AM
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=060723_Ne_A21_Desig7205&archive=yes

B.C. Place Stadium first opened in 1983 and hosted Soccer Bowl '83.....

October 10, 1983
Blowing Out The Blizzard
Tulsa won Soccer Bowl '83 with a little assist from the NASL boss
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1121360/index.htm

Soccer Bowl 1983 Tulsa vs. Toronto from B.C. Place Stadium, Vancouver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QubCSWZanEQ

I'm all over curling.

Believe it or not, I watched the hell out of Curling in 02.  Was too busy with other things in 06 to care, but I'm pretty sure curling will be huge this time around given that it's in Nucklehead land.

Just shuffleboard on ice with brooms...  8)

Downhill skiing and ski jumping is what I'm most interested in with the winter olympics.

Curling, hockey, skiing...like them all.  Like watching the women's hockey team because I did meet their best player when she played one game for the Oilers a few seasons ago, if you don't remember here's a reminder.

http://hockey.teamusa.org/athletes/angela-ruggiero

http://www.life.com/image/52079133