Anyone Watching the Winter Olympics?

[klunderbunker]

I haven't seen much of them yet but the scenery is always awesome and the hockey is entertaining. Granted not as entertaining as a Russian curler getting busted for doping. Anyone watching? Any favorite events?

[Spidercanrana]

My friends love Evgenia Medvedeva, an ice skater. Watched her perform a week or so ago and it was pretty awesome. Has a reputation for being an anime lover, so there's that too. Kinda keeping up with the ice skating bits because my friends are into that.

[Барбоса]

I have been watching quite a bit of it, although there is a significant part of winter sports which don't do it for me, specifically the subjective scoring events.

Sure, the snowboard slope style etc. can be spectacular and the figure skating can be wonderful but they are all so technical and full of jargon that only if you are an actual expert in that discipline will have you a lue what is going on.

[Yaz]

I'm with Barbs, I try to enjoy it but the subjective and questionable judging kind of ruins it for me. The NHL not allowing players to play for their national teams kind of ruined hockey for me, guess I'm just kinda petty like that. I kind of love/hate that the games this year have been more political than in the past though.

[Барбоса]

When even the likes of Christopher Dean, who is the most high-profile figure skater in Britain says that the sport is too complicated for the ordinary viewer to understand the scoring and necessary moves, you know something is wrong.

I am also shocked by how long it has taken for the snowboard/ski cross events to take off. They are actual races rather than time trials. Sure, they can be a bit of a mess and a total free-for-all but they are more fun and easier to understand than 90% of the other events.

[Yaz]

During the '06 games I remember my German teacher started the day off one morning asking if anyone had watched any of the games, few of us said yeah. She went on a long winded rant about Lindsey Jacobellis and how she got cocky and tried hot dogging and it cost her a gold medal. Most I had heard anyone really talk about snowboarding outside of Shaun White.

Speaking of, I'm a bit upset that some media outlets are trying to paint this year as his redemption story after the sexual assault allegations a couple years back.

[Барбоса]

Well, Shaun White's redemption in terms of the Olympics is more to do with him being shafted out of a medal in Sochi through questionable judging.

[#AbsoluteUnit]

Just the hockey events.

[Storm Trooper]

Curling is the greatest sport in the world for 2 weeks every 4 years and must be watched whenever it is on. Then we all forget about it.

I'll also watch the Hockey if it's on. Other than that I'm not really bothering. Working overnight and being nocturnal it would actually help my Olympic viewing as they air some live stuff in the overnight, but it's meh.