I thought we might all be interested in having a topic to talk about some of the spectacular stories bound to happen in this years Olympic in China. I don't have much to start it off but will add more as I have time to add highlights. I hope others can add great stories and highlights we should watch. I hope you all saw the opening ceremony. The drummers, the lights, fireworks, the size of the spectacle is one of the best opening ceremonies I can remember. China has always been big on pageantry and they seemed to pull out all the stops. So if you see a story, or hear about USA Olympic stories that shouldn't be missed please post them. I will try to post highlights as I can too.
David
Official Site of the 2008 Summer Olympics
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
TV Coverage
http://www.nbcolympics.com/
Results Information
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml
If someone has a list of 2008 Olympic athletes from Kansas I would appreciate it if you would post it. I thought it would be quick and easy to find in an easy to read\post format. I have not found it yet.
David
Did you notice the contrast of China's flag bearer and the little boy that survived the earthquake. The flagbearer was the 7 and a half foot basketball player that plays for the Houston Rockets and the little boy was nine years old. Quite a difference. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the little boy when they reached their spot on the field, out there among all those big people. I saw him later, in the arms of the basketball player up where he could see as well as anyone.
I certainly have a better opinion of China after watching the opening ceremony. So many people and such synchronization. It must have taken an immense amount of practice to be that perfect.
David, KSN TV did a short on that on Thursday, you may be able to find it on their website. Most athletes from Kansas colleges are making their Olympic appearance for another country.
Thanks SDM I'll check KSN TV to see what I can post. I figured there would be some baseball and track athletes from Kansas.
David
Kansans to watch in the Olympics.
http://www.ksn.com/news/local/26457889.html
Story Updated: Aug 8, 2008 at 11:19 PM CDT
WICHITA, KS, August 8, 2008 --The world is watching and so are Kansans as many of our own begin competing in the 2008 Olympic Games.
Multimedia
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Watch The Video
There are eight Kansas on the US team, 3 are competing for other countries.
A last second dive across the finish line and Pawnee County's Christian Smith was in the Olympics.
"I knew it was possible, but to actually do it was just unbelievable," said Smith after the Olympic trials in July.
The only native Kansan on the US team Smith was a track star for Pawnee Heights High and now he takes his talents and pure desire to the world stage.
"Some people are saying we need to put a sign up as you come into Burdette and Rozel that this is the boyhood home of Christian Smith: Olympian," said Lee Musil a family friend.
Western Kansas can also claim Daniel Cormier a former wrestler for Colby Community College.
Beijing will be his second Olympics. He came very close to medaling in Athens when he placed 4th.
Wrestling on the US women's team: Randi Miller who began her wrestling career at Neosho County Community College.
Suiting up for the US on the baseball team: Terry Tiffee who played for Pratt Community College and the Liberal Bee Jay's in the NBC tournament, a team his father in law now coaches.
"The Olympics has always been very important to me anyway for what it means and not only for my country but the sport to have somebody you're related to play in it," said Galen McSpadden, Tiffee's father-in-law.
Barton County's Tyson Gay will run the 100 meters, he was the favorite for the gold in the 200 meters until was injured in the US trials.
Another Barton Country trackster: Hyleas Fountain will compete in the Heptathlon. She made big headlines in July when she broke three of Jackie Joyner-Kersee's records at the Olympic trials.
Jayhawk assistant coach Aarik Wilson will be competing in the triple jump.
In the decathlon, watch for K-state coach Tom Pappas. This will be his third, and at age 31 likely last chance at a medal.
"Gold would be nice, but if I'm just one of those top three spots to stand on the podium," said Pappas.
Also in the decathlon and also from K-state: Darius Draudvila, only he's on the Lithuania team.
For the Canadians, watch for Jayhawk Scott Russell throwing the javelin and KU's Nickesha Anderson will run for Jamaica in the 400 relay.
Additional Kansans
Brian Duensing\Baseball
Born: February 22, 1983
Hometown: Marysville, KS (lives now in another state)
Thanks for posting this David! Just watched Phelps in an awesome race! U S A! U S A!
Alright I am missing some good stuff. Video's of full opening ceremony already deleted off google. I missed the Phelps win. Have to get off computer and turn on TV to watch the coverage. More news later.
David
I saw Phelps win and watched the US vs China in basketball this morning...headed back to watch more now. Did they do something hinkey with our National Anthem last night? It didn't sound right.
I heard the National Anthem played when the 3 American women swept the Womens Sabre Fencing and won the first 3 medals for the United States. The National Anthem sounded really good. I think the American girl that won the gold was only 19. The tear running down her cheek, her singing the words, the flag, the National Anthem boy I had a warm rush of feelings and pride.
David
Slight correction. The gold medal winner was 23, silver medal was 25, and the bronze medal winner was 18.
When Phelps got his medal they quit playing the National Anthem before they got to the end of it.
For my fellow gun enthusiasts. Shooting Sports Results link.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/shooting/
Day 3 of the Olympics features another gold-medal attempt from Michael Phelps. This one comes in an event he set a new world record in last year, the 200-meter freestyle, and one he won bronze in at the Athens games. And a pair of Americans, Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Peirsol, are the favorites in the 100-meter backstroke finals. Also, the men's team final in gymnastics concludes, and volleyball legends Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are in action.
Ok, I just love to watch Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh play sand volleyball. But I have a question, what is on Kerri Walsh's shoulder, the black stuff? Is it a tattoo or what??
This is a quote from a web site:
Many thought that Kerry Walsh carries a tattoo on her shoulder, but it's not. Kerry Walsh has, what is called a Kinesio Tape. The taping is done to increase blood flow through the muscles.
i know it was a wierd looking tape and theyt were saying something about it being in her head like it she thinks it helps her or something ??? i dont know .... but um did you hear she lost her wedding band that was crazy ordeal i guess ??? :o
Heather, I think that volunteers combed the sand and found her ring. She was so happy to have it returned! These are indeed some great olympics! ;) ;)
I saw the clip when the volunteer returned her wedding ring. She thanked him, and gave him some things with autographs on them. She made the comment that her husband would stay married to her now. I thought that was funny!!
Kerry had surgery on that shoulder and the tape is to help support it a little extra..She said her head thinks it helps, so she doesn't worry about it.
Funny... I thought it was her ENGAGMENT ring, and she said her fiance would STILL marry her now! ;D I'm surprised she actually played with it on, though. After that, she had it taped up on her finger. Hey, everyone has their "superstitions"... even some of the local HS girls won't wash their socks after a win!
That is probably what she said Tobina, I wasn't watching exactly, just kinda. You know with kids, you don't really get to watch the whole T.V. program. !!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
How about the commercials!? The Nike commercial w/ Morgan Freeman narrating and ends with "Go World". I love it. I am definately cheering on the USA but love what the Olympics bring to world wide relations.
The video of China are stunning. It really is mind boggling to think about the age of that civilization and culture.
DW
Psst... Dave... it's VISA. Sponsor of the 2008 Olympics, and only card accepted there.
Man, I think I watch too much TV. But I'm like a sponge and take EVERYTHING in. I'm kind of a commercial freak, too. No comments from the peanut section, please.
If you're not a fan of gymnastics or swimming, you'd best skip tonight's coverage. That's because NBC's cameras will be trained on Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin as they try to lead the U.S. to the women's team gold. Cheng Fei anchors a strong Chinese squad. And more attention is rained on Michael Phelps as he goes for gold in two events he holds world records in, the 200-meter butterfly and 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
DNA
Here's my 2 cents on the Olympics:
Late-Night Jokes about the 2008 Beijing Olympics
"The big news from China is that the adorable little girl who sang the National Anthem for the opening ceremony was lip-syncing. This is outrageous. If you can't trust an oppressive, totalitarian dictatorship..." --Craig Ferguson
"China is getting ready for the Olympics. The official motto for the Olympics is 'One World, One Dream.' Restrictions Apply. Tibet Not Included." --Jay Leno
"There's excitement in the air over the Olympics...also lead, arsenic, benzene." --David Letterman
"Beijing skies are so polluted that Chinese authorities are planning emergency measures for the Olympics. For example, protesters will now only be run over with hybrid tanks." --Jay Leno
"Now you think I'm exaggerating, but they had a practice today in Beijing for the Olympics and a javelin thrower threw the javelin up into the air and it stuck." --David Letterman
"The government of China announced that it will ban restaurants from serving dog meat during the Olympics. Which gives new meaning to the phrase, 'Hello Kitty.'" --Conan O'Brien
"President Bush arrived in Beijing earlier today. And before stepping out of the plane, he tested the air with a canary. But they got together, the Chinese, and threw a big state dinner for President Bush in his honor. They served Peking lame duck. And President Bush, he doesn't know what he's doing over there. He turned to the president of China, and he said, 'General Tso, I love your chicken.'" --David Letterman
"China has announced that during the Olympics, protesters will be allowed to assemble in designated protest areas. Yeah. Or, as they're commonly called in China, jails." --Conan O'Brien
"China is getting ready for the Olympics. The skies over Beijing are very smoggy. The government says the pollution is just a harmless mist. The made a similar statement about the treatment of prisoners - it's not torture, it's Pilates." --Craig Ferguson
"Today in Beijing, a small group of demonstrators gathered to protest China's repressive government. Funeral services will be held on Friday." --Conan O'Brien
"Everybody going to the Olympics is concerned about the air quality in China. There is a lot of smog. Friends over there tell me that the air in China looks like the air in Willie Nelson's tour bus." --David Letterman
"The Olympics start the Friday after next -- pollution permitting. For some reason, they're having them in Beijing, which means the Chinese government right now is very hard at work trying to cover up all the horrible things about their country . It's like when your mom comes to visit your dorm room." --Jimmy Kimmel
"The United States Olympic bicycle team got off the plane yesterday wearing air filter masks on their faces. They're the same masks that kids have to wear when they play with Chinese-made toys." --David Letterman
"An Ethiopian runner has dropped out of the Olympics because he thinks the pollution could damage his health. He said the air has made him so sick, he can barely not eat." --Conan O'Brien
"China has announced that they're shutting down several of their largest factories for the rest of the summer -- so that there will be less pollution for the Olympics. Chinese officials say: 'Sorry, but for the next few months, you're going to have to buy your lead-coated toys somewhere else." --Conan O'Brien
"China is upset because somebody leaked a video of the rehearsal for the Olympics Opening Ceremony on the Internet. I don't want to give away too much, but it ends with the lighting of a torch." --Conan O'Brien
"President Bush will be in China for the Olympics. He's gonna be there for the opening ceremonies, and also, while he's there, he will be searching for 'Lo Mein of Mass Destruction.'" --David Letterman
"But I think the U.S. is going to do well, particularly in swimming, I think we have a very strong swimming time this year for the Olympics, yeah, that's right. Dick Cheney in particular looks great in the freestyle waterboarding." --David Letterman
"Yesterday, President Bush gave the U.S. Olympic team a rousing send-off to the Olympics. Again, I don't think President Bush is that up on geography. Like he told the athletes to get there a couple of days early to acclimate themselves to the fact that China is upside-down" --Jay Leno
"And China says it will ban entertainers they deem a threat to the government from taking part in any activities during the Olympics. You make fun of the government, you'll be banned from the Olympics, to which Bush said, "You can do that?" --Jay Leno
"And human rights activists have sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to raise human rights issues with the Chinese government during the Olympics. Unfortunately, they also sent a letter to the Chinese government asking them to bring up human rights issues with President Bush. So, it's pretty much a wash." --Jay Leno
"The government of China has banned restaurants from serving dog meat during the Olympics. This is particularly bad news for the popular Chinese fast food chain, 'McDachsunds.' --Conan O'Brien
We just watched Phelps get his eigth gold medal and Torres get another silver at the age of 41. She has been a great team member in this olympics.
I saw this little story on the Olympics tonight. It caught me off guard and I had to write it down on the back of an envelope. There may be some misspellings but the story is what I could capture after the fact on the back of an envelope. I hope you all find it as compelling as I do.
The story is known as "Ping Pong Diplomacy" and occurred in the early 1970's. Glenn Cowen was a top USA table tennis player. During the World Table Tennis championships leading up to the Olympic Glenn missed his bus to the tournament. He jumped on the Chinese team bus to get him to the tournament. During this time the relations between China and the US were contentious at best. Chairman Moa's ban on contact with the West was in full effect and all Chinese athletes were forbidden to have contact with American athletes. While on the Chinese bus Cowen was ignored by the Chinese athletes. Finally Zhuang Zhe Dong the world champion of table tennis ignored Chairmain Moa's orders and engaged Cowen in conversation and gave him a beautiful silk tapestry of the Hangchow Mountains. Cowen in surprise searched his bag and returned the favor by giving him a T-shirt that said "Let it Be" an indication of the 70's in America that those of us will remember from those times well. This exchange prompted a media explosion heard all over the world. Top Chinese officials heard of this exchange through the media and unexpectedly decided to capitalize on the event . Eventually Glenn Cowen was asked to meet personally with Premier Cho En-Lai of China. During this time Chinese and American officials had no real contact. It is said that this small event was the catalyst for renewed contact and diplomatic relations between the USA and China. The story had commentary by Henry Kissenger stating that this event led to China, a long closed society, opening up to Western society and new diplomatic relations between the two countries. This is a heartwarming story of the power of how sports and individuals can turn a small encounter into a worldwide statement of our similarities and promote peace.
David
Phelps, 8 gold medal in one Olympics. Most total medals. Many world records. Expected but still an astonishing accomplishment. No need to day a lot . Spectacular Achievement
David
Also 8 gold medals, Olympics started 8/8/08, happened in China were 8 is the most special number.
OK George W's girls won the gold medal. Nothing like a swat on the ass by the President for good luck to work that beach volleyball mojo into a Gold Medal. Good job Misti and Kari. You two are by far the best in the world.
(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/09/beachvolleyball2.jpg)
Yeah for USA Beach volleyball! Close sets but they still won in 2!
In other news, Lolo Jones, from IA, stumbled over a hurdle in the 100M hurdles and lost. She was a favorite for gold. But that allowed another US runner to get it!
Also, in the mens 200M, 2 guys were disqualified for running out of their lanes, including one USA guy. So it actually allowed the 5th place runner from the US, Dix, to get Bronze. He said, "I still lost".
BMX was last night, but I missed it. That's an interesting addition to the games.
Tobina,
I think the BMX got rained out.........If I remember right they plan on running it today if rain stopped.
Hate to say this, but after all this time of watching the games each and every night, I am ready for something else.
I am very proud to be an American and of what each and every American has done.
Whether it is gold or silver or bronze,, or just the fact they got to participate.........it has been
a good show.
I was so afraid that something bad would happen ( I know it isn't over, yet) but attitude seems to be so good......I am just so proud....
God bless America and all who are part of this.
Judy; I know. I get tired of the same "popular" sports. I'd like to see coverage of some of the other ones, too. Even just to learn more about them. And even if the US isn't in the top.
Maybe I'm just a softie, but it's hard not to get stirred up when they play the National Anthem and you see the look on the gold medalist faces.
It is so hard to imagine working so long for such a goal. I cannot imagine the disappointment of the American hurdler that hit the next to last hurdle while in the lead for the gold. When I played sports there was always next week, next season, etc.... But for these people it like a one time shot. Very difficult to handle the emotional side, both high and low!!