Fantasy Winter Olympics 2022 - Free to enter. Hard to win

[forestfan]

And we’re on the board at last (well, officially tomorrow or whenever, when the colour is decided…)

[blahblah]

Is anyone else bored with this ice'n'snow fest?

In the olde days there were far more crashes, which really is the point, isn't it?

Hats off to the bod who took out a camera man

[Geoffv]

Is anyone else bored with this ice'n'snow fest?

In the olde days there were far more crashes, which really is the point, isn't it?

Hats off to the bod who took out a camera man

The sad demise of Valieva on the ice this afternoon should have sated your appetite and enthusiasm for crashes

[blahblah]

The tarting about on ice don't really count. Speed skaters taking other racers/team-mates is

[forestfan]

I’ve seen a fair few crashes in the speed skating (even long track), alpine skiing etc… the Brits in bobsleigh… and as for the aerials skiing, if you don’t land on your arse you’re in the minority. The highlights show tends to (mainly) show winners though.

Amazed we never see a curler slip on the ice or trip over a stone… they slide along like their feet are magnetically attached to the rink, while sweeping the crap out of the thing. Looks harder than even getting the stone in the right place.

[blahblah]

Only one shoe is slidy?

Thanks I'm now happily imaging one smashing their face on a stone and dumping a load of teeth and blood on the ice

[forestfan]

Yeah, there’s a grippy one and a slippy one, but surely the grip is relative, they can’t have spikes etc. as it would ruin the ice.

[forestfan]

Mikaela Shiffrin, the Elise Christie of the ski slopes… (the latter has now decided to come back to the short track for ‘26, by the way…)

[blahblah]

Yeah, there’s a grippy one and a slippy one, but surely the grip is relative, they can’t have spikes etc. as it would ruin the ice.

Obviously it is highly technical etc and I couldn't find a single link

The gripper seems to go over the whole shoe and is removed for delivery - the rest is kinda mad and not cheap.

[blahblah]

Mikaela Shiffrin, the Elise Christie of the ski slopes… (the latter has now decided to come back to the short track for ‘26, by the way…)

I think all the Botox in her face could be a hindrance

[murf]

Hats off to the bod who took out a camera man

Winter Olympics: Finland's Jon Sallinen crashes into cameraman on men's halfpipe run - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/winter-olympics/60411732

[Kris_fiso]

At last

[murf]

Poo

[forestfan]

Oop (that’s a reverse of “poo” for the next end…)

[murf]

3rd and 4th ends are clear posts, neither poo nor oop.

[murf]

Nice little oop.

5-5 after 5

[RomynPG]

Cracking shot

[murf]

Cracking shot

Indeed. Cracking game.

[RomynPG]

All square - 11th end - tense stuff.

[forestfan]

Didn’t see the early stones of that final normal-time end but you’d have thought they could keep it “clean” and not offer a chance for 3 in that scenario… when it becomes pinball in the centre you can concede any number, it seems.

[murf]

Oop!


In the (11th) end

[forestfan]

And they do it in extra-time, spared even the pressure of a final stone after the Swedes mess up their last effort. I seem to remember that’s how Rhona Martin’s team did it back in the day, scraping through by the skin of their teeth at every stage…

Curling’s going to get all the winter sports lottery funding for the next cycle. Let’s try and develop some English(/Welsh/Northern Irish) talent as well!

[forestfan]

Curling with snowboarding commentary

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/winter-olympics/60420509

[Arabian Knight]

Unbelievably tense in both the mens and womens semis. Great from both teams. Can’t wait for the finals

[Kris_fiso]

We wait nearly two weeks for one medal and two come in two days

[trampie]

And they do it in extra-time, spared even the pressure of a final stone after the Swedes mess up their last effort. I seem to remember that’s how Rhona Martin’s team did it back in the day, scraping through by the skin of their teeth at every stage…

Curling’s going to get all the winter sports lottery funding for the next cycle. Let’s try and develop some English(/Welsh/Northern Irish) talent as well!

https://twitter.com/English_Curling/sta ... 16TO6nwRKw

Seems like England and Wales have international teams as they played each other in the recent European championships out in Norway, Wales won 9-4.

[unc.si.]

Apparently England are 17th ranked in Mens (Scotland/Great Britain 5th and Wales 29th)
Womens it’s Scotland/GB 8th, England 21st and Wales last (equal 41st alongside some more winter sports powerhouses - Saudi Arabia, US Virgin Islands, Bolivia and Kosovo.)

[forestfan]

Well, good to see some progress south of the border as I remember back when the GB women won 20 years ago and people were emailing (or even writing?) in asking where they could have a go at curling, and there was nowhere in England or Wales at the time.

I remember them saying before that it’s less cost effective use of an ice rink than having skaters and that the ice does need to be specially prepared, so it tends to need dedicated facilities. Though in the case of novices I’d expect it wouldn’t make that much difference whether the ice had been churned up by skaters! Scotland will always have the tradition but it does feel like a winter sport that has more participation potential in the wider UK than most, bar skating.

Anyway, all square with three to play…

[trampie]

Apparently England are 17th ranked in Mens (Scotland/Great Britain 5th and Wales 29th)
Womens it’s Scotland/GB 8th, England 21st and Wales last (equal 41st alongside some more winter sports powerhouses - Saudi Arabia, US Virgin Islands, Bolivia and Kosovo.)

You have to play in ranking events to get points, don't think Wales women played, Wales has only one curling rink apparently yet the men's team beat England in their section of the Europeans to qualify for the play offs and help prevent England from qualifying in the process.
Wales then lost to Spain and England went home, such is life.

[forestfan]

Six Nations of curling, one for a Grandstand revival…