The Olympics, and New England (both military related)
First off, am I the only one watching them? I am totally stoked for the Winter Olympics. My brother used to be a skeleton guy, and as a kid I always dreamed of being Eric Heiden. Dude is the toughest man ever in my opinion. Anyway, I am up until midnight almost every night. Frankly I wish the roof would cave in on the figure skating and they postponned all those events, but I love almost every other sport.
Anyway, I wanted to bring up two athletes. The first I was talking to my Dad about, since all Maine television is apparently running non-stop stories on. His name is Seth Wescott, and he won the gold in Men’s Snowboard Cross yesterday. That shit was pretty cool to be honest. Anyway, Seth apparently lives just down the road from my dad, in fact apparently owns a bew pub there, where I will happily imbibe next visit. But, I went to his website at the Olympics page, and wanted to share this vignette from there.
Prior to the 2006 Games, Seth and his father, Jim, had discussed bringing the military service flag from the funeral of Seth’s grandfather, a World War II veteran who had died when Wescott was in sixth grade. The hope was that if he did well, he could celebrate with his grandfather’s flag – “a matter of pride” to his father, Seth explains. The problem was that Jim was seated in the upper bleachers and had trouble convincing security to let him near the race area. And in a moment of determination, Jim (“about the least rebellious person I’ve ever known in my life,” Seth admits) made a run past security, hurdled a barricade and plowed through a mob to bring his son the flag. “I know that for him, it was maybe the proudest moment that he’ll have in his life,” Seth says. “And he’s expressed that to me. So I think that for him that I could honor his father in that way, at that moment. It was a really powerful thing for the both of us.”
Seth runs THE RACK BBQ, at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The second guy is Jonathan Quick, goalie of the US Hockey team. Now, I will be honest, I probably won’t watch the hockey games. Frankly, I liked it when it was amateurs. I’ll never forget where I was when the miracle happened. Either way, I bring up Jonathan Quick because he and I attended the same college for a small time, the communist enclave of UMASS Amherst. You could bring your dog or martini’s to class, but God forgive you try to espouse any pro-military feelings. It was basically PCU. Which is why when Brown Neck Gaitor alerted me to the fact that Quick is trying to wear this patch on his helmet, it made me feel so good.
BNG titled his post “How do you feel about “Go Fook Yourself” as a slogan?” which is the closest BNG has ever come to swearing when not discussing something IT related. Naturally the IOC won’t let Quick wear that.
Anyway, I also know that like 7 of the olympians are US Army, including a guy the other day who did well in Biathalon (I think 10th.) so far for sheer excitement, nothing beats the ski jumping/X-country skiing thing that the American lost in the final foot the other day. That was amazing competition. Anyway, anyone else watching?
Looks like the US will lose curling today. Just wait until 4 years from now when Caro is out there. She is required to wear a helmet of course, on account of not being…..overly graceful. But she will be awesome!
Category: Politics
You bet I’m watching, I love the winter games including curling. I, like you, could care less about figure skating or ice dancing but I love the rest, particularly REAL racing like short track speed skating with all of the passing and bumping along with bordercross. I heard they’re doing the same race on ski’s too…..
You’re gonna have to drop me a line to the name/location of that brew pub. Sounds like a worthy destination for a road trip some Saturday.
Yeah, TSO…I’m watching. 1980 was a hell of an Olympic Year. Heiden and the Hockey team were IT…and then some of the hockey team guys played for the Nighthawks. It was awesome!!
Eric Heiden was my idol…and now we looove Ohno. We like the skiing stuff, and will watch skating when forced…ahem.
Hockey was better with the miracle style of play for sure.
Kinda like the former Whalers, now Hurricanes… when they won the Stanley…shoulda kept Laviolette.
When I first saw the story about the helmet at Ace, I thought “What the Hell is political about supporting the troops?” Nationalistic, perhaps, but political? Really? Does that mean the troops only fight for Republicans?
I saw that Alan Colmes commented on the helmet, and I guess that’s what it means;
If you think this is patriotic because our troops are believed to be standing up for our Constitution and way of life, including the right to free speech, then you’d also have to support signage that says the opposite of that. Would it be okay to say, “Don’t support our troops”? How about, “Bring the troops home, now!”?
I thought “support our troops” was supposed to mean that you appreciate the job they do, that just by serving, they make this country strong and prosperous. But, apparently, the troops are just the military force the Republicans lend to the Democrats when they occupy the White House.
I think that you can draw of support for the winter Olympics along party lines. As evidence I submit the following:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2010/02/13/flashback-gumbel-lack-blacks-makes-winter-olympics-look-gop-convention
I love the winter games better than the summer games, I have ever since I played hockey growing up. What put the lit the winter couldren for me was watching the opening cerimonies in Nagano from the rec-center at FT. Irwin during NTC ’02.
I also liked the US hockey team when they were all amateurs too.
Jonn, I also could not figure out how “support our troops” is political. Still can’t despite Colmes attempt at an explaination.
TSO, you know I am watching. I spent the Torino Olympic winter in Calgary, I learned the details of Curling (it was on 3 channels) and went to check out the Calgary Curling Club “To provide a world class facility and resources to promote participation and excellence of curling in Calgary”
Mrs. BNG was trying trip me up last night when she said, “You know, I love ice dancing even more than pairs, don’t you?”
Except for keeping count of the couples taking tumbles last night, I HATE Ice Skating. Look, the couple falls down and still gets 2nd and the commentators are like, “huh?”. It is not a sport.
Go faster, go farther or slide a rock (while holding a beer) on ice better. Those are sports.
IronKnight,
I know they are exceptions, but the US has at least one. He is a speed skater. And Germany has a African-German (I guess that is the PC term) who skates Pairs.
After Eric Heiden retired in 1980 with 5 gold medals in speed skating, he returned to his first love, bicycle racing. I had the chance to bump elbows with him on several occasions. They used to call him “Gomer” ‘cuz he was so strong he would just snap components off his bike, like cranksets, pedals, wheels, etc. He was a great competitor, not stuck up in the least, always rode fair. True sportsman.
The winter sports seem much more dangerous than summer sports in general. My favorite – the downhill. Those guys are nuts to fling themselves straight down an icy mountain. But I like the Winter Olympics so much, I even watch figure skating, once every four years. They’re all amazing athletes.
As BNG can attest, I never miss the Tour de France either, and only because I followed Heiden over to it.
And now the man is a doctor. And apparently very very approachable lke you said Joe.
Downhill, the closest thing in the civilized world to a kamikaze. Man, it takes huge ones to strap on a couple pieces of plastic and basically close your eyes and say, let er rip.
“so far for sheer excitement, nothing beats the ski jumping/X-country skiing thing that the American lost in the final foot the other day. That was amazing competition. ”
Yeah, the race part of nordic combined was amazing. My fiancee said “I cannot believe that this is as exciting as it is.” We were shouting at our TV.
Eric Heiden is now the team doctor for the speedskaters.
TSO,
Mike Kohn – you may or may not know – he was/is a member of C Co. 3-116th INF and is on the US Bobsled Team. Came to drill a couple of times in 2003 to meet the obligations to stay in the Guard. Decent guy – huge.
1SG DB
I had one guy attached to me on paper in Chuck company that was back in like 98 or 99, but I forget that dudes name. Never met him, but he was also a bobsledder.
My jackass brother that you met on my 30th Birfday was a Skeleton guy.
Same dude. He joined C Co in 99. His name is Mike Kohn. There you go, mystery solved, you’re welcome.
Saw this on Fox News the other day, but haven’t had a chance to post about it. John Napier is also a bobsled guy. I hopes to join his unit in Afghanistan (not Iraq like the lede says) when he’s done being an athlete. He says he’s a soldier first, and then an athlete.
Hey TSO, can you remember watching other olympics in your “younger” years?
TSO you should be nicer to me on account I was still a twinkle in my daddy’s eye when the US had the miracle hockey team!
Action Figure Alert!
http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/sports/images/miscellaneous/sl-heiden.JPG
*** ERIC HEIDEN Speed Skating Champion – 1998 “Legendary Beginnings” Starting Lineup Figure, mint on gem mint card! $7.00
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We too are enjoying the Winter Olympics. Summer games pale in comparison with no razor sharp blades or injury of death potential. However, I am upset Shandi Davis refused to look at the American flag for most of his gold medal ceremony and while his website has a post that Olympic code states athletes compete for themselves and not their nation, I find his — If it’s good enough for Tiger Woods, it’s good enough for me — “I’m Buddhist” so I can’t salute the American flag with my hand over my heart Facebook excuse cowardly. What a contrast in the video with his teammate standing on the Bronze podium honoring the flag and singing his heart out. (Bode might have been chewing gum but he took off his hat.) Well, Shandi did put his lot in with an ACLU lawsuit, and comes from Barack Hussein Obama II’s Hyde Park, IL neighborhood. Just admit you’re a Marxist already.