yeah so i’m not having a good workday today, read: i can’t seem get my work on. that’s gonna be a problem as i have a lot to do. just can’t settle in…weird.
so we’ve been watching bits and pieces of the olympics like everyone else. and well i dunno, it all seems so forced to me now. i know it’s been like this for a while, with the soft profiles of the athletes that overcome the hardship to be an olpymian, and i guess they’ve even expanded that schitck so that the person doesn’t even have to be good–so long as you have pain in your background–you’re getting a 2 min spot with music and lots of cut/cut/cut imagery–it’s even better if you get last place, adds to the overcoming of the odds to just get to the big show feeling.
is it me or did they invent all sorts of daredevil sports in the last 8 years to make shit more exciting? for what it’s worth, i was living in upstate new york when the winter games were in lake placid, not that i even know where lake placid is, really, but it was a prreeeetah big deal up there when that shit went down. Granted i was in 5th grade and all, but i remember the mascot of the games (which they dont’ do now…hmm) was a wolf, no a racoon, or something and there was a little icon for all the different events. I dont’ remember skeleton, or 18 different short track speed skating symbols. naturally there wasn’t snowboarding then, nor snowboarding cross (wtf?), nor the freestyle skiing crap.
i feel bad for snowboarding. i dont’ think it did any justice having it added to the games. it’s sorta like green day now, don’t you think? when they’re doing soft profiles on shaun palmer and how getting on the team gave his live meaning after he OD’d, i dunno, something just feels wrong. i dunno maybe i’m bitter b/c i remember having to take a test at each mountain before i was allowed to snowboard at it, and some mountains didn’t allow it (FU killington) but i digress.
the important thing is that for all the US’ money, mcdonald’s sponsorship of the team and everything, we fuckig suck, we don’t do well in the actual athletic events anymore, and dont’ even do well in the ‘techonolgy is really the key to winning” events anymore. i’m sure if olympic athletes made ‘mad money’ and had mtv cribs type houses, kids would want to do the sports and we’d do well, but sadly, like in everything, the us had just given up. i’m sure i’m over looking some events were we kick ass, prolly figure skating or something. oh and i guess we ok in speed skating. but man, seems we just blow it all the time. oh well.
ok this is making no sense. so i’ll stop, but i’ll leave you with this…anyone know where i cna learn to do that skeleton thing? i think that might be my calling–i know i’m over simplifying, but it seems like you dont’ really do anything to steer the thing, not like a bobsled at least, and it goes really really fast. how cool is that?
4 responses so far ↓
1 rcg // Feb 23, 2006 at 12:18 pm
You’re too much of a light-weight for the skeleton. The sled would leave you behind. Those guys are 6′/200+. Need I add that the Quebes went gold/silver.
What you want to do is try your hand at curling. You’re allowed to booze between ends and you’re a tidy type, so I think you’d be a good sweeper.
2 Natty // Feb 23, 2006 at 2:37 pm
He does do the vacuuming around here, so why not curling? Just a broom instead. There are mascots for this Olympics- little snowballs or something. You’ll have to look on the Olympic website.
3 Virtually Squared » Blog Archive » SKELETON IN GOOGLE’S CLOSET // Feb 24, 2006 at 8:02 pm
[...] In honor of jefke’s post on the Winter Olympics, I thought I’d treat everyone to a survey of what I know about the sport SKELETON. Which is nothing. Except that it’s the luge backwards, which means, that is, that you do it going forewards. [...]
4 B // Feb 24, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Wow. I had nothing to do with that comment. Pingback? Weird.
I was just going to say that the image of jefke on ice – in ANY sport – is really very funny.
Natty: if this year’s mascot is a snowball, would that make jefke’s a dust ball?