In the past day, I have seen the USOC refer to ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White as Charlie Davis and Meryl White and list their hometowns as those of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. ESPN also said that the London Olympics would be held in 2010. Good job media organizations.
Speaking of the 2012 Olympics, the UK plans on sending 500 athletes. A 377-foot twisting tower will be built next to Olympic Stadium. It will feature a viewing platform and a restaurant near the top.
Bode Miller will decide this summer if he will return to competitive ski racing. He opted to skip the remaining World Cup races held after the Olympics and has been working with disabled veterans that participate in adaptive skiing.
It was confirmed that Bridget Sloan went on a recruiting trip to Georgia. It is also rumored that she went on one to Penn State. I can see her at either of those schools or Utah.
Tony Benshoof's back surgery was successful. Lindsey Vonn will appear in the Law and Order season finale. Caster Semenya's lawyers criticized the Stellenbosch for not letting her run.
An interesting profile on up and coming speedskater Jonathan Kuck can be found here.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Update Time
Caster Semenya publicly announced her return to competition. However, she was denied a spot in the race she intended to enter in Stellenbosch. A gender ruling is expected in June.
At the USA freestyle skiing championships, Hannah Kearney and Joey Discoe won the moguls titles, Jen Hudak and Tucker Perkins won the halfpipe, and Emily Cook and Matt DePeters won aerials. Tyler Jewell and Lindsay Lloyd won the parallel giant slalom while Lloyd and Chris Klug won the parallel slalom.
Hiroshima is considering bidding for the 2020 Olympics.
Troy Dumais (diving), Erin Hamlin (luge), Sanya Richards (track), and Rebecca Soni (swimming) were nominated for Sullivan Awards.
The US women qualified for the field hockey world cup.
The US women's curling team finished fifth at the world championships, their best finish since 2007.
Learn about America's power Judo family here.
At the USA freestyle skiing championships, Hannah Kearney and Joey Discoe won the moguls titles, Jen Hudak and Tucker Perkins won the halfpipe, and Emily Cook and Matt DePeters won aerials. Tyler Jewell and Lindsay Lloyd won the parallel giant slalom while Lloyd and Chris Klug won the parallel slalom.
Hiroshima is considering bidding for the 2020 Olympics.
Troy Dumais (diving), Erin Hamlin (luge), Sanya Richards (track), and Rebecca Soni (swimming) were nominated for Sullivan Awards.
The US women qualified for the field hockey world cup.
The US women's curling team finished fifth at the world championships, their best finish since 2007.
Learn about America's power Judo family here.
News and Notes
Caster Semenya, the 2009 world champion in the women's 800 meters, is hoping to compete in a meet on Tuesday, the first time she will have run since the world championships. Semenya is a the center of a gender controversy after many opponents thought she might be a man due to rapid improvement and muscle definition. The IAAF is still reviewing her gender test results. She is not formally banned from running but has agreed not to compete until test results are released. My opinion: just let the girl run.
Track and Field's Diamond League, a new series of summer meets, begins in May. It has been confirmed that Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt will race each other in Paris in July. Tyson Gay, Kenenisa Bekele, Yelena Isinbayeva, Sanya Richards and Blanka Vlasic have also committed to compete.
It is rumored that Bridget Sloan is making a recruitment visit to Georgia. I can see her as a Gym Dawg.
Top American male luger Tony Benshoof is undergoing spinal surgery for the second time in 15 months. He will make no decisions about his future in racing until after surgery.
Track and Field's Diamond League, a new series of summer meets, begins in May. It has been confirmed that Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt will race each other in Paris in July. Tyson Gay, Kenenisa Bekele, Yelena Isinbayeva, Sanya Richards and Blanka Vlasic have also committed to compete.
It is rumored that Bridget Sloan is making a recruitment visit to Georgia. I can see her as a Gym Dawg.
Top American male luger Tony Benshoof is undergoing spinal surgery for the second time in 15 months. He will make no decisions about his future in racing until after surgery.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Weekend Update (Part 2)
At track cycling world championships, Tara Whitten won the omnium and the points race. Gregory Bauge won the sprint. Simona Krupeckaite won the women's kerin. Edward Clancy won the men's omnium. Taylor Phinney won the men's individual pursuit while Sarah Hammer won the women's. Australia won the men's and women's pursuits along with the women's sprint. Germany won the men's sprint. Teun Mulder won the men's 1K time trial. Alex Rasmussen won the men's scratch race. Anna Meares won the 500-meter time trial and Cameron Meyer won the men's points race.
30 different men notched podium finishes on this year's biathlon world cup circuit, showing the degree of parity in the sport. Dominik Landertinger won the season's final race today. Russian biathlete Olga Medvedtseva, who was stripped of her 2006 Olympic medals following doping violations, retired.
30 different men notched podium finishes on this year's biathlon world cup circuit, showing the degree of parity in the sport. Dominik Landertinger won the season's final race today. Russian biathlete Olga Medvedtseva, who was stripped of her 2006 Olympic medals following doping violations, retired.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Olympics on TV
Watching the NCAA basketball tournament primarily online has further made me see how poor of a job NBC does of covering the Olympics in the US. CBS streams every game live online for free. There coverage also includes legitimate commercial breaks like those seen on TV, not the 30 second spots that are on Hulu.
NBC could easily take this approach to the Olympics and stream everything live online instead of waiting to put their video up until after the event is over. That way, people that really want to see complete events live could.
For the Vancouver Games, CTV and their partner networks broadcast everything live on TV and online. Why NBC still thinks that Americans only have the attention span to watch short packages in primetime featuring American stars is beyond me. For most events, they only showed Americans, foreign winners, and spectacular crashes. It is really quite frustrating.
NBC already has the rights to the 2012 Games, but ESPN will be bidding for 2014. The network has already said that between all of their TV channels and the internet, they will show everything live. They will also put together a packaged show much like NBC's current primetime to be broadcast in primetime on ABC. I really like this solution because it will give people who closely follow the Olympics a chance to see everything live while giving those that do not follow the Games very closely but enjoy them a chance to see the highlights. I hope ESPN's bid is successful.
NBC could easily take this approach to the Olympics and stream everything live online instead of waiting to put their video up until after the event is over. That way, people that really want to see complete events live could.
For the Vancouver Games, CTV and their partner networks broadcast everything live on TV and online. Why NBC still thinks that Americans only have the attention span to watch short packages in primetime featuring American stars is beyond me. For most events, they only showed Americans, foreign winners, and spectacular crashes. It is really quite frustrating.
NBC already has the rights to the 2012 Games, but ESPN will be bidding for 2014. The network has already said that between all of their TV channels and the internet, they will show everything live. They will also put together a packaged show much like NBC's current primetime to be broadcast in primetime on ABC. I really like this solution because it will give people who closely follow the Olympics a chance to see everything live while giving those that do not follow the Games very closely but enjoy them a chance to see the highlights. I hope ESPN's bid is successful.
Weekend Update
Mao Asada won the women's figure skating world title. Kim Yuna came back from her disappointing short program to win the long program and take second overall. Laura Lepisto was third. Mirai Nagasu melted down and finished 11th in the long program and seventh overall. Rachael Flatt was ninth, so the US will again only have two women at next year's world championships. Nagasu is great when there are no expectations on her, but she needs to learn how to hold it together under pressure. I would love to see her as a force in the future, but I have my doubts.
In Jesolo, the US won the women's gymnastics team competition followed by Russia and Italy. Aly Raisman won the all-around, followed by Ksenia Semonova and Vanessa Ferrari. Mackenzie Caquatto was in a position to win, but melted down on floor, falling 3 times and going out of bounds twice. Raisman also won vault and floor while Tatiana Nabieva won bars and Caquatto and Tatiana Solovyeva tied for the beam title. In the junior competition, Russia won the team event followed by Italy and Japan. Anastasia Grishina won the all-around followed by Kyla Ross and Andrea Foti and Erica Fasana. Ross won vault, Grishina won bars, beam, and floor.Grishina received a very high 9.4 E score on bars.
Emil Hegle Svendsen and Magdalena Neuner won the men's and women's biathlon overall world cup titles respectively.
Surplus medical and dental supplies and equipment from the Vancouver Olympics are being donated to Canadian medical teams in Haiti. It's nice to see them being put to a good use.
In Jesolo, the US won the women's gymnastics team competition followed by Russia and Italy. Aly Raisman won the all-around, followed by Ksenia Semonova and Vanessa Ferrari. Mackenzie Caquatto was in a position to win, but melted down on floor, falling 3 times and going out of bounds twice. Raisman also won vault and floor while Tatiana Nabieva won bars and Caquatto and Tatiana Solovyeva tied for the beam title. In the junior competition, Russia won the team event followed by Italy and Japan. Anastasia Grishina won the all-around followed by Kyla Ross and Andrea Foti and Erica Fasana. Ross won vault, Grishina won bars, beam, and floor.Grishina received a very high 9.4 E score on bars.
Emil Hegle Svendsen and Magdalena Neuner won the men's and women's biathlon overall world cup titles respectively.
Surplus medical and dental supplies and equipment from the Vancouver Olympics are being donated to Canadian medical teams in Haiti. It's nice to see them being put to a good use.
A Short Update
I should be back regularly now. In the surprise of the day, Mirai Nagasu is in first place after the short program at figure skating world championships and Kim Yuna is in 7th. Virtue and Moir beat Davis and White ice dancing while Daisuke Takahashi won the men's title and Pang and Tong won pairs.
American tennis player Wayne Odesnik faces a possible lifetime ban for importing HGH to Australia. Though not particularly well known, he might be the best clay-court player in the US.
A Jamaican completed the Iditarod.
Congratulations to Washington University's women's basketball team for winning its fifth national title.
Since Aunt Joyce doesn't think I embed enough You Tube videos, here are a couple.
More detailed blogging will resume tomorrow.
American tennis player Wayne Odesnik faces a possible lifetime ban for importing HGH to Australia. Though not particularly well known, he might be the best clay-court player in the US.
A Jamaican completed the Iditarod.
Congratulations to Washington University's women's basketball team for winning its fifth national title.
Since Aunt Joyce doesn't think I embed enough You Tube videos, here are a couple.
More detailed blogging will resume tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)