# 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 10, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985 "2014-02-10T17:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/81 "2014-02-17T22:49:04Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > How come I never heard of snowboard motocross until last night? That was awesome. Nothing improves downhill speed snowboarding like big jumps, slushy snow and a lot of traffic. That might be because snowboard cross was first included in the Olympics in the 2006 games, so it hasn’t been around very long. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/82 "2014-02-17T23:11:40Z")
> [@drm](#): > > I don’t know a ton about ice dancing (along with 99.9% of the general population) but it seems like every Olympics provides no real surprise as far as the final results are concerned (they always seem to be chalk). I always found that strange. At least part of the problem is that, as I understand it, everyone is doing the same routines in front of the same judges for years at a time. After a half-dozen international competitions, you pretty much know where you’re going to be in the pecking order barring disaster–and ice dancing doesn’t really have the high-risk jumps and such that cause disasters in the other competitions. So, perhaps more than any other event, I think Ice Dancing is less a complete and independent snapshot of the moment as it is part of a continuum–you’re being compared almost as much by your past performances as you are by the other dancers. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/83 "2014-02-18T00:29:15Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > Looks like Canada vs. USA in the Women’s Hockey final, eh? This should be a great game, but I think Canada has the edge. Some of the CAN women have 18 or 19 career Olympic goals?? Plus, Canadian Women’s Hockey in the Olympics won, what, the last three or four gold medals? They’re kind of like NCAA women’s UConn team! Canada’s won the last three in a row. The USA won in 1998, the first one. I would hesitate to call Canada a favourite here, and I’m Canadian. Yes, they have more experienced players; they also have OLDER players, which isn’t necessarily advantageous. The U.S. national team has won most recent meetings (they did lost to Canada in the prelims but it was a razor close game.) There’s no obvious reason based on actual head-to-head matchups in recent history to think Canada is a clear favourite. It’s also worth noting the USA destroyed Sweden in the semifinal, while Canada had a bit of a battle with Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/84 "2014-02-18T02:37:56Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > So, perhaps more than any other event, I think Ice Dancing is less a complete and independent snapshot of the moment as it is part of a continuum–you’re being compared almost as much by your past performances as you are by the other dancers. Even more so in this case, since they had performed as part of the team competition. I haven’t seen the final performances of any of the teams yet, but the team that won gold blew everyone else away in the team competition imo. The really young Russian skater also blew away her opponents in the team competition, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that influences her scores later if she isn’t quite as good. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/85 "2014-02-18T04:13:35Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Canada’s won the last three in a row. The USA won in 1998, the first one. > > I would hesitate to call Canada a favourite here, and I’m Canadian. Yes, they have more experienced players; they also have OLDER players, which isn’t necessarily advantageous. The U.S. national team has won most recent meetings (they did lost to Canada in the prelims but it was a razor close game.) There’s no obvious reason based on actual head-to-head matchups in recent history to think Canada is a clear favourite. > > It’s also worth noting the USA destroyed Sweden in the semifinal, while Canada had a bit of a battle with Switzerland. The Swiss goalie was astonishing in the 2nd and 3rd periods. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/86 "2014-02-18T04:37:51Z")
I find it amusing that the Czechs and Slovaks are playing against each other in men’s hockey to advance into the playoff round. Is it too late to re-unite the country and just take the best players from each team to move forward? ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/87 "2014-02-18T05:52:39Z")
I’ll admit, I was excited when I saw a “29” in front of the Jamacian bobsled time, knowing that there were 30 sleds in the race. However, it appears that one of the sleds withdrew from the race, so really they were still in last. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/88 "2014-02-18T07:44:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > So far, it does appear the fix is in for ice dancing. The person _who literally invented one of the critical short dance moves_ said the scores given the American and Canadian teams could not be rationally explained. > > It’s high time ice dancing was removed from the Olympics - not because I have anything against it as a sport, but because if they cannot get the judges to stop cheating, it does not belong there at all. The judging in ice dance has been a joke for so long now that it’s clearly a deep institutional problem. Evidence of cheating, other than some obscure comments from a French reporter who could, just maybe, want to be papering over the actual, verified cheating by French judges in 2002 just before the head of the French skating union wants to become head of the International Skating Union? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/89 "2014-02-18T07:46:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Of course my above comment should not be taken as implying that the fix is not also in to ensure Canada wins silver. The Russian team just put on a performance that was effectively flawless and vastly more technically impressive than Canada’s Virtue and Moir, but of course the judges gave the Russian team a substantially lower score - like, not a tiny bit worse, but substantially worse - because, well, they weren’t SUPPOSED to win anything better than bronze. So they won’t, even if the couples that are supposed to win gold and silver actually fling themselves over the boards. The Russians skate further apart than the American and Canadian pairs. They do more side by side skating than the other pairs. Their close-in foot work is not as intricate as the other skaters. So, um, maybe they aren’t as good? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/90 "2014-02-19T00:51:31Z")
Awesome shot in the tiebreaker game for men’s curling. Great Britain had an easy draw in the 10th to force an extra end. Instead, they played a runback double takeout for the win, and made it. Norway is out. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/91 "2014-02-19T03:03:49Z")
I note the women’s curling team for Canada is so far undefeated. What is rather remarkable about this is that Team Canada is actually Team Manitoba. Because of the way Canada selects its teams, the national team is actually a provincial champion that wins the annual Tournament of Hearts. It is, if you think about it, a singularly bizarre system that effectively guarantees Canada will not actually send its very best curlers to the Olympics; it’ll probably send at least one of the best curlers, most likely the best (or close to the best) skip, but it’s a near-certainly better curlers were left at home. It’s very much as if, rather than a committee deciding what players to put on the hockey teams, they instead broke all our hockey players up into provincial teams, had them play one tournament, and sent only the winners, so that all of the men’s team was 23 guys from British Columbia and all the women’s team was 23 women from Quebec, and so we didn’t send Sidney Crosby or Hayley Wickenheiser because their provincial teams didn’t win that tournament. One wonders what might happen if Canada could send more than one team. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/92 "2014-02-19T03:31:51Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What is rather remarkable about this is that Team Canada is actually Team Manitoba. Because of the way Canada selects its teams, the national team is actually a provincial champion that wins the annual Tournament of Hearts. It is, if you think about it, a singularly bizarre system that effectively guarantees Canada will not actually send its very best curlers to the Olympics; it’ll probably send at least one of the best curlers, most likely the best (or close to the best) skip, but it’s a near-certainly better curlers were left at home. From what I’ve heard and read, most countries do something similar. That is, they don’t just find the four best individual curlers and put that team together for the Olympics. Teams stay together and compete, through provincials or regionals or whatever, and that winning team represents the country. The only exceptions I know of (off the top of my head) are the Great Britain men (the announcer today said a new skip was brought in, and the old skip becoming the team’s alternate) and the U.S. women (the skip they beat to qualify for the Olympics was added as their alternate for the games). I’m not sure it would work any better to take the four best individuals and call that your Olympic team. You need to play together for a while, learn each others strengths, where to put the broom, who’s better at guards or takeouts, etc. It is a team sport. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/93 "2014-02-19T04:30:56Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Russians skate further apart than the American and Canadian pairs. They do more side by side skating than the other pairs. Their close-in foot work is not as intricate as the other skaters. So, um, maybe they aren’t as good? I thought the Russians should have been in fourth behind Pechelat & Borzat’s Little Prince number. I thought Ilinyk’s port de bras was surprisingly weak, considering they were making a big deal about the giant ballet Thing (and I know, arms aren’t as important as feet in skating. It just bugged.) I would have scored Chock & Bates higher, too. I would have had them and the Italians ahead of the lower two Russian team and I’m including the Russian team that skated in bleah grey sweaters as lower than Ilinyk & Katsalopov. > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Evidence of cheating, other than some obscure comments from a French reporter who could, just maybe, want to be papering over the actual, verified cheating by French judges in 2002 just before the head of the French skating union wants to become head of the International Skating Union? LOL - really, the French should not be the ones throwing stones in this area. I don’t put too much in Petri Kokko’s comments about the Finn Step and the scoring. He’s just one guy after, all, and the Fin step was a 38 second section of a four minute piece. If we check the tapes, you can see Scott Moir making balance checks on his twizzles. Nobody’s perfect, even the Canadians. Davis & White have been beating Virtue & Moir consistently for two years straight. It doesn’t speak well of V&M to act like the only way it could happen is if someone cheated. They’ve moved on to to blaming their coach now too. It’s really sad. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/94 "2014-02-19T16:11:11Z")
This just in… [SPOILER]Men’s ice hockey quarter-final: Finland 3, Russia 1 Russia’s men’s ice hockey team is out of the medals. Hoperfully, Putin doesn’t try to deflect from this by “offering his opinion” on what is going on in Kiev…[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/95 "2014-02-19T17:39:30Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Awesome shot in the tiebreaker game for men’s curling. Great Britain had an easy draw in the 10th to force an extra end. Instead, they played a runback double takeout for the win, and made it. Norway is out. Yeah, I think they hammered the hack line with just enough peel to properly complete their hogged stone. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/96 "2014-02-19T17:57:43Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Yeah, I think they hammered the hack line with just enough peel to properly complete their hogged stone. Not a command or macro [Abort, Retry, Ignore]? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/97 "2014-02-19T19:05:09Z")
Any Canadians finding it a little difficult to breathe right about now? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/98 "2014-02-19T19:35:48Z")
Yup. That was way too close for comfort. I’m afraid of the game against the US. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/99 "2014-02-19T19:50:33Z")
It’s a shame that they don’t reseed the tournament for the semi-finals. I get why Russia wanted the US and Canada on the other side of the bracket, but it looks as if the two best teams are not able to meet in the final and one will have to settle for a bronze at best. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985/100 "2014-02-19T20:30:19Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > It’s a shame that they don’t reseed the tournament for the semi-finals. I get why Russia wanted the US and Canada on the other side of the bracket, but it looks as if the two best teams are not able to meet in the final and one will have to settle for a bronze at best. I assume you’re talking about men’s hockey, but I don’t understand this. On what basis would you reseed? The quarterfinals were all won by the higher-seeded team, so the semis will match seeds 1-4. Sweden gets the number 1 seed because it’s the only team that won all its games in regulation. Finland gets number 4 because it’s the only one of the four with a loss. Usually if you talk about reseeding it’s because a low seed wins somewhere, but that didn’t happen in the quarterfinals. (Remember that Finland was a higher seed than Russia, because it won two games in regulation and Russia only won one.) And is it clear that Canada and the US are the two best teams remaining? They may well be, but I wouldn’t bet a lot of money on it. The Finns beat the Russians relatively decisively after all, while the US would probably have lost to Russia if not for what somebody described as an “absolutely accurate but completely unfair ruling” regarding the called-back goal. And Canada, of course, barely beat Latvia… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-sochi-olympic-winter-games/680985.md?page=6)