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The official Olympic Summer Games 2004 thread (pg. 10)
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| starsearcher |
Yup...just like Desidel said it...
And just another thing...there was a Japanese swimmer that won a medal or two already and he trains in....WATERLOO!!! Japan was never big in swimming but look at them this year :) |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by starsearcher
Yup...just like Desidel said it...
And just another thing...there was a Japanese swimmer that won a medal or two already and he trains in....WATERLOO!!! Japan was never big in swimming but look at them this year :) |
yeah a lotta out athletes are forced to train in the states as well because they lack the funding here.. infact many athletes around the world do this
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| starsearcher |
| quote: | Originally posted by dEsidEL
yeah a lotta out athletes are forced to train in the states as well because they lack the funding here.. infact many athletes around the world do this
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Indeed...and not cause of lack of funding really but more like there's much more opportunites abroad. For example...you can get a full scholarship to an amazing school in the US - but it's all private there and very expensive, however if youre an athlete you'll be in heaven.
The thing is our own system and our own coaches seem to be below world class level because when it comes to perform for our country they kinda fall flat. And the Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury even said it himself, together with past swimmers that the preparation of athletes for these games was done all wrong cause none of them seemed to perform well at all. So again, not necessarily an athelete's fault at all ;)
*EDIT*
But what pisses me off the most is when they say on CBC - oh here is our Canadian athlete...they are the best, they are guaranteed a medal and BAM they fail. Then comes some Chinese athlete and they say...this athlete is okay but they are really not expected to get any medals or be a condender...and guess what...they end up on the podium...seriously STOP WITH THE STUPID BS!!! :whip: |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: |
Aug. 20, 2004. 01:00 AM
No more Mr. Nice Guy
It's time Canada learned a few lessons from our southern neighbours about a winning attitude
ROSIE DIMANNO
ATHENS—Canadians are gracious in defeat.
Perhaps that's the problem.
It's our national character, to be modest and self-effacing, nice people, international peacekeepers, not a hostile bone in our bodies.
We are the Miss Congeniality of the world.
But that doesn't translate well into the arena of sports competition. It predisposes us, mentally, to losing.
It's no surprise that flag-bearer Nicolas Gill will return home without a medal from the XXVIII Olympic Games. He's 32, beyond his prime as a judoka, and competing on a recently reconstructed knee. Gill is a gallant sportsman. But elimination in his opening round, against an opponent who'd never beaten him before, on an abrupt ippon, is significantly disappointing.
There's been a lot of that here thus far — disappointments. The issue is not that Canadian athletes are failing to win medals; it's that they're failing even to match personal bests, which surely can be reasonably expected of them. If not at the Olympics, a charged atmosphere conducive to unprecedented personal performances, then where?
Ah, but we have no shortage of sports psychologists to ease the pain. Clearly those same mental coaches have ill-prepared their charges for the challenge of their lives. Or maybe it's the quality of coaching, always a convenient excuse for failure. Doesn't seem to bother athletes from impoverish African countries, though, who regularly run their hearts out and achieve glory without an ounce of coddling.
It can't be entirely about the money and the funding, nor that we are a small winter nation with a shallow talent pool. The Netherlands has clocked 11 medals, Romania four. Canada is bottom-trolling, down there at one slim bronze with the likes of Slovenia and Mongolia.
We are a Third World country, athletically. But tops for sportsmanship, yay Canada.
This is not meant as an indictment of Canadian athletes. But how often must we listen to downcast losers saying this just wasn't their day, they didn't feel ready, were out of sorts, too unfocused, not hungry enough.
I am left speechless by such meek acquiescence.
Our neighbours to the south are in a hand-wringing dither because they've won just 35 medals — 14 of them gold — to this point. They are not accustomed to such piddly results, even though they are first in the medal standings.
Americans dream big and they expect to win large. This is a healthy, hard-nosed perception of self. They believe themselves capable of anything and set high goals. So high that American teenager Michael Phelps — derided for taking a bead on eight gold medals in Athens — is considered something of a failure for falling a bit short, just as track star Marion Jones was portrayed as being hopelessly vain for calling her five gold shots in Sydney, and winning a mere three.
It troubles Americans not an iota that others see them as swaggering sports bullies, athletic extensions of an imperialist power. Indeed, some of the same domestic commentators who'd earlier urged U.S. athletes to cool their strut in Athens — keep a low profile, given the international anti-Americanism of the moment — have now reversed themselves, recognizing belatedly that Yanks need to beat their chests and holler and glare and deliver those Maurice Greene-like declarations of supremacy. They don't do modest very well. It's put them off their game.
Canadians could do with some strut.
It's an attitudinal matter.
And while we may recoil from American-style out-sized ego, all that posturing and gall, Canadians have been, proportionately, at least as over-the-top on those rare occasions when we've had something to cheer about. Is any country more boastful about hockey? Has any nation waved the flag more exuberantly than did Canada when Donovan Bailey emerged as the fastest man on earth in Atlanta? Hell, we were giddy when Greg Joy took high jumping silver in Montreal in 1976, and plumped with pride over Silken Laumann's gutsy bronze in Barcelona.
We'd never dream of telling ourselves to shut up already.
Really, those mighty Americans — and Chinese and Japanese and even Australians, with their tiresome Oy! Oy! Oy! — are nowhere near as smug and insufferable in triumph as Canadians.
We just think we're made of finer, more virtuous stuff.
Especially when we crash out.
Go Canada: WE'RE NUMBER 41!
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source:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...tacodalogin=yes
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| starsearcher |
| OMG how can we allow ourselves to learn from the Americans...after all they are all ignorant stupid and don't know anything about anything :toothless :toothless :toothless It's our national past time to make fun of them not to learn from them :p |
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| ShadoWolf |
| quote: | Originally posted by starsearcher
OMG how can we allow ourselves to learn from the Americans...after all they are all ignorant stupid and don't know anything about anything :toothless :toothless :toothless It's our national past time to make fun of them not to learn from them :p |
Actually, we should be comparing ourselves with AUSTRALIA. We have a similar (somewhat) history and simialr population.
Yet they're kicking our ass in Olympic medals (even if you include Winter Olympic medals in the comparison).
edit: and their GDP per capita is higher...
so much for Trudeau's Canada :rolleyes: :rolleyes: |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by ShadoWolf
Actually, we should be comparing ourselves with AUSTRALIA. We have a similar (somewhat) history and simialr population.
Yet they're kicking our ass in Olympic medals (even if you include Winter Olympic medals in the comparison).
edit: and their GDP per capita is higher...
so much for Trudeau's Canada :rolleyes: :rolleyes: |
many sports analysts often compare our sports program to Australia. they are a very comparable country to our own, while they hold an edge in summer climate, we hold an equal edge in winter sports. but as you said, they're still blowing us away if u add both into the equation..
EDIT:
props to guys like RICK SAY
"I'm pissed off," Say told CBC after the race. "I wanted a medal in this race. It's unacceptable, us not winning a medal. This is crap."
"I'm pissed off. I wanted a medal in this race and I take full responsibility. I couldn't get these guys up and get myself up to win a medal. That's what happens, you come fifth.
"It's unacceptable. I'm pissed off. I'm disappointed. This is crap."
(Brian Johns)
"It just wasn't enough to get to the podium. It's a big disappointment. It was a Canadian record by a lot, but it was consolation prize compared to what we wanted."
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| starsearcher |
| quote: | Judo Canada suspends coach after athlete complaints: report
Last Updated: Fri Aug 20 09:15:09 EDT 2004
CBC SPORTS ONLINE - A Canadian judo coach has been suspended following complaints from five athletes, including three Olympians, La Presse newspaper reported Friday.
Coach Sylvain Hebert, 40, was replaced prior to the 2004 Athens Olympics by Ewan Beaton, Judo Canada's co-ordinator of national coaches.
The nature of the athlete complaints has not been disclosed. Olympians Marie-Helene Chisholm, Carolyne Lepage and Amy Cotton were among the judokas to complain about Hebert.
A Judo Canada committee will hear from both parties and their lawyers about the situation after the Olympics, according to the La Presse report.
"The issue is under examination and we can't talk about it," Louis Jani, the Canadian Olympic judo team leader, told La Presse. "But there is certainly a deep disagreement between these athletes and the coach."
Although he's been temporarily relieved of his national duties, Hebert remains coach of the Varennes Judo Club in Quebec.
Judo Quebec president Daniel De Anglis told La Presse the matter is serious enough that three of Canada's top female judo athletes asked for their coach not to join them in Athens.
Hebert told the paper he couldn't comment on the situation since it remains unresolved.
with files from Canadian Press
Written by CBC Sports Online staff
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Source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/olympics/na...oach040820.html |
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| starsearcher |
Well this is new...China and the US are tied EXACTLY with the same number of medals...
Gold Silver Bronze Total
China 15 11 10 36
United States 15 11 10 36
That's wild :stongue: |
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| starsearcher |
| OH MAN!!! This Canadian boxer Andrew Kooner is just amazing...WOW what a grea boxer, I'm so impressed :D:D I really hope he wins something cause that guy is just unreal! SO GOOD! :D |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by starsearcher
OH MAN!!! This Canadian boxer Andrew Kooner is just amazing...WOW what a grea boxer, I'm so impressed :D:D I really hope he wins something cause that guy is just unreal! SO GOOD! :D |
is he the guy who beat the Thai boxer in the featherweight class.. ? if so yeah that guy is sick! i love the caller commentator too .. "look BRUCE he's KILLING HIM with tha ONE-TWO!!"
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| starsearcher |
^^ No that's not the same guy...the one you are referring to is Gaudet who will fight later today :) Definitely good luck to him :D:D
*EDIT*
Oh yeah I LOVE these boxing commentators...one's calling the other coach all the time and they are just SO enthusiastic and hillarious...they are so fun to watch and listen :p |
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