XIX Winter Olympic Competitions Begin!- Update Thread Day 1 (NBC Tape Delay to Prime Time)

International Olympic Committee ^ | February 9, 2002 | Bob Costas and Jim McCay with Katie Colon

[codebreaker]

This is for the local people on the scene to provide results and updates to family members and friends in the FR community.

Press reports should trickle in through the day.

[alisasny]

This is the current world record 6.18,72 and Romme isnt even skating in this event. 5000 meters: Gianni Romme, NED Calgary 30.01.2000 6.18,72 The top guys still have a while to skate.

[alisasny]

KC currently sits in second place at 6:22.97 and is 1.24 back from the leader. That is one huge second ....about 15 more races till the Dutch Machine Skates...

[umbra]

Is that the guy from the last Olympics, he was incredible..

[CedarDave]

I can see a tape delay when the events are half a world away, but when they are in our own country, it's darn near criminal. Did ABC do this when they had the Olympics? Of course, on top of everything else, we have to stay up after hours for medals awards.

[alisasny]

Midday update:

Nordic Combined; USA Todd Lodwick currently in 7th after the 9m meter jump followed in 8th place by USA's Bill Demong.

The cross country 15 k in this event will be tomorrow.

[alisasny]

Gianni Romme is the best sense KOSS. It still is a shock he did not qualify for this event. I read somewhere that their should be a permenant asterick next to this event because without Romme racing its not a race.

[twyn1]

Re: athlete profiles.

I don't mind seeing one or two of these a night...but keep them short and sweet (and puh-leeze--not too sappy). It can be nice to put a personality to a face, and I don't mind hearing about athletes who have overcome great adversity or injury, but I've seen some real DOOZIES

Do you remember when they showed how the "poor" Russian (or Ukraine ???) skater Oksana Baiul had to scrape the ice off with a big squeegee because they didn't have a working Zamboni at her rink -- I mean come on -- the only time she scraped that ice was when she did it for our American cameras

[umbra]

Is that the last medal race of the day already?

[alisasny]

As far as the ski jump goes yes. The mens 30 k free cross country is going on now and the speedskating is going on now.

[umbra]

Any favorites in the mens 30K?

[TheOracle]

The mens 30 k free cross country is going on now

I'm watching this now. I started noticing the crowd noise, and how constant it is, regardless of where the skiers are and regardless of the fact that the race appears to be a blowout. It's got me wondering whether the crowd noise is fake. Anyone else notice this?

[P-Marlowe]

Dang NBC, why are they tape delaying the Olympics???

Because THEY are MORONS!

I refuse to watch a tape delay of an event that I can find out how it is going to turn out byu listening to the radio.

Now, if Vegas were allowing the public to bet on the winners within 5 minutes of the broadcast, like they do with horse races, I'd be betting my life savings on every event.

Nobody gets the opportunity to bet on the tape delay of a horse race. Maybe NBC will pony up some bucks for us to show some interest here? Maybe if they are stupid enough to tape delay an American Olympics in America, then maybe they'd be stupid enough to make book on the broadcast instead of the live event.

In the meantime, I'll just keep counting flowers on the wall.

[umbra]

Maybe its just so loud that it all sounds the same.

[alisasny]

This sport is so popular in some areas of Europe and the crowd noise is real.

[Citizen Soldier]

Another gem from Li'l Katie: "Did you know that Argentina has produced more Miss Universes than any other country?"

Uh, Katie, this is Salt Lake City, not Atlantic City..........

[codebreaker]

Unheralded USA skater sets the world 5,000 meter record!!

[codebreaker]

USA Gold medal on the line now live!!

[alisasny]

I just watched the speed skating on NBC and am stunned. Great result by Parra from USA with the silver..huge upset...he held the WR for a little while until the dutch skated.

KEARNS, Utah, Feb. 9 — Jochem Uytdehaage of the Netherlands shattered Derek Parra’s brand-new world record by more the 2 seconds to capture the gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meters on Saturday. Uytdehaage’s time was 6 minutes, 14.66 seconds, surpassing Parra’s time of 6:17.98. Parra won the silver.

Parra’s performance was totally unexpected, even on the fast ice of the Utah Olympic Oval. He shattered his previous personal best by more than 15 seconds.

[Pagey]

So let me get this correctly: I live in Calif. the Olympics are in Utah and "NBC's Coverage will be 2 1/2 hours OLD" by the time it reaches my living room?This means any other TV channel that has scrolling across the bottom and every Radio station is off limits to avoid finding out the results.Just thought any other Califonians would like to know that.LOL You just can't win in California.Taxes,The Governor,2 chinese sympathetizers for Senators,Lottery money not going to the schools.Thank God the Olympics are here!

[OldFriend]

I found the story of the snowboarder competing after a liver transplant inspiring. My husband was in the hospital for serious cancer surgery. He was so depressed after the surgery we couldn't get him to turn on the TV or take any interest in anything. We ordered the TV saying WE wanted to watch Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France.

The story of Lance overcoming cancer made a world of difference to my husband and soon he was cheering on the biker and caring about living again.

Perhaps none of us need outside inspiration because our lives are so problem free but if people are encouraged to go on with their dreams no matter what obstacles come their way, then I say tell the stories of the athletes.