Day 5

There comes a point in every Olympics where I hit a wall. That came on Day 5. Watching all these athletes give everything they have, all the drama and excitement. It's exhausting. Combine that with the fact that I'm sitting in a very comfy easy chair and you have a recipe for disaster. Well, that is if you consider falling asleep a disaster. Most of the day I drifted in and out of consciousness. I know that each and every one of you (Darren) rely on me to keep you informed and updated on the goings on in these Olympic Games, for Day 5 I'm just going to have to do my best to piece it all together. (Translation: Look it all up on the internet and put my own smartass spin on it.)

The day started off yet again on a bad note when it was announced that the Men's Super Combined Skiing (which combines the Downhill and Giant Slalom) was postponed due to mild temperatures and rain. This is apparently the mildest Winter in the Lower Mainland area in the last 100 years. Or maybe I was just having a nightmare. Either way I think it's going to be a minor miracle if they are able to complete every event in these Olympic Games. I've heard that people throughout North America are laughing at our mild temperatures and the fact that we're trucking in snow. It's just been a very crazy Winter. I think most people understand that most Winters Texas doesn't have more snow than Vancouver. You don't see me laughing at Texas do you? (Well I did kind of chuckle about that actually but that's not the point.) We have nothing to be embarrassed or angry about. Mother Nature is the boss and this year she's being a real pain in the ass. You watch, next Winter they will have so much snow it will shut the city down.

The top story on Day 5, besides the weather, was another Gold Medal for Canada. This time it was Vancouver's own Maelle Ricker winning in the Ladies Snowboard Cross. It's a very exciting event. One piece of advice for you viewers out there, don't get your hair cut when the Olympics are on. I was trying to pay attention to the final race while my hair was getting cut and I thought that Ricker was in the yellow bib. The girl in the yellow bib was second to last and then wiped out near the end. It wasn't until the race was almost over that I realized Ricker was going to win the Gold. And no I wasn't strung out on a banned substance at the time. I watched the race a second time later and saw how dominant Ricker (the real Ricker) was in this race. Canada talks about owning the podium, Ricker single-handedly owned the podium.

Today also marked the beginning of the Men's Hockey. Vancouver Canucks' own Roberto Luongo got the start in goal as Canada began it's quest for Gold against Norway. Since each team has only had one practice together (Canada's practice yesterday only lasted 45 minutes) it's not surprising that it took the host team a while to get going. They ended up dominating the game and looking very sharp in doing so. The final score was 8-0. Luongo didn't have a lot of work but was sharp when he needed to be, but the real star of the game was Jerome Iginla who got a hat-trick. They had to delay the game to pick up all those expensive Olympic hats that covered the ice. Hopefully they will be donated to some needy kids. In other games, the US got past Switzerland 3-1, and Russia dominated Latvia 8-2. Looking at Russia's lineup, they're the team that scares me the most.

In Curling Kevin Martin's team beat Norway 7-6 and then beat Germany 9-4. Or so I read on the internet. I fell asleep both games. While I can get into Curling once it gets to the Semis and Finals, I find the early rounds kind of boring. It's going to get exciting though as Canada is a favorite to win another Gold Medal. They just have to 'HURRY HARD!!'

I was able to stay awake for most of the team Canada Men's Hockey game, and afterwards I flipped it over to the Men's Short Program Figure Skating. By then I was eating nachos and seven layer dip and delicious chicken samosas from IGA so I was able to stay awake. It's pretty bad that the only way I can stay awake is by continually eating. I guess that's why I'm just blogging about these Olympics and not competing in them. But I digress. (Once again.) Back to figure skating. Canada had a legitimate Gold Medal hope in Patrick Chan. Unfortunately he just didn't skate well enough to keep in contention. He made 3 minor yet costly errors. The first mistake was at the tail end of a great looking Triple Axel. He didn't fall, he didn't two foot the landing, he just stepped out of it. Then as the program was winding down he almost fell in the middle of a spin. Finally, at the very end of the program he didn't finish in time with the music and it is a one point deduction if you are still moving after the music stops. These are just minor errors but it will likely cost him a medal. Evgeny Plushenko skated clean but failed to impress me. I didn't like the program at all. The tempo of the music just didn't suit what he was doing. He may as well have been disco dancing to My Heart Will Go On. Evan Lysacek is in second after skating an impressive and clean skate. Japan's Daisuke Takahashi sits in third and the three of them have a big though not insurmountable lead on the rest of the pack. Patrick Chan sits in 7th. He will need to have the performance of his life in the long program on Thursday and hope for one of the top three to falter to have any chance at a Medal. I think Patrick Chan's program was amazing and if he'd skated clean he would be in at least 4th. Everyone keeps talking about the quad, something Chan doesn't do. I say screw the quad. I want to see someone skate with speed and passion and great footwork. I don't want to see someone glide the length of the ice to do a jump. That doesn't interest me.

Canada now sits in 4th in the overall Medal count with 5. Germany leads with 9 followed by the US and France. Looking ahead, I'm hearing the rain is going to stop but it is supposed to get even warmer in Vancouver. I'm hearing temperatures of up to 15c Downtown. That is not good news for Cypress Mountain or for Whistler either. I just hope they can find a way to avoid postponing any more events. I also hope I can find a way to get caught up on my sleep. And I hope I can stay awake in my easy chair on Day 6.
And I hope for World Peace. Although right now I'll put cold temperatures on Cypress Mountain ahead of World Peace but that's just me being selfish.