Winter Olympics coming up!!

[goodnessgracie]

Good for her!!!

Sarah Hughes is a terrific person, one of precious few pro athletes I'd ever give a damn about meeting & talking with.

I had all but forgotten about '61. I've heard the story, but was not around at the time it happened. Please post whatever you've got.

Oh, that would be four Olympic Games cancelled during WWII.

[82Rigger]

Ya'll may be interested to know that we have another Olympian in the "high-class" college circuit.

Mariel Zagunis, our Fencing gold medalist at Athens - took the gold in Women's Individual Sabre - is at Notre Dame this year.

Pic below was taken just seconds after the judge awarded her the "touch" that gave her the gold.

[goodnessgracie]

Glad to hear that TJ's on Mariel's side!!!

Another fine American gold medalist who hails from up this way-- Diann Roffe-Steinrotter of Warsaw, NY, winner of the inaugural SuperG at Albertville.

Oh, God I love the Winter Games!!!

Go Irish!!!
Grace of the North

[82Rigger]

Yep!

Lil' Diann has earned her spot in the Olympic records!

Silver Medal in Giant Slalom at Albertville

Gold Medal in Super G at Lillehammer

[Jerry D]

Post the tragic plane crash in '61 story I hadn't heard the whole tale.Yes Sarah Hughes was great at the Olympics(and a good person to boot) The only Olmpians I have met were Bart Conners and Nadia Comaneci in Puyallup, Wa at a Sports Store grand opening(next to Walmarts) they were both really nice and she did her balance beam routine right there in front of me and the crowd that came to see her perform it. Shannon Miller is another Gymnast and she was born in my home town (Rolla, Mo) before her and her family moved to OK.

[82Rigger]

Soon as I get the info together I'll do a separate thread for everyone on the '61 plane crash.

Jerry's mention of Nadia Comineci and Shannon Miller requires me to leave the WINTER games for a second and comment on what I think is one of the most SUPERB performances of any Olympian that I ever saw.

Remember the '96 games in Atlanta, when our womens' gymnastics team was running neck to neck with the Russians for the Gold Medal? The Vault was the competition and all that was needed was one good vault to win the gold for the U.S.

Dominique Moceanu was up...and fell on both her attempts.
All hope was on...little Kerri Strug.

On her first vault she fell...and injured her ankle...she limped off the mat, very obviously in pain.

Second attempt...a perfect vault...a perfect dismount...she held it long enough for the judges to score it...and then collapsed in agony.

Gold for the US Women Gymnasts! And little Kerri on the way to the ambulance.
She was crying and kicking and screaming...she was about to miss the Gold Medal Ceremony...and she would have NO PART of THAT!
Neither would her coach, Bela Karoly. He fought his way through the people, snatched her up off the gurney, and CARRIED her to the medal stand to be with her team and get her gold medal and her National Anthem.

If ever there was a shining moment in US Olympic history...that was it.

[39mto39g]

I went and skied Sqaw Valley after there olympics and Park City just before there olympics. Squaw Valley was very difficult, Park city was a girly man slop. Real pretty but not difficult.
I like watching the mens downhill, Im so jellous.

Ron

[goodnessgracie]

And, of course, Bela Karoly was also Nadia's coach back in Romania.

I get Albertville & Lillehammer mixed up; it's not difficult to do.

I think one of the all-time heroes of the Winter Games has got to be Scotty Hamilton. He and the other champions of the '84 games (Torvill & Dean, et al) have done some very moving interviews since regarding the war in Bosnia. Hard to fathom that the world would come together to celebrate sport and then have that mess break out.

[39mto39g]

Bode Miller

Ron

[82Rigger]

The 1984 Olympic Winter Games

Sarajevo, Yugoslavia


The Zetra Olympic Ice Complex in 1984...and 1992