Sochi Olympics

usually love the winter games but am not watching these ones - just believe they got them by corruption and bribes - most of the snow courses are dangerous and the place is just too warm - but just object watching something that dodgy Russian billionaires bribed for :)) though did peak at skating 

I agree. The courses are the most dangerous I have ever seen, but I still watch because I love winter sports more than the summer ones. I'm too 'creaky' to ski now but love watching it.
Apart from ice dancing, which I watch but find a bit tame compared to speed skating, I will watch most of the games. Curling is a bit like bowls on ice but I can appreciate the skill.

Yeeees. Top ten place for the Brits   

Edited by Jo Bird - 17 Feb 2014 at 17:03

Originally posted by Toots Originally posted by Jo Bird Yeeees. Top ten place for the Brits    And thoroughly deserved, my neighbour tells me. I have been out all day

Hope you'll be able to see it Toots. Fun routine

I am really happy with how Australia has done over the last few days. A bronze in the women's aerials and a silver in the men's aerials. It was the first time our ice dancers got to the free skate part of the event.

We had another Australian first today. Jana Pittman is the only Australian athlete to have competed at the summer and winter Olympics. She was in track and field athlete in the summer games and decided to train to be a bobsledder. I think she has now retired from track and field events.

Thanks Toots.
In an interview, Jana said she ate for Australia as she put on 11 kg to her thin frame to build up the bulk and muscle to get the bobsled going.

We have got rinks in different parts of Sydney, but to get to that level of competition, they train overseas. I heard the commentator saying that the Australian ice dancers have been together for a long time, are from Sydney but train in Detroit. There are skating clubs that skaters belong to and train linked to the some of the rinks.

Back in 2006 after the first Dancing on Ice in the UK, T & D came to Australia and did an Australian version of DOI, called Torvil and Dean's Dancing on Ice. Disappointingly, it was only on that year. You can stll find some YouTube clips of the routines. The routines and costumes were very similar to the first DOI in the UK - they brought everything out with them. They also brought out Matt Evers, Kristina Lenko and 2 other skaters who were a couple, from the first DOI. The rest of the skaters were from Australia, but not necessarily born in Auatralia such as Maria Filipov and Pav (I can't remember his full name, but he did 2-3 DOI series in the UK.)

Australia has too much of a beach /swimming culture to use ice skating to cool off in summer Jo. In my street every 2nd or 3rd house has a backyard swimming pool to cool off in. We don't - its to much work to look after, plus strict regulations to prevent backyard pool drownings. Ice skating is more of a novelty here, although my sister's godmother went into the amateur icecapades at the ice rink near her home when she was in her 50s. They put on an annual show. She is now in her 70s and still likes to get onto the ice now and then.

Edited by MargiABC - 20 Feb 2014 at 09:42