Beijing 2008

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

What? Pandas are tasty, aren't they? What's wrong with going to a panda restaurant if you are in China?

Am I missing something?

[Drunk Monk]

the glynch won't let me here the end of this one, but i'm bailing on the olympics. i was at the torch run in s.f. more on that to come.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I'm again deeply involved in the Olympics. Well at least as far as sitting on the couch is concerned. But I did record the opening. I need one of those drums. But as I watch the ceremony, I come to one conclusion: I need to go to the next Olympics. Vancouver would be okay, but London. London would be awesome. I'm dissappointed I'm not in Beijing.

I'm only the second person to have this idea, though. The Yeti's in. I'm in. Who else?

No, Sir, I'll be heading off to the London Olympics! After all, London is just like San Francisco, except that it is bigger, dirtier, with worse food and abysmal coffee...!

[Drunk Monk]

PPFY, give us the scoop! Women's saber sweep?! Finals on the first night?!? What's the dirt on Gerek?

I'm bummed I'm not in Beijing now, but at least I can breathe. And I got my HDTV.

Speaking of women's fencers, this was going to go on my martial world thread, but it'll sit nicely here now:
http://www.onlyknives.com/the-50-hottest...-fighters/

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Please note this is being typed at a little past 3 a.m., so my facts might be a bit squiggly. Mariel Zagunis, our Golden Girl, once again upset her two higher seeded team mates to take the gold (Sada Jacobsen was #1 seed in the tournament and Becca Ward was #2 or #3, Mariel was #5). But, daughter of two Olympians that she is, Mariel has an extra "Olympic Gear" that she can apparently shift into that her opponents don't have. She can turn it up to 11. The scoop from El Queso Grande (my boss and many time armourer to the US National Team) is that they are all very nice girls and that they work well as a team. No real dirt - sorry. Check out the Italians in the Women's Foil final. 3 in the top 4, with Vezzali winning her THIRD individual gold medal. She is un-f*cking-believable. Helene Meyer, move over; Vezzali is now the best that is and ever was.

Gerek will fence tonight around 7-ish. First draw is a good one, some Egyptian dude who prolly qualified through a "zonal" tournament and not on straight world ranking (Gerek made it on his impressive world ranking, around 14th in the world, seeded 10th in this tournament). If he survives The Pharoh, he gets a much tougher Chinese opponent who also made it in on his world ranking. And has the "home field" advantage. It should be a good stab-fest.

On the topic of chicks with swords, I have to give the nod to my Ex's first and then to Michelle Yeoh. Hubba-Hubba.

Of course, there was one Greek pentathlete who was pretty hot, and the Canadian team usually has some model-quality sword-swinging honeys.

[Drunk Monk]

I'm gonna plagiarize that too for the KFM forum. It'll make me sound knowledgeable. I've totally been milking the "Coach Massialas was my old teammate" schtick.

I've seen enough rowing and beach volleyball. I've heard enough about Phelps too. Sure, he's a Greek god amongst Olympiads, but I want to hear about other sports like Archery or something. I should be satisfied with the fencing coverage - even in all the commercials!

The sword hotties list was totally plagiarized from the KFM forum. Karma, I suppose. See http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/sh...hp?t=41007

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Post a picture of Grandbassi (sp?) of the Italian women's foil squad; she'll increase your circulation, if you catch my drift.

Gerek finished 10th. He destroyed the Egyptian (15-3!) and lost to the stronger Chinese opponent (9-15).

[Drunk Monk]

I don't have cable or satellite or anything beyond rabbit ears, but at midnight, Telemundo and MBC (a Korean broadcast) provides much more well rounded coverage. After midnight.

Thanks for the suggestion on Grambassi. Will do, but only digitally, again just to sound like a fencing know-it-all. Caught Gerek's article in the Chron this morning.

FENCING
Little Point In Feeling Bad
Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, August 14, 2008

(08-14) 04:00 PDT Beijing -- Gerek Meinhardt wasn't exactly dejected after his Olympics came to an end Tuesday night. In the past week, San Francisco's fencing prodigy has marched in Opening Ceremonies, gotten his picture taken with his favorite NBA stars and even made fencing history.

Not bad for someone who turned 18 just two weeks ago.

"It's been a little confusing, actually," Meinhardt said of his whirlwind experience. "I had to find a good medium with having fun and focusing for the event at the same time because it's hard.

"You just walk around, and it's really exciting."

As the youngest U.S. male athlete in Beijing - and the youngest fencer in U.S. Olympic history - Meinhardt at least roamed without any real weight on his shoulders.

He arrived on the Olympic stage about four years earlier than expected and was the lone American competing in men's individual foil, a discipline the U.S. hasn't medaled in since 1960.

Meinhardt said his goal was simply to make it to the round of 16, and he did so in dominating fashion. Ranked 13th in the world, the teenager beat Egypt's Mostafa Nagaty 15-3 in the opening bout before falling to China's Zhu Jun 15-9 at the Fencing Hall of the National Convention Center.

According to coach Greg Massialas, Meinhardt was at least four years younger than any other competitor in the field. And in a sport where athletes typically peak in their 30s, Meinhardt is already looking forward to what's ahead.

"I have a lot more years than these guys left, so there's no pressure on me," Meinhardt said. "The next Olympics is one where I'll have a little more pressure, because hopefully, I'll be a bigger contender for a medal. Right here, I'm just out having fun."

Meinhardt, who trains under the three-time Olympian Massialas at Halberstadt Fencers' Club in the Mission, had more than a dozen friends and relatives rooting him on in Beijing.

Though they couldn't compete with the thousands of Chinese fans in the stands, they were vocal enough for Meinhardt to hear through his massive, beekeeper-like helmet.

Meinhardt, who became the youngest national champion in history as a 16-year-old in 2007, will attend Notre Dame on a fencing scholarship this fall. There, he'll have memories of the Beijing Games to share with his classmates.

"Just the atmosphere and everything," Meinhardt said. "Hopefully I'll qualify for the next (Olympics). I'll be older, closer to the age of these guys, and, hopefully, I can bring better stuff and be stronger."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...01&sc=1000

[Drunk Monk]

"The secret of the team's success?" said Shelly-Ann Fraser, the newly crowned Olympic women's 100-meter champion. "Reggae power."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...12CS4V.DTL
i haven't been this Olympic proud since the Lithuanian basketball bronze in Barcelona...

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Usain Bolt should get a medal for just his name!

[Drunk Monk]

By J. Maarten Troost

There was something about the sarcastic comic timing that really reminded me of the glynch. Troost is shooting fish in a barrel (or perhaps squid in a pot) with a travel book on how disturbing China can be. He got some good stuff, but it's mediocre to anyone who's been there. That being said, if you haven't been there and want to imagine what it would be like to go there with the glynch, this read is a fine surrogate. Glynch, you don't have to go and suffer through the hardships now. Just read this book.