Humlan, would love to know what sports Swedes follow very closely for the Winter Olympics. The Dutch are crazy about speedskating, since it's embedded in their history and lifestyle. The frozen canals there had them naturally skating from one town to next.. so 20-30 kms. skate is not unusual. And they for some reason I can't figure out, wear bright orange to indicate their enthusiasm. I'm not sure where the orange association comes from.
Of course, many Canadians are fans of hockey. I used to enthusiastivally watch hockey games on TV for 2-3 years, when I was teen. Alot of cyclists that we know, do x-country skiing in the winter for cross-training or snowshoeing in the mountains. More like snowshoe running for some folks. It's a serious workout.
By the way, Lola you mentioned you enjoyed the Dutch bikes because you can sit more upright. I do not have dropped handlebars which force me to hunch over. I sit slightly upright. I've always cycled in this position. We got a reaction from the Netherlands about the articles I wrote in our blog about the Dutch bike ride.
By the way, Lola here's the latest articles which has photos of our area with the crowds, a blooming cherry tree
:
http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.co...public-transit/ The night photo of Olympic rings, is actually some sort of image/signage that appears through a waterworks fountain display that burst out towards the end of the fireworks show. This was a few days ago.
One of the cycling women in another Internet forum wants to learn to luge. She described how they trained newbies --going only 35 miles/hr. (which to me is still fast) and using pillows to cushion their accidental crashes/spills. Not for me.
I didn't know about those gloves for pushing off the ice.
Dotsie:
We're going to the 2 sports event competitions next wk. The woman was in Vancouver/Whistler only to support her son (who's 33 yrs. old). He didn't place very well. I think parents of Olympic athletes sacrifice ---ALOT, in terms of time and financing.
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Last night we were outside planning to see the fireworks. noticed a number of ambulances. No sirens. Police. Not too unusual. Since the fireworks were meant to occur after a huge free concert for several thousand people.
So yesterday, fireworks was cancelled and the concert was cancelled....because 19 people got injured when they surged forward (they shouldn't do this) and broke down a fence barrier by the stage when the rock musician group started to play. Thankfully no one was trampled but someone had a fractured leg.
We hope to see fireworks again tonight. No, this area is not inside the concert stage/spectator area.
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Re women's hockey in Canada:
For observers of the women's game, now in its fourth Olympics, it's difficult to see a more competitively balanced field in the near future. While Sweden and Finland have inched closer to the North Americans, the rest of the world is falling further behind, stunted by factors including a chauvinistic attitude in continental Europe.
"It's not going to change until parents believe it's OK for your daughter to come to the rink and play hockey," said Andrew Podnieks, a hockey historian. "That's a much, much bigger challenge in countries that aren't as liberal. Finland and Sweden are the most open-minded. Well, guess what? They're No. 3 and No. 4."
Canadian captain Hayley Wickenheiser, who played professional men's hockey in Finland, said she encountered that attitude in Europe, although less so in Scandinavia. "You're still fighting those things," she said. "We're ahead of the curve over here, and that's what helped our game so much. Hockey Canada believes in us and stepped up to the plate."
Full article:
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=44775.html#another+blowout+canadas+women
Important to remember that good hockey does not mean body checking (meaning deliberately slamming into someone else) and fights. Which happens alot now in men's professional hockey.
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