According to USA Today, the final jump on the Women’s Olympic ski course will be changed for safety reasons after all of the devastating crashes we saw in Day 6′s downhill event. Well, good, because Things That Made Me Die Inside Last Night = Watching Female Skiers Crash. A few days ago, those bouncy mogul competitions made my rickety bum knees tingle pretty badly and I thought okay, this sucks but I can handle it, selective pain, it’s psychosomatic, stop imagining your body has anything to do with sculpted Olympian physiques, you lunatic, etc.. But it turns out I wasn’t even READY because the total wipeouts endured during last night’s Women’s Downhill finals threw Olympics viewers into a full-fledged WORLD OF PAIN. Once they crashed, the Energizer ski bunnies just kept going and going and going and going and eventually they just sat up (like Italy’s Daniela Merighetti, pictured), defeated, shoulders slumped all George Michael Bluth/Snoopy-like, and still they kept sliding and sliding and sliding downhill and then finally, FINALLY there were tears at the end. And throughout. In my living room. I am aware that crashes happen during ski events, but did anyone else feel guilty watching this mess?
So, if your still-intact internal organs can handle it, watch the NBCOlympics.com Deluxe Crash Remix with the sound off and this song on instead and imagine that Bono is Whistler Mountain and his love, “like a screaming flower” with her “spirit in the air,” is the innocent lady skier who didn’t get to do enough trial runs due to inclement weather.
We crossed the line
Who pushed who over?
It doesn’t matter to you
It matters to me
We’re cut adrift
We’re still floating
I’m only hanging on
To watch you go down
My love
Annie on Twitter: @EWAnnieBarrett
I didn’t feel guilty, but I have been extra-sensitive to falls this Games. I’m sure it’s due to the death of the luger last week, and there have always been falls and spills at the Winter Olympics, but they seem so frequent this time! Skiing, skating, snowboarding, etc. So many crashes!
didn’t feel guilty but watched alot of it through my fingers. winced a whole lot last night! That Swedish skier just kept going and going…it was horrible but I couldn’t look away.
Sounds like having the Olympics in Canada is a bust. With all the injuries and death, it will be a long time before they get the Olympics back.
None of the women sustained any major injuries. I’m really enjoying these Olympics.
One of the women was airlifted out. not sure which, but I’d say the one who crashed through the gate, lost one ski and then got tangled up in the other.
Yes, Canada is such a vile place with such dangerous locations for Olympic events to take place. And I’m sure the IOC didn’t approve ANY of the venues at all. Must be nice living with ignorance.
Sorry it’s becuase of our universal health care. We Canadians enjoy getting hurt on a regular basis so are taxpayers money doesn’t go to waste. We just assumed the rest of the world would enjoy it too while they’re here. I guess we were wrong.
I remember Atlanta being bombed in 1996, and they got the Olympics back in 2002. It’s pretty ridiculous to define 16 days by one horrible tragedy and a few crashes on the slopes. People crash and wipe out in every event in every Olympics. Leave “Blame Canada” to South Park.
Atlanta Olympics was in 1996, I should know, I was there
Yes, who could forget the 2002 Atlanta Winter Olympics?
I think she meant that the US got the Olympics back in 2002 after Atlanta had it’s share of snafus…
Maybe think before you snark!
I suppose if I am going to be a stickler for detail, I should note that I didn’t need an apostrophe for “it’s” and Muggs could be a he OR a she..
I freaking love that song. Great call.
We’re making changes; however, it’s still all of their faults and we admit no wrongdoing to anything…they simply are inadequate athletes.
A crash re-mix? Why not just add in a death luge blooper? NBC is a class act.
Sometimes I am cruel, but hopefully,
not Whistler Mountain cruel. Ouch.
Annie, maybe I am a computer dunce, but, how do you play the song with the video ?
Just open the video and the song in separate windows or two tabs, then turn down the NBC volume while playing the song
There were quite a few “Holy Sh!t!” moments for me watching the downhill last night.
I agree. Wince enducing, but I enjoyed watching.
Oh please, stop whining!!!!!!!!
I love our Canadian neighbors, and was happy that they got the Olympics. It’s such a shame that they have had so much go wrong. First, the tragedy of the luger, which could have been avoided, then the torch towers not opening properly at the lighting ceremony, and all the course problems and weather. It’s really such a shame that this Olympics is going to be viewed in a negative way. I love the spirit of the Canadian people, and even though I love my country, I hope that the Canadian team will end the olympics with a men’s hockey gold medal to close in a good light.
Actually I’m worried that a Canadian win in men’s hockey might be really, really bad. There’s nothing like closing down the Olympics with a gaint downtown Vancouver riot that makes the 1994 riot look like a friendly party.
1976, the Summer Games were in Montreal, a total financial disaster yet the games returned to Canada in 1988 and 2012. Canada will rebound just fine. It’s not like the 1972 Munich disaster that has made Germany’s name mud to the IOC. I mean really, Germany is the most industrialized nation in Europe. It has the climate the topography, the infrastructure and the monetary resources to host either a Summer and Winter Games and yet no Olympics. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016? Let’s hope 6 more years is enough time. Remember how Athens barely made it?
Oops, I meant 2010, this year, duh! 2012 will be in London
I grew up watching these winter sports on ABC’s Wide World of Sports back in the 80s. Seeing these crashes, etc. in these sports, minus the death obviously, is really nothing new.
agreed
Yes, “the agony of defeat” moments. The one that really gets me is when they replay Herman Maier’s crash (Torino?). I’m still amazed he got up and walked away from that one.
Hated the announcer! no Kudos to anyone but USA team. I believe if the Autrian lady did not fall the gold would have been hers, she had much better form.
But she did fall. With two good shins. Lindsey had an injury & not only did not fall but had an amazing run.
Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy for Lindsy, she was awesome. It was just unfortunate that there were so many falls.
She may have had better form but she was still only on pace to win silver, unless she put on a huge burst of speed at the bottom of the hill.
“Things That Made Me Die Inside Last Night= Watching Female Skiers Crash.”
So you’re totally okay with watching the men wipe out?
What did Annie expect? Downhill skiing can be dangerous, but that’s the sport. You got to expect these things. Tankfully, the the three skiiers are okay and bravo to Lindsay Vonn for the win.
I’m just saying it was tough to watch as someone who has not spent a lot of time watching alpine skiing on TV. And Chris, I was probably more sensitive because they’re female and I’m a female viewer. Doesn’t mean I want to see men wipe out.
People not used to winter sports have to realize that the Winter Olympics will always be more dangerous than the Summer due to the higher speeds and the fact that every single event uses hard compact snow and/or ice surfaces. Remember Sonny Bono and Natasha Richardson were both killed in much slower recreational skiing accidents. All winter athletes know the dangers that they face.
Did you read the blog, moron? There were no males skiing last night, so your comment makes little sense. Where do you people come up with this crap? I guess you are used to this shite Annie, but it annoys the hell out of me.
The “agony of defeat” that Wide World of Sports showed for years was way worse than anything we saw last night.
Crashes happen all the time in this sport. I felt really bad especially when they were so close to the finish line but I’m glad there were no serious injuries. Let’s just hope all the athletes say safe.
I’ve been enjoying these Olympics more than I have for a long time, but last nights crashes were painful to watch.
I’m sure the runs would have been different if Mother Nature had cooperated and provided snow instead of slush.
I agree Diane. That was a tough course, compounded by the iced mash potato conditions. I have ultimate respect for every athlete that made it down the hill, while tring to do her best, and every one that didn’t make it. Some of those crashes were just breath taking — in the bad way.