Women's hockey: Canada defeats Slovakia 18-0 in preliminaries

trollism wrote:I don't get the hatred for curling. It's actually quite an exciting game to watch if you get into it. Very tactical and very skilled.

Don't get me started on what the word 'sport' means again.

Curling is a sport.

There is no argument there. Sorry about that.

Update on more lopsidedness, but not as bad:

US-12, China-1

Canada-10, Switzerland-1

Sweden also beat Slovakia 6-2, so they could be a mild threat to one of the major North American teams.

PS I also agree that curling is a sport, albeit one that's not particularly interesting to watch (for me, anyway. More power to those who do enjoy it.)

trollism wrote:

Don't get me started on what the word 'sport' means again.

Curling is a sport.

There is no argument there. Sorry about that.

Well, maybe you can define what you think the word "sport" implies.

Curling involves strategy and motor skill, but not a whole lot of athletic ability. It's very difficult to become a top curler, just like it's very difficult to be the best at anything, and takes a whole lot of work. But you don't need to be particularly "fit" to get there.

If you doubt this assertion, google up images of the men's world champions over the past 20-30 years and judge for yourself. All fine gentleman no doubt, but on average not the most impressive physical specimens.

Pete wrote:

Well, maybe you can define what you think the word "sport" implies.

Curling involves strategy and motor skill, but not a whole lot of athletic ability. It's very difficult to become a top curler, just like it's very difficult to be the best at anything, and takes a whole lot of work. But you don't need to be particularly "fit" to get there.

If you doubt this assertion, google up images of the men's world champions over the past 20-30 years and judge for yourself. All fine gentleman no doubt, but on average not the most impressive physical specimens.

A sport is a competitive, physical activity conducted under a set of rules and guidelines.

It passes.

Show me where it says that 'all champions must be impressive physical specimins or it's not a sport'.

IOC say it's a sport. It's up to you to come up with some evidence to disqualify it. (and I don't mean personal opinion about the levels of athleticism needed and the physique of the competitors.)

Not requiring a lot of 'athletic ability' doesn't disqualify something from being a sport. That's just a personal opinion about what YOU think a sport should be.

trollism wrote:(1) A sport is a competitive, physical activity conducted under a set of rules and guidelines.

(2) Not requiring a lot of 'athletic ability' doesn't disqualify something from being a sport. That's just a personal opinion about what YOU think a sport should be.

(1) OK, then, what is "physical" about what the skip does during a curling match? He throws a couple of rocks, calls his teammates shots, and will sweep a little bit in the house. Is his activity "physical" because of the weight of the stones he throws (hardly a challenging task) or because of the fine motor skill and coordination required along with experience and observation of the behaviour of the ice?

There's really very little to distinguish curling from bowling, in my opinion? Is bowling a sport, one worthy of the Olynpics? And if you happen to think bowling is also a sport, then let's look at darts. Similar attributes are required. Is darts a sport? How about lawn bowling, or its Italian cousin Bocce?

If you think darts is also a sport, then honestly we have no common basis for discussion.

(2) I was only expressing my own opinion, not issuing some official proclamation on the status of curling. Yes, I happen to think a sport should require some degree of athleticism. You are free to disagree. And were I still in the military, I would happily fight to protect your right to call darts a sport. :-)

Darts may as well be in the Olympics. There is no reason to consider it less a "sport" than the shooting events.

What about some other non-Olympic "sports"

Pool (makes as much sense as darts or shooting)

Racketball (more "athletic" than badminton)

Golf (no caddies though, adds a bit more of a stamina factor)

Cross county (they put BMX and mountain biking in)

Lacrosse

Softball (yes, it was in, but they dropped it)

Cricket (more popular worldwide than baseball I believe)

Rugby (certainly would be more competitive than the womens hockey)

Ultramarathon (a more realistic way to finally see some "elites" try it as opposed to waiting until there is money in it)

Any of those deserve to be included? And I'm sure I missed some other interesting candidates.

Ninetonite wrote:

The winter olympics is a joke: ... Luge is insanely unsafe.

At least the women downhillers are cute.

One guy dies and you decide it is insanely unsafe.

First, read this:

I would bet pole vaulting is also much more unsafe than luge. I am sure every school that has a student seriously hurt or worse probably cuts pole vault, but it is still unquestioned as a T&F event at all levels.

You stated 'Curling is not a sport'. That's not an opinion, that's a statement of fact. (a wrong one at that.)

The physical part of the sport doesn't have to be vigourous. There is nothing that states that anywhere (besides individual point of view.)

Pushing a stone is a physical activity. Darts is a sport too, because throwing a dart is physical. There is no reason to disqualify it. Things like chess, poker and crosswords are not physical so they are not sports.

People need to realise that what is and isn't a sport isn't something you can really have an opinion about, there are no grey areas.

Would competitive Violin Solos be a sport?

Requires one hell of a lot of skill and is a more "physical activity" than darts (or shooting or being a curling skip). And before you mention the subjective judging aspect think about how many summer and winter Olympic sport include a subjective aspect.

THe Slovaks shouldn't have done it. The IIHF or IOC or whomever should not have let Bulgaria play. What a joke.

Women's Hockey is fairly well watched by Sweden, Canada and the US and is watched elsewhere to some degree. Count on some countries making big headway, the only way for that to happen is to put the sport on. They do not have a lot of other opportunities.

Curling is a sport.

Cross-Country and snow-shoe running should be Winter Olympic sports. Snow-shoe is a demonstration sport this year and Jonathan Wyatt, the Lance Armstrong of Mountain running is competing.

trollism wrote:

The physical part of the sport doesn't have to be vigourous. There is nothing that states that anywhere (besides individual point of view.)

Pushing a stone is a physical activity. Darts is a sport too, because throwing a dart is physical. There is no reason to disqualify it. Things like chess, poker and crosswords are not physical so they are not sports.

If you are arguing for the fact that sports don't have to be vigorous at all, why would you rule out chess, poker, and crosswords? They all involve physical activity don't they? I have to move chess pieces across the board physically, I have to use my muscles to keep myself sitting at a poker table for hours (maybe an endurance sport?), and I physically have to write in my answers to a crossword where speed is a factor, so the faster you write (physically) the better you perform.

Tossing a dart takes skill and practice, I don't argue that, and I would say it is comparable to curling in that it is a game of skill. The best in the world are incredible at what they do, but to call either a sport is ridiculous.

That being said, sorry for getting off the subject of hockey, which is most definitely a sport.

The whole poker and chess thing is nonsense and you know it. The game is completely the same played on a computer. The games are 100% mental, the placing of the chess pieces, etc, is simply a necessity, but you could get someone else or a machine to do it for you and it wouldn't be cheating.

Why is calling either a sport ridiculous? They ARE both sports. It's just your (wrong) opinion that they are not. You're arguing with facts. I'd be more ridiculous to not call them sports because I'd be wrong too, and why would I do that to myself?

Update on more squashings:

Women

Finland-5, Russian Federation-0

US-13 (!!), Russian Federation-0

Men

Canada-8, Norway-0

Russian Federation-8, Latvia-2

Slovakia sucks the big one.