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Sort of like the 2000
Rockwood Olympic Watch, only colder.
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 19
February 20
March 5
March 8
March 14
March 17
March 26
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Friday, February 15, 2002
Woo-hooooo!!! Bring out the camera tricks! Is someone at NBC reading this page? After complaining
about the lack of the rolling camera for the past few days, NBC brought it out in spades on Thursday. The women's speed skating used it to terrific
effect during the 500 meters, and NBC even surprised me by having a version (apparently on cables) that followed skiers down the mountain during the
slalom event. Very impressive!
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:38 AM
Further fueling my fire, Jimmy Roberts once again did not make an appearance on tonight's show, but Jim
McKay did. Now I'll be the first to admit that I thought McKay's piece was fluffier than usual, but at least I didn't wretch when it was over.
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:38 AM
I liked the fluff piece on Canadian speed skater (and eventual gold-medal winner) Catriona LeMay Doan
because it transitioned well by showing her husband supporting her in the video, then showing him Thursday night at the track. If NBC is going to
force fluff down our throats, it should at least be relevant to something that's happening that night. This one worked.
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:38 AM
I do have a problem with the endless figure skating promos, though. Yes, I realize that this is the
event that's stamping NBC's ticket. However, if they feel that strongly about it, then why not show more? I'm guessing there were ten minutes of
fluff pieces on skaters who would be coming up later. Why not just show skaters who were already skating now?
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:38 AM
Special bonus points for whoever was able to get the camera in close enough to hear U.S. alpine skier
Caroline Lalive's mother. Lalive, who fell during the slalom in the women's combined, showed the true Olympic spirit by climbing back up the mountain
and finishing her run, even though she knew she would be out of medal contention. The camera caught her mother consoling her, telling her daughter
that "she could make up" the difference in the next two runs. Caroline, thinking more realistically than her mother, just stared at her mom in
disbelief and said, "17 seconds?" While obviously this was a sad moment for Lalive, it was very touching to see real disappointment instead of the
scripted fluff foisted upon the viewers by the majority of NBC's staff. Once again, it just goes to show that there are hundreds of untold stories
that would be far more interesting than the prepackaged schmaltz that NBC makes us watch.
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:38 AM
So now there's only one day left until I myself leave for Salt Lake City. Will there be updates to the
Rockwood 2002 Olympic Watch?
Well, that depends on a few things. How many events I get into, how much time I have, if I can find access to a
computer when I'm up there....
Truth be told, I'd like to have kind of a man-on-the-street thing going, but I am going up there to have a
good time, so who knows if I'll be thinking about it?
Keep tuning in! Maybe there will be exciting news from Utah posted up here soon. You
never know!
posted by Brian Lundmark at 12:41 AM
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