I'm just wondering...are people in Spain following the Winter Olympics at all?

Tara

Hey, a Spanish ski-jumper won one of the first Gold's of the SLC Games. Thats more golds than Sweden and Canada combined! Viva Espana!!

It's not as popular as in the States and the Spanish team sent was pretty small. We are more of a summer games country.

That's always intrigued me, since outside Switzerland, Spain is the most mountainous European country...more than Austria and many other ski "powerhouses". There's always plenty of skiing in the winter, and Jaca (Huesca) is still trying to host the games, if I'm not mistaken...

During my visit last year, I noticed that Granada is trying to get the 2010 games, which would make sense with the Sierra Nevadas there. Is there any word on that? Any chance of Granada hosting??

It might seem silly, but it is hard to be interested on the games, when everybody is so busy living "Operación Triunfo's aftermath"! Although it ended on Monday, it's still on every tv channel all day one way or another, including the news. The last OP program was the most watched in 10 years on Spanish tv, that means since 1992, which probably means since Barcelona's olympic games' opening ceremony!!! (this is MY guess)

Only the controversy about the possibility of ruling on "indecent postures" in figure-skating is getting some attention.
I'm afraid that the fact that the skier who won the gold medal the first or second day of competition for Spain has a German origin, and is a nationalized Spaniard, takes the "thrill" out of it for most people.

Hey Pim!

Today at work we've been talking about this issue. "What do you think about the gold medal that the Spaniard nationalized German (Jon Muller) has won?"

We have drawn some conclusions and the main conclusion is that we are happy for the medal.

This man wasn't a good sportman three years ago and Germans didn't want him in their team. So he become spaniard and after becoming spaniard he has started winning everything. In all the interviews he says that he's spaniard and he ONLY speaks in Spanish even in german interviews because he says that he NOW is spaniard and he must think in the future not in the past.

There is an opposite situation: the swimmer Martín Zubero. All spaniards are happy when he wins one medal and all say that he is Spanish ... but ... he's spend all his life in the US and he just don't know speaking in Spanish!. Therefore, if he just speak a little Spanish it must be because he doesn't "feel" very spaniard. He just was born in Spain.

At this moment I prefer Muller than Zubero because I think that the important thing is not where are you from but where you "feel" that you belong to, and Muller seems to feel more spaniard even that most of us (spaniards) but Zubero and many as him are spaniards due to the country where they were born but not due to what they feel.

What do you think about it?

It wouldn´t surprise me if Johann Mûhlegg won several gold medals in the Olympic Games. He´s one of the best right now.

Spain, although not prominant in skiing, like most European nations, had some pretty darned good competitors in the past. As an example, Francisco Ochoa, who won a gold medal in Alpine skiing back in 1972.

But the success rate of getting medals started to dwindle along the way, and by the 90s, there hasn't been too much representation in conventional events, but from what I've seen, and heard, there's a "new breed of ski and snowboard kids" who are starting to show real promise in some of the newer events, like half pipe on the snowboard, and moguls on skis.

I have a hunch, by the next Olympics, Spaniards will have plenty to cheer about when their athletes hit the slopes. It will be nice to see them have a bigger presence again. I think they only sent five athletes this year - not certain though.

Wolf

With Martin Zubero I got the best of both worlds...an American who was born in Spain who then "became" Spaniard for the Olympics competition...what's not to like? I felt like him winning was a victory for both countries.

If the Spanish Olympic Committee needs me, I'm available for their hockey team. I'm sure a few years of HS competition make me better than most, and a lock for the team. Then I can live in Spain!!!

Muhlegg won ANOTHER Gold for Spain today, this one in the 10k X-Country. The TV gave an interesting background for this "Spaniard". Born and raised in Germany, he competed for Germany until hehad some dispute with German sporting officials. He then entered into some sort of 'contract' to compete under the Spanish flag. He still lives and trains in Germany. This 'contract' expires after these games. Very strange. But with the EU, whats to stop a Frenchman from living in Greece and competeing for Denmarck? But, Spain now has two gold medals, more than many traditional winter sports powers, including Wisconsin.

Hello!

Yes, Muller has won its second medal. Look at what I said yesterday! He knows that spaniards maybe will think "this one is not spaniard, is a german" so, everytime he can he tries to promote him as Spaniard.

Look at this news and the photo. In the news is said that in the last 100 m of the race he stopped a second to grab a Spanish flag and he finished the race pushing him with just one stick because in the other hand he carried the flag:

"He was so far in front Thursday that he slowed down to grab a Spanish flag, carried it in his right hand for the final 100 meters and waved it as he crossed the finish line."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympic...legg_ap-01.html

My 'Finlandia' has two gold medals too.

Hey!

You guys be knocking my home state of Wisconsin -

Before the games are over, Wisconsin will garner a nice chunk of the medals won by the U.S. It's funny how it happens that way. The U.S. Olympic Committee, and the powers behind the different venue movements have all but eliminated any potential training sites in Wisconsin, yet each time around, the medal counts show the Wisconsin influence. I personally think it's a travesty that the U.S. Olympic and skating people have turned against the West Allis speed skating rink, where almost all of the U.S. speed skaters came from in the past. Even our Wisconsin Gold Medalist from the games so far trained in Canada, because he wouldn't use the Colorado or upstate NY facilities. Even Bob Costa during one of his broadcasts intimated that the lack of support for the broad base of skaters, etc, that are Wisconsin/Illinois based has been dumped on for political reasons. That should change.

By the end of the games, Wisconsin will prove once again to be a world "power-house" of medals - It's written on the ice in West Allis, where all the greats started their quests for gold. It is, and should be, the home of the U.S. speed skating team. Period!

Wolf (Who also remembers when the only American ski jumpers who were world class came from Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. We need that back too!)

Wolf:

We all know that cheese causes a lack of oxygen to the brain, which is why the USOC decided to "wise up" and move out of "the Home of the Dells". Actually, I think the governor of Wisconsin, when apprised of the Olympic exodus, chased after the team in a "Dells Duck". Perhaps he should've strapped on some skis...

Another Olympic oddity: Southern Calfornia seems to be a figure-skating mecca. By the way, we don't have any ice here, and it snowed in the valley for the first time in ten-plus years, just last month.

CaliBasco (Who knows that the best Olympians come from Minnesota...just ask Herb Brooks)

Cali,

Wisconsin is up to two golds and a bronze medal at this point. Minnesota is doing about the same. You're right about So. Cal, it seems like that area has become the hot bed of skating. I got you on the ducks - Nice! Real nice!

What's sad is the fact that the USOC doesn't recognize that speed skating in Wisconsin draws the best out of Illinois as well.

You were right for years about Minnesota and hockey. But as I pored over the roster for this year's team (even though they are pros), I saw a bigger influence from the east, where hockey has really become king in the New England area. With the success of so many college teams out that way, it's getting to be a natural for kids to migrate into fairly local schools in that area.

Still, both Wisconsin and Minnesota are represented on our hockey team this year.

If you recall, the scoring star of the 1980 US hockey team was a guy by the name of Johnson. Hailed from Madison. Son of the immortal Bob Johnson, hockey coach extra-ordinaire - Can't let you forget that!

If I was in Spain I'd be eating up every moment of the olympics I could on TV. In 1998, the European coverage of the summer games out of Atlanta was as amazingly good. They covered all venues, and because of the hours it was on over there, we really enjoyed watching it. Fantastic coverage!

Wolf

LA being the centre of the figure skating world was probably helped by the Harding-Kerrigan affair and it's conversion into a cheezey TV movie. Then everyone wanted to move to LA and be a figure skater!

Wolf,

Please, don´t be offended! That was not my intention. At first I thought of leaving out 'the Wisconsin part of the meaning' but for some unaccountable reason I didn´t. I´m just happy about all the medals my Finnish heroes win.

True, Wolf, we are impressed with the progress of Wisconsin in joining the first world. We don't mean to insult it and the news I heard that there is now indoor plumbing made me very happy indeed!

Don't knock LA though cause CaliBasco will have to gas up the SUV, pick up a double tall mocha latte decaf, and busta cap in yo ass with his Glock-9!

Tia,

I wasn't offended, it was funny -

Like Asterault said, we finally got indoor plumbing up there in the sticks. But I don't like it. That big old outhouse sitting in the middle of the living room, and a hole drilled through the floor under it doesn't seem to be all that much of an improvement, except in the dead of winter -

Like I always tell everyone, my computer system is a gold fish bowl monitor, abacus keyboard/computer, and a piece of rope tied outside to a currant bush for current (electricity). Seems to work, as long as I keep the string pulled real tight on my phone line which is a tin can with another one on da udder end, attached to a phone at the general store -

Tia, Finland is having a great Olympics. They usually do. I think chasing the reindeer on skis so they can milk them probably helps - Anyway that's what this Danish friend of mine said.

Wolf (Who loves poking and getting poked fun at.)