Vancouver 2010

robinph

Just been having a bit of a browse around to check when things kick off. Had a quick look on the RTE website though and their Winter Olympics stories are 4 years old, are there any Irish competitors to watch out for this year?

Found the schedule of events here, the times are 8 hours behind:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-schedule-results/

I'd guess that BBC will be our best bet for watching anything, but cannot find any clue yet as to what kind of coverage they will be showing.

Táck

im in vancouver now and i've been doing some research on the net, and apart from the olympic council site there isnt much about the irish at all.

this is actually my first visit to the boards winter section, to se if i could find out more.

there is a very very large amount of irish over here living and working and im sure they would love to go and support them.

imo the irish olympic council should organise some sort of event over here so we could all at least show the few that are competing, we're supporting them.

am i bovvered

I was looking for info on this Skier http://www.kirstenmcgarry.com/default2.asp hope she will be skiing, we got an excellent ski lesson from her sister this year, she mentioned she was hoping to make it.

gavkm27

I live in Whistler,but like many folk i am being kicked out of my place here so my landlord can cash in for the month of February,i have'nt heard anything of any irish competing,there are a few Irish here in town living and working right now

opinion guy

No Irish competitors !!!!
I'd have done it - why didn't they tell me they were stuck!!!!:D

robinph

Not sure if I'm reading this right, but looks like there might be an Irish bobsleigh team:

http://www.olympicsport.ie/News.aspx?pageId=35&itemId=921

But they still have to qualify yet, which seems a bit late to be leaving it.

jimdev

Shane O' Connor will be competing in the men's slalom for Ireland.

Johnny_Fontane

robinph wrote: »

I'd guess that BBC will be our best bet for watching anything, but cannot find any clue yet as to what kind of coverage they will be showing.

Eurosport will be showing the whole thing in HD and there will be wall to wall coverage. BBC, I'm sure, will show alot too, but it will be on the red button (for those that have it). BBC actually show alot of live skiing (downhill, slalom etc.) but its not on the main channel.

If rte do cover it, it will be so dumbed down for irish viewers that it will be unwatchable.

opinion guy

I want to compete in the GS
Think I'm too late ???:D

MysticalSoul

We had a potential figure skater, but she didn't make it through the last round

opinion guy

I'm not kidding. I want to compete! How do I go about it ?

Caprica

There was an article in yesterdays Sunday Tribune about the olympic rower Paul Griffin who is trying to qualify in Cross Country sking. He competed for us in this years world championships

He has reached the B standard but is in competition with a guy called PJ Barron, who is a Scot who declared for us under the parentage rule. They will know in the next ten days who will be selected

sineadgalway

From an article in the times on Monday, it looks like Kirsty McGarry is racing GS too....Eurosport will defo have the best coverage but you'll have to put up with figure skating and curling!

pgibbo

There was an article in yesterdays Indo about Paul Griffin. It was an interesting read too. He's trying to qualify for VC 2010 in the cross country skiing. He'll only be the 3rd Irish person to go to both Summer & Winter Olympics if he makes it.

robinph

It looks like there a several potential Irish competitors in a few different events then, just we don't quite know yet due to all this pre qualifying going on.

pgibbo

robinph wrote: »

It looks like there a several potential Irish competitors in a few different events then, just we don't quite know yet due to all this pre qualifying going on.

Is there any site that lists the potential competitors or when the final team will be announced? If I recall correctly the Griffin article stated that he would know if he made the B standard next week. Cheers.

robinph

I had a look around the Irish Olympic site the other week and didn't find a while lot of up to date information on the team on there for this years Olympics.

jimdev

opinion guy wrote: »

I'm not kidding. I want to compete! How do I go about it ?

First you gotta take up ski racing, apply to the Snowsports Association of Ireland for your Federation International de Ski (FIS) license, compete in some FIS races and do well enough in them to get ranked first in Ireland or in the top 500 in the World (1st Irish is much, much easier), easy!... or maybe not.... at all.....

robinph

jimdev wrote: »

First you gotta take up ski racing, apply to the Snowsports Association of Ireland for your Federation International de Ski (FIS) license, compete in some FIS races and do well enough in them to get ranked first in Ireland or in the top 500 in the World (1st Irish is much, much easier), easy!... or maybe not.... at all.....

Might be easier to get a seat in the middle of a 4 man bob, and you'd need to find another three guys that are very good sprinters.

opinion guy

Screw that running lark...:D

FIS races.....intriging.....how much would all this cost me ?

Fattes

opinion guy More money than you can shake a stick at!! Skiing is not a cheap sport and the standard is incredibly high. Shane is going to race for Ireland and he is really pushing the standard for Irish male skiers

His Blog is here if you are intrested http://shaneskiracing.wordpress.com/

The gap between Shane & one or two others and the rest is huge!

Kirsty is also going and there will be a cross country and skeleton competitors

opinion guy

Ah yeah no doubt the standards are high....I'm not saying I don't need some training.....and some fitness......and some cash...and some luck.......and to be ten years younger........:D
But I dunno....I've seen some pro skiiers ski....and I dunno I look at them and just think.....goddammit i could do that :eek::D:P
What i can't do is the jumping and tricks. or mountian biking.....god damn that just insane....

gavkm27

Ski racers are insane,the speed the go at on basically a sheet of ice,it's a very hardcore sport

robinph

How about Curling, you don't need to be nuts to do that?

opinion guy

gavkm27 wrote: »

Ski racers are insane,the speed the go at on basically a sheet of ice,it's a very hardcore sport

Yup see thats pretty much what doesn't put me off. i loooovvvveeeee the speed!! Probably more into going fast down an icy piste than carving powder

Fattes

Yeah they make it look easy but can you imagine trying to force your body across a pair of skis while going down a sheet of ice at 140 KPH while being pushed backwards.!

The guys are nuts and some of the slopes are scary!

I have done the Lake Louise Downhill 5 minutes slower than the races and I did the whole thing in a race tuck at full pelt:eek:

There is an over 30's FIS race scene if you wanted to do that

Sidney77

robinph wrote: »

How about Curling, you don't need to be nuts to do that?

you dont need to be anything to do that

Mr Ed

Info on some of the Irish contigent heading to Vancouver next month:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/other/2010/0116/winterolympics.html

W.B. Yeats

Mr Ed wrote: »

Info on some of the Irish contigent heading to Vancouver next month:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/other/2010/0116/winterolympics.html

Fairplay to the bob team, heard one of them on the radio a few weeks back and she was confident they would qualify
Shane O'Connor qualified a while back
Not certain what's going on re Ms McGarry, seemed to be a lot more activity from her 4 yrs back. It says she is injured at the moment but seems to have the place if she wants it. Is she training as much as she was 4 yrs back?
Interesting that we have a skeleton participant again, wonder can he better Clifton's 4th?
Skelton/Luge and Bob should be events that we target. Team GB have targetted these and look like they will take a medal home with them. They suffer from the same lack of infrastructure as we do. We just need a few ex sprinters to lose their sanity and take these up.

opinion guy

W.B. Yeats wrote: »

We just need a few ex sprinters to lose their sanity and take these up.

Um wouldn't we need some sprinters first in order to have some ex-sprinters?

pgibbo

Did a quick google and didn't find the Irish team listed anywhere. I'm assuming it has been finalised. Anyone know where it's listed?

15 days to go and then it will be eurosport, eurosport and more eurosport on the TV! :cool:

Craven Lodge

opinion guy wrote: »

Um wouldn't we need some sprinters first in order to have some ex-sprinters?

We have plenty of sprinters in this country Paul Hession being the prime example
I think you are mixing up us having sprinters with us having sprinters winning gold medals in the Olympics

Craven Lodge

pgibbo wrote: »

Did a quick google and didn't find the Irish team listed anywhere. I'm assuming it has been finalised. Anyone know where it's listed?

15 days to go and then it will be eurosport, eurosport and more eurosport on the TV! :cool:

It was announced yesterday

Kirsty McGarry and Shane O'Connor in the alpine skiing
Pat Shannon Skeleton and PJ Barron Cross Country skiing and female Bob-sleigh team of Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin

Good luck one and all,

robinph

pgibbo wrote: »

Did a quick google and didn't find the Irish team listed anywhere. I'm assuming it has been finalised. Anyone know where it's listed?

15 days to go and then it will be eurosport, eurosport and more eurosport on the TV! :cool:

There is an "athletes" section on the official Vancouver site, but no sign of any Irish entrants on there:

http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-athletes/

There is also no UK listed on that search page either and they definitely have some who won't still be waiting on qualifications.

opinion guy

jimdev wrote: »

First you gotta take up ski racing, apply to the Snowsports Association of Ireland for your Federation International de Ski (FIS) license, compete in some FIS races and do well enough in them to get ranked first in Ireland or in the top 500 in the World (1st Irish is much, much easier), easy!... or maybe not.... at all.....

Their website appears to be kaput. What does one need for a FIS license ?