Canada's spectcrudular performance at olympics so far

[HEyHEY]

Anyone have a solution?

[wurzel]

1. Canadians have national health care. Want to swap? n/t

[Maple]

2. Yes...relax

It's been 4 days and we have a bronze already!

[HEyHEY]

3. I just think we don't fund them enough

Maybe it's just me...but our population is larger than many countries that do much better.

[salib]

4. yeah, but you guys actually have something else

to live for. Romania can be pretty bleak.

[yvr girl]

5. I saw a debate on CBC newsworld today

One guy said that the US Teams do not get any government funding at all. They just get gobs of corporate support. I would like to see us do better.

I think it is partially do to our sports culture. In the States, high school and college sports are much bigger than they are here. We do pretty well in hockey. I think that's because we have a well developed hockey system.

In general, I think we are also less competitive. I was at a Canadians baseball game today. During several of the audience participation games the participants lost, and were given the consolation prize. Then the announcer would say, 'Ah, he tried, let's give the main prize as well.'

[Frederic Bastiat]

6. Canadians come across as less competitive

Could be that "participating is more important than winning" attitude I hear all the time. Australia has a kick ass national sports program that cranks out great athletes, same for China, Russia, Japan and Holland.

BTW did you know there are more Canadian officials than athletes at the Olympics? Go figure.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. We don't fund sports that don't involve ice.

[Spazito]

8. We tend to do better in the winter Olympics...

so this is no surprise to me. I don't fine the Summer Olympics that interesting to watch, I much prefer the winter sports even (gasp) curling lol.

[iverglas]

9. agreed on that

I don't fine the Summer Olympics that interesting to watch

I actually didn't mind watching the last Winter Olympics, but now the co-vivant has been compelling me to watch rows of identical-looking faceless things flinging themselves uneventfully back and forth in swimming pools, and I can't express the waves of boredom I have been experiencing.

Compare that swimming stuff to speed skating -- where you can watch the faces of the competitors ... and watch them try to knock one another over. And other sports where things actually happen. The bike races come close, but are really still pretty tedious.

Compare figure skating to those anorexic dwarfs flouncing around on mats on the floor.

I don't generally watch things on TV that don't have a plot. The Winter Olympics events come a little closer to meeting that criterion than the summer ones do.

As for funding them -- well, if I were taking any credit for what they do, or getting something out of it, I'd think I should be funding them. I'm not, and I don't. I don't notice anybody funding me for watching TV. That's what I like to do. They like to run races, and to try to win them. That's nice for them, I'm sure, and also their choice to do it. Not my responsibility to support them while they do it or train for it.

Other people work for a living by doing something that someone wants to pay them for. If they can find someone who wants to pay them for running races, more power to them. I just don't think it should be me.

Yeah, fine, I'll grant them a little something -- travel expenses, some facilities for training; they do serve some public purpose in what they do, there are people who enjoy it and think it's important, and I'm not actually saying we should not participate at all in the Olympics, which do serve some public international purpose too. We all get some stuff from tax spending that isn't strictly necessary and that other people don't get. And my personal preferences don't rule tax spending.

But I won't go so far as to put them on the public payroll in return for them engaging in their hobby. And if it isn't a hobby, it's a job, and then somebody who actually regards it as worth being paid for should pay them to do it.

[TrogL]

10. They cut waaay back on the number of athletes sent

Something like you had to be in the top 6 of world to go. Hence, we aren't getting any fluke medals when everybody else bombs out.

[Donovanf]

11. WHO CARES!!!

The number of metals we win will not affect our daily lives. I would rather the money be spent on health care or national parks than on Nation Pride. Let other countries waste their money on foolish metals. With the money we save, we can buy our own metals at a fraction of the price. Sure they won;t mean anything but they could have a picture of a loon or something on them.

[HEyHEY]

12. Me!

Ya gotta have an international presence.

[Donovanf]

14. our best bet...

is to lay low. As long as the states doesn't know where we are they can't attack us. No wait, what about Iraq. Just kidding my American friends ;).

[LeftistGorilla]

13. we're...

a winter olympic country anyways....

[yvr girl]

15. We used to be better at summer events

In the past, we've been good in swimming, rowing, track and numerous lower profile events. We've gone downhill.

The American teams get their money from corporate sponsors. Playing the national pride card is big down there. They like to be associated with winners.

We have national pride in Canada, but not in an overt way. We also tend to like underdogs. We like when they win, despite the obstacles. I think we secretly expect front-runners to disappoint us.

[Lautremont]

16. Torture machines?

No, wait, we just got a gold. Hold off on that.