The men's hockey win was spectacular. I was so moved by how much they love each other and how they include the jersey of the teammate lost. I cried happy tears for them all. It was hard fought for sure. Canada is a mighty opponent. I will be watching the closing ceremony too. It was so nice to be united for these past couple of weeks. I hope it bodes well for the future.

Curling is really the only Olympic sport I watch with any kind of interest - Annie's description of chess on ice makes a lot of sense (but with some physics and athleticism thrown in). Curling is a really easy game to play, but a really, really hard game to play well.

Murraysmom, i loved how they included Gaudreau’s jersey and his children in the celebration. Very touching. His death was sad, a tragedy.

Jack Hughes lost some teeth in the game but also scored the winning goal. Win some, lose some.

Yes, the Gaudreau brothers' deaths and now, though nothing to do with the Olympics, but the deaths of the back country skiers, have all been so tragic. I wondered about Jack Hughes but it didn't seem to bother him of course you can't help but smile with a win like they experienced this morning! It was so special to see Gaudreau's children and jersey included in the celebration.

I know that for some reason, these Olympics held my attention like no other. Great stuff!

@dedtired... Ha Ha.. My DH reminded me that missing front teeth was a badge of honor in hockeyland.

I really appreciate the ability to stream and also go back and watch highlights. I haven't always been able to tune in to live events. 7 a.m. on a Sunday isn't prime hockey viewing time for me, for example. ;-)

I really have loved watching the ice skating gala performance. The commraderie of the American team is so heartwarming. What a great group of young people they appear to be! And watching some of the skiiers (skateboarders?) sliding down the ski runs and jumps on their backs and jackets, just like little kids out enjoying the snow, was so fun.

I always get a little teary-eyed during the closing ceremonies, as the flame goes out but remains kindled in hearts and spirits. Pass me the tissues.

" Hopefully we are entering a new era in the skating world. "

If you've ever known a family with a child in an uberly overbearing and demanding development program in skating or gymnastics or swimming, as we have, you might feel differently. These over-hyped programs brainwash parents into thinking that participation in their expensive training will insure success for their children in their chosen events. 8-14 year old children shouldn't have to spend 3-4 hours a day in training. It robs them of their childhood years. And teaches them wrong values.

If you support the competitions, you support the development chain and all its evils, as far as I'm concerned.

" I always hated what they did to Tonya Harding "

Oh, you mean what the public reaction was to her being convicted of participation in a criminal act to injure a competitor? I thought at the time she got much less scorn and ostracism than she deserved. And too light a sentence.

I wish more parents followed the passions of their children and not trying to relive their own dreams. If you have the money and time and your child has the passion, I see no problem in participating in any sport. I really appreciate the support I got from my parents for the things I wanted to join/participate. There wasn't any thing such as special teams that travel all over to play. We were strictly school/neighborhood groups and teams. And honestly, that was enough. I have never known anyone turn professional in any sport. And I am fine with that. I had a blast as a child and even as an adult in the sports I played to the best of my ability.

Those lovely young people participating in the Olympics appear to be pretty happy to be there.

My brother is incredibly into body building sorts of things. He owns a gym, personal trainer, competed and made it partway through American Ninja Warriors. His son found value in a similar course of life. Won an athletic scholarship to University through competitive sports. He was close to qualifying for the Olympics... all of it was his choice. And like many University freshman, lives a different life now. He's a model. Still body conscious. No berating, just wanted to be like his dad. I think the dropping university thing is more that COVID hit. Such is life.

I would be happy to continue the discussion and compare experiences with others who had the experience of raising their own children and had to help them negotiate peer pressure, tough choices, and identification of and exposure to kids with toxic and undesirable situations whose parents had allowed things to go overboard and out of control with their activities.

I'm not sure the first two commentators after mine just above are people with such first hand experiences with their own children.

Here's what a search about factors concerning Ms Liu's first "retirement" discloses:

" Alysa Liu took a break from competitive figure skating in 2022 due to extreme burnout, intense pressure, and a desire to experience life as a normal teenager, having competed at elite levels since age 13. She felt overwhelmed by the relentless training, sought to avoid the ice, and wanted to focus on her mental health

Key Reasons for the Break:

• Burnout & Mental Health: After placing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she felt emotionally exhausted and "traumatized" by the pressure, according to her father.
• Desire for Normalcy: She wanted to stop the "eat, sleep, breathe" cycle of training and experience life outside the rink, such as going to school.
• Loss of Joy: She stopped enjoying the sport and felt her life had become a blur of training and competition."

And also this from a SF Chronicle interview:

" She has been skating since she was 5 and wants her own life. She wants to hang out with her four younger siblings, live at her house in Richmond, apply to college, spend time with friends, get her driver’s license, play the piano, cuddle with her cat Xiao Bao.

All things she couldn’t do while she pursued an Olympic-level skating career."

So, she changed her mind again. That's her right to do. The descriptions accurately portray what kind of circumstances these young people find themselves in and how narrow and smothering it can be to prevent having a "normal childhood".

You don’t get to decide who participates in discussions here. We are all entitled to our opinions, as you are aways so quick to point out

You don’t seem to restrict your participation in discussions pertaining to women’s experiences, though you have provided no evidence that you have any experience as a woman.

I wasn't restricting it but it's a bit pointless to discuss child raising challenges with people who haven't had the same experiences. I said I would be" happy to discuss", which implies I'm not anxious to have such discussions with people lacking such experiences.

MY EXPERIENCES with youngsters in such circumstances is that there's no gender component that affects dealing with the abuse of needless pressure to pursue the highest heights of any activity, especially competitive ones. That probably makes it a topic not of interest to you because you think everything and anything must be different for females than for males. Kind of the opposite of gender equality that others espouse.

Winter sports are huge in Minnesota, and not knowing a family here without a person participating in at least one of the sports is rare....unless you're living in Mpls/St. Paul. Diversity has decimated winter sport participation in these cities and even some of the inner ring suburbs.

I've never known a parent forcing they kids to try and win a gold at the Olympic, the flame to victory burns within the kids. A grandson finished his last hockey game this weekend, and over his 12 years of skating in local associations no player's parent was uberly overbearing and demanding to any player trying to re-live there own childhood dream. I also have two great nieces playing hockey and both made all conference this year and no one forced them to do this.

I played hockey but barely made it to my feet when knocked down, and liked to speed skate around the rink behind my dad's house when the rink was empty late at night in sub zero weather. I thought about the Olympics as my inspiration but the flame was just a flicker.

I 100% agree that this was one of the best and most interesting Olympics I’ve seen. While I don’t watch every minute and never have, I’ve always enjoyed the winter Olympics far more than most of the summer games. This year there was such a broad range of ages and really interesting talented competitors I was compelled to turn on the DVR and watch a lot of it.

As to the statement about not being relatable…I grew up in the South where we had none of these sports (maybe a bit of ice skatingnhere and there and later hockey here) but we had ’Wide World of Sports’ to show us the Olympics and many other sports. I always wanted to learn to ski and finally learned. I went on a ski trip to Switzerland in the late 80’s with a group organized by our local university, and our group got to do Curling one evening! It was so much fun! I don’t recall much of the rules, but always wished I could do it again. Now there is an organized interest group here, and I’m probably too old to participate. I love watching the downhill skiing, cross-country events, the bobsled runs, and skating and speedskating. Oh and hockey, especially the finals. Not so much of a snowboard half-pipe and race fan but will watch some of the ski jump aerials. And i get frustrated at the judged events, probably just like the rest of you do.

Elmer, I agree with what you are saying basically about competitiveness in sports, parent and peer pressure. I witnessed a good bit of it with our daughter in sports and then our granddaughter. Our oldest granddaughter was very much an elite soccer player through high school. She was offered a few scholarships to smaller schools but the schools were not where she wanted to study. She is very short and other players mis-read her strengths and so did coaches sometimes so she didn’t really have a shot at D1 level. So she decided school was more important & concentrated on her studies.

I read the article about Ms Liu about a week before her first competition. I have to give her a lot of credit for being honest with herself and having the courage to take time off. She really didn’t know if she would go back to skating or not so we probably shouldn’t say ’time off’. The things she did during that time eventually led her back to the sport, but as you probably know, she is the boss and she makes the rules. In my view she clearly set her own path, is doing things her way, from her costumes to her practice routine and music, and her hairstyle. Those ’tree rings’ represent her growth in case anyone was wondering.

And Alysa Liu's story is her own. And every other participant's story is his or her own. I find painting everything with a broad brush to be tiring and unrealistic. Just because one person does something one way, doesn't mean that others have to or even consider doing things the same way. Everyone is different. And unless you know every single person, making sweeping statements doesn't hold water. I personally did not care for her hair color. But I vigorously defend her right to do it.

I've never known a parent forcing they kids to try and win a gold at the Olympic, the flame to victory burns within the kids

That would be the same with Alysa Liu. Though some people may raise an issue with Tiger-mom-style pressure intersecting with Alysa Liu’s development and Winter Olympic success. The fact that she did have tiger parenting with high expectations but also with support backing not just pressure so she was able to exercise autonomy, a psychological strength linked to mature motivation that many strict parenting models don’t always cultivate.

Her comeback wasn’t just about medals - she emphasized joy and personal meaning in skating more than external pressures. That’s a significant psychological shift from performing for approval or expectations. In the end the gold medal came straight to her without expectations.

"That would be the same with Alysa Liu."

You know her personally? Or have reason to think the PR version is consistent with the truth in all respects? If so, that would be unusual.

Nice rage-baiting, Elmer.

What a delight Alysa Liu is! Throwing out the first pitch....https://youtu.be/qLu49FkTaPc?si=Awcm2Ck_5o9N-7ys I edited the link, apparently the first one I posted didn't worik.

Of course, she did not get there on her own. It takes a village, and her parents, especially her father invested heavily in her interest in the sport at a very young age. She benefited from high expectations but was not defined by them. Her success and maturity are a blend of early focus and discipline, parental support that didn’t stifle her autonomy, and her own ability to step back, reflect, and choose a path forward.

These games were truly enjoyable - loved the hockey and skating. DS played ice hockey in high school and college and now his 2 daughters are taking skating lessons at our local rink. After one of the sessions they told me about the 'girl doing twirls and jumps' on the other rink. DS told me that it was Isabeau Levito who trains there so they were enthralled to see her on TV.

I don't think it was the behavior of the team that was offensive in that locker room.

Agreed, dedtired, very much agreed.

Yes, they got free broadcast air time and the women‘s GOLD MEDAL game was only available on streaming and cable. They have won three Olympic gold medals in 28 years. The men took 64 years to do the same. The women deserve as much respect as the men and did not receive it. That is NOT the way it should be.

corrected, thanks to LoneJack!

one = won?

Perhaps if the women would throw fists now and again they might get more respect. Or not.

Elbows up ladies :-)

I remember the 2010 Olympics when the Canada Women’s Team won the gold and then got bad press for celebrating with drinks and (gasp) cigars!

I still can imagine how proud the USA men’s team were to win. I was rooting for Canada, of course🤷

I feel bad when any victory is muddled up in controversy. Hopefully, it will change and all athletes will get their proper accolades.

roxsolid, I would have been happy whether the US got silver or gold. Happy for both teams. It's still an accomplishment worth noting and celebrating. I also like how our hockey players cross the borders from time to time. I'm still hoping for a reconciliation in the future.

😀 murraysmom, I read somewhere the other day, that only the Gold medal winners, and the Bronze medal winners, are the only two teams who get to celebrate a victory win at the end of it all. 🤠

I’d have been happier if Canada had won the gold medal! It was an exciting game, though.

eta I think the hockey players are crossing the borders all the time. Edmonton played in Anaheim last night. ☹️

Connor Hellebucyk, who was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom after the game plays for Winnipeg. 🤷

All except Lord Stanley's Cup. It stays in the US. ;-p

LOL, yes Lonejack. He needs to get his papers in order. It’s like he’s being held in detention down there.

Perhaps if the women would throw fists now and again they might get more respect. Or not.

Leave that for the hockey moms. 🤭

I don't care what color the medals are. If it were me, I would be partying hardy if I won anything!! Maybe that's because I have no talent in the sports arenas.

Love this! What a nice thing to do.

“The women deserve as much respect as the men and did not receive it. That is NOT the way it should be.” Agreed, bpath.

And Hilary Knight’s response to it all.

Feathers, my thought on all of it is that the men’s team got caught up in the moment-not an excuse-just a reason.

There was an individual there that seemed to be partying waaaay too much, and certainly the individual on the phone……well, typical 🤷 Both of them should have known better.

I feel bad for all the controversy surrounding the wins. I’m sorry that Hilary Knight even had to address it.

Knight is amazing. from ESPN, regarding her ending her Olympic skating career: ”She ends first among American skaters -- men or women -- in Olympic goals (15) and points (33) in a career.”

“The women deserve as much respect as the men and did not receive it. That is NOT the way it should be.” What a load of HOOEY! One can, ANYONE can celebrate a win and not mean it's dennegrating any other people!!! The exchange between the President of the United States and the mens team was organic, was normal and stands alone! Anyone who has stirred this into something with TDS over tones is mentally ill. It's RIDICULOUS. Let the men have their win, their day in the sun and move on!

"Let the men have their win, their day in the sun and move on!" ....while denigrating the accomplishments of the women's team via sexist sniggers and dismissal. S.O.P. for this administration and its enablers.

Ms. Binary has appeared again.

Administration last month: "Here's a new food pyramid that emphasizes whole food and condemns ultraprocessed foods."

Administration this month: "Hockey dudes, although we have an enormous food budget here at the WH, here's a spread of fast food for you. Congratulations on your win. Enjoy a McDonald's cheeseburger on us."

While the women are wined and dined with Stanley Tucci in Milan. Beats cold cheeseburgers any day of the week.

" Beats cold cheeseburgers any day of the week". And not having to show up in DC! Win, win.

I'm sure the host would be much more entertaining, too.

Arcy, it has nothing to do with TDS. I do not have it. But the women were not aired on broadcast tv, nor was their medal ceremony. They received a backhanded invitation to DC. It might be that the media chose not to make known the White House congratulating them immediately after the win, or any representative visiting them for personal congratulations. Maybe those events occurred, maybe not, but I did not hear about it. I would be delighted, and I mean that sincerely, if someone could show here that those events did occur.

Did Stanley Tucci invite the men to dinner?

As you know, hockey is a grueling sport and overtime is not on any player’s wishlist. Both teams went the extra minutes (thank goodness it is not a full period), 3-on-1, sudden d3@th, and both should have received the same level of attention.

The two teams support each other, and that is a fine thing. and nothing I said was hooey, and had nothing to do with politics.

I know which I would have chosen. Not even an iota of second thoughts. And that would be before hearing what the menus were.

He doesn't respect women. That's a fact. Actually he doesn't respect anyone unless they are fellow despots, rich despots.

Representing the U.S., female athletes have won more of the U.S. teams' medals than male athletes, for the third consecutive winter Olympics games. Females dominate U.S. winter Olympic sports. That's a fact.

The men's hockey locker room spectacle was shameful, and while I can understand the actions of the players themselves because of the position in which they found themselves (I understand it, not excusing it), what was utterly embarrassing to the entire U.S. was video of our FBI director in that locker room chugging beers, pounding fists, and acting like a 20-yo frat boy. He had no business being in that locker room, riding the coattails of an Olympic gold-medal winning team. It was so cringey. And then the phone call from our nation's leader disparaging the women's team, followed by asserting that it was an honor to use the men's team as props for his SOTU while feeding them cheap fast food at the White House.

Every female athlete has, from my observation, acted with grace and dignity while representing the U.S. And our administration has completely dismissed them.