GOLD!

wow lance, your quick!

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Ah hem, should be 'you're quick'. Apparently, I'm not.

And he beat the Aussie traitor.....nice

Meh. I find the judged events underwhelming.

That was soooo exciting! Way to Go Alexandre! What a great run!

Best part about all this Olympic stuff is cbc NOT getting to cover it! If you want to see how PO'd and petty Mansbridge really is..watch tonite's National at the half-hr point..ol' Petey does about a 10 min.piece whining about not being in the loop,what they aren't allowed to cover..it is incredible how grade 6 he sounds!
And oh yeah..GO CANADA.

Is it just me, or did the the Aussie/Canuck look like a bit of a sour puss? I mean could he have at least smiled once? Silver medal ok- but a lead for sportsmanship. Good on Alex!

BRAVO Alex!!! BRAVO!!!

My knees can't take that anymore...

Aerials were spot on, excellent control through the moguls with knees tight all the way.

Ausgezeichnet!!

Cheers

Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief

1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North"

WNMC,

Absolutely. He was returning champion, but why he seems to have it in for this country I'll never know. Fine that he skis for someone else, heck we have lots of athelets that were born somewhere else, that female wrestler comes to mind....but Canadian expats tend to share their win with their former country as well, think Donovan Bailey.

Begg Smiths parents still live in West Van...so who knows maybe it is all just media hype.

Actually Stephen, I think he beat the Canadian traitor!

That was a great performance, and will certainly bring a lot to this team.

If you saw Alex's interview afterwards you can see what a class act he is. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! Sour puss Dale could learn a few things from him!

wnmc - he could be regretting his defection, if only for a moment. After all, he was competing for Olympic gold in the country where he was born and raised, and no one was cheering for him.

I am so sick of seeing the story everywhere that Canada is the only country to host the olympics and not win a gold. And I don't even care about the olympics. Yea Alex!!!!

And the biggest winner of the day is.... Frederic Bilodeau. Congrats Alex!

It was deserved - no fudging judging on this one. Heil deserved the silver too, so far I have been pleased with the judging-its been fair. My one pet peeve is how everyone is trying to compare our opening ceremonies with Beijing, first, that was the summer Olympics and i think the only reason people are using this comparison is cause no one remembers Torino's ceremonies-I'm sure they were good - I just think it unfair to compare with the summer games.

NoOne, I just saw that NBC's viewership of the opening ceremonies was almost the same as for Beijing and 10 million more than for Turin. The Americans liked it I guess or maybe its just the time zone thing.

Sammy - Right on! I recall the Global sportsguy from Vancouver in 2002 and his commentary following Bourne and Kratz when they fell. It was sad after all the time they dedicated to the farce, but Squire Barnes did a hell of job with a couple of sheets of paper and stickmen/women.
I hope that Barnes/Global can do a replay. It was absolutely hilarious and resulted from CBC and the olympic jerks (I assume) not allowing much coverage unless you OWN the RIGHTS! Looks good on you CBC! Whine a little. You are good at it.

I have nephews being trained as ELITE athletes at the expense of the TX school system the TX govt and their parents. THEY would NEVER particpate as American athletes in the Olympics. THEY ARE CANADIAN!

Is this kid angry with his parents, his country or the world? What a louse!

Damned if I didn't have a tear or two watching that win and his family and the fans celebrate. So proud to be Canadian!

I guess I found Mr. Begg-Smith's behaviour in sharp contrast to that displayed by the ladies the night before in the same event. You lost son, smile and suck it up. Thanks again Alex. Great job!

Awesome for Alex to bring us our first Gold! at home.

I'm more than a little annoyed with Brian Williams and his never ending "It was a great call ......" by the announcers. He mentioned it not once but emphatically twice how "great" a call it was by the announcers.

As if it had anything to do with the winning of the Gold. Enough already, Williams. How self-serving. Quit already.

Outstanding performance, and his relationship with his brother is a real inspiration! A first class act in every way.

My understanding is Begg-Smith didn't show much emotion the year he won either. Don't let that stop the sore winning though.

Ray, Beggar-Smith's day job is to make mine more difficult.

You'll forgive me if I laugh my ass off at him, no?

AWESOME!! And I love this event. Yeah, it's judged, but it's exciting to watch and these guys (girls, too) are amazing skiers and athletes.

And hats off to Bilodeau's parents -- both for Alex and how they responded to Frederic's handicap. Pretty cool to see those pictures of both brothers as kids out skiing. What a proud and deserving moment for them.

Goodbye Anglo-Canadian traitor.

Hello French-Canadian Hero!

Alex slayed it out there, corkscrew 1080 was brilliant.

Super inspiring.

Although I feel there are better venues for judged events, my wife and I couldn't be more proud being able to watch Canada win it's first gold on our turf.

Great job Alex! Who ever said nice guys finish last?

I was surprised that the CTV commentators mentioned Beggs general lack of emotion as a human being and the additional comment that he is also "cold" - the sense I got was they were hinting that the guy was sociopath. I did not realize he was born in Canada and then switched to the Australian team until I heard the NBC commentary. Now I realize where the resentment comes from, at first I thought, Man that commentator was harsh -you just profiled the guy as heartless at best, and a sociopath at worst.I bet Beggs is sorry now. He will have to "beg" to get back on the Canadian team (bad intended pun).

NoOne: I have only been watching the CTV broadcasts and I thought they explained Beggs defection rather well. CTV also mentioned that Beggs was very persistent not to talk to Canadian media. I would like to hear what his beef is.

I think that Alex won fair and square - he had a fantastic finish - but I think that calling Mr. Begg Smith names (traitor) is way over the top. I do remember the hullabaloo in the Olympic elites when Dale Beggs Smith told them that they were not going to control his life - when they told him it was the Olympic bigshots way or the highway, he took the highway and moved to Australia.

I like Dale's attitude towards the media and the self nominated Olympiad control freaks. Here is some info I found on the net:
"Begg-Smith was skiing for his native Canada as a teenager when his coaches told him he was spending too much time on his fledgling business, and not enough time in training. He subsequently quit the Canadian ski program because it clashed with his business interests and, along with his brother Jason Begg-Smith, moved to Australia at age 15.[citation needed] The brothers chose to ski for Australia because the country had a smaller ski program that offered them more attention and flexibility. This ensured that they could still successfully manage their business. The brothers stayed out of competitive skiing for three years and instead trained with the Australian team, living in Jindabyne each winter. The pair qualified for Australian citizenship after these three years in 2003-04, and were then free to compete for their adopted country.[citation needed]

Alisa Monk, co-ordinator of the moguls program, says that she books Begg-Smith's hotels and flights economically, despite his wealth. "Wherever the team stays, he stays. There are certainly no big demands. You wouldn't know he had a bit of money". She also said "When he is at Perisher he stays in the same hut as the other mogul skiers and his brother which is small and old and almost falling down", and that "He just doesn't try to stand out at all."[3]

He is considered a recluse by many, and has repeatedly refused to communicate with non-Australian media, Canadian media in particular.[4] NBC dubbed him "the most mysterious man of the Winter Olympics" in a piece aired on February 14, 2010, during the Vancouver games.[5]

Dale is a fantasitic skier, he is poetry in fast motion, IMO. I did not see any resentment when he lost - he was an adult about it and didn't hug and kiss a bunch of people that he didn't know. Mr. Beggs Smith won a Gold medal (for Australia) in Turin, why would he be resentful?

I was cheering for Dale (because he is such an awesome skier) but I was thrilled for Alex. A lot of people here probably do not remember the old heydays of skiing when it was a free for all of individuals - there were no helmets or rules - skiiers ruled the ski mountains and everyone smoked and drank in the longe after a day on the slopes. It was tremendous fun and would not be 'allowed' today.

I think that Jason Beggs Smith is a throw back to the old wild and wooly days when idividuals called their own shots. I am a throw back too; I suppose the latter is the reason I really admire Dale.

To the person above speaking of "Jason Beggs Smith" whoever that is.

I don't think people are creating a villian where there isn't one. The fact is Dale abandoned his Canadian citizenship so he could grow rich from distributed spyware and malware.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/03/03/1141191842651.html

So ya I think it is pretty accurate to call him a traitor, and it seems pretty obvious the better man won tonight irrespective of nationality.

Dale Begg is not a throwback to the days of supposed "crazy skiing". He has wonderful turning technique, but his trick selection is very limmited, much more conservative then some of his other competitors.

Bilodeau performed a corkscrew 1080 off the first hit, the most difficult trick in freestyle moguls. He went for it and was rewarded, Smith performed like a robot, no emotion, no risk, and in the end that's why he lost.

Scott - Jason is Dale's brother - sorry for the one interchange of names. I hope that you have a link to the alleged spy-ware company. Please post it or don't say things that damage other people's reputations.

BTW Dale is a lot older than Alex - bones that break from freestyle 'tricks' don't heal as fast when a person is older.

A young lady from Japan is skating for Russia in the team figure skating event - is she a traitor too?

Scott - sorry, I followed your link and I see that the accusation of the spyware is there - I got a dead end thingie the first time I followed the link - I did not copy it correctly.

given the aussie and kiwi population working at the lifts in the Canadian Rockies its hard to imagine anyone went the other way.
In Fernie last week it was mostly kiwis aussies and a few brits. I think I saw one canuck.

Fernie . Legendary Snow.

I don't know enough about that Russian skaters situation to comment.

In a lot of people's eye's he is a traitor to Canada, he was born here, and learned and developed his skiing here. And seemingly renounced his Canadian citizenship at the drop of a hat so he could nefariously profit from people online.

Is that traitorous, I'd say it is, others might disagree.

Certainly it seems as if Smith is completely indifferent towards Canada. I've even read in the Australian press that they seem to think he's completely indifferent towards them.

I'm fairly sure if he could compete under his own flag as his own country he'd drop his Australian citizenship in a heartbeat.

Smith is only 25, hardly over the hill. The bottom line is that he's one of the least innovative riders on tour. Freestyle skiing's soul is innovation, Bilodeau's cork 1080 honored that credo well tonight. He took a risk, and he got rewarded, I find that a hell of a lot more endearing and inspiring then a guy who performed like a robot and took no risks at all.

RE Beggs-Smith -- The commentators were saying he is practically stone cold at the best of times. They literally said "he's cold-blooded." Could explain his Cold War, East Germany-like lack of emotion at silver.

In any event, congratulations to Alex Bilodeau!

Alex Bilodeau won the Gold in more ways than one. Even before he became an Olympian Gold Medalist, he'd attained the most precious gold of all: His unabashed love of and esteem for his brother Frederic.

Alex Bilodeau has his priorities straight! I'm so happy that he won. The video of Frederic standing on the sidelines cheering his head off as his brother blasted past the finish line was pure gold. What a team!

Jema54,

Here is the link re Begg Smith's business.

http://spamkings.oreilly.com/archives/2006/02/asterisk_on_popup_moguls_gold.html

While I have sympathy with his breaking out of the shackeles and being of independent spirit....there is a difference in attitude. He gives off the impression of being angry. But who cares, we won a gold. It would have been a real pain had Begg Smith won because the endless Canadian wins on home soil for another country.

Lance,
That I can understand perfectly. What I don't understand is name calling and the insane assertion that because a person happened to be born in Canada he somehow owes a debt of national pride to a keyboard tapper in everytown, someprovince.

Re: Beggs - You pays your penny you takes your choice. More importantly, our gold medal winner is living proof that the true Qebecois have not turned their backs on family values of the past. Aren't sure they are church goers but they certainly appear to stand against JP II's Culture of Death.
They're all living proof of what can be accomplished when you hold true to yourselves and never, ever give in.

It was heart warming to see the Bilodeau family in action. There is still hope for the family unit.

*
of course... congrats to alex bilodeau... but did anybody else find the constant,
unrelenting shower of adulation poured over his handicapped brother by
the tv talking heads... just a teeny bit over the top?

i actually found the ctv commentator's condescension embarrassing... it got to
the point... it was like they were showing off a two-headed calf.

and speaking of embarrassing... how will manuel osborne-paradis (with his
17th place finish) live down his over the top "golden boy... losing is
not an option" commercial that aired at least a couple of thousand times?

my guess is, manny now regrets being part of that little promotional ditty...
bigtime.

now... and i'm just spit-ballin' here... but how about we get back to less
show-business... more pure athletic achievement?

*

The one thing that struck me about Alex Bilodeau was in the instant that he won gold, he stopped in the middle of his celebration to quickly go over and pat the back of the French skier who had just got 6th place. Even in his excitement and joy, he had the good manners of a true sportsman to give good wishes to his competitor.

Alex Bilodequ: Class Act.
Begg-Smith: not so much

Knacker - good catch - I should have been more clear. I was channel surfing back and forth btwn CTV and NBC, so I do not doubt that CTV talked about it, thinking about it now, that is probably the part I missed before CTV stated how he lacked emotion and was cold, it seems I missed a large part of the context - no wonder it seemed so harsh to me at the time.

Just heard on CTV that Beggs-Smith is crying foul and saying the judging was biased against him in favour of Alex Bilodeau. There was actually a mini press conference about it, I don't know who the person was that spoke out on behalf of the judges decision. Remains to be seen if an official complaint will be lodged by Beggs-Smith.

Congratulations to Canadas Gold Medal winner. Class, commitment, grace under pressure and so much more.

Who cares about the Aussie/Canuklehead?

To respect voice of Olympic protesters:
For their few may said it right,
Such as:

Canada has lots of land and in compare not too populated city why not give every body a
First home free; they spend so much money wasted aboard why not for Canadian home free first. Or free from property tax

Olympic is only entertainment with cost of people it is good if you have money from first initial for every body first and sport second. Having home for every body benefit us having Olympic is only benefit political party and sport lovers. There is not proof those sport really make those body nicer or needed all gold for what??? We can live without gold too we can not live without shelter.

Cut that time frame of 4 years make it in all term time why should we listen to bank why not bank do not listen to us as customer.
Bank in Canada are big stranger here not people
First time buyer must pay 2.25 % or lower for interest fix

if your term finish bank has no right to increase this rate this is lost for owner and win for bank ONLY if you start low this low can not change significantly since if economic in world change it does not mean the owner of house or old age people increase therefore this rate must book for all 35 years not for 4 years only
This is trick bank give to people and