Canceled Olympic Games

RockinOut wrote:

Common Flu deaths in US 2020     Corona Virus Deaths worldwide     4,800 deaths in the US alone from the common flu and 2,400 deaths worldwide from the wuhan corona virus

Deaths out of how many confirmed cases for each? The mortality rate for Covid-19 is far, far higher than that of the flu.

Yea, covid transmits at a much higher rate than the flu, almost 4 times higher. It lives much longer outside of the body and can re-infect the same person they are finding, more info on that is needed though. By the time this is done,  it will potentially kill 10-20 times the amount of the flu. I'm stocked up and waiting for the final go from the CDC. I would expect next week to look very different around here. 

I think it's lame that speed climbing gets hated on so much. I love adventurous climbing and problem solving as much as the next guy, but there's something to be said for screwing it all in the name of optimizing speed and seeing just how fast is possible. Climbing is a sport, after all, and it's not like speed climbers take away from your enjoyment. It's cool as hell, they're incredibly hardworking and talented, and they get shit on all the time.

Shay Subramanian wrote: I think it's lame that speed climbing gets hated on so much. I love adventurous climbing and problem solving as much as the next guy, but there's something to be said for screwing it all in the name of optimizing speed and seeing just how fast is possible. Climbing is a sport, after all, and it's not like speed climbers take away from your enjoyment. It's cool as hell, they're incredibly hardworking and talented, and they get shit on all the time.

Climber are a very fragile bunch. 

Dave K wrote:

I never paid much attention to speed climbing and only recently learned that there is a standard route, i.e the same climb, every time. I don't get that at all. If climbing fast is to be a sport it should include the idea that there are infinite variations in climbing. That's what makes it interesting!

It's really weird to think that there are a bunch of athletes with the same route but no others wired into their brain. Change that route even slightly and most of them would probably fall off on the first attempt. Figuring out the moves is part of the essence of climbing. Without that it's just an odd exercise in optimizing a very specific pattern of muscle memory.

Maybe they should switch up the track events too. Like make the 400M 406 instead. Or add a speed bump.

It's a race.

One thing I'd like to see with the regular competition climbing would be make the route like really hard, .15B or so. Sculpt it out of the panels, maybe even make it a permanent route you could travel to and try.
Give all the competition a few days to work it, then the event is a timed redpoint attempt. 

Mike Lane wrote:

Maybe they should switch up the track events too. Like make the 400M 406 instead. Or add a speed bump.

It's a race.

Throw a water hazard into the 100 Meter. Try and get your records now Bolt!

Shay Subramanian wrote: I think it's lame that speed climbing gets hated on so much. I love adventurous climbing and problem solving as much as the next guy, but there's something to be said for screwing it all in the name of optimizing speed and seeing just how fast is possible. Climbing is a sport, after all, and it's not like speed climbers take away from your enjoyment. It's cool as hell, they're incredibly hardworking and talented, and they get shit on all the time.

It think the single route is lame.  Change it up a bit!  No one thinks downhill skiers are lame for skiing a different route at each event.  Give them a 15 minute visual inspection, 2 practice sends, and then go!

Shay Subramanian wrote:..Climbing is a sport, after all, and it's not like speed climbers take away from your enjoyment. It's cool as hell, they're incredibly hardworking and talented, and they get shit on all the time.

I agree with all of these statements. The combined scoring introduced ranking system, with quite amusing results - anyone who wins a particular discipline is guaranteed  a spot in finals. As a result, fastest person on the speed wall gets into finals. Of course, you might inquire why I am amused by this? Glad you asked! Speed route is, roughly 5.10+, not very hard. Lead climbing is likely 5.13+/5.14-, with boulders anywhere from coordination V6-7 to power V12. As you might notice there is quite a bit of spread. Latest Olympic Qualifier in Toulouse had speed specialists barely able to start boulder problems, and fall lowest on lead routes. 

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8yS1JfztM

Honestly speed climbing has the best fit for the Olympic games. Very standardized equipment, timing, etc. Just like any track and field event. Its not about adventure or creativity but rehearsing a routine and getting stronger to improve it. Even events like mens rings, while the routines are different the athletes train for a specific sequence of elements and just repeat those forever for their routine. There is no deduction or less prestige for being repetitive, its all about earning skill points and not taking deductions.

I really like the more artistic games as well, skating doubles, mens/womens floor, etc where the points are a bit harder to nail down, but for all the hate speed gets its makes the most sense. They're not "climbers" yeah, but its about being athletic.

Matthew Bertolatus wrote:

It think the single route is lame.  Change it up a bit!  No one thinks downhill skiers are lame for skiing a different route at each event.  Give them a 15 minute visual inspection, 2 practice sends, and then go!

Yes, do it like they do in Arco -

Dave K wrote:

I never paid much attention to speed climbing and only recently learned that there is a standard route, i.e the same climb, every time. I don't get that at all. If climbing fast is to be a sport it should include the idea that there are infinite variations in climbing. That's what makes it interesting!

It's really weird to think that there are a bunch of athletes with the same route but no others wired into their brain. Change that route even slightly and most of them would probably fall off on the first attempt. Figuring out the moves is part of the essence of climbing. Without that it's just an odd exercise in optimizing a very specific pattern of muscle memory.

That's what makes it interesting to you. 

Figuring out the moves is part of the essence of climbing to you.

The only thing definitive about climbing, is the fact that you have to climb. Some people find less enjoyment with roped climbing and prefer easy unroped scrambling, would it be fair for a sport climbing to say ridge scrambles aren't climbing bc "climbing is about pushing your physical limits"?

I see where you're coming from, but the things you enjoy about climbing may not be the things someone else enjoys about climbing, no matter how essential they are to your perspective of the sport.

Keep in mind that the olympics are also perhaps the perfect way to turbocharge the infection rate and spread it back to every country on earth.

From what I heard this morning on the BBC shit is going down in Japan; they are talking about keeping kids home for a month from school until more is known. They are certainly taking it seriously.

Matthew Bertolatus wrote:

It think the single route is lame.  Change it up a bit!  No one thinks downhill skiers are lame for skiing a different route at each event.  Give them a 15 minute visual inspection, 2 practice sends, and then go!

Do people think ski jumping is lame because it's the same thing every time? No, because the point is to optimize an athlete's performance at one specific thing - gaining as much distance as possible off the same jump every time. Everything is kept constant so the only thing that matters is how good you are at that one thing.

I like the idea of a visual inspection, practice run version too! Now you've added some new fun variables, "how quick do you learn? How quick can you adapt?" But that wouldn't be a replacement for speed climbing, the question is no longer only "how fast can you climb". I don't think it's that crazy that people really enjoy the flow state feeling of screaming up a wall as fast as possible with no thoughts.

Dave K wrote: Running is a fundamental athletic activity. It's pure. The essence of running is running.

Climbing is more complicated and multi-faceted. One of the essential facets is problem solving as you go. The fixed course in speed climbing removes that key aspect of climbing.

Make speed climbing a race on a new course every time. That would be more challenging, interesting, and more like actual climbing. (Or maybe do something like the Ninja Warrior courses, where the course changes regularly and the contestants get a limited amount of time to rehearse.)

You keep trying to change it into something "...more like actual climbing."

It isn't. It is it's own discipline.

Fehim Hasecic wrote:

Seriously? Seasonal flu kills more people a day that the Coronavirus actual tally so far. Talk about a hype 

Just wanted to save this for when doomsday arrives. Consider it a preemptive told ya so.

Shay Subramanian wrote:

Do people think ski jumping is lame because it's the same thing every time? 

Yes.  This isn't some test of pure athleticism like the 100M.  It's some weird activity the Norwegians thought up so they could win Olympic medals. 

I think climbing at the Olympics should only be super hard scary run out slab.

Dave K wrote:

True. And if they introduced a sport called "speed hopping" and then designed it so that you raced only on your hands, I'd probably say "maybe they should change it so something more like actual hopping... you know, like on one foot."

I understand that the event is what it is, and that some people think it's fun. But I think they blew it when they had the opportunity to create a competitive event that was supposed to have a foundation in mountaineering and then change it into something that is missing what makes climbing mountains distinct from other endeavours: The challenge of adapting to an infinitely diverse set of situations.

The other two events have this characteristic, why would it be omitted it from the speed climbing event?

Wait... hold up... This is supposed to be based on mountaineering? Dude climbing comps have been so far removed from real world situations for so long that this argument is hilarious.

Meow Sherwood wrote:

Just wanted to save this for when doomsday arrives. Consider it a preemptive told ya so.

Ya, long ways ahead. Once we’re in 800000000 sick and many many more deceased maybe then we should talk about doomsday 

petzl logic wrote: Keep in mind that the olympics are also perhaps the perfect way to turbocharge the infection rate and spread it back to every country on earth.

From what I heard this morning on the BBC shit is going down in Japan; they are talking about keeping kids home for a month from school until more is known. They are certainly taking it seriously.

talking to guys we are working with in South Korea.  same situation.  certain areas already require authorization from first general officer in your COC to travel there