[BEyng6hj]

That manmade river is AWESOME. I think this might be - for me - the coolest thing to watch. Grranted if I were in that situation in a canoe/kayak I'd be freaking, but it's so much fun to watch them do it!

[xIuvyAuT]

It really is a knockout. I saw it briefly earlier today. I'm glad the technology can support having such sports in the Olympics these days. Unlike some sports, one can really see that this one is incredibly demanding, both in terms of strength and in terms of strategy and finesse with the--what is it, a paddle? I was tempted to stay home and watch this one!

This is the thing about the Olympics. It spotlights all sorts of unfamiliar sports for audiences that otherwise would not have any clue or any interest. And they are often interesting. To me watching the Olympics is like traveling to a new destination or trying a new kind of food. It's an adventure, but unlike traveling it's cheap, and it's not nearly as risky for us as it is for the intrepid athletes.

[BigBobdd]

I love canoeing... kayaking scares me (while I get that in some ways it's safer, I feel trapped)... I'd never white water it like they do in these races though... but it's fun to watch

[dodsCooggipsehome]

Yeah, those rollovers or whatever they call them, where the kayaker just rolls upside-down into the water and then circles right up again, scare me silly. A quiet canoe on a serene lake, that I could go for.

[JonnLeejsp]

I was lucky enough to have a ticket for whitewater finals in Beijing 2008 and it was one of my favorite events. A real hoot to watch, so if you ever have an opportunity to see a world-class live competition in this sport, go for it!

[blackjackiisre]

I was lucky enough to have a ticket for whitewater finals in Beijing 2008 and it was one of my favorite events. A real hoot to watch, so if you ever have an opportunity to see a world-class live competition in this sport, go for it!

I'd love to shoot something like that (shoot with a camera, of course).

[Kneedycrype]

Women's Pair Rowing: Helen & Heather won GB's first gold in London. BIG, BIG classical sport in Britain. 16 000 on the stands and 9 000 along the track cheering and shouting like crazy

The Royal Mail has promised to put their olympic champions on a special stamp within 24 hours

The special stamp, which features an image of the golden girls smiling and waving to supporters following their historic win, will be on sale in more than 500 Post Office branches, including in Stanning's home town of Penzance, Cornwall, and Reading, Berkshire, where the pair live and train, from lunchtime tomorrow.
A fleet of 90 Royal Mail vehicles will deliver the stamps across the UK, while their feat will also be marked by a red post box being painted gold in both Penzance and Glover's hometown of Lossiemouth, Moray.

[PerfectCreditForYou]

I saw them standing for their National Anthem, and my heart leaped with delight. Then later in the day, Bradley Wiggins won Britain another gold, in cycling time trials. I'm so happy for the U.K. I went to grad school there long ago during an Olympics, and it was such fun to root for their athletes. They're not a huge sports machine, but they have some sparkling sports folk, and a lot of heart. They seem to excel in water sports and of course equestrianism, and occasionally they show up with a real giant in track and field, such as Sebastian Coe and Daley Thompson.

I love that the rowers are being commemorated with stamps, and with a gold mailbox in their respective home towns. At moments like this, I'm a bit sorry that this is a tribute we in America can't ever give anyone, because I think you have to be dead for five years before you get a stamp in your honor. We can do stamps for an event, featuring an anonymous figure. (That can get pretty ingenious when really necessary: for example, the iconic scene of three firefighters putting up a tattered American flag on the night of Sept. 11, 2001, was reproduced almost exactly, but the particular men weren't depicted.)

[toyboy]

I saw them standing for their National Anthem, and my heart leaped with delight. Then later in the day, Bradley Wiggins won Britain another gold, in cycling time trials. I'm so happy for the U.K. I went to grad school there long ago during an Olympics, and it was such fun to root for their athletes. They're not a huge sports machine, but they have some sparkling sports folk, and a lot of heart. They seem to excel in water sports and of course equestrianism, and occasionally they show up with a real giant in track and field, such as Sebastian Coe and Daley Thompson.

The track & field can be a big party for Britain on Saturday. First Jessica Enis as a favorite in heptathlon. And later Mo Farah against the big stars from Kenya and Ethiopia. The stadium will overcook.

I love that the rowers are being commemorated with stamps, and with a gold mailbox in their respective home towns. At moments like this, I'm a bit sorry that this is a tribute we in America can't ever give anyone, because I think you have to be dead for five years before you get a stamp in your honor. We can do stamps for an event, featuring an anonymous figure. (That can get pretty ingenious when really necessary: for example, the iconic scene of three firefighters putting up a tattered American flag on the night of Sept. 11, 2001, was reproduced almost exactly, but the particular men weren't depicted.)

Really? That's such an easy way to honor people, spreading them all over the world. I collected stamps when I was a child and learned a lot about the world.

[tipokotap]

And as it turns out, I'm behind the times, Snowflake. I just looked up to verify, and I have discovered that as of late last year, the five-year rule has been dropped.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-26/p..._s=PM:POLITICS

Apparently, the Postal Service feels as you do, that having contemporary people on stamps will encourage young people to collect stamps as well as honoring people for achievements. Stay tuned for the Ryan Lochte stamp! (Though this might also mean a Justin Bieber stamp. Eek!)

[kentbrookug]

The two man canoe with the Brits going 1-2 was AWESOME and their celebration when it was realized is so far my favorite of these games!

[sam]

Yeah, those rollovers or whatever they call them, where the kayaker just rolls upside-down into the water and then circles right up again, scare me silly. A quiet canoe on a serene lake, that I could go for.

Kayaking is WAY easier than canoeing! I've done both and tipped my canoe 5 times in the first hour but in a 2 hour kayaking trip, never tipped at all and had only a few moments of "uhoh". Rolling a kayak is a learned skill - I watched the instructor do it repeatedly.

[Ternneowns]

I think it depends on the person, the only time I've been in an overturned canoe it was because one of my best friends thought tying our canoe to another canoe as we went through rocky rapids (not white water, but still dangerous enough) was a great idea... we swamped two canoes and I was the only one to go out of the canoe/under water. Needless to say she is no longer my canoe partner lol

[JOR4qxYH]

I hereby demote myself to a flat-bottomed rowboat. With oars.

[ElectraDupu]

I hereby demote myself to a flat-bottomed rowboat. With oars.

those can be swamped/are more dangerous in certain situations... not to, ya know, keep you out of boats all together lol

[brurdefdoro]

Eek! I was thinking of a lake with no surprises. Lily pads at the most. Oh, my paws and whiskers. Though, by the way, I can swim. I'm just a klutz with sports equipment.

By the way, did anyone see the Women's Eights rowing? One of the most elegant of water races. I love those long, slim boats with the synchronized pairs of oars flicking like dragonfly wings. The boats seem as if they glide just over the water rather than through it. I've never seen crew rowing in real life. Does anyone here have any expertise in it?

[SashaLionx]

I've never done crew, but I know how to row. Does that count?

Seriously, both of the places we spend time have a sculling tradition.

The Yale Harvard Regatta is 150 years old this year, and it has been held on the Thames River here in Southeastern CT for a long time. When I was a kid, spectators were lined up all over, and vendors sold snacks & red helium balloons with Harvard on them and blue with Yale. Since my mom's dad went to Yale and my uncle went to Harvard, we had both.

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mcre...d-yale-regatta

In Englewood, FL, there is a Master's coaching clinic each winter. The crews row up and down Lemon Bay with a chase boat with a coach with a bullhorn yelling at them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpVrYNS47io