Awesome Olympics Names: Spotlight on Pénélope Leprevost

It just rolls off the tongue: Pénélope Leprevost.

Leprevost is an rider on the French Equestrian team (une cavalière), competing aboard MyLord Carthago, a French stallion (selle français).

So they both have spectacular Olympic names.

Leprevost has been riding since she was three years old, and competing since she was six. Also impressive. She joined the French National team in 2000, becoming the national champion in 2006 and 2007.

Of MyLord Carthago, commentator Melanie Smith Taylor says, “This stallion just tries so hard.”

And he looks so happy when he’s jumping, like with the joy of a puppy playing—but you know, with skill and focus.

Sadly, Leprovost and MyLord Carthago did not have a great Summer Games, but they still win for awesome names.

If you want to be as sartorially snazzy as Pénélope, you can check out her line of riding apparel. After all, she is French. Sadly, there will be no deliveries until Olympics fever has somewhat subsided (August 18).

London 2012 Google Doodle Interactive: Canoe Slalom

Looks like kayak to me, but Google says it’s Canoe slalom, so… there you go. Slalom away. 

Either way, I’m a fan.

Love a doodle.

Awesome Olympic Names: Spotlight on Epke Zonderland

For the third installation of awesome London 2012 athletes and their names, Epke Zonderland joins fellow Team Holland athlete Ranomi Kromowidjojo on the list.

Zonderland’s awesome appellation should be familiar to avid Olympic followers—yesterday he took home the gold for men’s high bar competition with epic panache. Plus, he’s kind of adorable, seems entirely affable,  and he’s studying to be a doctor.

Zonderland came to the London 2012 games as an individual gymnastics competitor for the Netherlands, after his country did not qualify to send an entire men’s team for gymnastic competition. He is a high bar and parallel bars specialist who had not been training for the full line-up of apparatuses in men’s gymnastics; however, in order to participate in these Summer Games, Zonderland had to get himself ready in all necessary skills for competition in the individual all-around field.

[That video got taken down, but you can see another version here.]

He is now the first Dutch gymnast to medal at the Olympics—and it’s gold.

So that’s intense. And awesome.

Oh, and let’s all feel free to refer to Epke Zonderland as “The Flying Dutchman.”

Clearly.

So there you have it, Epke is the Flying Dutchman, and Ranomi is the Flying Dutchwoman.

Seriously.

Social Media Olympic Things

Let’s start with this utterly adorably, endearing ukulele cover of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” by Aussie diver Matthew Mitcham. I die.

Then, an early to appear Tumblr for the London 2012 Games: Abs. Just abs. Of Olympic caliber.

McKalya Maroney’s scowl has also made its claim to fame in “McKayla is NOT Impressed”.

Fair enough.

Also from gymnastics, we have Danell Leyva’s towel’s Twitter. 

It is a lovely towel, and apparently it does not smell all ranky. He washes it.

So you know, it’s all happening.

All the time.

Happy Olympics.

London 2012 Google Doodle Interactive: Hurdles

Today’s track and field themed Google Doodle lets searchers play at jumping hurdles: Use the arrows to move the runner’s feet and the space bar to jump. Have fun.

Love a doodle.

 

Remote Control Cars in Track and Field: The Mini, Mini Cooper

There I am, watching NBC’s Saturday late night coverage (I need my Mary fix) of the women’s discus final, when the commentators call my attention to a mini Mini Cooper cruising around the field.

I’m sorry, what?

Yes, in true British fashion, mini remote control Mini Coopers are being used to ferry items (discus, javelin, shot-put, and hammers) back to athletes. Each car can carry up to about 18 pounds of cargo, at about 1/4 the size of an actual Mini.

Objects are loaded via… the sunroof, clearly.

Also, according to NBC commentary (which is never wrong) there is a petition to get Mary Carillo on Twitter, and I’m pretty sure everyone should get on that action.

Awesome Olympic Names: Spotlight on Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

It’s not everyday you have a double-hyphenation in a name, and while it is true that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce deserves non-ridiculous, achievement-based coverage, Words to Bumble is still going ahead and commending her on an awesome Olympic name and for being so charming and bubbly in her overall demeanor.

Also loving her for her utterly calm, confident and chill pre-race bearing. Even before the 100m dash final, there is she, strutting to her place, body language declaring, “Whatever, I’m going to win. You guys are all silly.”

And she did, in 10.75, just .03 ahead of American Carmelita Jeter, with fellow Jamaican Veronica Campell-Brown clocking in at 10.81.

In case you live under a rock, Fraser-Pryce was defending her 2008 title from Beijing (run in 10.78), when the 100m dash medals were swept by Jamaican women. Hers was the first 100m gold medal won by a Jamaican woman at the Olympics.

Other awesome things about Fraser-Pryce: her 2008 win in Beijing allowed her the opportunity to continue her education and become the first member of her family to earn a degree. Also, her mother once threatened a man with a cutlass after a young Fraser-Pryce told her mother that he had been harassing her and saying that it was about time she start having sex—which is pretty badass of her mom.

Fraser-Pryce is still up to run in the 200m and the 4x100m relay over the course of next week.

Random Things Round-up: It’s Been A Week in London

Did you know that apparently the men’s basketball uniforms for Team USA are made out of recycled plastics water bottles somehow? Apolo Ohno was also surprised, in this video documenting his first trip into an Olympic gift shop. Spoiler: he puts on a biking unitard, but he can’t quite bring himself to try the tiny speedo situation.

By the way—be jealous—I have pins from the Barcelona and Albertville games. I have duplicates of a few, in case you want to make an offer.

Never mind, they’re priceless.

In regards to other winter Olympians, NBC is really cashing in on any cult of personality they can snag, including Shaun White who apparently does not excel at fencing, but just wanted to clarify, “I’m obviously not competing, I’m just enjoying everything.”  He does, however, think that Gabby Douglas is super inspiring, as established in a really clumsy non sequitur towards the end of Friday’s primetime coverage. He also vaguely remembers training on a trampoline as a child. So, there’s that.

Have you ever noticed how the news crew are always talking to the Dutch? It’s totally because a) they all speak perfect English and excel at life, and b) they’re easy to pick out, wearing all the orange. Also, in case you are planning a trip to future Olympics, know that Holland House has been the hit of every games since those last same-year Olympiads in 1992 (Barcelona and Albertville); this year, guests hoping to party Dutch-style apparently have to book tickets in advance online.

And, in case you were wondering what the Olympics are about, Stephen Colbert has the definitive answer: “Making little foreign girls cry.”

I mean, one thing at which the Russian lady gymnasts really dominate is expressing a sense of utter, devastating tragedy impending around every corner.

Viktoria Komova, I’m sorry Gabby Douglas made you cry.

Aliya Mustafina, your name makes me want to hiss “Mufasa,” all the time. I’m also sorry about that. Sort of.

Humans Do This: Steeplechase

I am late for yet another party.

Last week, in all the excitement leading up to both the Olympics, I was expounding on how much I love to watch steeplechasing. I was referring to horses (apparently for the Olympics we are supposed to refer to this as Equestrian Jumping?), which caused mild confusion because, I am informed—oh-my-life—there are humans who steeplechase and this is completely new information to me. 

I simply cannot comprehend how I have missed this wonderment over the years of my avid Olympic viewing.

I mean, there are water traps. Why is this a thing? Who declared this as a thing? It’s too amazing to me, and I am so excited about it.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the history of steeplechasing humans: “The event originated in the British Isles. Runners raced from one town’s steeple to the next. The steeples were used as markers due to their visibility over long distances. Along the way runners inevitably had to jump streams and low stone walls separating estates. The modern athletics event originates from a two-mile (3.2 km) cross country steeplechase that formed part of the Oxford University sports (in which many of the modern athletics events were founded) in 1860. It was replaced in 1865 by an event over barriers on a flat field, which became the modern steeplechase. It has been an Olympic event since the inception of the modern Olympics, though with varying lengths. Since the 1968 Summer Olympics the steeplechase in the Olympics has been dominated byKenyan athletes, including a clean sweep of the medals at the 2004 Games.”

So awkwardly British.

I mean, true, the gates are not nearly as beauteous as those enjoyed by the equine athletes, but it’s just not a perfect world.

About those barriers: unlike hurdles, they do not fall if you hit them—you just hit them.

The men’s qualifiers were Friday, the final will be on Sunday. Women’s heats  are Saturday and the final will be on Monday. Note it. Watch it.

Humans do this.

Stephen Colbert Learns Dressage: “Who’s Winning? Me, or the Horse?”

Ok, so I know I am incredibly late to this party (it happened earlier this week), but for those of you who are also late to the party: Stephen Colbert did a two segment special bit his “adventure in the workaday world of horse ballet,” as part of his personal celebration of the Olympics, otherwise known as “fighting our enemies in a sports-themed proxy war.”

In addition to dubbing Dressage “horse ballet” or “horse prom,” Colbert provided further clarification to the American public by describing dressage as “the sport of the summer—for those who use ‘summer’ as a verb.”

Touché.

Other definitions include:

Passage: Horsey walking sideways.

Piaffing: Fancy prancing.

You’re going to want to see that video here and then here.