annieahoy wrote:

LuvSeason18 wrote:

Okay, in regard to the game. 

Do we still want to make the trifecta "secret" ?  Gabriele mentioned making the guesses before the show airs.  Do want to do that or see the first ep. and then decide?  Sisters, please give your input.  Also, in trying to get this straight. lol  For those sisters unable to make guesses for any certain week(s), they get a bye week, meaning that they would receive the maximum number of points that week would have?  Is this correct?  That being said, I think they should PM me, View or any volunteer that may be keeping track of the points this year and let them know before hand as sometimes keeping the scores/track of things can get a little confusing. LOL  (Maybe, we should have a couple of people "keeping track......even on paper......to make sure everything is "correct"?)

I guess we will just see how this thing flows this year.  Hopefully, it will not be a big deal and that everyone feels like they have a good chance of winning. lol

Still time left.........any other input or ideas?

Got to go......RL calling.

See the first episode and then decide.
 

I think that, too.  Watch the first episode and within that week get your secret trifecta choices to Luv, or whoever is willing to keep them scribbled down somewhere.  There they sit until the Finale.  No further work or concern until the end of November when we haul them out and see if anyone actually got them all right.

And I agree with Jetmama's comment, too.  If no one got them all right and in the proper order....then no one wins the Secret Trifecta.  End of story.  No points to add, no decisions to be made.

That's really all I have to offer by way of suggestions.  I know I won't be part of the weekly contests.  So no bye necessary. 
 

tangodancer208 wrote:

Hi all!.  Just checking in.  I'm thrilled for Val and absolutely love Laurie.  I think she'll give him a run for his money, and they may just win in.   She has such a winning personality.

I think I will actually enjoy watching Maks with Amber.   I like Marilu Henner, but I can't stand Derek.   If I couldn't stomach him with Bindi, it's not going to happen with Marilu.  Love Jenna and am curious to see how she does with her partner as a first-time pro.

I also wanted to say a word about Ryan Lochte.   He certainly was old enough to know better.  He was drunk, in a foreign country supposed to be representing his country, and lied about a lot of things.  But he wasn't alone.  No one is saying anything about the other 3 swimmers with him.  They were younger, yes, but still in their mid-twenties and old enough to know better, too.

I'm willing to cut him some slack.   Just put yourself in their shoes.  It's the middle of the night.   You're in a country where you don't speak the language.   People are talking to you, angry with you, and a guy draws a gun.   It becomes obvious they are asking you for money to let you leave.   The Rio police, in the press conference, called it "armed extortion."   According to several reports I read, including Sports Illustrated, the "vandalism" they committed was peeing outside the building and tearing down a poster.   There was no visible or claimed permanent damage to anything.  A poster in an all night gas station cannot have been great art.  

Most of all they were drunk.  If they had not been, probably none of this would have happened.   Then they lied about it.  That was worse, but not a hanging offense.   They paid, albeit involuntarily, for any "damage" they caused.   And the one swimmer to make a "contribution" to be allowed to leave the country.  The money changing hands should have been the end of it.   I'm sure their understanding and recollection of events diverged wildly.   They were drunk!

Frankly, if someone in a foreign country pulled a gun on me, drunk or not, I'm sure it would appear a lot bigger and closer that it really was.  And the nice word for someone demanding money at gunpoint or to allow me to leave the country would be extortion.   I've been to Rio, and although it's a lovely country, being out at night (except on the main beachfront thoroughfares) is a scary experience.  We were in a taxi about 11 p.m. along the beachfront.   We noticed that the taxi driver was driving through red lights but stopping for green and we commented on it.  He explained that no driver wanted to stop at a red light because of potential car jackings (although you were unlikely to be injured, only robbed).   But if your light was green, you had to assume that someone coming the other way would run the red light, so you had to stop.  The doormen at our (very nice) hotel would not let us leave the hotel on foot after dark.

I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion.  A profuse apology from all involved should be sufficient.   To my knowledge, Ryan is the only one who apologized publicly.   But he has been and will probably continue to be villified by the press and social media while others who have done far worse things are ignored.

Hi, tango....I actually agree with everything you've said but which I didn't write (!) about Ryan Lochte.  What you detailed is the same as what I read, heard, and saw at the time.  It was unfortunate that the media locked onto the tawdry elements of this story and kept beating the dead horse for much too long but the easiest way to put that stuff to rest is to APOLOGIZE...and, of course, not to lie about it and change your story 6 times!!

That being said, these are young people from a different culture and while lying is a reflection of one's character and not to be condoned, drunkenness was a factor and they did what they did.  Hopefully they have all owned up to their errors in judgement and vowed not to do it again. 

Specifically in the case of Lochte, it would have been nice for him to set a better example for the 3 20-somethings and the optics were tarnished by the fact that he left the country before everything was settled.  Looked a little suspect no matter what.  The more adult thing would have been for him to stand with them rather than cut and run.  Regardless of the circumsances, it appeared that he left the 20 year old to be extorted by the "officials" for $11,000.00 AFTER they had, reportedly at gun point, paid the station owner what he wanted for (alleged) "damages".  That should have been the end of it.  But it wasn't and herein, to me, lies the biggest, uncovered story....the corruption of the Rio officials! 

I also believe in redemption and I do hope that Ryan Lochte will benefit from the opportunity dwts has offered him to redeem himself.  He has lost enough after losing high profile endorsement deals. The "crime" was vandalism at worst--and the price has been high for him.  I would hope he might have the generosity to reimburse his fellow teammate for Brazil's extortion out of his dwts earnings.

The question is: What have these young men learned from this experience?  What will they do differently another time...wherever and whenever?  How will it form their characters?  Hopefully it will be a positive in the longer term for all of them.

Last edited by JetmamaDiDi (8/31/2016 11:21 am)

Just a quick fly by.......okay, we go with a secret ballot (somehow...lol) choices made after the first show, but before the 2nd.

Do we want to take out the guess of the top final three before the show airs?  I had it in the chart last year and it be worth two points......

makes no difference to me......just trying to get the chart ready to go. lol


 

tangodancer208 wrote:

Hi all!.  Just checking in.  I'm thrilled for Val and absolutely love Laurie.  I think she'll give him a run for his money, and they may just win in.   She has such a winning personality.

I think I will actually enjoy watching Maks with Amber.   I like Marilu Henner, but I can't stand Derek.   If I couldn't stomach him with Bindi, it's not going to happen with Marilu.  Love Jenna and am curious to see how she does with her partner as a first-time pro.

I also wanted to say a word about Ryan Lochte.   He certainly was old enough to know better.  He was drunk, in a foreign country supposed to be representing his country, and lied about a lot of things.  But he wasn't alone.  No one is saying anything about the other 3 swimmers with him.  They were younger, yes, but still in their mid-twenties and old enough to know better, too.

I'm willing to cut him some slack.   Just put yourself in their shoes.  It's the middle of the night.   You're in a country where you don't speak the language.   People are talking to you, angry with you, and a guy draws a gun.   It becomes obvious they are asking you for money to let you leave.   The Rio police, in the press conference, called it "armed extortion."   According to several reports I read, including Sports Illustrated, the "vandalism" they committed was peeing outside the building and tearing down a poster.   There was no visible or claimed permanent damage to anything.  A poster in an all night gas station cannot have been great art.  

Most of all they were drunk.  If they had not been, probably none of this would have happened.   Then they lied about it.  That was worse, but not a hanging offense.   They paid, albeit involuntarily, for any "damage" they caused.   And the one swimmer to make a "contribution" to be allowed to leave the country.  The money changing hands should have been the end of it.   I'm sure their understanding and recollection of events diverged wildly.   They were drunk!

Frankly, if someone in a foreign country pulled a gun on me, drunk or not, I'm sure it would appear a lot bigger and closer that it really was.  And the nice word for someone demanding money at gunpoint or to allow me to leave the country would be extortion.   I've been to Rio, and although it's a lovely country, being out at night (except on the main beachfront thoroughfares) is a scary experience.  We were in a taxi about 11 p.m. along the beachfront.   We noticed that the taxi driver was driving through red lights but stopping for green and we commented on it.  He explained that no driver wanted to stop at a red light because of potential car jackings (although you were unlikely to be injured, only robbed).   But if your light was green, you had to assume that someone coming the other way would run the red light, so you had to stop.  The doormen at our (very nice) hotel would not let us leave the hotel on foot after dark.

I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion.  A profuse apology from all involved should be sufficient.   To my knowledge, Ryan is the only one who apologized publicly.   But he has been and will probably continue to be villified by the press and social media while others who have done far worse things are ignored.

Hey Tango...Hope you are doing well..how is your arm doing???

I tend to agree with you in everything you said...I am also kinda liking the race car driver.  So are you glad to see Maks back??? What are your thoughts on that?  I am sad that Tony isn't on this season, but understand where he is coming from.

Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caryl-m-stern/getting-active-for-a-heal_b_11782164.html

huffingtonpost.com

Getting Active for a Healthier Life and Better World

Guest Post Getting Active for a Healthier Life and Better World By: Meryl Davis, Olympic Gold Medalist and UNICEF Kid ...

Guest Post


By: Meryl Davis, Olympic Gold Medalist and UNICEF Kid Power Champion



As children, we watched in awe as our favorite Olympians competed on the world’s largest stage to achieve their lifelong dreams. We heard their stories of dedication and triumph and wanted to be just like them.


After years of diligent training as “Olympic hopefuls,” so much changes when we can actually call ourselves members of Team USA. The change, as I experienced it, isn’t so much about how we see ourselves, but rather our responsibility to those at home. As Olympians, we’ve not only earned the right to represent ourselves and our home countries at the Games, but also to serve as role models and to set an example.


In those many years of preparation required to become an Olympian, it’s impossible not to gain respect for our greatest tool: our bodies. What we athletes put them through, the decisions we make and the lengths we go to in order to keep them fit and healthy enlighten us to the possibilities of our own strength and fortitude. Of course, we also become keenly aware of the consequences of our decisions. Eating the right things, getting sleep and monitoring our health become necessary in order for us to meet the daily demands of being an elite athlete.


Through it all, I’ve learned first-hand the value of setting goals and working to achieve them while overcoming physical, mental and emotional obstacles along the way. Being able to call myself an Olympian fills me with great pride. To be standing in the footsteps of my own childhood idols is an honor and a responsibility neither I, nor my ice-dance partner, Charlie White, take lightly.


Combining my passion for healthy living and desire to be a good role model to future generations has led me to one of my most rewarding roles yet - being a UNICEF Kid Power Champion. This innovative program allows kids to get active and save lives while learning about the importance of global citizenship. While taking steps to help end global malnutrition while wearing the UNICEF Kid Power Band, kids go on virtual missions where they have the opportunity to earn points and learn about new cultures. Points unlock funding that delivers lifesaving therapeutic food packets to severely malnourished children around the world. Kids can really make a difference, for themselves, and for kids around the world, as 1 in 4 kids in the U.S. is inactive and 1 in 4 kids globally is malnourished.


Like so many Olympians, I’ve spent years investing in my dream and have come to appreciate the importance of a healthy lifestyle. As athletes, we approach each day ready to answer the question, “how can I make myself better today?” Walking into the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games, though, opens one’s eyes to the beauty of being a part of something so much bigger than one’s self. For me, that beauty is also realized in being a part of the UNICEF Kid Power Team. By working together, we can help UNICEF ensure that children have the ability to grow up happy and healthy.


Through the program, kids are also learning about the challenges that their peers around the globe face on a daily basis. By joining me on my virtual mission to Uganda, kids learn about a boy named Mugisha whose life is being put on hold to care for his little brother who is being treated for severe malnutrition. In getting active, kids will learn to invest in themselves while becoming global citizens and helping kids like Mugisha to get the nutrition they need. With more than 1.7 million food packets already unlocked, this is a program and organization I’m incredibly proud to be a part of. As I continue to travel the world and advocate for healthy living, I’m always proud to be on the UNICEF Kid Power Team. I hope you and your family will join me!
 

Last edited by CEK40 (8/31/2016 1:08 pm)