Anyone watching the opening ceremonies? I thought the British Meadow was beautiful, but I lost interest during the parent's nightmare scene (2 kids going through the 60's, 70's etc.) - nice memories but the sequence dragged a little. Great fireworks. I always like to look at the athletes' costumes in the parade. This year the US costumes are a little too militaristic - feeds into the perception of us being warmongers. I'm looking forward to the sprints/relays in track. My wife likes the women's gymnastics.
I watched the opening ceremonies and thought they were rather dull. Given the theatrical tradition england has I would have thought that they could have done this type of overblown spectacle with more panache.
I'm off this morning to watch Wiggo, Cav et al in the road race with my boy. It's gonna be a great day. We're cycling up to Richmond Park and get to see them on the way out and back again.
As for the opening ceremony, I thought it was spectacular, fun, imaginative and humorous. Not at all the pompous and serious affairs of previous games. Well done everyone!
Forgetting how much its costing, I am proud. These games seemed to have raised the British psyche to unseen levels for many years. Long may it last!
I loved the opening ceremony. The Queen and James Bond was inspired!! I was waiting for a Queen look alike to turn around and was blown away when it really was the Queen! And the use of the last few bars of Dark Side of the Mood during the fireworks was excellent. I agree that the show lost it's way a little in part of the music segway. Highlights? Forging the rings and creating the cauldron were magnificent. Best opening ceremony ever! A work college of me wife and her daughter were there, can't wait to hear what they have to say about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5abat5NEU
I envy other mammals their ability to hibernate.
At the end of the excellent James Bond - HM sketch, they showed the Queen's real entry. And the buggers announced her IN FRENCH first! Aaargh! Treachery. This calls for axes and blocks in the Tower - nay, the old ceremony of hanging, drawing and quartering would not be excessive. The traitors must be found.
It was neat to see the opening of the games, just because for the last two Olympics, I didn't. :) I unfortunately missed the stunt with the "Queen" parachuting in, which I'll need to catch again, but I did see David Beckham steering the boat with the torch in, and I watched all the dancing/skits etc they had going on stage. It was definitely imaginative, for sure! Not what I'd maybe normally associate with the Olympics - I thought it would be more formal, and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't. The choreography was awesome, and the pop culture references were interesting, what with the children's book characters, the family's house they had on stage, all the references to IM'ing and tweeting... :D As I said in another thread, my favourite moment was watching the bit with Rowan Atkinson at the piano and on the beach.
D'ah, croc of shit for the british. The tactics of most teams to sit on the heels of team GB did everyone a disservice. While noone was prepared to help with the pace of the peloton there were not enough fresh legs to catch the breakaway. Everyone in the peloton loses. It was this tactic failure of most teams that cost us and them a medal chance.
Do Olympic cyclists need a pit stop to change legs, or can it be done on the fly?
Has it started yet?
The reason I liked the opening ceremony was that it was very British (though be it by ways of bollywood), it had humor, highlighted that we aren't perfect, and that we don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks. The symbolism in each section was spot on, especially with the creation of the rings i.e. the five continents being joined by British industry from the Thames.
Sure it had lots of points where I thought I would have done that differently (the glitchy videos) and parts I didn't like (the social media party stuff) but they represented parts of society, so it gets a thumbs up from me.
What I enjoyed most of all was the use of people with disabilities and in the majority wasn't even noticeable, that the majority of the cast were not professional dancers/actors but people relevant to each section, for example the NHS section was composed primarily of doctors and nurses and the children were patients. It was about being inclusive not exclusive where everyone is welcome. Oh and like Tank said I kept expecting a look a like to turn around as well in the James Bond skit. And again the symbolism contained within each piece showed that it was about an idea not a flashy bunch of bullshit.
I had my 5.1 set up whilst watching and the sound was ridiculously good, it must have been insane at the event, I loved the music (except for McCartney I think its time we took him out to pasture, his voice is fucked) especially the song during the lighting of the torch.
The lighting of the torch in my opinion surpassed that of any other in Olympic history. Even though the technical and logistical skills didn't come close to that of the Beijing Olympics it surpassed all prior (the Chinese set a bar that won't be surpassed far a long time) but conceptually it surpassed it on every level including that bs love story stuff. It wasn't about the UK being the best but rather this is who we are in part whilst still tooting our own horns.
I am glad Danny Boyle and his team stuck to their vision and didn't try and please everyone, as the saying goes "a camel is a race horse designed by a committee".
--------
Ecurb Noselrub, personally I thought the States had the best outfit. It did look militaristic but it represented the prevailing ideology of American sports persons perfectly. Its better to be interesting and the US government are undoubtedly warmongers but that's not what I took from the costume even though it was slightly out of odds with the Olympic spirit, to me it said we mean business.
I thought it was awesome. Well done, Brits! :)
Quote from: Crow on July 29, 2012, 01:14:13 AM
Ecurb Noselrub, personally I thought the States had the best outfit. It did look militaristic but it represented the prevailing ideology of American sports persons perfectly. Its better to be interesting and the US government are undoubtedly warmongers but that's not what I took from the costume even though it was slightly out of odds with the Olympic spirit, to me it said we mean business.
That's an interesting perspective. So far, it looks like the Chinese are the ones who mean business. They have so much diverse talent. But then again, they have 1.3 billion people, so they ought to be able to find the best.
Quote from: Tank on July 28, 2012, 10:20:34 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5abat5NEU
That link isn't working in the US, and the one I found earlier that did work isn't working now. Which is a shame, because it raised so many interesting ideas in my mind.
For one, I wonder if, like many of us, Her Majesty had long harbored a secret wish to be a Bond girl and realized that this was probably her only chance?
And did the producers, elated that the Queen agreed to this sketch, go so far as to ask her to put on a parachute and perch in the open door of the helicopter before they snuck in the stunt double to actually jump out?
Would she have been game for this until the British security force had a collective coronary and forbade it? So many interesting possibilities.
Give the poor old biddy credit - she's 86! She seems to have a good sporting spirit, though, so maybe she'd have liked a go before she was crowned.
From The Onion
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc7%2F409661_10151101440419497_1835711729_n.jpg&hash=e9a39f7c7a6f11d76cb11aeb19fe6d6b6c2c70f1)
I watched a specklet of beach volleyball just so I have something to talk to one person I know about, a bit of tennis just to have a topic of conversation with another and some bow shooting since I sort of do that meself... If somewhat more poorly.
Quote from: The Éminence Grise... and some bow shooting since I sort of do that meself ...
Wow! You're an archer, too? I used to shoot a lot, and coach it at a school. Mrs Git and I still have our bows and kit in the attic.
As for watching beach volleyball ... yes, yes, we know ;D
Well done to the GB Gymnansts for their impressive Bronze.
We're still hoping to pick up some of the newly released tickets. Last night we were offered some womens gymnastics finals tickets at £450 EACH. Inclusive my arse!
There are some others available though - fencing and wrestling. Anyone ever seen fencing? I'm sure it's very skilled, but hardly a spectator sport - especially from the up-in-the-gods seats that we'd still have to pay £60 each for.
I just wanna cry at the injustice of it.
Ah, the noble Olympic ideal! It's like christian love.
Quote from: Scissorlegs on July 31, 2012, 06:21:33 PM
Well done to the GB Gymnansts for their impressive Bronze.
We're still hoping to pick up some of the newly released tickets. Last night we were offered some womens gymnastics finals tickets at £450 EACH. Inclusive my arse!
There are some others available though - fencing and wrestling. Anyone ever seen fencing? I'm sure it's very skilled, but hardly a spectator sport - especially from the up-in-the-gods seats that we'd still have to pay £60 each for.
I just wanna cry at the injustice of it.
I love fencing (more doing than spectating) but the crowd is always good at fencing events because its usually full of diehard fans.
One of the royals, Zara Phillips, Princess Anne's daughter and 14th in line to the throne (or something), won a silver medal in an equestrian event. So the royals not only fight in the military, they win Olympic medals. Not bad.
Actually, many royals have participated in the Olympics--and won medals--in the 20th and 21st centuries: http://www.topendsports.com/events/summer/highlights/royals.htm
I agree that the Bond sequence was magnificent. However, I am afraid that I did not enjoy the opening ceremony at all (save for the parade of nations, which I always love). In particular, the rock section went on for too long--but I admit this could be my own idiosyncrasy since I like only some rock and prefer music from before my 1965 birth.
The thing that made me smile was the thought of the Queen, who had been insulted when pop music (Elton John's "Candle in the Wind") was used to honor Princess Diana, forced to sit through neverending rock. Too delicious.
Some random thoughts...
I think Jacques Rogge and his cronies were wrong to deny Israel a moment of silence during the opening ceremony. We must never forget that Israeli athletes were murdered in the 1972 Munich Olympics, on the soil of the country that spawned the Holocaust.
When I was a kid, my family and I, though watching the games on TV, always stood up and applauded for the Lebanese team during the Opening Ceremonies. At the time, Lebanon was still in Civil War, and it took a lot of guts for the Lebanese athletes to attend. This year, I mentally honored the Syrian athletes because of the mass killings in that country as it tries to do what Egypt, Libya, and Tunisa have aleady done. I also mentally honored the Rwandan and Bosnian teams.
The Olympics are very important as an event that brings people from all countries, all creeds and all walks of life together. Yes, they are too commercial, but the idea of something greater than the destruction of politics and war exists through them. I'll never forgive Jimmy Carter for forgetting this in 1980 and denying passports to American athletes so that they were forced to boycott the Moscow Olympics along with him.
For years, journalists have been reporting how neither the current Olympics nor the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are benefitting the masses in the designated London and Rio Olympic neighborhoods.
What are your thoughts on all this?
Quote from: OldGit on July 31, 2012, 06:07:58 PM
As for watching beach volleyball ... yes, yes, we know ;D
Ah, but as it happens, the participants were men. Norwegians, in fact. It was more research than fun...
Quote from: Asmodean on August 01, 2012, 07:20:59 AM
Quote from: OldGit on July 31, 2012, 06:07:58 PM
As for watching beach volleyball ... yes, yes, we know ;D
Ah, but as it happens, the participants were men. Norwegians, in fact. It was more research than fun...
You headhunting again?
Throwing badminton games? Haha, so excellent that this didnt go unpunished.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/01/london-2012-badminton-disqualified-olympics?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT758I2 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/01/london-2012-badminton-disqualified-olympics?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT758I2)
Quote from: TheWalkingContradiction on August 01, 2012, 04:51:39 AM
I'll never forgive Jimmy Carter for forgetting this in 1980 and denying passports to American athletes so that they were forced to boycott the Moscow Olympics along with him.
Yes, and then the Russians returned the favor. I disagreed with his decision then and still do. That destroyed a lot of dreams and accomplished nothing.
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 01, 2012, 02:24:29 PM
Throwing badminton games? Haha, so excellent that this didnt go unpunished.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/01/london-2012-badminton-disqualified-olympics?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT758I2 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/01/london-2012-badminton-disqualified-olympics?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT758I2)
Excellent!
Yay, GB wins Gold and Bronze in the Time-Trial. Well done Wiggo and Froome.
I was watching it on my PC at work while it was happening 4 miles down the road. Very frustrating not to get to see it in the flesh.
Still, I seemed to jinx the road race by being there so maybe a good thing!
I just wanna get on my bike now...
I'm not sure how the Olympics are coming over for y'all foreigners, but here in the UK there's SUCH a buzz. Not only because of the massive comparative success of Team GB but because of the apparent triumph of organisation of the Games as a whole. We CAN organise a piss-up in a brewery after all! I'd like to think that the domestic feelings are translating well abroad. Let us know how it all comes over and if our pride at the performance of our sportsmen/women and organisers is justified.
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 12:16:35 AM
I'm not sure how the Olympics are coming over for y'all foreigners, but here in the UK there's SUCH a buzz. Not only because of the massive comparative success of Team GB but because of the apparent triumph of organisation of the Games as a whole. We CAN organise a piss-up in a brewery after all! I'd like to think that the domestic feelings are translating well abroad. Let us know how it all comes over and if our pride at the performance of our sportsmen/women and organisers is justified.
Cycling track has been my favorite to watch since we had the Commonwealth but this year it has really come into its own, it's the best sport to watch
ever regardless of who is racing but the women's pursuit today was outstanding to watch.
I think the reason why the Olympics has been such a big success over here is that as a nation we are pessimists and usually it's justified, but this time our pessimism has been demolished especially over the last few days going from 25th to 3rd in practically two days, we have performed well in events we usually perform rubbish in and highlighting talent that if nurtured could perform really well in the future (i'm thinking of Adam Gemili). There have been a few things I have disliked such as the media obsession with the Bolt and therefore a lack of coverage on athletes I personally think are more likely to win, but they are very small things.
I hope the coverage of the Olympics at Rio will be as good as it is this year, I love that I can watch whatever I want whenever I want as well as watch the traditional programming.
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 12:16:35 AM
I'm not sure how the Olympics are coming over for y'all foreigners, but here in the UK there's SUCH a buzz. Not only because of the massive comparative success of Team GB but because of the apparent triumph of organisation of the Games as a whole. We CAN organise a piss-up in a brewery after all! I'd like to think that the domestic feelings are translating well abroad. Let us know how it all comes over and if our pride at the performance of our sportsmen/women and organisers is justified.
Looks like Romney was wrong. From this side of the pond it looks like the games are a success.
Last night seeing team GB win three Golf Medals in the athletics stadium in under an hour was just incredible to watch. The people in that stadium watched history being made the like of which will never ever happen again!
Quote from: Crow on August 01, 2012, 11:06:09 AM
Quote from: Asmodean on August 01, 2012, 07:20:59 AM
Quote from: OldGit on July 31, 2012, 06:07:58 PM
As for watching beach volleyball ... yes, yes, we know ;D
Ah, but as it happens, the participants were men. Norwegians, in fact. It was more research than fun...
You headhunting again?
No, but when my volleyball playing buddy inevitably starts talking about it, I want to at least be half-way in the loop so I do not have to fake an understanding of what's he going on about.
Listening to (BBC) Radio4 this morning we were reminded that the lottery funding behind the success of Team GB was John Majors' idea. Remember him?! Even the most insipid of characters are currently worthy of some praise.
"London is full of smiling, happy people. I feel like a stranger in my own city" ;D
Edit: ...But it is pissing with rain today so not wholly without a sprinkling of reassuring misery.
Have you seen the video of the BBC commentators watching Jessica Ennis winning the gold?
They are going insane !!!! :D :D :D
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 10:25:49 AM
"London is full of smiling, happy people. I feel like a stranger in my own city" ;D
What! Really!? Londoners genuinely happy I'm getting a brimstone brolly just in case.
Quote from: markmcdaniel on August 05, 2012, 06:46:03 AM
Looks like Romney was wrong. From this side of the pond it looks like the games are a success.
Romney was bad mouthing the Games? Since when does he know anything about sports other than playing both sides of the fence?
I haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Quote from: BCEI haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Good for them, but unsurprisingly we're hearing mainly about our own successes.
Quote from: OldGit on August 05, 2012, 12:01:25 PM
Quote from: BCEI haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Good for them, but unsurprisingly we're hearing mainly about our own successes.
Everybody hears mostly about their own successes -- that's the way it works.
Quote from: OldGit on August 05, 2012, 12:01:25 PM
Quote from: BCEI haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Good for them, but unsurprisingly we're hearing mainly about our own successes.
Surely, these days you Brits enjoying success
is news.
Quote from: En_Route on August 05, 2012, 12:23:43 PM
Quote from: OldGit on August 05, 2012, 12:01:25 PM
Quote from: BCEI haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Good for them, but unsurprisingly we're hearing mainly about our own successes.
Surely, these days you Brits enjoying success is news.
It does feel like that at times.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 11:45:20 AM
Quote from: markmcdaniel on August 05, 2012, 06:46:03 AM
Looks like Romney was wrong. From this side of the pond it looks like the games are a success.
Romney was bad mouthing the Games? Since when does he know anything about sports other than playing both sides of the fence?
I haven't been watching the Games myself (not a sports fan either) but I'm hearing people talk no end about Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas who are, apparently, covering the US in glory.
Although I don't like Romney and his bad mouthing has proved unjustified Romney is actually attributed with saving one of the American winter Olympics from disaster.
Quote from: Tank on August 05, 2012, 12:32:55 PM
Although I don't like Romney and his bad mouthing has proved unjustified Romney is actually attributed with saving one of the American winter Olympics from disaster.
Was that the one in Canada that was supposed to be broke? Did he loan them money?
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 01:51:30 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 05, 2012, 12:32:55 PM
Although I don't like Romney and his bad mouthing has proved unjustified Romney is actually attributed with saving one of the American winter Olympics from disaster.
Was that the one in Canada that was supposed to be broke? Did he loan them money?
That might have been it.
Quote from: Crow on August 05, 2012, 12:57:30 AM
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 12:16:35 AM
I'm not sure how the Olympics are coming over for y'all foreigners, but here in the UK there's SUCH a buzz. Not only because of the massive comparative success of Team GB but because of the apparent triumph of organisation of the Games as a whole. We CAN organise a piss-up in a brewery after all! I'd like to think that the domestic feelings are translating well abroad. Let us know how it all comes over and if our pride at the performance of our sportsmen/women and organisers is justified.
Cycling track has been my favorite to watch since we had the Commonwealth but this year it has really come into its own, it's the best sport to watch ever regardless of who is racing but the women's pursuit today was outstanding to watch.
I think the reason why the Olympics has been such a big success over here is that as a nation we are pessimists and usually it's justified, but this time our pessimism has been demolished especially over the last few days going from 25th to 3rd in practically two days, we have performed well in events we usually perform rubbish in and highlighting talent that if nurtured could perform really well in the future (i'm thinking of Adam Gemili). There have been a few things I have disliked such as the media obsession with the Bolt and therefore a lack of coverage on athletes I personally think are more likely to win, but they are very small things.
I hope the coverage of the Olympics at Rio will be as good as it is this year, I love that I can watch whatever I want whenever I want as well as watch the traditional programming.
Who, exactly, is more likely to win than Bolt?
Interestingly, Bolts' success isn't down to his superior top speed (which isn't actually true), it's all about how quickly he reaches his top speed. By 50m Bolt has already achieved his 28mph while it takes most competitors 70-80m to achieve the same speed. So, being a lanky streak has its advantages...
Quote from: Tank on August 05, 2012, 02:17:43 PM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 01:51:30 PM
Quote from: Tank on August 05, 2012, 12:32:55 PM
Although I don't like Romney and his bad mouthing has proved unjustified Romney is actually attributed with saving one of the American winter Olympics from disaster.
Was that the one in Canada that was supposed to be broke? Did he loan them money?
That might have been it.
Romney and the Olympics...
Close. You're very, very close. "His" Olympics were close to Canada, in a part of the United States somewhat like conservative bastions in Alberta, Sasketchewan, and Manitoba.
That was actually the so-called Mormon Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. Mormon Mitt Romney saved the Mormon Olympics. Security was so tight that I hear they gave (Mormon singing superstar) Marie Osmond a throrough check at the airport.
If Canada wants Salt Lake City, they can have it! They can also have Utah, the state it is in. Utah is our most conservative state, with a 63% Mormon population that influences all aspects of life in Utah. Most politicans are either Mormon or in the pocket of Mormons. Lots of Evangelicals and Southern Baptists too.
The only consolation is that Salt Lake City has a huge, vocal gay community despite Mormon homophobia and huge financial support for anti-gay measures even outside Utah. Delightful revenge. There are also freethinking organizations there.
Gay Mormon Todd Herzog of Salt Lake City, age 22 at the time, won
Survivor: China and the million dollars in 2007. I don't know if he actually believes in Mormonism or if it is just his cultural affiliation; I do know that a LGBT Mormon group, Affirmation, exists. Nevertheless, as soon as Jeff Probst introduced Herzog as a gay Mormon in the first episode of
Survivor: China, Mormons started posting on line that Herzog could not be a gay Mormon since one cannot be both gay and Mormon.
His non-Mormon boyfriend since 2009 has been Florida native Spencer Duhm from
Survivor: Tocatins, 2008. The fifth person eliminated that season, he was at 18 the youngest
Survivor contestant since the show premiered in 2000.
Quote from: TheWalkingContradiction on August 05, 2012, 04:51:16 PM
If Canada wants Salt Lake City, they can have it! They can also have Utah, the state it is in. Utah is our most conservative state, with a 63% Mormon population that influences all aspects of life in Utah. Most politicans are either Mormon or in the pocket of Mormons. Lots of Evangelicals and Southern Baptists too.
Errmmm, that's okay. I think we have our hands full enough as it is these days. ;)
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on August 05, 2012, 05:15:57 PM
Quote from: TheWalkingContradiction on August 05, 2012, 04:51:16 PM
If Canada wants Salt Lake City, they can have it! They can also have Utah, the state it is in. Utah is our most conservative state, with a 63% Mormon population that influences all aspects of life in Utah. Most politicans are either Mormon or in the pocket of Mormons. Lots of Evangelicals and Southern Baptists too.
Errmmm, that's okay. I think we have our hands full enough as it is these days. ;)
What if we said "pretty please"? What if we threw in Six Flags Magic Mountain? They have roller coasters . . .
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 05:46:39 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on August 05, 2012, 05:15:57 PM
Quote from: TheWalkingContradiction on August 05, 2012, 04:51:16 PM
If Canada wants Salt Lake City, they can have it! They can also have Utah, the state it is in. Utah is our most conservative state, with a 63% Mormon population that influences all aspects of life in Utah. Most politicans are either Mormon or in the pocket of Mormons. Lots of Evangelicals and Southern Baptists too.
Errmmm, that's okay. I think we have our hands full enough as it is these days. ;)
What if we said "pretty please"? What if we threw in Six Flags Magic Mountain? They have roller coasters . . .
We have Canada's Wonderland which probably isn't as cool, but fills the roller coaster void. :P
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on August 05, 2012, 05:52:57 PM
We have Canada's Wonderland which probably isn't as cool, but fills the roller coaster void. :P
Well, crap, we have nothing more to offer then. Probably just as well, it would have been hard to move Six Flags -- think of the traffic jams it would cause!
Back to the Olympics. Are they still going on? I aways forget how long it lasts.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 06:11:08 PM
Quote from: DeterminedJuliet on August 05, 2012, 05:52:57 PM
We have Canada's Wonderland which probably isn't as cool, but fills the roller coaster void. :P
Well, crap, we have nothing more to offer then. Probably just as well, it would have been hard to move Six Flags -- think of the traffic jams it would cause!
Back to the Olympics. Are they still going on? I aways forget how long it lasts.
Forever.
Quote from: En_Route on August 05, 2012, 06:27:09 PM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 06:11:08 PM
Back to the Olympics. Are they still going on? I aways forget how long it lasts.
Forever.
:P What I dislike most about the Olympics is my bad luck in catching any event I find remotely interesting. Every time I tune in, it's either volleyball or basketball or something else I wouldn't watch even if I were paid.
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 06:52:36 PM
Quote from: En_Route on August 05, 2012, 06:27:09 PM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on August 05, 2012, 06:11:08 PM
Back to the Olympics. Are they still going on? I aways forget how long it lasts.
Forever.
:P What I dislike most about the Olympics is my bad luck in catching any event I find remotely interesting. Every time I tune in, it's either volleyball or basketball or something else I wouldn't watch even if I were paid.
That's what a 'programme' is for... ;D
Edit: sorry, 'program' for those who can't be bothered to finish a word...
Sweden is in second place for team show jumping. ;D ;D ;D
I gotta say the coverage of the sailing has been pathetic. Even though GB got a gold and a silver in the Finn (single-handed) and Star (2-man) respectively I still have no idea how any of it happened. I can only assume that the BBC consider full(er) coverage not to be of sufficient interest to the public.
I had heard that while most sports look better in slow motion sailing is much better sped up. Fair enough, so why not do just that - not ignore it altogether other than to jump on the jolly bandwagon of praising the British winners. The excitement and nuances of the 'sport' of sailing has been completely overlooked. Shame!
Maybe I'm in the minority as a dude who sails and has more than a passing interest, but is it not more in the public interest given our historic success in this sport?
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 11:16:03 PM
I gotta say the coverage of the sailing has been pathetic. Even though GB got a gold and a silver in the Finn (single-handed) and Star (2-man) respectively I still have no idea how any of it happened. I can only assume that the BBC consider full(er) coverage not to be of sufficient interest to the public.
I had heard that while most sports look better in slow motion sailing is much better sped up. Fair enough, so why not do just that - not ignore it altogether other than to jump on the jolly bandwagon of praising the British winners. The excitement and nuances of the 'sport' of sailing has been completely overlooked. Shame!
Maybe I'm in the minority as a dude who sails and has more than a passing interest, but is it not more in the public interest given our historic success in this sport?
I have always found this odd as well, but it is boring to watch, it also has a false perception of being elite and expensive so that might put people off.
hmm I seriously need to take up a sport again.
Quote from: Crow on August 05, 2012, 11:39:59 PM
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 11:16:03 PM
I gotta say the coverage of the sailing has been pathetic. Even though GB got a gold and a silver in the Finn (single-handed) and Star (2-man) respectively I still have no idea how any of it happened. I can only assume that the BBC consider full(er) coverage not to be of sufficient interest to the public.
I had heard that while most sports look better in slow motion sailing is much better sped up. Fair enough, so why not do just that - not ignore it altogether other than to jump on the jolly bandwagon of praising the British winners. The excitement and nuances of the 'sport' of sailing has been completely overlooked. Shame!
Maybe I'm in the minority as a dude who sails and has more than a passing interest, but is it not more in the public interest given our historic success in this sport?
I have always found this odd as well, but it is boring to watch, it also has a false perception of being elite and expensive so that might put people off.
Do you think?
That is more the case with rowing (though the perception is not necessarily false) and that has a huge following (and coverage). That cannot be the reason. Maybe sailing IS just boring for the casual sports fan.
As someone who has competed in both (rowed at Henley and sailed at National level) I can assure you that rowing is not the sport for everyone like sailing is. You cannot pursue a career in rowing unless you are prepared to train HARD. No club will dedicate a boat to casual passers-by because boats are delicate and expensive. Even at the Novice level you are training to win. The clubs will not give seats to people who are not focussed on that goal. So, while its doors are open to everyone, one cannot retain a regular seat in a boat unless one has earned it with sweat, skill, or both and are helping to raise the profile of the club by being successful in races. There is no such thing as a casual rower apart from veterans who have earned their retirement.
If the same perception exists for Sailing then I would say that it IS false.
Edit: In the interests of full-disclosure I'll just mention that I only sailed at National level once in 1985. I was crew in a National 12 (type of dinghy) and we came 14th.
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 06, 2012, 12:58:14 AM
Do you think?
Well rowing is easy to grasp and very entertaining especially when it's evenly matched. Even though it does have that elitist perception there isn't anything really that the audience has to learn rule wise, is easy to see who is winning, there is a good atmosphere, the terminology isn't excessive, and is very quick. So even people that aren't interested in sports can get enjoyment from the spectacle. It is still held back by the perception though and the commentators and leading figures in the sport are well aware and constantly trying to amend that.
Sailing on the other hand is the complete opposite but with elitism attached to it though totally misplaced and might be an excuse used by some people rather than admitting they don't understand it, it can be great to watch when little battles break out and the tactics are fun to watch but overall can be very boring especially for somebody new to the sport without any experience of sailing, I use to pretty much spend most of my summers in a dinghy when I was young and I would rather watch other sports.
Just saw Usain Bolt win the 100 meter dash. The race was over before you knew it - very fast! The Jamaicans definitely have the "special sauce" when it comes to speed.
Quote from: Crow on August 05, 2012, 11:39:59 PM
Quote from: Scissorlegs on August 05, 2012, 11:16:03 PM
I gotta say the coverage of the sailing has been pathetic. Even though GB got a gold and a silver in the Finn (single-handed) and Star (2-man) respectively I still have no idea how any of it happened. I can only assume that the BBC consider full(er) coverage not to be of sufficient interest to the public.
I had heard that while most sports look better in slow motion sailing is much better sped up. Fair enough, so why not do just that - not ignore it altogether other than to jump on the jolly bandwagon of praising the British winners. The excitement and nuances of the 'sport' of sailing has been completely overlooked. Shame!
Maybe I'm in the minority as a dude who sails and has more than a passing interest, but is it not more in the public interest given our historic success in this sport?
I have always found this odd as well, but it is boring to watch, it also has a false perception of being elite and expensive so that might put people off.
hmm I seriously need to take up a sport again.
I love sailing. I'd prefer to be on a boat, but I'll happily watch it, too. It brings back so many good memories of being a kid at the lake.
I've been trying to watch the things that I wouldn't otherwise see in off olympic years. Watched a lot of Archery and Badminton. Some Table Tennis and shooting too. A few horse events.
I keep missing canoeing though. That can be really exciting as they usually canoe and Kayak on white water rapids.
I'm glad swimming is over though. I'm not opposed to a match or two, but good grief when it's nothing but swimming for hours it gets tedious. Almost the same with running, but weirdly I'm not sick of that yet.
I was disheartened to hear a couple of news reports that people have complained about gymnast Gabby Douglas' hair. What the heck? That young lady made history and people have complaints about her hair?
Also, another irritating thing is that someone (I think a coach of some ilk) said they thought Jen Ennis was too fat. What the hell? She's the British one with the washboard stomach and perfect body. People are sick.
Anyway, hoping to catch more interesting matches this week. :)
Quote from: Beachdragon on August 07, 2012, 03:52:08 PM
Also, another irritating thing is that someone (I think a coach of some ilk) said they thought Jen Ennis was too fat. What the hell? She's the British one with the washboard stomach and perfect body. People are sick.
*Jessica Ennis*
Too fat for what? She won Gold by a country mile. WTF?
I (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.singsnap.com%2Fimages%2Ftiny_heart.gif&hash=f08f84d5777bcf3e009e5d2a868e3414203fc9c2) her!
20 gold medals now for the UK, best since 1908.
Quote from: Beachdragon on August 07, 2012, 03:52:08 PM
I was disheartened to hear a couple of news reports that people have complained about gymnast Gabby Douglas' hair. What the heck? That young lady made history and people have complaints about her hair?
Also, another irritating thing is that someone (I think a coach of some ilk) said they thought Jen Ennis was too fat. What the hell? She's the British one with the washboard stomach and perfect body. People are sick.
Anyway, hoping to catch more interesting matches this week. :)
But they are women and we all know how important these things are. And now I need to find out just how fashionable there clothes were. * cringes and goes into hiding*.
Quote from: Beachdragon on August 07, 2012, 03:52:08 PM
Also, another irritating thing is that someone (I think a coach of some ilk) said they thought Jen Ennis was too fat. What the hell? She's the British one with the washboard stomach and perfect body. People are sick.
WTF! If she has more than 9% body fat I would be shocked.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbcimg.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F62080000%2Fjpg%2F_62080062_015595247-1.jpg&hash=fca78895fead09ac6e1fc9c1144a2a99d709eb7b)
Quote from: Crow on August 07, 2012, 11:37:30 PM
Quote from: Beachdragon on August 07, 2012, 03:52:08 PM
Also, another irritating thing is that someone (I think a coach of some ilk) said they thought Jen Ennis was too fat. What the hell? She's the British one with the washboard stomach and perfect body. People are sick.
WTF! If she has more than 9% body fat I would be shocked.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbcimg.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F62080000%2Fjpg%2F_62080062_015595247-1.jpg&hash=fca78895fead09ac6e1fc9c1144a2a99d709eb7b)
Perhaps they feel she is large-boned and should lose weight there, otherwise I'm at a loss as to what she has to spare.
The fussing about Gabby Douglas' hair was that it was the same same style as her white team mates and her hairdo critics felt she should be representing by having a natural or braids or at least no more than unprocessed curls. As cute as I think the natural is, my opinion is the kid has won two gold medals so the busybodies can mind their own business about her hair. In fact, they could MTOB even if she didn't win a single thing -- it's her hair.
I finally got to watch some events I found interesting, but also confusing. One of them was what I think they called the men's "still circles", or maybe it was "still rings", a gymnastic event that looked that they were in serious danger of separating their arms from their shoulders.
There was a Chinese guy who scored very high and turned in what looked like a flawless performance and the way commentators were talking, they thought so too and expected him to take the gold. Then a Russian guy did a routine that was also impressive altho I thought I saw him wobble a few times and he didn't stick the landing. However, he scored higher than the Chinese guy, which shocked everyone, including other gymnasts.
Does anyone know what that's about? I was thinking, altho I couldn't tell the difference, maybe his routine was harder and he got extra points for that which made the difference, but I have no idea.
So, it has finally come to the attention of the sneering press that the Brit cycling team have been using French wheels (Mavic).
Git might enjoy this:
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8434%2F7738368054_25fa43f3f9_z.jpg&hash=38c4336abdbd144865e9c87d21373fe5e9ac6510)
All the equestrian elements should be dropped from the olympics. Nothing against horses it just doesn't really fit in with the event, especially as there are so many brilliant sports that aren't included.
Quote from: Crow on August 09, 2012, 07:13:50 PM
All the equestrian elements should be dropped from the olympics. Nothing against horses it just doesn't really fit in with the event, especially as there are so many brilliant sports that aren't included.
Yes, I'm furious about the omission of underwater chess and one- legged cheese rolling.
Quote from: En_Route on August 09, 2012, 07:30:18 PM
Quote from: Crow on August 09, 2012, 07:13:50 PM
All the equestrian elements should be dropped from the olympics. Nothing against horses it just doesn't really fit in with the event, especially as there are so many brilliant sports that aren't included.
Yes, I'm furious about the omission of underwater chess and one- legged cheese rolling.
Para Olympics.
Quote from: Tank on August 09, 2012, 07:31:42 PM
Quote from: En_Route on August 09, 2012, 07:30:18 PM
Quote from: Crow on August 09, 2012, 07:13:50 PM
All the equestrian elements should be dropped from the olympics. Nothing against horses it just doesn't really fit in with the event, especially as there are so many brilliant sports that aren't included.
Yes, I'm furious about the omission of underwater chess and one- legged cheese rolling.
Para Olympics.
That explains it,
Sports for cripples... More entertaining than the regular variety, if you ask me. :D