View Full Version : Winter Olympics
Why is Great Britain so rubbish? Seriously, why? We haven't got a single medal yet. :rolleyes:
Should we even bother to send a team? Would the money it costs be better spent elsewhere?
Discuss! :p
Bluepete
18-02-10, 06:56 PM
It's not as if we can say we never get any snow is it!
I don't really care to be honest, I just like watching the events. The joy on the winners faces is a real pleasure to see.
Pete ;)
We've seen how the Brits cope with ice and snow for the last two months. Many people can't stand up with decent shoes on, so its hardly surprising they can't win medals for it with skates on. :D
Biker Biggles
18-02-10, 07:04 PM
Wrong kind of snow?
fizzwheel
18-02-10, 07:11 PM
Why is Great Britain so rubbish? Seriously, why? We haven't got a single medal yet. :rolleyes:
Because compared to Football the investment in training and facilities is next to nothing...
We've proved when we get the right coach and the right facilities, we can do well. Look up the results for Team GB in cycling in the last few years or so...
I enjoy watching it, The womens downhill yesterday was carnage, plenty of action and the border cross the night before was fantastic.
We're at a geographical disadvantage, simples.
I was watching the women downhill ski race final yesterday, and they're all mainly from countries where weather permits the expansion of such sports. There's a snow slope here in MK, been a few times, but hiring costs etc make it not worth it.
You wonder sometimes what random different sports you'd be into/good at if you were from a place like Canada or Switzerland.
I have to admit, that I'm the first to panic when we get a bit of snow, but driving back today I felt that I was just bored with it all!
I still love the winter olympics, much better than the summer ones.
most of our winter athletes used to be from the forces, that was when thier units could afford to let them spend all of the winter months in Bavaria "training". how times change.
I still love the winter olympics, much better than the summer ones.
Dunno man. Nothing like watching the fastest man ever Usain Bolt tear it apart in the 100m and 200m.
most of our winter athletes used to be from the forces, that was when thier units could afford to let them spend all of the winter months in Bavaria "training". how times change.
Yup..... Nash & Dixon in the Bobsleigh spring to mind :thumbsup:
I love watching the alpine events. Fabulous scenery and very colourful. Great on the TV in HD.
I reckon that there's genuine cameraderie amongst the skiers, particularly the downhillers, too :-D
Wrong kind of snow?
Haha - love it, if you're referring to the Euro tunnell c0ck-up! :)
barwel1992
18-02-10, 07:58 PM
by the looks of it the only meddles we could win are the curling ones lol both men's and women's
SoulKiss
18-02-10, 08:19 PM
Who cares...
i was watching the sled/luge the other day and those guys are nuts, im not sure if i would have a go at that.
Sid Squid
18-02-10, 08:48 PM
I like watching the skiing.
Who cares...
Not you, obviously.
Which does make me wonder why you bothered to contribute to this thread.
ceeshaw
18-02-10, 08:49 PM
Lots of girls in Lycra... some of them don't even look like vikings! Nice!!:D
The american girl who won the downhill was a bit of all right! :P
ceeshaw
18-02-10, 08:56 PM
A Bit??? http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_en-GBGB311GB312&um=1&ei=Ral9S_ySMOOL4gagioW7BA&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=lindsey+vonn&spell=1&start=0
:p
CoolGirl
18-02-10, 09:00 PM
My cousins went to school in Canada. For PE lessons in the winter, instead of playing hockey or rugby, they did skiing and ice hockey - nuff said!
SoulKiss
18-02-10, 09:09 PM
I like watching the skiing.
Not you, obviously.
Which does make me wonder why you bothered to contribute to this thread.
Primarily because a large part of the news is being given over to what Vancouver is doing to accommodate the Winter Olympics.
They are talking about the drop in crime due to the increased police presence, and the way that the locals are having to change working patterns etc to accommodate the amount of disruption caused by the number of people having to get to and from the events.
So all stuff we can look forwards to suffering in the very near future.
Ok so I cant really complain about more police on the street, but why should it only be for the Olympics ?
Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated
i was watching the sled/luge the other day and those guys are nuts, im not sure if i would have a go at that.
I once held the world record for the luge.....on the Mega Drive!
My kids were impressed! :p
Sid Squid
18-02-10, 11:57 PM
So all stuff we can look forwards to suffering in the very near future.
You're right of course - absolutely nothing that isn't essential for our eating and breathing should ever happen, it's all just a waste of effort and will cause you inconvenience and delay in doing the things you do which are, of course, all absolutely essential and not at all superfluous.
Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated
True, nothing at all like seeing who can go round and round in circles faster than anyone else on a motorcycle.
PS. Is wood still used for making skis? I'd have thought they'd all be made of composites now - the snazzy sporty ones anyway.
urbane1
19-02-10, 04:09 AM
When you consider that there are 40000 kids in organized hockey in Calgary alone (1 million population), we have the skills pool to draw on. When an American team wins the Stanley Cup 80% of the team are Canadians.
wyrdness
19-02-10, 07:11 AM
Why is Great Britain so rubbish? Seriously, why? We haven't got a single medal yet. :rolleyes:
Should we even bother to send a team? Would the money it costs be better spent elsewhere?
Probably because all of the sports training budget is currently going on summer Olympic sports so that we stand a good chance of winning quite a few medals in 2012.
Bluepete
19-02-10, 10:05 AM
I've been enjoying the Biathlon, however, I think
This would spice it up a bit! (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=077_1266518913)
Pete ;)
punyXpress
19-02-10, 10:35 AM
[QUOTE=SoulKiss;2186797]
They are talking about the drop in crime due to the increased police presence, and the way that the locals are having to change working patterns etc to accommodate the amount of disruption caused by the number of people having to get to and from the events.
So all stuff we can look forwards to suffering in the very near future.
Do you REALLY think there will be a reduction in crime in 2012 ?
Perhaps the forthcoming World Cup ( Footie ) in South Africa will show the way on that one?
I reckon the UK is doing pretty well!
Zoe Gillings did really well to come 8th in the women's snowboard cross, Amy Williams broke the track record in the skeleton event, and no doubt the curling team will do well as well.
Is it all about the winning? Is was great watching the snowboard events because I think the whole "olympic spirit" thing showed between all the competitors and they all had a laugh, which is what it's all about.
They showed a clip of Eddie the Eagle before the ski jumping event and that really made me smile; sod the winning, it's the taking part.
There's an interesting article here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/8509544.stm) regarding the funding for UK winter sports
yorkie_chris
19-02-10, 12:46 PM
Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated
That's ALL sports!
Football, load of nancies kicking a ball around.
High jump, organised burglary
Running, we don't need to chase zebras to eat any more so what's the point.
Rock climbing, couldn't you just walk round.
Etc. etc.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/posion/balls.jpg
I reckon the UK is doing pretty well!
Zoe Gillings did really well to come 8th in the women's snowboard cross, Amy Williams broke the track record in the skeleton event, and no doubt the curling team will do well as well.
Is it all about the winning? Is was great watching the snowboard events because I think the whole "olympic spirit" thing showed between all the competitors and they all had a laugh, which is what it's all about.
They showed a clip of Eddie the Eagle before the ski jumping event and that really made me smile; sod the winning, it's the taking part.
There's an interesting article here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/8509544.stm) regarding the funding for UK winter sportsI agree. There always seems to be a little more friendship at the winter olympics and i just wish it would get equal coverage as the summer olympics does. Its all about taking part. Lets face it When The Eagle came last, can anyone remember who won? The UK loves and underdog, plain and simple. Good luck to Amy, and a magic 88mph on a baking tray head 1st! She has serious thrill issues dude eitehr that or she wants to go back to the future :)
One of the biggest problems with GB not being able to win is we dont encourage the drive to win at schools, it's all about taking part and prizes for all. All very nice, but the incentive is not there. If the drive is still there after school age, then at club level the top places are taken by better foreign players. Yes, our players have to be better than they are to win, but if they dont get match/race experience then improvement is stiffled.
Good on the Canadians for ensuring they get 10x more practice on the courses, that and plenty of supporters is what home advantage is for.
wyrdness
19-02-10, 02:14 PM
One of the biggest problems with GB not being able to win is we dont encourage the drive to win at schools, it's all about taking part and prizes for all. All very nice, but the incentive is not there. If the drive is still there after school age, then at club level the top places are taken by better foreign players. Yes, our players have to be better than they are to win, but if they dont get match/race experience then improvement is stiffled.
I don't think that's really the case. Look how well we did in the last Summer Olympics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics_medal_table
Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated
Wood! Pah!
In my day it was fertiliser bags, that's where the skill was at ;)
CheGuevara
20-02-10, 03:01 AM
Tonight - Britain has done Brilliantly!
They are talking about the drop in crime due to the increased police presence, and the way that the locals are having to change working patterns etc to accommodate the amount of disruption caused by the number of people having to get to and from the events.
What perhaps is not metioned is the recent militaristic presence of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police -the guys in the red tunics and stetsons who only really dress like that in the supreme court and for parades). From the murder of Robert Dziekanski in the Vancouver airport, to the drunken murder (impaired driving) of a young motorcyclist by a drunk driving RCMP officer (Monty Robinson, who happened also to be in charge during the Dziekanski incident), many important things in Western Canada have been glossed over due to the Olympics and the benefits reaped by those in charge.
Specifically the police have been given carte blache to raid any premises that display any anti-Olympics signage in windows, quash any demonstrations, and have forcibly moved on any of the numerous homeless that might embarrass/discredit the Canadian utopia of democracy and human rights. Forget not that the current Canadian government mounrs the loss of the Republican fear-mongers in the US. Boo Canadians (myself included) for letting the wool creep over the eyes of our once great/admirable nation.
wyrdness
20-02-10, 08:14 AM
Britain now has a gold medal - the first solo gold for 30 years:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/vancouver_2010/skeleton/8520464.stm
Triv650
20-02-10, 09:11 AM
Well done Amy Williams for getting gold!!!
nik_nunez
20-02-10, 10:03 AM
Besides so what if someone can get down a mountain on 2 bits of wood faster than anyone else - thats SUCH a useful skill that should be celebrated
its a kinda steep and rather dangerous mountain that you go down, give it a go on a olympic downhill track and see how you get on
i enjoy watching most of the sports, the half pipe snowboarding was amazing how the guy (shaun white) who won the gold can do a double front flip 1080 with such height and make it look so easy is pretty amazing, his last run was just crazy to watch
barwel1992
20-02-10, 01:41 PM
watched GB get gold live last night :)
Sid Squid
20-02-10, 02:15 PM
Boo Canadians (myself included) for letting the wool creep over the eyes of our once great/admirable nation.
Che, I admire your candour.
Are we in the UK listening I wonder? I sincerely bloody hope so.
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