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Docfoster

So who's excited...?

Btw I am. Always have been. Have fond memories of watching Alan wells running in moscow on the telly when I was 6. And many many more memories of loads of events in games since then. I absolutely love the dedication, the humanity, the drama, the emotion. Good on ya baron de coubertain. Best show on earth.

After Scalford obviously.

uglymusic

I suspect I'll do what I do every year with Wimbledon. Mean to watch it and find it's the last day and I've seen about an hour.

I don't watch much sport, and it's a habit that's difficult to break.

Docfoster

I dunno Dave, I bet there'll be at least one event that grabs you...! :-)

uglymusic

There may be.

The problem is getting myself to sit down in front of the telly when it's on.
#-o

Alan

Limpiks is one sporting event I can get into, I especially did with the Athens games. We'll see if I can make some time this year.

Docfoster

Athletics is what it's all about for me. But it's weird - if it's the Olympics I'll take a ridiculously and genuinely unexpectedly keen interest in anything - biathlon, kayaking, gymnastics... Anything other than the equestrian stuff really. I remember spending half a day watching women's weight lifting last time. :-/

uglymusic

Perve!
X_X :-$ @-)

RobHolt

I'm about 2 miles from the main venue and you can definitely tell things are hotting up.

There is a huge amount of frantic last minute roadworks going on, and many of the shops and houses along the main route to the Olympic Park have benefited from renovation for the games.

I've seen entire streets with the buildings painted in colours of the Olympic rings - it's a bit like being at the seaside in places :)

I'm not usually much of a sports fan but I'll be watching a fair bit and routing for our teams. The country needs something good after all the misery of recent years.

Brain_Dead

Being a miserable devil, I shall avoid anything to do with is has I firmly believe the short term gains just go to the rich, and if the money wasted had been spent wisely on lets say cancer or the home less it would have benefited the people of the UK much more.

And the PA system that has been put in is crap.

Docfoster

Rob - well said. :-)
Col' - you can probably buy Prozac online these days... :-/

Docfoster

Seriously col, I do agree that there is exploitative capitalist edge to the organisational side of the Olympics. Just as there is to most things in free countries. But, i feel that the sporting spectacle does stand on its own, and can be enjoyed in isolation from all the pernicious advertising and sponsorship.

Brain_Dead

Hey Doc, already in your statement it has not "
isolation from all the pernicious advertising and sponsorship." If you and I have notice this how are the people for whom this amount of money and nonsense could have helped and saved lives. £60M on guards, how much on army, air force, etc let alone the building and all the nasty back hands, and new bird baths at £85K for the minister of bullshit.

Adolf Hitler open air speeches were amazing, but is his regime was crap, so come on do not be fooled by the bandits and thieves, it a con a expensive con.

Sorry I hate bullies and injustices and this is a pet big nasty for me.

Rob I have Warfarin much better than Prozac kills all known rats.

Docfoster

I don't know how the amount of cash the country is spending on the Olympics compares to the amounts it spends on hospitals, schools, social welfare etc.,.. Presumably there is a balance to be struck between worthy causes such as those and circuses like the Olympics? Or do you think it should be zero on circuses?
Also I don't know what proportion of the Olympic spend is subsidised by the sponsor side of the 'Olympic family' - i imagine its quite a sognificant fraction. Presumably from this point of view the sponsors are a good thing...

NeilP

Well cal me a total killjoy, but I won't be watching a single event. I do not watch TV, unless my partner is in the house an switches it on, and if I do , I never watch any sort of any kind..just bores me to death. I have far to much work of my own to do, and far to many little projects to keep me busy every day till I die..even if I was not working.

I did not even have a TV till the girlfriend insisted we get one..audio was enough for me.

Plus with my job, all the Olympic airspace restrictions around the London area, the slot times, Atlas Control and all the argo that goes with it..just can't wait for it to be over.

I have never even looked at the costings..is it costing more than it is going to bring in to the country or is it good for the country..well South East...will it pay its way?

bah humbug to the whole thing ;)

Docfoster

Neil,
I'm glad of that.
Life'd be as boring as shit if we all like the same ting.
Good on ya. Keep on sucking those stripey mints...!
Btw I'm well pissed. In London for a wedding tomorrow and too much booze already. *hic*

Brain_Dead

I do feel sorry for those poor devil hook on this global sports mess, and striking at this time is not very thoughtful. O well that British planning for you.

Docfoster

Docfoster said:
Neil,
I'm glad of that.
Life'd be as boring as shit if we all like the same ting.
Good on ya. Keep on sucking those stripey mints...!
Btw I'm well pissed. In London for a wedding tomorrow and too much booze already. *hic*

I've just noticed this. ^
I have no memory of making the post. Eek.
:-/

NeilP

[-X

Getting drunk and posting...would never do that myself

;)

Alan

Well, you'd better, if you want to fit in around here! :)

uglymusic

What's all that about starting the football before the opening ceremony? Don't they know what the opening ceremony is about?

Alan

uglymusic said:
What's all that about starting the football before the opening ceremony? Don't they know what the opening ceremony is about?

It's a dry run so they can find the correct flags.

PAC

Well, I think it's because they want the football over before the proper sport takes place :-\"

I have an interest in the shooting and archery, albeit they didn't seem to screen much of either in previous Olympics (not PC enough or something). I have a vested interest I guess as my one and only claim to fame was in winning an international archery contest in the mid 1990's (also writing articles on medieval archery). My bow of choice of course was the longbow (it was for the international barebow and instinctive archery field shooting championships). My longbow wasn't the classical D shaped English longbow but a composite flat bow of longbow proportions custom made by Border Archery in Scotland. It drew 75Lbs draw weight (twice the draw weight of Olympic bows) and I tried stringing it recently only to nearly put my shoulder out! It is a big hairy beast that would shoot a telegraph pole through a barn door...if I could still hit one that is.

The shooting stems from a spell in HM forces following which I became a range instructor in "civvy street whilst qualifying in engineering (as well as founding and running an archery club for many years). Its a sad fact that as one gets older, the realisation creeps in that many of these disciplines take more dedication and time than ordinary life now allows and I do miss it, although shooting is very much part of my pastimes.

Roll on the Olympics and I hope that this time round I at least get so see some toxphily!

Docfoster

Re. The football, I think it's down to the length of time necessary (ie more than 2 weeks) to play out a tournament (group games plus knock out stage plus the required rest days). I suppose they decided it was better to start the football before the opening ceremony that to play the final after the closing ceremony.
Paul - I too achieved archery glory - 2nd in the junior welsh open circa 1987. Though I wasn't using a long bow.
Btw at the Olympics party at my place tomorrow we do have large novelty Velcro darts and an inflatable target. I challenge thee sir.

PAC

Challenge on. I may bring the longbow and an apple...

Alan

Very fine opening ceremony I thought (though I didn't stay up to see all the athletes). Well done everybody involved for their tremendous effort, not least Mr Boyle.

I still think Chas 'n Dave on an open top bus would have done it...

uglymusic

Despite my best efforts, Chas wasn't available :-(

Docfoster

I enjoyed it. Proud of my country, proud of my species.
Arctic moneys 'come together' with flying bicycles was my favourite bit.
My least favourite bit was when my technisat freeview box couldn't play the new bbc hd Olympic service, and I had to resign myself and my party guests to watching the large projected image in sd...
Anyhow, now looking forward to a fortnight of compelling sports' action in whatever screen resolution is available...

Brumjam

Proud proud proud. Brilliant start to the games. Highlight for me was the NHS/children's literature sequence.......Danny Boyle's creativity knows no bounds. Only downside for me was seeing Macca wheeled out for a highly predictable rendition of 'Hey Jude' (yawn).

If anyone needs me over the next two weeks I can be found watching sport and eating highly athletic pizza ;-)

schwantz34

her majesty seems a quite good para!

Docfoster

That bit was good. :-)
I do think she looks a big tired a lot of the time these days - she is 86 I suppose.

PAC

My thanks to Ben for a great evening even though we couldn't stay for the opening ceremony! (the wee boy needed his bed...so did my son ;) ). Watched the cycling today and felt for team GB who set the pace for over 150Km doing all the work at the front of the chase group. Couldn't hep thinking they would have been better off breaking with the early leading group and hanging on their tails until the last 10K but it didn't work out for them sadly.

Docfoster

Thanks for coming paul.
Good to have the sporting bit underway now. Wall to wall sport. Love it!

Docfoster

Amateur boxing. Always love watching our team at the Olympics...

Brumjam

15 year old wins gold in the pool. Fantastic. Great to see so many upsets in the pool......even if some of them went to le petit grenouille ;-)

Docfoster

Yeah. That was startling.
I was tidying up the house today. Had a tv or radio on in pretty much every room. Loved the coverage of so many different sports - genuine* achievement clearly means so much to people (the competitors themselves, but also to their families, their coaches and their fans). I simply find that very pleasing to witness.

* worth discussing / explaining a little more probably...! ;-)

Docfoster

Further to my previous post:
* Apparently Tom daly has been getting abuse on twitter today following his 4th place in the synchronised diving. Some members of the intelligentsia group on twitter saying that his (recently deceased) dad would be ashamed of tom's performance today.
I think those comments say all that needs to be said about the people who make them.
From everyone else...Thank you Tom daly, and all the olympic athletes, for all the effort you've put into your preparations for London 2012. Those preparations make up one of the ingredients that contributes to the competition aspect of the olympics so meaningful for we sports fans. And tom - I enjoyed watching your event today. All the best in the individual diving later in the games. :-)

Alan

It's some achievement to be 4th best in the world - that ought to be recognized for the startling fact that it is. Apparently four students from the Plymouth school Tom D attends are competing at t'limpiks!

I have been loving the coverage on 5live, the enthusiasm is infectious. I am particularly enjoying the sailing regatta, the rowing regatta even more so, and am getting excited about the athletics which start in a few days.

Docfoster

Yep.
Really looking forward to the athletics. Always been my favourite since as a 6 year old lad I watched Alan wells powering down the track in moscow in 1980.
Tho' michael Johnson's 200m final in Atlanta is my all time fav'. I know bolt has since gone faster, but seeing Johnson tearing up the track down the home straight in record time made me scream. Johnson has remarkable natural talent I'm sure, but made the most of through an incredible and professional dedication to his sport. I spent a day in Atlanta between flights a few years later and made a pilgrimage to the Olympic park there to pay homage to the great man at the stone with the result of the 200m final engraved on it. (Btw I was horrified to discover that most of the Olympic stadium had been pulled down to convert the site into a basket ball stadium... :-( )
Bring on the sprints!

Docfoster

Woohoo!
Well done rowing ladies!
:-)

Brumjam

And Wiggo! Tour de France and Olympic gold. Not a bad summer.

Docfoster

As a Welshman I was pleased that my countrymen in the crowd at the footie were positive about, or at least respectful of the national anthem. Shouldn't be an issue at all i know, but I feared the worst given what I know of how the 'English team's song' is perceived 'on the terraces' in cardiff (not that there are terraces at the new city stadium tho'). Again, the power of the Olympics...! :-)
I found some of the usual on-field behaviour of some of the players a little disappointing, and in contrast to the conduct of almost every other athlete at the games that I have seen. Call me old mr. Fussy if you will...!

Docfoster

Dai Green, you lucky boy...!

Docfoster

Jessica Ennis. Blimey Charlie.

Docfoster

...and now Greg Rutherford...!

Docfoster

And Mo' Farah. Brilliant brilliant night of athletics.

Alan

Superb day, brilliant rowing earlier also. And cycling...phenomenal day.

Alan

Very cool graphic from NYT on sprinters - well worth a look!

uglymusic

Yeah, it is.

Shame the share doesn't work. I'd've liked to put it on my blog.

Alan

Yeh, I did play with the share for Chews.

Docfoster

That's cool.
In my youth, my best time for 100m was 12.3. I could've won a bronze medal in 1896!

uglymusic

LOL!

Docfoster

Just watched Nicola Adams winning gold in the boxing. Bloomin' marvellous. Fantastic.

Brumjam

I was in the stadium on Wednesday evening. A truly memorable evening. Thanks to a ticketing error we ended up with contingency seats on row 3! We were about five metres away from Usain Bolt at the start of the 200m semi-finals. Certainly a day I'll never forget.

Alan

Brumjam said:
I was in the stadium on Wednesday evening. A truly memorable evening. Thanks to a ticketing error we ended up with contingency seats on row 3! We were about five metres away from Usain Bolt at the start of the 200m semi-finals. Certainly a day I'll never forget.

Brilliant! What a performance as well, if he wasn't there Johan would be the best in the world by miles - he still blitzed it! What a remarkable athlete (and character).

Glad you didn't throw any bottles James!

uglymusic

Brumjam said:
I was in the stadium on Wednesday evening. A truly memorable evening. Thanks to a ticketing error we ended up with contingency seats on row 3! We were about five metres away from Usain Bolt at the start of the 200m semi-finals. Certainly a day I'll never forget.

Jealous? Me?????
:D

Brumjam

Alan said:

Brumjam said:
I was in the stadium on Wednesday evening. A truly memorable evening. Thanks to a ticketing error we ended up with contingency seats on row 3! We were about five metres away from Usain Bolt at the start of the 200m semi-finals. Certainly a day I'll never forget.

Brilliant! What a performance as well, if he wasn't there Johan would be the best in the world by miles - he still blitzed it! What a remarkable athlete (and character).

Glad you didn't throw any bottles James!

Blake is a remarkable athlete isn't he. A shame in a way that he's in the shadow of greatness in the shape of Bolt. Was it me or did it seem like he slowed a little at the end? It looked like he was on for the world record.

All bottles removed on entry to the stadium Dave - to be replaced with glass bottles of Heineken inside the stadium #-o

uglymusic

Isn't capitalism wonderful?
:-O

Alan

I'm sad now that it's finished, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. Looking forward to the Paralympics now, which starts on 29th Aug.

Brumjam

Same here Alan. TV schedule now makes for depressing reading.

Alan

Yes, but at least total wipeout is back on BBC, Tuesdays at 7pm...Oh No - it's the last series!!

Docfoster

Caught bits of the last couple of days on French tv. Interesting to see it from their perspective. Coverage obviously focused on their medal chance sports (handball mainly), but from what I could make out they were very impressed with the games as a whole.
Brumjam - I'm very jealous. I applied for loads and got zilch. Glad you enjoyed it. :-)

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