Field Theory by Hadyn Green

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Field Theory: And they're off!

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  • Ross Mason,

    Hmmm. Your list is a bit rich for my liking. You are lumping "Technical judges" with "beauty judges". The difference? Judging when a shuttle or ball is on the line or not is a technical assessment. Judging if someone is competing illegally is a technical assessment. There are no "beauty" points in those games. If you smash the living shit out of it and it goes out = 0. If in = point. If you "beautifully" hit it out = 0. If in = point. If your javelin has a motor in it = illegal.

    But those sports where a "beauty"criteria is the sole (or major) judge: gymnastics, diving - unless bellyflopped :-) - dressage, synchronised swimming, (and Winter Os - free style anything: ice dance, figures, snowboard and skis) they are the ones to rid the place of.

    Oh...and Rugby is we listen to Ted and his immediately retracted "thought" of game fixing.

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green,

    I was actually choosing sports where the judges have to make a decision about the action. Unlike field events where a foot over the line is easily noticed, a foul call in basketball, a low punch in boxing, a straight arm in weightlifting is a judgement.

    Also what you call "beauty" can also be described as accuracy.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • Angus Robertson,

    That logo is everywhere.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Gareth Ward,

    Historically my (highly limiting) rule of thumb for "it should be in the Olympics" has been "getting yourself/an object as far as possible (vertically or horizontally) and/or as quickly as possible". However we would lose both the Daft Punk joustery and beach volleyball so perhaps not...

    Re Sky, as mentioned in another PAS thread - three of the Sky Olympic channels are not available to you unless you pony up the infuriating $10 for HD that I abhor about Sky. This also meant I had to put up with the ad-interrupted version of the Opening Ceremony as I wanted to see it in HD so had to view the Prime HD channel. I can't stand that Sky make you pay (even more) extra to receive in HD, and now they've completely blocked channels with it...

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew, in reply to Gareth Ward,

    Historically my (highly limiting) rule of thumb for "it should be in the Olympics" has been "getting yourself/an object as far as possible (vertically or horizontally) and/or as quickly as possible". However we would lose both the Daft Punk joustery and beach volleyball so perhaps not...

    I think you should add "as accurately as possible" so as to retain the archery...

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Angus Robertson,

    That logo is everywhere.

    Having read that the logo is a deconstructed "2012" I'm finally able to make some sense of it.

    I'm still not sure it can displace the Lisa Simpson thing from my consciousness though ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Aren't the judgey sports sort of the point of the Olympics, though?

    It felt wrong yesterday watching S. Williams v Jankovic at Wimbledon. Switching over to the gymnastics felt more Olympic.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Oh and like 2.5 hours of rugby and league on Sunday morning.

    I’d put money on Prime being contractually required to air that semi-final. Part of the agreement between SANZAR and Sky for the Super 15, including free-to-air replay rights will include Sky guaranteeing that they will air certain matches free-to-air. Sky will not be permitted to pay for the free-to-air rights so that they can then not air games free-to-air in order to encourage people to pay for Sky.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    the logo is a deconstructed "2012"

    ah

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Could people really not see a "2012"? Or are you all havin' a larf?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Not saying I agree with removing particular sports, but if a sport needs multiple judges, in order to ensure some type of fairness, or if the highest and lowest scores get dropped, maybe that's more the type of judging which is concerning.

    A tennis line judge can make a wrong call, but it can be pretty easily shown to be wrong with a replay, or something like that. A sport like diving, or gymnastics, where you add together the scores of a bunch of different judges, removing the outliers, or boxing or weightlifting, where it's best 2 out of 3, is in a different league.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Aren’t the judgey sports sort of the point of the Olympics, though?

    Citius, Altius, Fortius?

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,

    I genuinely missed it #notashamed

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Chris Waugh,

    As for crap coverage, I was watching China vs South Korea women's hockey last night. At a random point in the middle of play half way through the second half of a game I was thoroughly enjoying, CCTV5 played a few ads then switched to diving. I wish I could say this was the first time CCTV5 had down this kind of thing, but no, in the midst of a very exciting women's volleyball final between China and Russia they suddenly switched to some shooting match because a Chinese guy stood to get gold there, too.

    So I'm wondering if it's possible to get decent coverage anywhere. At least, without paying an arm, a leg and your left kidney.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report

  • izogi, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Aren't the judgey sports sort of the point of the Olympics, though? It felt wrong yesterday watching S. Williams v Jankovic at Wimbledon. Switching over to the gymnastics felt more Olympic.

    Maybe this is an argument for bringing back Olympic events in sculpture, painting, music and literature (including drama, epic and lyric literature), all of which were part of the original modern Olympic vision? :)

    It's hard to believe those athletes would be any more professional these days than someone like S. Williams.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 1142 posts Report

  • Tim Croft,

    There's also this, um, bizarre conspiracy theory about the logo.

    Tuscaloosa • Since May 2008 • 23 posts Report

  • Tim Croft,

    Which Jon Stewart has, of course, made fun of.

    Tuscaloosa • Since May 2008 • 23 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,

    Not saying I agree with removing particular sports, but if a sport needs multiple judges, in order to ensure some type of fairness, or if the highest and lowest scores get dropped, maybe that’s more the type of judging which is concerning.

    Why? As long as it's fair?

    And why shouldn't sport have a judgeable aesthetic component, if it's relevant? I'm thinking of gymnastics, where style and panache are clearly part of the skill of elite athletes.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler, in reply to Lilith __,

    Why? As long as it’s fair?

    The bit where I begin with “Not saying” was important as a means to divine my views on this matter.

    why shouldn’t sport have a judgeable aesthetic component, if it’s relevant

    My point was that I didn’t have a problem with that, but the type of sport where judging is so subjective that multiple judges are needed in order to balance things out is different from sports where one judge (of any particular aspect) is considered sufficient, or where what they are judging can be objectively stated (like an LBW, or the offside rule).

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Graeme Edgeler,

    but the type of sport where judging is so subjective that multiple judges are needed in order to balance things out is different from sports where one judge (of any particular aspect) is considered sufficient

    I hear controversy on a regular basis about referee decisions in rugby matches. Perhaps they too could benefit from a team of judges giving balance!

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Ross Mason,

    Mark Todd is within a sniff of victory

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    I noticed, last night, that the gymnasts are a lot bigger this year, enormous shoulders every one. Is it something in our food, steroids in the chicken, Human Growth Hormones in the beef? or something more sinister. Send in the Clones, well maybe they're here.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    that the gymnasts are a lot bigger this year

    The women's gymnastics? The age requirement is now 16, not 14 as previously. The women are women, not girls.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Hadyn Green, in reply to Lilith __,

    The women are women, not girls.

    Hell, some of the women were in their late 20s. Daiane Dos Santos of Brazil is 29!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Hadyn Green,

    Daiane Dos Santos of Brazil is 29!

    Good lord! And a fine specimen she still is.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

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