Field Theory by Hadyn Green

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Field Theory: Olympic Eye Candy

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  • Russell Brown,

    Further intelligence on what's on Michael Phelps' iPod and his Rhapsody hitlist.

    Loves the rap, clearly.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    It depends where in China you're talking

    I think Stephen was talking more about the normative distribution curve of a population (also known as a bell curve).

    For example with height you have a few really short people, a few really tall people and most of the population bunched together at some median height.

    The bell shape doesn't really change much, so in NZ we may have, say, a dozen people who are 7ft tall. In China though, with their large population, that number would be much much higher.

    It's another reason why they have been able to find athletes to compete (and effectively compete) in almost every event. For the last eight or so years they have been seeking out the members of the population who just happen to be good (gentically or whatever) at kayaking, or gymnastics, archery and so on.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    You're right, that is what I was getting at. Judging by things dyan has written in the past, I'm sure she knows that too. It was bad of me to use that ambiguous word "average" without qualification. China's not just enormous but diverse - "average Chinese" is like "average European" (Swedish or Sicilian?) or "average African" (Masai or Bushman?) and I know there are plenty of groups of people in China who are markedly different from their compatriots. What I said implied a certain amount of uniformity which was unfortunate, and that's how I'm taking dyan's comment.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    Just to flick back to the perving... Wet Girl Drumming? I approve.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Wet Girl Drumming? I approve.

    Yes!

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Susannah Shepherd,

    Emma said:

    Wet Girl Drumming? I approve.

    That's not generally the way my tastes run, but even I thought that was worth a good perv. I want a go, it looked like fun. I see an opportunity for the next hot trend in gym classes :-)

    Like Kerry, my personal perv list has the rowers near the top (I think it's the overall body workout effect) but one of the shot-putters was quite cute in a 6'5" of solid muscle kind of way. I also like to marvel at the gymnasts, in a 5'3" of compact muscle kind of way. I don't know why but most of the swimmers don't do it for me. John McBeth made me laugh this afternoon though with his paean to the effects of the new togs on the female figure.

    The Olympics, as always, make me wonder what the hell my parents were thinking when they packed my now 5'9" tall, 6-foot armspan self off to 5 years of gymnastic purgatory (the bars were a particularly tortuous form of hell), but pulled me out of the school swimming team. I suspect it was something along the lines of a dislike of early mornings and a desperate urge for a more ladylike daughter...

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 58 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    WWWOoooooo!!! yeah!!!!

    Fuck you Germany*!!!!!

    * Actually Germany, you're cool, I'm just kidding around

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    Wet Girl Drumming? I approve.

    the wet girl drumming was weird, but not really prev-worthy, for that you have to see the beach volleyball cheerleaders, you'll never guess what they are wearing.

    John McBeth made me laugh this afternoon though with his paean to the effects of the new togs on the female figure.

    Ditto that was hilarious, you could actually hear Anthony Mosse looking at him like "dude, wtf?"

    my personal perv list has the rowers near the top

    We were just talking about that. Amy says they are "very square".

    I don't know why but most of the swimmers don't do it for me

    Me neither (though I'm talking about the women). I think the mens' chests are too small because they are all shoulders, especially the sprinters.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Susannah Shepherd,

    WWWOoooooo!!! yeah!!!!

    Fuck you Germany*!!!!!

    * Actually Germany, you're cool, I'm just kidding around

    Go you good things! Bloody hell, that wasn't good for the heart. I am impressed with how fast the German women got their smiles back afterwards. I'm not sure I'd have been so sanguine when I'd just lost by the *skin* of a bow-ball.

    Watching Mahe Drysdale was heartbreaking, it was clear with about 300m to go that bravery was the only thing holding him together.

    Was I the only one who had a sneaking hope that he'd throw up on those smarmy IOC hangers-on they always seem to find to present the medals?

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 58 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    Was I the only one who had a sneaking hope that he'd throw up on those smarmy IOC hangers-on they always seem to find to present the medals?

    No you definitely weren't

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    And by the way how much of a fool was Pete Montgomery, just after the finish when it was unclear who won, when he said "Germany first, Great Britain second and New Zealand third"

    Ah, no PM, those are their lane numbers

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Darlington,

    An amazing race by the Evers-Swindells, so tough, good on them! And the Germans were amazing sports, laughing it up on the stand afterwards.

    Also, re perving, I agree with Damian, accidentally happened to flick across to the Poland/Cuba indoor volleyball match and found myself momentarily incapacitated.

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report Reply

  • Susannah Shepherd,

    And by the way how much of a fool was Pete Montgomery

    I s'pose it's too much to hope we'll see the last of him now? I thought he was going to have a Quinn/Lomu moment at one point there.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 58 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    Weird things are afoot. The TVNZ site shows that we have three bronze medals?

    Seems they are saying Nicola Coles and Juliette Haigh came third.
    Pics (coz it did happen) here, here and here

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Ah, no PM, those are their lane numbers

    That was a "oops, sorry, I'm a bit irie and not paying attention" mistake, not a "I've been practising for this" mistake. I picked it by eye ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    I picked it by eye ...

    Were you able to pick Phelps earlier in the day? I couldn't :)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Were you able to pick Phelps earlier in the day? I couldn't :)

    Honestly? Yeah, I called that too ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Pete Montgomery also called the twins in the lead with about 250 to go, when they were clearly half a boat length off the pace. Weird.

    Anyway, congratulations to the Evers-Swindells and their coach *&@!# Tonks.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Weird #2: Peter Williams & Toni Street implying that Mahe Drysdale might die.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Weird #2: Peter Williams & Toni Street implying that Mahe Drysdale might die

    I think that might be turning up in a certain television montage ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Also, did anyone notice the sheer insanity of the cycling commentary for Hayden Roulston's silver-medal race? I can never tell who our talking guys are - they all blend into a big MATEMATEMATE in my mind - but this one was particularly crazed, and his English commentary partner kept saying wry bitchy things which went right over his head.

    Paraphrased sample:

    Our dude, breathlessly: 'Hayden Roulston... a courageous, mighty but humble demigod from a small town in New Zealand... THIS IS HIS NIGHT!' [as Bradley Wiggins quite easily overtook him and won]
    English dude: 'And let's not forget the winner, Wiggins. But I suppose that silver medal is sorely needed by the New Zealand team in this Olympics.' [Oh snap, etc]

    It reminded me of nothing so much as the dog show judging commentary in Best in Show. Unfortunately, our guy was the moron judge...

    (Also, Valerie Vili is a total badass! And the Evers-Swindell race had me jumping up and down. I scared the crap out of my dogs.)

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    We were laughing about this little snippet (as Roulston was clearly being beaten)

    "A sleeping giant has been woken...is his name Hayden Roulston? ...He must climb this mountain"

    I think by the end he was just free associating.

    I scared the crap out of my dogs

    Our cat ran under the chair

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    I feel so sorry for Paula Radcliffe.

    She owns so many world records, is one of the greatest female runners of all time and the only thing people tend to remember her for is stopping for a pee on national television during the London Marathon.

    So what happens when she stops for a toilet break during the Olympic marathon? We get a replay of the event.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Susannah Shepherd,

    Also, did anyone notice the sheer insanity of the cycling commentary for Hayden Roulston's silver-medal race?

    Oh yes. Made even weirder by the Kiwi commentator's complete inability to pronounce his surname correctly...

    So what happens when she stops for a toilet break during the Olympic marathon? We get a replay of the event.

    Pity the poor director, Hadyn - the marathon must be easily the most boring event for which they have to put together coverage.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2008 • 58 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Haydn,
    What's up with the (lack of) Hockey coverage?

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

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