Public Address | Cafe | Field Theory: Olympics-eve

Steve Barnes

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:46:06 +1200

imagine the Poms would put up a solid resistance

I resemble that remark. :-(
Apparently us Poms are bloody useless, even losing the Keys to Wembley Stadium. You'd think they would have a spare set wouldn't you?.

Sacha

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:26:49 +1200

unbeatable in the pairs

imagine the Poms would put up a solid resistance

Russell Brown

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:18:58 +1200

Still, I suppose we can look forward to unusual phenomena of the New Zealand team alone winning most of it’s medals whilst sitting down, and the media presentation of this rare ability to win medals in what is usually a restful repose as an affirmation of our athletic prowess as…

Russell Brown

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:11:53 +1200

Yeah. We had the world rowing championships right here in NZ. Same standard as the Olympics.

Did anyone go? not many.

The 2010 world rowing championships at Karapiro set an all-time attendance record for the regatta: 66,000 tickets sold.

It lost $2.2m but that certainly wasn’t because spectators didn’t turn…

Rich of Observationz

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:27:05 +1200

Yeah. We had the world rowing championships right here in NZ. Same standard as the Olympics.

Did anyone go? not many.

But sprinkle the Olympic pixie dust on it, and everyone's super keen. Apparently it's all about having something to talk about. If they made up an imaginary one, like miniature…

Steve Barnes

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:51:28 +1200

Personally I find the Olympic boring. It is run by an organisation steeped in the sort of culture only corrupt ex-fascists can create and is full of unspeakably boring sports that hardly anyone in this country likes or follows.

So. Not a huge fan then?.
As for the National Health…

Sacha

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:30:46 +1200

half-pie

that's half-pai
(as in, half kapai)

Richard Irvine

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:21:36 +1200

@Gareth – thanks, that explains that. I tend to ignore most things Sky send me, so that may explain why I missed it!

Tim Robinson

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:11:25 +1200

It took me an hour on google yesterday to get a half-pie answer.

Wikipedia says "Because environmental conditions have a strong impact on boat speed, FISA, recognizes world best times instead of world records. A world best time is one recorded on a regatta course that has previously held the…

Gareth Ward

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:25:12 +1200

On the telly thing, I've been using Sky's 'mosaic' (overview of all the different sports channels' to see what's on at any one time – but there's three channels at the bottom labelled 'HD only' I can't see. I have MySky HD, I have sky sports, what else should I…

Kyle Matthews

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:19:47 +1200

NZ highlights so far – black sticks beating Australia, White Ferns coming within 5 minutes of drawing Brazil (jeepers they gave it everything), Bond and Murray making the entire rest of their field crap themselves by hacking the head off the "World Best Record" (why world best and not world?).…

Tom Semmens

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:09:22 +1200

I am left wondering what the point of all the TV coverage is. Much of the indifference to the Olympic I am picking up is probably attributable to the time difference meaning most of the live competition occurs while New Zealanders are asleep. We all know who won what when…

Richard Irvine

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:22:51 +1200

Sacha

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:16:37 +1200

honour the National Health Service

Fantastic political neutralisation as they dismantle it.

Rich of Observationz

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:58:39 +1200

The men's road cycling race is going to be a cracker

Assuming plod don't get confused and kettle them. That's two Olympic sports that are illegal outside the games now. Wonder when they'll ban archery? Or javelin?

Harry Musgrave

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:45:00 +1200

I also like that they decided to honour the National Health Service. That seemed to me like an addition to the American healthcare conversation – we've got socialised medicine!

Tom Semmens

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 13:28:59 +1200

As a political statement the opening ceremony had the merit of being much slyer than the one in Bejing. If China wanted the whole world to know where everything is being made, the British reminded the audience while their iPod might have been made in China, it is still Britain's…

Geoff Lealand

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:27:15 +1200

Considering other sporting tournaments, the Chiefs are meeting the Sharks in a home final next Saturday!

Shane Telfer

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 06:57:13 +1200

Unfortunately the individual pursuit has been dropped from the track programme along with the Madison. Apparently this was due to timetable constraints imposed by leveling the number of men's and women's events (now 5+5 rather than 7+3). The team pursuit is still there and a team sprint event.

JackElder

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:50:48 +1200

Also very much looking forward to the track cycling. I'm a bit annoyed that they dropped the kilo, but the pursuit events are great fun. If you've not watched cycling, they're good events for the casual watcher.

For example, the pursuit: two riders (or teams), starting out on the opposite…

Aidan

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:49:02 +1200

Meh.

JackElder

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:43:34 +1200

The men's road cycling race is going to be a cracker. My pick is of course Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, who has had a very quiet Tour de France this year (by his standards: he only won three stages). He's been targeting it all year, and he is, quite…

Public Address

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:43:34 +1200

Discussion from blog post.