Field Theory by Hadyn Green

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Field Theory: The Home Straight

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  • Bob Munro,

    But both of them are ahead of us in Rowing.

    Christchurch • Since Aug 2007 • 418 posts Report Reply

  • Tim Michie,

    Ditto on the above Hayden,

    Per capita, I love how we need to get our game face on against... Solvenia...

    and we'll lead.

    \Also, heart out to those countries that rurn out every 4 years and are yet to increase their medal mineral deposit...

    Auckward • Since Nov 2006 • 614 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    Thanks for the feedback all, it's good to know.

    I'm sensing a groundswell for change - ALL women's events (except for the weightlifters & stuff) will henceforth be performed in pouring rain! Sprinklers will have to be installed in every stadium.

    I'm a strong proponent of what you do for one, you do for all.

    So it would have to be men's and women's events and it would have to be all of them...well except maybe the pool events where rain is sort of moot.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Wain,

    On the coverage of the BMX final (warning: sport nerdishness follows): I raced for six years in the 1980s, and thought it was great to see the sport finally make it to the Olympics, and to see not one but two New Zealanders in the finals first time round.

    But after watching Sarah Walker's final live, I wanted to see again the crucial moment when she was blocked either before or during a jump in the middle of the race.

    I taped One News's coverage on MySky in the expectation of at least one more view of that SECOND, which was the whole race for Walker after an average start... she did well to avoid the crashes and had she not been blocked right then she surely would have had a shot at a medal at least (the French rider who won was beyond reach but a silver was a possibility still, unbelievably).

    But in a sprint, a second is all it takes... however on neither of the two stories TVNZ ran on the news on her final was that moment shown!

    I mean, come ON!

    Well, I did warn of the sports nerdishness. But that's really annoying, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this... picking holes perhaps but if there's two moments in a 40 second story, the start and that were it. Poor work there, TVNZ peeps.

    Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    I mean, come ON!

    I know. Typical, huh?

    You can see the critical moment at about 4:42 and 7:03 on this vid.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    TV One's general approach to the Olympic coverage reminds me of the days when my sister got me in to babysit her kids: "Stick a video on, doesn't matter what, they won't care."

    No context, no background info, no imagination, no follow-ups, no sense of what it all means, just pictures. Stick a video on. The sport doesn't matter, the public won't know any better.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • Bob Munro,

    "Stick a video on, doesn't matter what, they won't care."

    Same approach over at TV2. Army Wives is finishing two episodes short of it's first season run. No explanation. Maybe the punters won't notice? :)

    Christchurch • Since Aug 2007 • 418 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    That Toni Street interview embedded, for people too lazy to click links:

    I cringed so hard I needed medical attention.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    I cringed so hard I needed medical attention.

    I wish I hadn't followed that link Russ. She makes Dick gruntster seem, almost, well, um, whatever.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    I cringed so hard I needed medical attention.

    That clip was more painful than a hundred videos of skaters faceplanting.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    The amusing thing is that the athlete clearly thought she was an idiot as well. You could see it running through his head... umm, are all reporters from NZ racist?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • LegBreak,

    He was probably thinking “Wow, perhaps Ireland isn’t such a strange place after all.”

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Last night before the closing ceremony they had highlights of NZ's medal winning efforts.

    In the double sculls gold, they had Peter Montgomery talking as he did up until they crossed the line (the "ahead when they actually were still well behind" moment), but they cut the stupidity that he said as they crossed the line ("New Zealand third!") and inserted the bit that he said a minute later when their victory was confirmed ("Black to gold and double gold blah blah").

    What's the bet that ten years from now that edited version will be what's presented on highlights of "New Zealand's great olympic moments"?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • LegBreak,

    That piece of audio trickery is a bit ironic given all the fuss over the lip-synching at the Opening Ceremony really.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1162 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Of frack, I held out some hope Toni was a bright spot in our reporting.
    Isn't she expressing the same view as our 1500m Bronze medalist though? He wanked on about black men and cheats.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    I spent most of the closing ceremony trying to guess which fireworks shots were pre-rendered. And being amused at just how silly Boris Johnson looked waving the Olympic flag.

    All the candid shots of the athletes coming into the stadium were awesome, though; you got the sense that there was going to be one rockin' party back at the Village once the ceremony was done.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Wain,

    Can't really blame TVNZ for fixing up the error from Monty in post production though... why not fix a mistake? I would... in fact, I've done it many times, more in radio though.

    Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    New Zealander and anti-doping chief gives the Americans a serve

    World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) director general David Howman says the Americans seemingly building a doping case against Usain Bolt should look at themselves first ...

    "Sometimes these doubts are cast but I would suggest some Americans could look at themselves first. They had cheats in 2000 [Marion Jones] and cheats in 2004 so they think no one wins without cheating.

    "Why is the emphasis on that fellow and not, for example, on [eight gold medal winner] Michael Phelps? Both those guys are just freakish athletes."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Gareth Ward,

    I cringed so hard I needed medical attention.

    Oh. My. God.
    Hadn't even heard about that interview, sweet jeebus.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Mar 2007 • 1727 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    Why is the emphasis on that fellow and not, for example, on [eight gold medal winner] Michael Phelps? Both those guys are just freakish athletes.

    If I had to make a guess why, my first guess would be that he won both races at a canter and well ahead of the pack.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • tussock,

    Peter Montgomery misread the screen display for the rowers. They leave the position number blank when it's a photo, so he read the lane numbers instead, which happened to be 1 Germany, 2 Britain, 3 NZ. Poor little guy missed his nap.

    Dysdale should've stayed at the Olympic villiage, or at least not drunk from the slime-infested backwater they where rowing in. Getting a stomach bug during Olympic competition is piss-poor on someone's part, and that lot should be seriously examining how they came to throw away a couple million dollars worth of gold medal.

    The Street interview: glad I'm not the only one who tried to find somewhere to hide when the "so many quick black men, you're surrounded by them" thing came out (the poor guy just looks stunned for a moment). Though one could read something else into that, other than bland old kiwi racism, if you know what I mean.

    Best athlete: Kenenisa Bekele by far, backup and double. Bolt in London if he can back one up. Honorable mention for 18 yr old gold medalist Pamela Jelimo in the 800m, only competing in the event for six months after stepping up from 400m because she missed selection for her normal event, fastest legit time ever.

    Weirdest shit about these Olympics: public events from which the public were excluded. The marathons, the walks, the road races, the triathlon. Really creepy.
    Or perhaps the "normal citizen" in the bright red suit chanting the praises of the Olympics on command, as a few real people looked on in the background careful not to make a noise or show any emotion.
    Maybe how the unemployed homeless man who stabbed a foreigner to death before committing suicide had "nothing to do with the Olympics", except perhaps for the closing of hundreds of factories for months and demolition of tens of thousands of houses without compensation just to run the Olympics.

    Or, well, actually, two weeks of "one world" from Communist China makes me think it should be more "free China" than "free Tibet".

    The commentary during the closing ceremony had a few hints that a great many of the "volunteers' were really paid government minders meant to keep an eye on everyone and track all their movements. Will make surveillance-mad Great Britain with it's ASBO spam in four years time look quite sensible and sane by comparison.


    Drugs? Who's anyone kidding? They're all doing something very strange to their bodies compared to everyone else in the world to make them do those sorts of times and distances.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

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