Active Expert: Bruce Hildenbrand
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Aug 19, 2008 1:29 PM
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Bruce Hildenbrand
Bruce Hildenbrand
sb,
I agree that the gymnastics is good viewing. I just hate to see a good performance ruined by poor judging. It just seems like at every Olympics, be it summer or winter a 'judging' controversy or two or three takes center stage.
We can discuss wether doping or judging is the bigger blight, it just seems like the judging problem is easier to solve so it makes it more of a problem for me. On the doping front, I think all sports should adopt some sort of biological passport program which would definitely help the problem.
Yeah, the US Track and Field team is not having their best Olympics. On the bright side, how about the Brits on the velodrome? Those guys, like Michael Phelps, were so dominant in just about every event you had to give them their props. Note to Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling.... fire all your track coaches and hire some of the Brits. Clearly the Brits know how to spot and develop talent.
Bruce
Aug 19, 2008 1:57 PM
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Jesse@Active
in response to: Bruce Hildenbrand
Jesse@Active
in response to: Bruce Hildenbrand
Speaking of Brits in the velodrome, how can Mark Cavendish be the only member of the team not to win a medal at this Olympics?!? Mr. Show-me-a-bunch-sprint-and-I'll-show-you-my-back-wheel!
Even with Tony Blair there to watch, Cav and Bradley Wiggins couldn't even contend. Oh well. I guess dominating every other event in track cycling isn't too bad for the British.
Aug 22, 2008 9:53 AM
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David Hinkes
in response to: Jesse@Active
David Hinkes
in response to: Jesse@Active
As far as the 'Poms' go (in track cycling), YES, maybe IF we had their coaches, and had $10 MILLION+ dumped into OUR program, we could show some of the world OUR back wheels!!
That being said, Taylor did pretty damned good for himself for such a young, skinny kid who's only been on a track for a little more than a year! 
He just was NOT used to riding round after round of 1:05 kilo pace (THINK about THAT for a moment, how many can ride ONE 1:05 kilo???!) 4K pursuits at his age/experience level, as his competitors were accustomed to doing.
As far as the Cav and Wiggy 'dream pairing' goes, sometimes it just does not gel!
My brother and I were discussing this and came to the conclusion that;
1) That track "snap" is lost when you start riding pro road distances/hills, especially the fatigue the "Grand Boucle" induces, EVEN if one bails before the Alps.
2) Maybe the Manx flash NEEDS those 150-200K of riding to 'warm up' for his blast to the line, along with NOT having the lead outs he's used to on the road for the Madison sprints.
3) Road success does not always transfer/translate back into track superiority, even IF one started on the track to begin with (Brady Mcgee, Stu O'Grady are PRIME examples of this!).
I.E.; WHY does Fabian Cancellara not ride the pursuit??! One would think he would be a 'natural' the way he can rip/dominate a flat, short prologue TT, right?
Now, I had the misfortune of missing the Madison (as well as the Match Sprint, and Team Pursuit finals) so I did not actually see their ride.
But maybe Wiggy was also wasted/fatigued from all of those pursuit/team pursuit qualifiers/rounds to get to those golds??
I thought 'Bolt the Dolt' was APPALLING. He disrespected his fellow competitors, the race itself, the spectators & worldwide TV viewing audience, the Olympics, & his country. I had actually been a fan before but not now.
Know what I thought of him AS he raced? Ben Johnson. "The gun go off, the race be over". And we all know how THAT turned out....
As for dumping on the "judged" sports. I don't know who's crankier - you or your old Active blog mate - Dugard. If you don't like them, don't watch them! You can watch another UMPTEENTH HOUR of Beach Volleyball. A sport I now DETEST thanks to NBC.
So far, the American Track team is having a HORRENDOUS Olympics. Worst of my 40 year memory. What is the reason for this? Is the rest of the world just catching up? Is it just an "off year"? Or are all our "best" athletes of the last 10 years out of the sport because of DOPING? For years we've struggled in the distance races & now we get ONE bronze in both men's & women's 100s combined? And let alone medals, NO finalists even in the men's 1500, women's 800, men's high jump, men's long jump. Perhaps we've just been spoiled all these years by the stellar results, but I am shocked & saddened to see this once great Track & Field superpower reduced so much that you get excited JUST to see competitors INCLUDED in the Finals.
Thank goodness for the few bright spots - Discus Gold by Stephanie & Pole Vault Silver by Jenn, who, hopefully is not married or related to that A$$ of a coach & she can hire someone who is actually happy for her when she wins a SILVER medal in the OLYMPICS. (I mean, was there really that much of a chance that she or ANYone would beat Isinbeyava if she was having a good meet & I guess she was as she set a new WORLD RECORD!). And the sweep in the Men's 400 hurdles was pretty cool too. And while I actually enjoy a great performance from an athlete of ANY country, I'm just hoping & praying Americans will medal in ANY event so I can see the televised coverage BEFORE 1:00 AM. And, you know, maybe put the Beach Volleyball on, gulp, TAPE DELAY!
Did you watch the men's and women's 10,000s? I did. Mostly because I pretty much watch ANYthing in the Olympics. But I ask you - between that event & ANYthing in gymnastics - which is more exciting, more entertaining, provokes the most ooohs & ahhs from the spectators? It sure aint watching a bunch of emaciated runners go 25 times around the same track, where the only drama is to see if someone faints, has their shoe stepped on by another runner, or somehow gets through all the lapped runners to make it to the Finish line. Ok, I'm being a bit harsh, but I'd rather watch the gymnasts PRACTICE than watch the 10,000 outside of the Olympics.
As for the "biggest blight". Are you serious? I've been an avid gymnastics & skating (& cycling & track & swimming, etc, etc) viewer all my life & have ranted & raved over scoring injustices & corruption since I can remember being old enough to pay attention. But those problems PALE in comparison to doping's deathly cancer on sport. And while the judging systems may never be perfect, I've at least been seeing the attempts to make it so. Plus, the athletes themselves are NOT CHEATING. Whereas with doping, all I see are competitors &/or a country's sports organization determined to unlevel the playing field & CHEAT their way into the win. That's what I call a BLIGHT.