Saul on Sunday
My earliest recollections of the Winter Olympics are Innsbruck 1964. This was the year when Tony Nash and Robin Dixon came from the brink of elimination to win the Gold medal for Great Britain, in the two man bobsleigh. Fast forward to Vancouver and the 2010 winter olympics, the chances of a Gold medal in any event is as likely as MP’s giving up their expenses. Admittedly the intervening years have thrown up Torville and Dean, Robin Cousins, John Curry and the Scottish Ladies Curling team (insert your own joke here). Hardly a large haul for almost 50 years of effort.
I find myself wondering, what is the point? If you go to the official site and check the results section you will see that the suffix “th” features very heavily. As in ‘10th’, 34th’ ….. No 1st, 2nd, or 3rd’s to be seen anywhere. How much has it cost to send these no hopers out to Canada? Aside from the traditional events, we now have the “Yoofs” in various Ski and Snowboard action, it will be the 10 metre Snowball face off next, or the Speed Snowman Building.
Amy Williams has now turned me from sneering critic to supporter in less than 54 seconds, about the time it took her to hurtle head first down an ice slide at 140 Kmh. This unassuming young woman became the first individual Gold medallist since Robin Cousins in 1980 and the first for anything other than ice skating. However once the euphoria wears off it will still be only 10 Golds for a 100 years of effort. Is it money well spent? I expect Amy and her Mam and Dad will say yes. I’m not so sure.
Right I’m off to practice Synchronised Gritting, it’s the coming thing don’t you know.
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February 21, 2010 at 21:03 -
Right I’m off to practice Synchronised Gritting, it’s the coming thing don’t you know.
Keep us informed of your increasing prowess, won’t you? We in the Westcountry have had a hard winter too. Yes indeedy. Thus far here (near Penzance, Cornwall) we have suffered very nearly half an inch of snow. Could there be more to come, I wonder?
Brrr. Doesn’t bear thinking about. We are delicate peaches and bruise easily. -
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February 21, 2010 at 21:38 -
Well done, Amy Williams, on your Gold Medal.
Well done too to the TV stations for a bulletin-frenzy similar to that seen when Michael Jackson died; I gather from the jubilant reportage that after 3 days, Amy has STILL won gold. Which is nice.
Fingers crossed for your Synchronised Gritting, Saul. I’m practising my Lip-Curling…
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February 21, 2010 at 21:42 -
Saul in action ..
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February 22, 2010 at 07:05 -
You have to ask yourself ‘why’ we’re so bad in the winterized version of the Olympics? Fair enough, we seem to do okay in the summer games — spectacularly so in Beijing — but come a bit of snow and ice and we revert to our national stereotypes. “Oh no, its snowing… I can’t possibly go skiing in this!”
I mean to say, we are north Europeans; other countries seem to manage to cobble together a team that don’t fall over in the snow or tumble out of a moving sledge. For God’s sake, even the kangaroo eating upside-down people have bagged two Golds, not exactly a place renowned for its winter sports is it? Although I have heard they hold Barbecues in December so maybe they are made of sterner stuff.
I suggest we just make the best of a bad job. Its not like we’re having to play footy in a hot dusty country in the middle of summer or something…. Oh! Bugger.
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February 22, 2010 at 13:12 -
Useless information time…
Australia has some of the oldest, biggest and best ski resorts in the world; the first one having been formed in the 1890s. -
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February 22, 2010 at 13:12 -
Well done, Amy, but is it significant that the only Britons to do well at the moment are the ones who are definitely on the skids?
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