OK this is tricky

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big mervyn
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

Sure, if serial shagging was a bar, it would be an even poorer shortlist.

Rusedski actually beat Tiger Tim Henman into 2nd place. Not sure how he managed that given the typical profile of the SPOTY electorate :scratch:
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Shan
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by Shan »

Most people wouldn't know a disabled athlete's name and the same number couldn't give a shíte about them and their exploits, though many would feign outrage at the suggestion.

On that basis they shouldn't be in competition with able bodied sportspeople.

However given that SPOTY is such a load of old ballix and is won more often than not by some utter bag of w-nk it hardly matters if the person winning is a miserable head like Mighty Murray or some poor fecker who can run the 100 metres faster than most of us despite having a leg missing etc.
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big mervyn
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

Shan wrote:Most people wouldn't know a disabled athlete's name and the same number couldn't give a shíte about them and their exploits, though many would feign outrage at the suggestion.
.
There was a study before 2012 that found that only 10% of the population gave a shyte about the Paralympics and only 25% of disabled people did.
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Shan
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Re: OK this is tricky

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big mervyn wrote: There was a study before 2012 that found that only 10% of the population gave a shyte about the Paralympics and only 25% of disabled people did.
10% said they cared so it's probably fair to assume that 2% ,at most, actually cared. The 25% for the disabled is probably wildly overstated. Many disabled folk probably felt they were expected to give a positive response. There's no reason to think that many more disabled care about it than the able bodied......except the ones taking part and probably some others who compete in sports but not good enough to be in the Paralympics.
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big mervyn
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

There should be a special 100m category for those unfortunate to be born with a twitch fibre deficiency.
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

big mervyn wrote:.... these are all previous winners....

...... a load of figure skaters
I can understand that it may not be everyone's cup of tea (including mine), but I'll tell you for free that most of them are incredible athletes who train extremely hard and are very fit, strong and balanced.

There have been 4 winners (actually only three as Torvill & Deane only count as half each)

John Curry (Men's singles figures skating)
Robin Cousins (ditto), and
JT & CD (Ice dance - probably the least athletic discipline of figure skating)

T&D actually (in the opinion of many) allegedly >EW cheated their way to Olympic gold with ballero (and thence Spoty) by breaking the rules about tempo changes in their routine but were awarded '6's anyway as they had established their reputation and it wouldn't have looked good to disqualify them.

The scoring for all figure skating has now changed out of all recognition making it much more objective and not the subjective twaddle that used to exist.

You may not like it, but it is actually a valid sport that frequently results in serious injury and requires high levels of training, fitness and skill.
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Cap'n Grumpy wrote:
big mervyn wrote:.... these are all previous winners....

...... a load of figure skaters
I can understand that it may not be everyone's cup of tea (including mine), but I'll tell you for free that most of them are incredible athletes who train extremely hard and are very fit, strong and balanced.

There have been 4 winners (actually only three as Torvill & Deane only count as half each)

John Curry (Men's singles figures skating)
Robin Cousins (ditto), and
JT & CD (Ice dance - probably the least athletic discipline of figure skating)

T&D actually (in the opinion of many) allegedly >EW cheated their way to Olympic gold with ballero (and thence Spoty) by breaking the rules about tempo changes in their routine but were awarded '6's anyway as they had established their reputation and it wouldn't have looked good to disqualify them.

The scoring for all figure skating has now changed out of all recognition making it much more objective and not the subjective twaddle that used to exist.

You may not like it, but it is actually a valid sport that frequently results in serious injury and requires high levels of training, fitness and skill.
Jaysus Grumps, very educational as it was I was almost nodding off before the end ould haun'.
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Re: OK this is tricky

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Once a Knight wrote:I watched it quite a bit. I thought Channel 4 covered it very well. Of course, the irreverent comedy show "The Last Leg" was a masterpiece. For many it normalised disability. I never watch SPOTY. However, I think all sport has value. Disabled sport is as valid as women's sport for if you draw the line at the best of the best then women can't be compared with men physically. Great advances have been made there, for example women's football is now covered and women in tennis get the same prize money as the men. Of course, they had to fight for that. A bit like the disabled person that Baggy heard is doing now.

It's a thorny question riddled with PC minefields but in general it is likely to remain a minority interest sector of sport. That doesn't make it non-valid as the people who compete sacrifice and work every bit as hard as other sport people.
Only if you make it so, I doubt that many folk would be upset if there was a category in the SPOTY for disabled athletes & perhaps teams also.

Good point on the tennis mind you, I'd have told the WLTA to feck off on the equal pay business. Play the same number of sets for the same money and watch your game die on it's crozier. The Ladies game has it's appeal but in terms of genuine standard it would be similar to Ladies golf, about on a par with a decent amatuer.

In golf the best Lady at the time Annika Sorenstam was allowed to play one Men's tour event, she didn't make the halfway cut for the length of the course meant that she was hitting long shots into holes where pins were concealed as the men would be hitting short irons, consequently she couldn't get near the pins and scored accordingly and she was a majestic player. She actually scored 71, 74 and many of the men watched her and she was warmly congratulated, but it showed the difference between the sexes and great as Annika was she was just outfaced by the length required.
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

BaggyTrousers wrote: Good point on the tennis mind you, I'd have told the WLTA to feck off on the equal pay business. Play the same number of sets for the same money and watch your game die on it's crozier. The Ladies game has it's appeal but in terms of genuine standard it would be similar to Ladies golf, about on a par with a decent amatuer.
That one annoys me. I'm all for weemin's rights (and anybody's rights for that matter) but the tennis players do get an easy ride.

There is not equal pay in Grand Slam tennis. Most of the women can also play doubles and mixed doubles and so get paid substantially more.

Other sports have proven that women are not lacking in stamina, in fact studies suggest that they are physiologically better designed for "ultra" events like marathons and iron man triathlons. It's time they got out of the 1950s and sorted their sport out. People (other than HWM) might actually want to watch it then.

Ice skating - tcch! Ice dancing double - tcch! Grumpy will be campaigning for Strictly in th'Olympics next. That also has the elements of injury, training, fitness and skill.
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by BR »

big mervyn wrote:When did being a dwarf become a disability?
Should big lanky Toner not be allowed in?
In RoI, being a midget or being a giant (this is done nominally by height) means that you are (were??) entitled to certain benefits. Toner qualifies.

Dwarfism itself is a life-limiting condition IIRC, and is more a disability than others.

Do they have a 100m for alcoholics?
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big mervyn
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

Being left handed is supposed to be life limiting.

Jaysus, if I wanted to watch dwarves taking part in sports I'd go on tour with the England rugby team.

Where does it all end? It's Political Correctness gawn mad >crazy1 :lol:
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by Snipe Watson »

Is there an over 50 and 4 stone overweight category in the paralympics? I'd give the 400m a lash.
On second thoughts make that 100m. I know my limits.
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

BaggyTrousers wrote:
Once a Knight wrote:I watched it quite a bit. I thought Channel 4 covered it very well. Of course, the irreverent comedy show "The Last Leg" was a masterpiece. For many it normalised disability. I never watch SPOTY. However, I think all sport has value. Disabled sport is as valid as women's sport for if you draw the line at the best of the best then women can't be compared with men physically. Great advances have been made there, for example women's football is now covered and women in tennis get the same prize money as the men. Of course, they had to fight for that. A bit like the disabled person that Baggy heard is doing now.

It's a thorny question riddled with PC minefields but in general it is likely to remain a minority interest sector of sport. That doesn't make it non-valid as the people who compete sacrifice and work every bit as hard as other sport people.
Only if you make it so, I doubt that many folk would be upset if there was a category in the SPOTY for disabled athletes & perhaps teams also.

Good point on the tennis mind you, I'd have told the WLTA to feck off on the equal pay business. Play the same number of sets for the same money and watch your game die on it's crozier. The Ladies game has it's appeal but in terms of genuine standard it would be similar to Ladies golf, about on a par with a decent amatuer.

In golf the best Lady at the time Annika Sorenstam was allowed to play one Men's tour event, she didn't make the halfway cut for the length of the course meant that she was hitting long shots into holes where pins were concealed as the men would be hitting short irons, consequently she couldn't get near the pins and scored accordingly and she was a majestic player. She actually scored 71, 74 and many of the men watched her and she was warmly congratulated, but it showed the difference between the sexes and great as Annika was she was just outfaced by the length required.
Bejaybers Baggy, very educational as it was I was almost nodding off before the end ould haun'.
big mervyn wrote:Ice skating - tcch! Ice dancing double - tcch! Grumpy will be campaigning for Strictly in th'Olympics next. That also has the elements of injury, training, fitness and skill.
No I won't - there is no comparison between thon rubbish (or dancing on ice for that matter) with a prapper sport like figure skating.

Still, you gotta love the tolerance shown hereabouts to sports other than the beloved rugger - ie 15-a-side - not the 13-a-side, 7-a-side, tag or touch (alleged) varieties. :lol:
Snipe Watson wrote:Is there an over 50 and 4 stone overweight category in the paralympics? I'd give the 400m a lash.
On second thoughts make that 100m. I know my limits.
Not sure you do - make that 50m ....... MAX!!!!! :D

and I'll enter the next category down assuming it's no more than 25m
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big mervyn
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by big mervyn »

Snipe Watson wrote:Is there an over 50 and 4 stone overweight category in the paralympics? I'd give the 400m a lash.
On second thoughts make that 100m. I know my limits.
Sciatica permitting, I'll race you up Mount Merrion on Friday night after the cops have stopped the traffic.

I assume you mean 14 stone (and maybe 4 pints) in which case, I meet the criteria :thumleft:

Probably be more entertaining than the rugby :lol:

btw Grumps, you lost your argument about the ice dancing when you admitted that the whole process was flawed and open to abuse thanks to the reliance of a bunch of flakey, and often nationally biased, judges. Synchro swimming anybody?
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Re: OK this is tricky

Post by solidarity »

Apologies for being a wee bit off topic. Ulster University have just published 'Social Exclusion in Sport in Northern Ireland' and they have a section on people with disabilities (hence the link with this thread) If you want to read a report that tells you all you know already about sport in NI, but now have figures to back up,have a look at http://www.ulster.ac.uk/comm/sesni/ Not surprisingly, Rugby comes out as the most inclusive sport across the sectarian divide. :cheers:
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