feather_ghyll (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
feather_ghyll) wrote2012-08-12 08:24 am
feather_ghyll) wrote2012-08-12 08:24 am
OVERVIEW (of sorts): the Olympics
Some thoughts on the last day.
I ended last night watching women's basketball, which is to say, I sought it out on the BBC's website, and while I understood one in five of the technical terms that the commentators I found it engrossing. Like the bronze medal match I'd caught earlier yesterday, it was much more engrossing than the men's games. I had a few on in the background over the past week or so. I daresay I will have no opportunity to watch women's basketball until the next Olympics. Iremember at school that most of us enjoyed basketball much more than netball, which felt much more confining, although because we weren't competing at basketball, we never did drills, which most of us loathed, and it felt like more of a fun game. But the dynamism of the women was irresistible.
What will I remember? Well, that I watched more than I meant to - I thought I'd dip in and out, but it was always on, and swimming, gymnastics and athletics captured a lot of my attention. The tennis, I was always going to watch. I've nearly exhausted myself on the subject, but I thought the fact that tennis was being played at Wimbledon was interesting. Yes, it was an example of 'London being smart', using a variety of locations and the draw of playing there added prestige to the competition. But the contrast with the Wimbledon we know was interesting. I think I've talked before about how strange it was to see the different colours of players, ballkids and officials, the hardly subtle hoardings. The crowd felt different. And while Wimbledon had grabbed the whole country's attention, or so it felt, maybe people kept raising it with me because they know I'm a fan, here it was tucked in, one among many sports, some of them not getting their once in four years moment in the sun.
I will remember Soni saying after she'd broken a significant time barrier that her first coach had told her she could break that significant time barrier, and she did, to win gold in the final. I will remember Jessica Ennis and the other heptathletes holding hands and taking a bow (something the USA and French teams did last night, but they were teams, not competitors, although I suppose in the multiple events, you are concentrating on your points); I will remember Ennis racing to win the last event, even though the gold was already hers. I will remember that Russian high jumper losing his vest (how?) and pulling on a T-shirt and still clearing easily, so you thought he deserved the gold for that aplomb. I will remember more than I think, because I watched quite a bit of the world championships at Daegu last year, and remembered athletes and what they'd done.
However, these Games haven't made me change my mind about national identity or football, and they haven't made me fitter either.
I ended last night watching women's basketball, which is to say, I sought it out on the BBC's website, and while I understood one in five of the technical terms that the commentators I found it engrossing. Like the bronze medal match I'd caught earlier yesterday, it was much more engrossing than the men's games. I had a few on in the background over the past week or so. I daresay I will have no opportunity to watch women's basketball until the next Olympics. Iremember at school that most of us enjoyed basketball much more than netball, which felt much more confining, although because we weren't competing at basketball, we never did drills, which most of us loathed, and it felt like more of a fun game. But the dynamism of the women was irresistible.
What will I remember? Well, that I watched more than I meant to - I thought I'd dip in and out, but it was always on, and swimming, gymnastics and athletics captured a lot of my attention. The tennis, I was always going to watch. I've nearly exhausted myself on the subject, but I thought the fact that tennis was being played at Wimbledon was interesting. Yes, it was an example of 'London being smart', using a variety of locations and the draw of playing there added prestige to the competition. But the contrast with the Wimbledon we know was interesting. I think I've talked before about how strange it was to see the different colours of players, ballkids and officials, the hardly subtle hoardings. The crowd felt different. And while Wimbledon had grabbed the whole country's attention, or so it felt, maybe people kept raising it with me because they know I'm a fan, here it was tucked in, one among many sports, some of them not getting their once in four years moment in the sun.
I will remember Soni saying after she'd broken a significant time barrier that her first coach had told her she could break that significant time barrier, and she did, to win gold in the final. I will remember Jessica Ennis and the other heptathletes holding hands and taking a bow (something the USA and French teams did last night, but they were teams, not competitors, although I suppose in the multiple events, you are concentrating on your points); I will remember Ennis racing to win the last event, even though the gold was already hers. I will remember that Russian high jumper losing his vest (how?) and pulling on a T-shirt and still clearing easily, so you thought he deserved the gold for that aplomb. I will remember more than I think, because I watched quite a bit of the world championships at Daegu last year, and remembered athletes and what they'd done.
However, these Games haven't made me change my mind about national identity or football, and they haven't made me fitter either.