New Zealand - 3 Gold, Australia - 1

[kiwigeo]

[Nick]

I hear they aren't too happy about it either Martin Bond & Murray were just awesome, a great row. Mahey had my heart racing abit, was just a bit close but still a great row.

[Kim]

Clearly that Charlie Darwin bloke knew what he was on about, this 'must' be evolution at work. With so many generations of kiwis having now paddled across the Tasman to Australia in search of a job, the NZ species must have adapted for survival by developing a gene that makes them good at rowing!

Fasinating stuff really and with all the peddling that pommy backpackers do over here on their gap year, probably also explains why they have done so well in the cycling of late.

Cheers

Kim

[Kamusur]

Its a bloody disgrace,,thats what is

Steve

[Kim]

Agreed Steve, but then I think any aussie would rather concede to our Kiwi mates than anyone else. Well done NZ...but it ain't over yet there's still the ping pong.

[needsmorecowbel]

I'd like to see more bloody stuff on channel 9 that isn't just Aussie Aussie Aussie. Skips briefly over some really interesting events because there are no Aussies in it...RANT!

[Kim]

I'd like to see more bloody stuff on channel 9 that isn't just Aussie Aussie Aussie. Skips briefly over some really interesting events because there are no Aussies in it...RANT!

Could not agree more. Channel 9's coverage is coming across as completly desperate. The ridiclous thing is that other networks then do a story on the "Aussie obsession" with "Gold, Gold, Gold" and its not "Our" obsesion, its theirs and its completly un-Australian.....They should reserve coverage of these international events for aunty ABC. At least then we would have chance at some cringe free coverage instead of the forign format gruel served up by those 'ring through the nose' commercial whores that are so removed from the rest of us that they don't stand a chance of knowing what it is to be an Aussie...Oy,Oy,Oy......There ya go, now that's a rant..

Cheers

Kim

[Nick]

Clearly that Charlie Darwin bloke knew what he was on about, this 'must' be evolution at work. With so many generations of kiwis having now paddled across the Tasman to Australia in search of a job, the NZ species must have adapted for survival by developing a gene that makes them good at rowing!

It all started with the Murray's paddling their Waka's from Hawaiki (No I haven't spelt Hawaii wrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiki ), we got the bug then & also from out running the white fullas in their big sailing boats that bristled with cannons
There was mention over this side of the Tassy about the Channel 9 coverage and how they are a 'little' one eyed & apparently their medal table doesn't show Un Zud at all. Most of the coverage on this side of the ditch is coming via SKY so we can see any sport we desire but also Prime (who is a free to air subsidiary of SKY) have fairly good coverage of the more popular sports, although we did get coverage of the Archery the other day, which was amazingly riveting stuff I must admit . One arrow could be the difference between Hero to Zero in the blink of an eye. Reckon the Bow's are far too complex now though, what with sights & counterbalances e.t.c fitted, they should be back to the old days of a decent length of Yew & a length of dried French Peasant's gut stretched between the ends.

[needsmorecowbel]

Only problem with going back to longbows would be that it would be purely a Japanese event. Descendents of Samurai just carving up the competition. Be nice to see someone make their own bow and take it to an olympics though.

[Kim]

They could make it even more retro, and interesting to, if they went back to small children with apples on their heads as targets also

[nnickusa]

My daughter, all 17yrs and 5'1/2" of her summed it up pretty succinctly last night.....


She said, "We SUCK."


Definitely not Australia's best year, but that is bound to happen....Both Australia and NZ punch well above our weights in international sports.....I mean, we are small states in most of the countries we compete against. I'd like to see more pride in what was DONE, rather than what wasn't....

Jeez, how many of you guys have an Olympic Bronze medal around the house?

[Kim]

I'd like to see more pride in what was DONE, rather than what wasn't....

Jeez, how many of you guys have an Olympic Bronze medal around the house?

[kiwigeo]

Both Australia and NZ punch well above our weights in international sports.....I mean, we are small states in most of the countries we compete against. I'd like to see more pride in what was DONE, rather than what wasn't....

I think if you look at the huge amounts of money Australia spends on sport the country is currently putting in a pretty average performance. I don't have the latest figures but in 2004/2005 the Australian Sports Commission soaked up $A145.794m of taxpayers money as well as an additional A$24.812M in revenue from corporate sources, from external sources such as Government departments and agencies, and from national sporting organisations (info from wiki).

I don't have the figures for New Zealand but they'd certainly be nowhere near the figures above and as far as I know they don't have an equivalent of the Australian Institute of Sport.

[Nick]

Only problem with going back to longbows would be that it would be purely a Japanese event. Descendents of Samurai just carving up the competition. Be nice to see someone make their own bow and take it to an olympics though.

English Longbow men were fairly accurate with their bows as well (Just ask the French who fought at Agincourt ), could end up being a two horse race, mind you if it was from horseback, then Attilla's descendents would clean up in that one.

I don't have the figures for New Zealand but they'd certainly be nowhere near the figures above and as far as I know they don't have an equivalent of the Australian Institute of Sport.

You'd have that right, the majority of our sports rely on cap in hand payments from SPARC or Sport NZ as it's known now and they're only payments in the thousands amount . If a sport doesn't perform on the international stage...you can forget funding unless you run your own meat raffles & Chocolate wheels. The only academy we have is the Cricket Academy & look where Un Zud is with that one! Most of our rowers have had to rely on getting their own funding or some form of sponsorship to be able to train & live without crossing the "Amatuer" barrier which makes any of them being at the games, an acheivement.

[Kamusur]

Kim and Cowbell, you guys are both spot on.

As good sports we should always congratulate the winners. And what more drivel should we expect from tv programmmers and directors, same old story?

Steve

[kiwigeo]

Kim and Cowbell, you guys are both spot on.

As good sports we should always congratulate the winners. And what more drivel should we expect from tv programmmers and directors, same old story?

Steve

What I see is a lot of young competitors who haven't learned how to handle defeat and planning for not getting what you set out to achieve at the first attempt. Cadel Evans didn't win the Tour de France on the first attempt and he had some soul destroying defeats on the road to victory......

[Kamusur]

Yes Martin its pretty easy to handle a win, losing is so much harder. And Cadel didn't chuck the towel in just stuck at till he finally won. Won't use the failure word but his non successes would surely have destroyed mentally, many athletes, so we get another chance to see what sort of an athlete he is after his games non show disappointment. Havent seen him interviewed at all so figure he has gone to ground.

I'll put a new twist to an old joke too if you don't mind as well Martin.

'Guy arrives at the pearly gates and Saint Paul opens them and the newly arrived sees a fellow churning out laps, doing tumble turns and splashing about in an Olympic sized pool.
He asks St Paul who it is and he says "its God but he thinks he's Michael Phelps".

Steve

[MBP]

I think we may pick up a gold in hockey, maybe 2. Hopefully something in both mens and womens waterpolo.

I would much rather see a NZer win gold than any other country and actually feel as if it was one of ours winning it. Same in football I dont mind if we loose to NZ and a lot of the time I am hoping NZ win because the refs favour Aus a lot.

Hopefully league, union and AFL are made olympic sports and we can get a few more golds.