RKD Photographic
Posts: 2,989
Iserlohn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
SillyEddy wrote:
I did notice on some of the events that the GB bikes were more aerodynamically shapes than some of the other competitors, particularly on the handlebars. But they were saying that the GB bikes can go for £20k each or so. Other teams were using what seemed to be tubular aluminium frames in the same race. I can see why we would have a slight advantage, but we were often winning by seconds ahead of other oponents, and those modifications would probably not scratch quite that much time off. A whole lot of effort and energy went in by the cyclists for sure.
Even if they could have the same technology, maybe it was too expensive?
Bike-designs are rigidly controlled by the various cycling federations and the IOC - believe me, if we had an 'unfair' advantage because of a bike's design, the other teams would be protesting loud and clear...
Gianantonio
Posts: 7,634
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Eliza C wrote:
ARE YOU PURPOSEFULLY BEING OBTUSE OR DO THEY JUST ENJOY TRYING TO PUT PEOPLE DOWN?
I have stated clearly and loudly that my reason for the thread is that we were NOT expected to do as well as we have. So I enjoy it when any underdog wins or does better than expected. We are a small country geographically and most of us know someone competing. So it isn't anonymous like you suggest; but also I enjoy - and believe many others do - seeing small nations and underdogs doing well.
I am NOT embarassed if I was nationalistic about it; but I am not.
Your attempt to portray me that way is to represent me and others as weak and sad because we can't achieve ourselves so have to enjoy the achivements of others we do not know and all that binds us is nationhood. This is transparent in the light of your bombardment of emails and previous forum encounters attempting to undermine my scientific work and various other personal attacks and pseudo psychological analysis. As I have said; this is becoming more than tedious and making you look obsessive.
You have trolled this thread throughout with no other motivation than personal goading and it is purely because I won't join your pathetic crusade against religion. You attempt to suggest that people who need religion are stupid; and they require it as a crutch and that is what you are effectively saying about those who follow sport at a fan level for teams or nations. I am not religious; and I am not a nationalist. But I do NOT look down my nose like you do at those that do in order to make myself feel important intelligent or elitist.
You don't look down on sport perhaps; but do look down on those you think follow it due to lack of their own personal achievement. Levelling such a charge at me is hollow for all to see. But moreover; I think it groundless in any respect.
Many many people are in fact inspired by sportsmen and women to great personal achievemnt of their own; and many times that is people in their own nation. It may be there is a primitive neurological basis for this team and nationhood affiliation but that does not mean that you are on some more advanced chakra level. On the contrary. We are highly social animals and it is natural for us to share some common bond with those of our own culture; while also sharing empathy with other human characteristics common to us all; and respecting and admiring those things that are different and trying to understand them. This is what you fail utterly to understand about religious cultural manifestations. Waking up In Jordan to hear the call to prayer was a beautiful experience for me; one of many the result of religions in various cultures; and I am not going to be dragged in to some vicious crusade against it as many here do to make themselves feel above those who are religious. Yes; there are many negative things that result from religion but these can also result from other ideologies and yes nationalism can be one. Blind patriotism is that: blind.
But as far as team or national sports go it is natural and healthy for us to root for a person or a team or a nation. Enjoyment of sport whether participation or watching is a manifestation of the basic instinct to hunt. Team work; watching a move come together, a bold decision, a heroic failure, enjoyment of success - these are all primitive things that stem from success in the hunt. The 'goal' is bringing down the prey through great teamwork; hitting a target in archery or a rifle, negotiating rapids in a hunting kayak, outrunning an oponent in competing to get to the prey whatever. It is all hunt mimicry. And naturally; one supports one's own close social group; either geographically or culturally - tribal at the base. Or indeed we can also enjoy unexpected success from those who we share common humanity with when they are an underdog; or someone who is just brilliant (eg the Grenada first gold medal ever or Usain Bolt). If you are alientated from these things perhaps it is you who needs to ask yourself why instead of seeing the rest of us as odd. Trying to say you do not think 'odd' something negative or that you are just trying to study it is a pathetic cover: call people odd and you will likely get a negative response from them as you have here; and not just from me.
Now as I said; it is NOT a crime to root for one's nation; neither is it something which I am particularly doing. My original expression 'f*** yeah' was an expression of my surprise because I am NOT expecting success but you give credit where credit is due. Are you completely oblivious to the fact that a Brit won the tour de France and we won our first olympic gold in showjumping (and some of them we do know) for 60 years. We do not dominate at these sports; so it is great to have success in them. And I feel just as good for Grenada.
Now. This is NOT soapbox and I have asked you nicely to go start your own thread there on the need to support team sports resulting from low personal esteem. It is NOT a subject for light conversation here when some of us just want to enjoy the olympics. It is especially not applicable to me personally which kind of unermines your whole theory. So go troll elsewhere to make yourself feel more important than the rest of us you unpleasant little man.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
SillyEddy wrote: Yeah the uniform wasn't amazing. The outfit that they gave to the medal holders is awful too! Weird zips and things all over it. I really dislike the "fashion designer" concept on clothes.
So the alternative medal table is comparing potential money investible in their athletes, and also how many athletes per nation actually competed and won? I think that's a good idea. Big countries like China and USA enter practically every competition - I suppose they have far more people to choose from so they can pick their best. They take the Olympics by storm and sheer numbers.
Also, how was the arctic? I could imagine even a drizzly UK feeling like a warm summers' day after going polar.
Actually; I was covered in mosquito bites (400) as it was ten degrees warmer in Kangerlussuaq than the UK I left behind.
But on the north Greenland ice sheet it was cold of course; minus twenty five at the coldest; but we had two weeks of near whiteout and heavy snow where the temps got up to just under zero.
Here I am in the cockpit of the USAF Hercules which lands and takes off on skis:
digging my snowpit and taking samples for recent tephra deposits:
typical conditions much of the time:
Being part of a big international collaboration felt good:
with my fellow female scientists and bunk mates on the wing of the station 1940's Basler renovation DC-3:
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Gianantonio wrote: Wow! You write ^^^^ and say I'm obsessive...
You are. You are obsessed with undermining me for some strange reason. And its making you look silly - as did doubting my science credentials. There is nothing more to your interest in this thread than that.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
ArtisticPhotography wrote: Congrats to BG. As long as you're doing worse than us, we're all good! Win a few more and you'll catch up to Michael Phelps!
Putting things in perspective, the University of Florida, if were a county, would be in 11th place and Michael Phelps would be in about 20th place.
well actually you have to put things in perspective by taking into account number of competitors, GDP and population. Which puts the USA in 53rd.
But all credit to the Uni of Florida for investing in athletic prowess I guess.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Yey!
we just won another gold - Johnny Brownlee in the triathlon. His brother Jonny got bronze and collapsed on the line but he's ok. Our first ever Gold in olympic triathlon.
I would also just like to thank the Amercians in this thread for enjoying our little successes too. It look like it is going to be an epic battle at the top between you and China.
ArtisticPhotography wrote: Congrats to BG. As long as you're doing worse than us, we're all good! Win a few more and you'll catch up to Michael Phelps!
Putting things in perspective, the University of Florida, if were a county, would be in 11th place and Michael Phelps would be in about 20th place.
If Yorkshire was a country,they would be 11th!(as of today,that is a fact!)Edit actually, I think 10th. And we just won gold in the Dressage, and gold and bronze in the mens Triathalon
The final Dressage test was simply poetry in motion. Wonderful.
Come on GB!
Come on Yorkshire!
Spare a thought for poor Johnny Brownlee - it's one thing getting a Bronze in the triathlon and not being the best in the world but not even being the best in your house must be terrible! lol.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
ArtisticPhotography wrote:
The horse would make water polo more interesting.
BTW, who won, the rider or the horse?
Horses were British bred and British trained. And they did at least half the work so they share the credit for the spoils. Of course; if you prefer you can buy the progenty of Mrs Romneys horse.... and even that was German.
Gianantonio
Posts: 7,634
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Gianantonio wrote: Wow! You write ^^^^ and say I'm obsessive...
Eliza C wrote: You are. You are obsessed with undermining me for some strange reason. And its making you look silly - as did doubting my science credentials. There is nothing more to your interest in this thread than that.
If you want to do some psycho analysis about dark demons and 'odd' mentality start with that plonker.
You write a 1,000 word rant about stuff I never did in which you contradict yourself more than once and you don't think that makes you look a little off..? Good luck with that.
I'm not looking to undermine you. I am curious why you are so averse to being seen as being nationalistic, though. As I've said before, I don't see anything wrong with being nationalistic--as long as one doesn't go over the edge... I guess better put: I think there is a healthy level of nationalism one can have. Yours seems to be in the healthy range. But I still think it's odd that we relate personally to a group as vast as a country. Kin/clan affiliations make sense and I can see regional affiliations for neighborhoods. Those are groups you interact with on a daily basis.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
So he can post insults to me but I cannot respond huh?
After all he is the one that hijacked the thread all through.
At least blank out his last comment; and perhaps consider brigging him for trolling?
Anyway; back on topic we've just won another Gold - Sir Chris Hoy - and unbelievably that means we are only eight gold medals behind the USA. Almost inconceivable; but that is the situation.
It won't stay that way; but it's nice while it lasts
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Gianantonio wrote: If you still consider the USA "the colonies," you could add the USA total to the uk total and you'd be way ahead!
Still trolling?
Charlotte Dujardin is from the same place as me in Gloucestershire btw - the Forest of Dean -and we have mutual friends. So hence as I told you before it isn't abstract. We are a small country.
Gianantonio
Posts: 7,634
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Eliza C wrote:
Still trolling?
Charlotte Dujardin is from the same place as me in Gloucestershire btw - the Forest of Dean -and we have mutual friends. So hence as I told you before it isn't abstract. We are a small country.
It was a joke... Don't some people in the uk refer to the USA as "the colonies?"
It's really cool how you know people who know people who are competing in the Olympics!
I don't think a great deal was expected to be honest; equalling the tally of Beijing seemed a difficult ask.
I suppose.
When we hosted the last Winter games, we did a lot better than expected, and we are a Winter Olympics country by far. Although, our medals are starting to reel in a little now. We expected to be in 12th place for medals and that's where we currently stand the last I read.
GB deserves it props though. Definitely doing well for such a small country.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Gianantonio wrote: It was a joke... Don't some people in the uk refer to the USA as "the colonies?"
It's really cool how you know people who know people who are competing in the Olympics!
Get back under your bridge troll; your attempts at humour and sarcasm are not welcome in a thread celebrating Team GB's successes. It is against the rules.
Get back under your bridge troll; your attempts at humour and sarcasm are not welcome in a thread celebrating Team GB's successes. It is against the rules.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
DarcieK wrote:
I suppose.
When we hosted the last Winter games, we did a lot better than expected, and we are a Winter Olympics country by far. Although, our medals are starting to reel in a little now. We expected to be in 12th place for medals and that's where we currently stand the last I read.
GB deserves it props though. Definitely doing well for such a small country.
You have 10 bronzes; 4 silvers, only one gold. 15 medals in all; way more than anyone else outside the top 13 despite only standing at 30th place. Which suggests a bit of bad luck.
USA have another gold so are just one behind China now so it is going to get exciting this evening.
Eliza C
Posts: 7,869
Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
Raw and the cooked wrote: Another gold in the dressage! Dujardin sounds french, but she isn't!
She is from Enfield and lives in the Forest of Dean ... near my home village.
Jade Jones took Gold last night in the Tae Kwondo....she's Welsh so it went down very well in the pubs around here (I now live in South Wales) - so one can only imagine what it was like in North Wales !!
and even that was German.
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