The Sportsfreak Olympic Wrap – Part 6 of 6
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TRAMPOLINE – 2/10
The Coverage:
From the 3 minutes I watched, there were some pretty good angles. It is the perfect sport for the overhead fixed camera shot, and it was used well. But half the time the manual camerawork was so poor I was left wondering if some of the competitors were headless.
The Pros:
Not many.
The Cons:
It is a sport – and I use that term very loosely indeed – that people really only watch in case of disaster, and one of the Canadian blokes almost obliged. My 10 year old son and his mate watched a few minutes. They thought it was funny the way the trampoliners/trampolinists /trampologists hairdos went awry in the super slow mo replays. Enough said really.
TRIATHLON – 6/10
The Coverage:
Put it this way – it would have been far more interesting to watch had Mark Watson let expert comments man Hamish Carter actually provide some expert comments. I’m sure poor Hamish is now deaf in one ear, and wondering why the hell he went.
The Pros:
It was impossible to beat the tension of the women’s triathlon. Two hours of swimming, biking and running around London and it came down to a photo finish that they are still arguing about. Beat that.
The Cons:
In some quarters it was believed that the course design was drawn up more to highlight London’s scenery than make for a challenging race. And did I mention Mark Watson?
VOLLEYBALL – 7/10
The Coverage:
As good as ever, although the bulk of the coverage revolves around one fixed camera shot. Not even the Poms could stuff that up. The head on shots were excellent in showing just how much swerve and spin is placed on the serve, and it was also good to hear one of New Zealand’s greatest living Olympic icons (!) in Brendan Telfer in action.
The Pros:
It is quick, athletic and simple to understand – the introduction of the Libero in 1998 has also made the game a lot more enjoyable to watch. It is another sport that may not be everyone’s first choice, but is one hell of a time filler. And viewing the real version of Volleyball provides even more ammunition in the fight to murder its horrendously ugly hybrid sibling.
The Cons:
Viewing times weren’t overly friendly.
WATER POLO – 5/10
The Coverage:
One of the sports to really benefit from modern technology – the underwater shots really give a appreciation as to how hard those legs are pumping, and how much scrotum pulling actually occurs. Hey – I never said it was pretty.
The Pros:
Good fun to watch occasionally, but in all honesty, most games look pretty similar.
The Cons:
It’s a little like the blue and red corner in boxing I guess, but does anyone know why they HAVE to play in blue and white caps all the time?
WEIGHTLIFTING – 8/10
The Coverage:
Really good, as it usually is. The expert comments from the Welsh lady (I could have done some homework and found out her name, but I really couldn’t be bothered) were very good, although you couldn’t help but childishly giggle at her accent. Not so much the commentary, but Scotty Stevenson telling Melodie Robinson on Prime as they crossed back from the heavyweight females that he had just witnessed a big snatch (with a straight face) was pure gold.
The Pros:
All the tension you’d expect, with some incredible power thrown in for good measure. It doesn’t get any simpler than picking up more weight than your competition to win, and in that regard, weightlifting is one of the most pure Olympic sports. Well, apart from the traditional steroid busts. Surely we must be due one?
The Cons:
Not too many really, although some of the coaches look thoroughly, thoroughly dubious.
WRESTLING – 4/10
The Coverage:
See Taekwondo and Judo.
The Pros:
See Taekwondo and Judo – although to be fair, it is a traditional Olympic sport and must stay for that reason alone. With that in mind, it gets a couple more ratings points.
The Cons:
It looks damned awkward, and for the wrestling non-aficionado, it is impossible to follow. The Freestyle event is weird – the Greco-Roman event weirder.