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lairdtim

Listed below are comments made by lairdtim between Wednesday, 20th August 2008 and Friday, 30th October 2009.

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Cycling's problematic pursuit of equality 5:54pm on 30 Oct 2009 If the same riders are going for the discarded events - eg Wiggins in the team and individual pursuits - I can't see how costs are altered that much removing them.

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm an athletics fan but find track cycling very exciting) but isn't the 4k individual pursuit the blue riband event of the track? Isn't removing it like removing the 1500m from the Track and Field program?
Aussie sports fan take realistic view 01:43am on 22 Jul 2009 As another ex-pat I'd have to disagree about the quality of the SBS coverage. My British friend and I laugh about how bad a presenter Stuart MacGill is. He's a likeable chap but he is far more interested in his own opinions than the people he is meant to be interviewing. He's also ridiculously biased towards Australia, spinners and Australian spinners.
The Pom influence 02:59am on 14 Jul 2009 To add to your list of dominant sports - Aussie Rules - AFL - is by far the biggest sport in Melbourne and it's popularity is growing nationwide too. The regular season games at the MCG regularly attract over 70,000 fans making it the best supported game in the country.

Rugby League is very popular in Sydney/NSW but Rugby Union is dying out and the only kids playing it are public school kids. I'm confidently predicitng a Wallabies performance crisis in 10 years time.

The Premier League is much more popular than the A-League. The national side attracts a lot of interest due to their 2006 World Cup performance.

I think probably the most popular sport in terms of participants is fishing (if you call it a sport!).
True greatness beckons for boy racer 11:39am on 04 Jun 2009 Last year Shane Williams was voted the World's Best Rugby player by the IRB yet didn't get shortlisted for Sports Personality of the Year. I agree that cycling Champions like Cav and Nicole deserve huge recognition. (I've written blog comments before about how fantastic British Cycling is at the moment.)

But how did a Briton, who in 2008, was the best in the world in a MAJORITY sport, not get mentioned for the award?

If he was Jonny Wilkinson would the story have been different?
To err is human 01:11am on 26 Apr 2009 Re - comment number 2. Willie Thorne is a likeable man but my favourite moment of his was when he spoke for about two minutes on how Dave Harold had one of the darkest coloured cues on the circuit!
The jeers and not enough cheers in Turin 11:06am on 09 Mar 2009 Dwain is guilty of lack of intelligence in several areas:

1) Believing he could cheat and get away with it

2) The comments he made during his ban (to an Olympic Legend - Matthew Pinsent) a long the lines of him only being able to win through cheating

3) Believing he could make a career out of American Football in Germany

4) Not managing his money better when times were good, which forced him to...

5)...release a book criticising colleagues in a team he hoped to be in. Gavin Henson did this a couple of years ago. It did him no good at all, and only some superb team management from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards has helped him become accepted into the team againt.

6) Actually, was there any need for him to criticise Christine Uhuruogu or Seb Coe at all? His opinion on Uhuruogu is of no relevance.

He has made some stupid choices but I can't help but feel that it was down to some bad characters he may have surrounded himself with.

Now he is back and better than ever. What a good example for youngsters than working hard and training properly will get you better results than steroids ever will?

So, like many of my co-bloggers, I believe that the BBC should be holding up his track performances as an example of what can be achieved with good training and surrounding yourself with the right people.
What's the point of indoor athletics? 1:10pm on 19 Feb 2009 Idsupa,

I hope your comment isn't aimed at the actual coaches. My colleagues and I coach at Cardiff AAC in all weathers throughout the year - for free.

It's quite annoying that coaches of other sports get paid and we don't. Volunteer coaches are what's keeping the sport alive and bringing the young athletes into the sport so that we can produce future Olympians.

Due to the amatuer status we have to put our day jobs first as that's what pays our mortgages or rent - and we simply don't have the time or the money to research new methodologies or technology.

The lack of indoor facilites also holds back many Amateur Athletics Clubs as not many have access to an indoor track, which is very different to an outdoor one.

Imagine a rugby kicker having to practise without a set of posts - it just wouldn't happen.

Athletics is expected to deliver a high number of Olympic and World Championship medals yet it's government funding spreads very thinly indeed to help it achieve long term, substantial success.

Tim Fry
What do I do now? 2:23pm on 21 Oct 2008 Frances,

A really interesting article. Have you considered taking up coaching?

This would continue your involvement with the sport without the physical and emotional excertion.

I feel that you would have a lot to give in terms of advice to our 2012 hopefuls.

Tim
Delivery day for talented Phillips 09:41am on 21 Aug 2008 A gold for Idowu would put Britain 5th in the Athletics medal table.

On behalf of Team GB - go for it Phillips!!!

I'd love to silence the critics of British Athletics and a Top 5 finish with Jamaica, USA, Russia and Kenya would be a great way to do that.

Tim
Athletics fan and Level 2 Coach
Cardiff AAC
Raring to go in the javelin 5:29pm on 20 Aug 2008 Good luck Goldie!

Germaine Mason and Tasha Danvers had about the same chance of medalling as you do.

They believed. They did it.

I believe you can too.

Tim

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