gemfyre: (Default)
[personal profile] gemfyre
I just realised there's another sport I like to watch, which is kind of different from the usual stuff I'm into.

Weightlifting.

It's quite an awesome sport, seeing people lift these huge weights.  How they yell and scream and make faces to psych themselves up.  How they must get every element of the lift right and have their body lined up properly or gravity will just take over and they'll drop the weight.  I was watching guys that weight a little less than me lift 200 kilos!  Pretty damn speccy.

After that I watched a bit of dressage.  From what I understand these horses are the ones that exclusively do dressage rather than the eventers who compete in all the equestrian sports.  I could see the difference, the movements were so much more defined and complicated.  It's amazing how a horse can be trained to carry out such bizarre moves and how the relationship between horse and rider allows them to be carried out with the subtlest signals from the rider, perhaps even a bit of "mind reading".

Of course you all know I like gymnastics.  That perfectly aesthetic sport.  People with perfectly toned bodies, showing off the epitome and strength and balance and flexibility.  They make me so jealous.  And the arms of the male gymnasts... *phwoar*

Diving is neat, once again for it's aesthetic value.  You have to have all the movements precise or you'll lose points.  Sometimes in severe fashion like that pair that hit the water totally wrong.  Physical pain, embarassment and low scores.  You'd have to have some pluck to do a sport like that.

I also love figure skating in the winter Olympics for the same reasons.  And I think ballroom dancing so should be an Olympic sport.  It's not far removed from gymnastics or figure skating.

And of course the swimming is always good to watch with someone like Thorpe or Hackett in the pool (1500m is today).  An ad here in Australia for the playstation game of the Olympics says something like "Good Aussie babies learn to swim before they can walk."  Too true.  And we certainly kick butt at the swimming.  The U.S. are our equals now, not our betters.

I saw a per-capita medal tally a few days ago.  First is not Australia, it's the United Arab Emirates, who I believe only have one medal so far this Olympics, but only about 3 million people.  Australia are second with one medal per a little over 3 million.

The U.S.A. and China are in the mid teens on the tally.  Just goes to show how much we Aussies excell at our sports.  We seem to be good at whatever we try - even the handball. :)

Date: 2004-08-20 06:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] redmalice.livejournal.com
Watching the weightlifting with Roy and HG's commentary is much better ;). I was kind of shocked that that Australian (i think) broke his arm the other day doing it.

Date: 2004-08-20 06:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] just-laura.livejournal.com
Jason and I like to watch the World's Strongest Man competitions. He heckles them while devouring double cheeseburgers. We got to know their names--like, we recognized them in subsequent competitions. It was funny. ^_^

Personally I don't think the gymnasts have nice bodies. I dunno, I don't go for that type at all. I thought the volleyball players were hot, though. Oh, and I'm speaking of women here. I never check out men unless they're in kilts or garb or something; I forget they're there. ^_^

Date: 2004-08-20 06:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gemfyre.livejournal.com
Darn I missed that!

That would be priceless to see (Roy & HG commentating, not the guy breaking his arm).

Date: 2004-08-20 07:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] firvulag.livejournal.com
I also watch the worlds strongest man/woman competitions, they're great and i recognise a few of the names each time round.

but then i watch pretty much any sport...

Date: 2004-08-20 08:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] berrytown.livejournal.com
I think ballroom dancing so should be an Olympic sport..

Yes I totally agree!

Date: 2004-08-20 02:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sternenglanz.livejournal.com
The boy and I were just talking about how the US only seems to show:
a)swimming
b)gymnastics
c)twenty minutes of beach volleyball

I want my equestrian events! He wants to see judo! Where on earth are the schedules?

Date: 2004-08-20 03:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] marzipan9.livejournal.com
oh, yes, male gymnast arms.

but i think the women would benefit from some ballet training. they are so stiff with their arm movements and such. the silver medalist from china, i think, may have had some ballet training, she was the most fluid of all of them. i loved watching her, and i wish i had been able to see her floor exercise.

Date: 2004-08-20 04:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gemfyre.livejournal.com
Australia seems to get a random assortment with emphasis on the stuff Aussies excell in.

One channel is showing it pretty much 24/7 and another is showing quite a bit.

Date: 2004-08-20 08:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sternenglanz.livejournal.com
Aussies excell in a number of sports, it seems.

Also, they are hotties.

Date: 2004-08-20 10:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] natsuchan.livejournal.com
Let's see dressage. The movements are just the natural ones stallions do just the horses are trained to display them on cue. You could probably teach eventers to perform at that level but by the time they did they'd be getting too old(since training dressage to that level can easily take 10 years though 4 to 8 is more common) to event and being so fit they usually lack the calm to perform well. If you ever get the chance try watch Rembrant doing his Olympic dressage test in the early 90's it was beautiful. Or the riding school of vennia. We're just babies at dressage we don't have a hope in hell.

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