S.P.O.T.Y
Comments
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LeicesterLad wrote:Pross wrote:Why do people often cite Zara Phillips winning as strange / laughable? The year she won SPOTY she had won the individual World Championship in her chosen sport and was part of the silver medal winning team in the same event following on from success in the Europeans the previous year. You can't ask for much more than winning the top event in your sport no matter who you are. When you look at the other contenders that year no-one had better credentials (cue ignorant comments about how "the horse does all the work
).
The horse did all the work. It didn't win horse personality of the year.
Horse jumping I do give kudos as you have to get the blooding thing over the jumps. Same kinda goes for steeplechase horse racing.
Flat racing? Ditch the jockeys and let the horses go from the pen in a fenced area akin to greyhound racing.0 -
I think that SPOTY should take account of the level of inspiration that a sportsman/woman has given to children or plumper adults. Much as I intend voting many times for Cav, it'll probably go to a golfer.
And football should be left out of it altogether.0 -
I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year."That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer0
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MaxwellBygraves wrote:I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year.
He will be third behind the two golfers.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
Moray Gub wrote:MaxwellBygraves wrote:I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year.
He will be third behind the two golfers.
Therein lies his trump card... there are two golfers equally deserving and equally well liked - they will likely split the golf fan vote, allowing Cav to burst from the pack and cross the line with arms aloft!
I wish they still had the little challenges they used to do on the show when I was a kid... I'd love to see some of the other sportsmen and women try to take the cyclists on in a power or endurance test - then professional cycling might get some more respect!0 -
Pross wrote:Why do people often cite Zara Phillips winning as strange / laughable? The year she won SPOTY she had won the individual World Championship in her chosen sport and was part of the silver medal winning team in the same event following on from success in the Europeans the previous year. You can't ask for much more than winning the top event in your sport no matter who you are. When you look at the other contenders that year no-one had better credentials (cue ignorant comments about how "the horse does all the work ).
It it were that simple ! In that case Helen Jenkins, who won the World Triathlon champs in 2008 and then again this year, would not be absent, without trace, from this year's list. I put her achievement beyond Cav's.
If Zara needed a horse, which she did, how would Cav have got on without a team ? I wonder how a cyclist who had won more races than any other that year would get on at a World championships without any team members and marked out of the race ? Has that ever happened? Sadly this program has gone from being a highlight of the sporting year to being as un-watchable as X factor or celebrity cook off or whatever these shows are called. In South Africa they had to pull the program on the popular vote as to who was the greatest South African. As the producer stated - all the public vote was proving was that white Afrikaners had better access to phones. " State television's poll of national heroes placed apartheid villains and a cricket captain who fixed matches above Nobel Laureates and black freedom fighters."
If Sir Cav can follow Sir Chris, then good luck to him. I'll be lucky to be able to even vote for Mrs Jenkins.0 -
nic_77 wrote:I wish they still had the little challenges they used to do on the show when I was a kid... I'd love to see some of the other sportsmen and women try to take the cyclists on in a power or endurance test - then professional cycling might get some more respect!
You need http://thesuperstars.org/
It used to be on TV each winter and match the stars of different sport together. I don't think anything did any more harm to the status and appeal of cyclists than the regular thrashing of continental pros each winter in this. Last - always last ! Whilst boxers and gymnasts were banging out 100 dips on the parallel bars in 1 minute, the skinny, weird looking, endurance cyclists were falling off them at 20 seconds with a count of 12 while everybody tried to look at the floor or ceiling. Add on an appalling hand eye co-ordination in other tasks like table-tennis and it was there in all its ghastly honesty each program. One could only hope that a F1 driver was on in the same heat. Then there was somebody who was just as bad.
The only relief in this agony-fest for cycling, was when Jonah Barrington threw a major tantrum on set and stormed off, mid contest, when he attempted to cheat, as he had done in the past, at the squats or dips. David Hemery had a similar experience in the gym tests when rightly half of his actions were counted as "void". A cycle race would feature and famously Kevin Keegan fell off in a heap.
No - if TV does it - it is very definitely not the sum of the parts. Don't wish for it - you might get it.0 -
Yep, unfortunately all the events in that were biased towards power athletes really. Even the 'stamina' events were quite short runs etc. and the cycling was basically a sprint. They resurrected it a few years back and from memory had an uphill time trial in Spain or somewhere. I believe it may have been won by a jockey!0
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hotoph88 wrote:nic_77 wrote:I wish they still had the little challenges they used to do on the show when I was a kid... I'd love to see some of the other sportsmen and women try to take the cyclists on in a power or endurance test - then professional cycling might get some more respect!
You need http://thesuperstars.org/
It used to be on TV each winter and match the stars of different sport together. I don't think anything did any more harm to the status and appeal of cyclists than the regular thrashing of continental pros each winter in this. Last - always last ! Whilst boxers and gymnasts were banging out 100 dips on the parallel bars in 1 minute, the skinny, weird looking, endurance cyclists were falling off them at 20 seconds with a count of 12 while everybody tried to look at the floor or ceiling. Add on an appalling hand eye co-ordination in other tasks like table-tennis and it was there in all its ghastly honesty each program. One could only hope that a F1 driver was on in the same heat. Then there was somebody who was just as bad.
The only relief in this agony-fest for cycling, was when Jonah Barrington threw a major tantrum on set and stormed off, mid contest, when he attempted to cheat, as he had done in the past, at the squats or dips. David Hemery had a similar experience in the gym tests when rightly half of his actions were counted as "void". A cycle race would feature and famously Kevin Keegan fell off in a heap.
No - if TV does it - it is very definitely not the sum of the parts. Don't wish for it - you might get it.
I remember superstars also, but that's not what I'm talking about... In SPOTY they used to have a few light-hearted sections where, for example, 'other' sports stars would take penalties against a top goalie, or row on machines against an Olympic rower. Now a days they all sit around in suits - presumably because no insurance policy would cover the sky-larking.0 -
MaxwellBygraves wrote:I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year.
Tom Simpson won SPOTY after becoming World Champion0 -
SLX01 wrote:MaxwellBygraves wrote:I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year.
Tom Simpson won SPOTY after becoming World Champion
That was in a completely different era nowadays we are spoon feed premiership ,cricket and golf stars all over the modern media. Cav will not win SPOTY best he can hope for is 3rd place.Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
Moray Gub wrote:SLX01 wrote:MaxwellBygraves wrote:I genuinely think Cav will be one of the front runners this year.
Tom Simpson won SPOTY after becoming World Champion
That was in a completely different era nowadays we are spoon feed premiership ,cricket and golf stars all over the modern media. Cav will not win SPOTY best he can hope for is 3rd place.
Yet only 7 from the last 30 have been from those 3 sports.
Is David Walliams eligible?“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
Yes Walliams is 5th favourite i think.
A golfer will win, but Cav will be top 3. Cav totally deserves it tho, green jersey and world champ! His odds have dropped from 24/1 to 5/1.http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....0 -
durhamwasp wrote:Yes Walliams is 5th favourite i think.
A golfer will win, but Cav will be top 3. Cav totally deserves it tho, green jersey and world champ! His odds have dropped from 24/1 to 5/1.
Are you kidding me, who the hell is taking money off people to back Walliams? That is theft, he won't even make the shortlist. He's never even done a competitve event!0 -
I expect Walliams will be awarded a 'special' prize on the night, and he can then give a pre-prepared speech about the work of SportsRelief and the joys of swimming in sewage.0
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nic_77 wrote:hotoph88 wrote:nic_77 wrote:I wish they still had the little challenges they used to do on the show when I was a kid... I'd love to see some of the other sportsmen and women try to take the cyclists on in a power or endurance test - then professional cycling might get some more respect!
You need http://thesuperstars.org/
It used to be on TV each winter and match the stars of different sport together. I don't think anything did any more harm to the status and appeal of cyclists than the regular thrashing of continental pros each winter in this. Last - always last ! Whilst boxers and gymnasts were banging out 100 dips on the parallel bars in 1 minute, the skinny, weird looking, endurance cyclists were falling off them at 20 seconds with a count of 12 while everybody tried to look at the floor or ceiling. Add on an appalling hand eye co-ordination in other tasks like table-tennis and it was there in all its ghastly honesty each program. One could only hope that a F1 driver was on in the same heat. Then there was somebody who was just as bad.
The only relief in this agony-fest for cycling, was when Jonah Barrington threw a major tantrum on set and stormed off, mid contest, when he attempted to cheat, as he had done in the past, at the squats or dips. David Hemery had a similar experience in the gym tests when rightly half of his actions were counted as "void". A cycle race would feature and famously Kevin Keegan fell off in a heap.
No - if TV does it - it is very definitely not the sum of the parts. Don't wish for it - you might get it.
I remember superstars also, but that's not what I'm talking about... In SPOTY they used to have a few light-hearted sections where, for example, 'other' sports stars would take penalties against a top goalie, or row on machines against an Olympic rower. Now a days they all sit around in suits - presumably because no insurance policy would cover the sky-larking.
I remember those challenges well. They did a grand prix simulator and I also remember an ergo race between redgrave, the searle brothers and present/holmes. That was brilliant, they all went massively into the red, though I forget who won.
It's a real shame they stopped - it's now a snooze-fest and an opportunity for BBC sport staff to make w&nky arty videos that show little of the actual sport. I suspect they see the event as an opportunity to take sport to non-sports-fans. Sigh.0 -
Tusher wrote:I expect Walliams will be awarded a 'special' prize on the night, and he can then give a pre-prepared speech about the work of SportsRelief and the joys of swimming in sewage.
Sounds right to me.
Barren Clarke is current favourite. IMO he should have won it in 2006 (Zara Phillips' year), but he'll be hard to beat this year cos the BBC will surely include all that in his candidacy clip.
Cav has got a chance though. BBC have the world chship footage and cycling is definitely starting to breakthrough into mainstream. Will the BBC roll out Chris hoy to endorse Cav?
If England win the RWC, Clarke & Cav will have little hope. But that ain't gonna happen0 -
Oops, I didn't mean that post to sound derogatory in any way about David Walliam's achievement. It was a heroic, admirable achievement, and someone even chucked their arthritic dog in the Thames so he could save it.
IIRC, he's cycled LEJOG as well.0 -
Tusher wrote:Oops, I didn't mean that post to sound derogatory in any way about David Walliam's achievement. It was a heroic, admirable achievement, and someone even chucked their arthritic dog in the Thames so he could save it.
IIRC, he's cycled LEJOG as well.
and swam the channel.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
TailWindHome wrote:Tusher wrote:Oops, I didn't mean that post to sound derogatory in any way about David Walliam's achievement. It was a heroic, admirable achievement, and someone even chucked their arthritic dog in the Thames so he could save it.
IIRC, he's cycled LEJOG as well.
and swam the channel.
Not to detract from that as an achievement (and with an intro like that it's obvious I'm going to) but money helps. When you swim the channel you have to book a slot with the boat that accompanies the swimmer, I believe the cost of this is about £1,000. Most people book a slot and hope for the best, because weather, seasonal tides and lots of other things factor into how hard it is. Walliams book about 16 of these slots, and waited for the best opportunity. I'm not saying that makes it easy, but it's certainly making sure you have things in your favour. Of course he still had to swiim it
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Would love Cav to win SPOTY and he is already on the Beebs front runners list. But he will not win or get in top three. Wouldn't mind betting on Mo Farah getting in top three though, and again is on the main list of BBC front runners. He ticks all the boxes for the BBC. Despite him competing in a 'fringe sport' just like Cav is to cycling I think the votes will be favourable enough (shall we say) for him to be standing on the stage at the end of the proceedings.
AP McCoy did deserve to win last year, don't like horse racing at all, but have to acknowledge that he has been top of his sport for years and champion jockey 15times.
Darren Clarke will win anyway. Have always liked him as a genuine humble honest sportsman, who has also gone through the mill when losing his wife to cancer, and finally endured to at last win The Open this year. So no problem there for me.
2011
1. Darren Clarke
2. Mo Farah
3. Rory McIlroy
Cannot have golfers at 1 and 2 can we!!
2011 TEAM
England Cricket Team
unless by some fluke one of the home nations wins the rugby world cup.Always be yourself, unless you can be Aaron Rodgers....Then always be Aaron Rodgers.0 -
Be tempting to see whether The cycling Team GB may get a small mention ... very unlikely but it would be great for the rest of the world champ team to get a mention... you never know.0
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verylonglegs wrote:durhamwasp wrote:Yes Walliams is 5th favourite i think.
A golfer will win, but Cav will be top 3. Cav totally deserves it tho, green jersey and world champ! His odds have dropped from 24/1 to 5/1.
Are you kidding me, who the hell is taking money off people to back Walliams? That is theft, he won't even make the shortlist. He's never even done a competitve event!
It does make a joke of the whole thing, there are many people that have had personal achievments in sport that don't even make the papers let alone win an award. Giving someone an award just for beng famous is a joke. If its for the money raised then thats still down to his fame if I swam down the Thames i'd be lucky to raise £100. I was watching Ironman UK on TV the other week and there was a guy that had recently lost both legs in the Army but still dragged himself around the course.....now thats an achievment!0 -
I'm hooked on the Cracknell-Walters attempt to break LEJOG on a tandem just now, at
http://rocket2.mapmytracks.com
Well worth checking out, splendid graphics.
Hadn't heard about it until yesterday (thanks to Big P on the BR Tours and Expedition Forum and The Comic's tweet). But I was stunned that they've 'only' raised £3,886 from 94 donations, so far.
Hopefully that will increase, and they've clearly got corporate sponsorship , but they must have spent a considerable amount themselves just to get this far.
Fascinating reading about Walliams booking so many slots for the Channel. And you're sooo right. Getting sponsorship has little to do with the actual event, it's all about contacts. Most I ever raised was over £600. That was for an Oxfam day fast but raising the money was easy because I was working two jobs at the time and simply came into contact with lots of people. Sponsor sheets regularly featured in the canteen and people were generous in giving a tenner no matter what the actual activity was.
(And it was a dawdle completing the 24 hour fast because I'd just finished a 6 night stint of night duty and slept for 20 hours out of 24.)0 -
Mr Goo wrote:Would love Cav to win SPOTY and he is already on the Beebs front runners list. But he will not win or get in top three. Wouldn't mind betting on Mo Farah getting in top three though, and again is on the main list of BBC front runners. He ticks all the boxes for the BBC. Despite him competing in a 'fringe sport' just like Cav is to cycling I think the votes will be favourable enough (shall we say) for him to be standing on the stage at the end of the proceedings.
AP McCoy did deserve to win last year, don't like horse racing at all, but have to acknowledge that he has been top of his sport for years and champion jockey 15times.
Darren Clarke will win anyway. Have always liked him as a genuine humble honest sportsman, who has also gone through the mill when losing his wife to cancer, and finally endured to at last win The Open this year. So no problem there for me.
2011
1. Darren Clarke
2. Mo Farah
3. Rory McIlroy
Cannot have golfers at 1 and 2 can we!!
2011 TEAM
England Cricket Team
unless by some fluke one of the home nations wins the rugby world cup.
Strongly disagree that AP deserved it. He massively deserves a lifetime achievement award, but not the individual award for one year. In the same way, Giggs didn't deserve his either.0 -
Walliams did do LEJOG. But as part of a relay team so not sure how many miles he did. Looked a bit of a doddle to me- but his swimming exploits are pretty amazing.0
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Judging by the Times article this morning with Cav, looks like he's going to be their big favourite for SPOTY, Sounds like they will be backing him too!0
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LeicesterLad wrote:Judging by the Times article this morning with Cav, looks like he's going to be their big favourite for SPOTY, Sounds like they will be backing him too!
A News Corp entity backing one of their own? Wow. Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
iainf72 wrote:LeicesterLad wrote:Judging by the Times article this morning with Cav, looks like he's going to be their big favourite for SPOTY, Sounds like they will be backing him too!
A News Corp entity backing one of their own? Wow.
Look, i tried my best to make it sound exciting and interesting, but its about Mark Cavendish, so it was never really going to be either of those things, was it. 0
