Meet the superhumans

iPete

what an epic advert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuAPPeRg3Nw

clarkey cat

+1... ace

stuj15

Saw it last night, brilliant isn't it. Great use of the Public Enemy track as well.

dhope

Very good indeed

EKE_38BPM

Very good trailer, but I find myself kind of ashamed to admit that I have no interest in the Paralympics. I respect them as athletes at least as much as I respect able-bodied Olympians, but I don't think I'll be watching.

I get the feeling I'm going to get flamed. Maybe I deserve it.

iPete

Not really flame worthy, the paralympics is never going to get the same attention but its great to see CH4 throwing so much weight behind it. Am sure I'll tune in for some.

stuj15 wrote:

Saw it last night, brilliant isn't it. Great use of the Public Enemy track as well.

Been hammering public enemy all day since

roger_merriman

iPete wrote:

Not really flame worthy, the paralympics is never going to get the same attention but its great to see CH4 throwing so much weight behind it. Am sure I'll tune in for some.

stuj15 wrote:

Saw it last night, brilliant isn't it. Great use of the Public Enemy track as well.

Been hammering public enemy all day since

I'm not interested in either to be honest, it will be fun to watch the cycling coming past since it's so close, but the rest Olympic or Paralympics i've never cared much about.

The Paralympics have had problems with lack of Competition in some fields. to the point of some fields having the same winner time and time again, over many years.

Though ex service men/women are solving that problem apparently.

EKE_38BPM

roger merriman wrote:

The Paralympics have had problems with lack of Competition in some fields. to the point of some fields having the same winner time and time again, over many years.

Though ex service men/women are solving that problem apparently.

I remember seeing a comedian a few years ago (Frankie Boyle or Jimmy Carr probably) saying that one good thing about service men/women getting limbs blown off in Afghanistan and Iraq is that by the time the Olympics come round we should have a cracking Paralympic team. He may well be proved right.

meanredspider

Awesome and humbling

Wrath Rob

EKE_38BPM wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

The Paralympics have had problems with lack of Competition in some fields. to the point of some fields having the same winner time and time again, over many years.

Though ex service men/women are solving that problem apparently.

I remember seeing a comedian a few years ago (Frankie Boyle or Jimmy Carr probably) saying that one good thing about service men/women getting limbs blown off in Afghanistan and Iraq is that by the time the Olympics come round we should have a cracking Paralympic team. He may well be proved right.

Jimmy Carr. And he was indeed right.

Great trailer.

rolf_f

roger merriman wrote:

The Paralympics have had problems with lack of Competition in some fields. to the point of some fields having the same winner time and time again, over many years.

So many divisions to cover all variation of disability. I think that's why Tanni Grey Thompson was complaining in her last Olympics - she was worried about how she was being categorised because it meant she would actually be competing with someone for a gold!

Of course it is all very worthy and a terrific use of the facilities but to me about as interesting as a school sports day and pretending it is the same as the real thing is a bit Emperors new clothes. And it's a shame that events like wheelchair racing aren't in the proper Olympics - only with anyone eligible to enter. How can a wheelchair be less of a valid means of transport than a bike? If the non disabled were seen wheelchair racing (and probably being beaten by the disabled) it might actually have a real positive image benefit for wheelchairs.

roger_merriman

Wrath Rob wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

The Paralympics have had problems with lack of Competition in some fields. to the point of some fields having the same winner time and time again, over many years.

Though ex service men/women are solving that problem apparently.

I remember seeing a comedian a few years ago (Frankie Boyle or Jimmy Carr probably) saying that one good thing about service men/women getting limbs blown off in Afghanistan and Iraq is that by the time the Olympics come round we should have a cracking Paralympic team. He may well be proved right.

Jimmy Carr. And he was indeed right.

Great trailer.

if you go mid week to BoxHill cafe, sometimes see the Headley Court lot, impressive guys and gals.

Normally trying cambers and such, ie learning to walk again.

Greg T

I just caught on to this advert - nails....

I can barely swim with all my bits and pieces - you'd need balls like boulders to willingly jump in the pool with a disability. In fact if you made me do a racing effort of 50m I'd reckon it would be 50/50 if I got to the other end.

As for the wheel chair racers, rugby players et al . . I have only ever tried a chair once (giving my Granny a trip to hampton court) gave it a go - I went all of ten meters on a pancake flat car park and gave up.

So all in all, fabulous advert and I'd do some crazy messed up sh1t to get into the velodrome - so if you have tickets and need to get something out of your system I'm your man.

Also

There's an annotated version that gives their names.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKTamH__xuQ

Claire Cashmore.. I think they filmed her in the shower just to mess with my head... Grrrrrr

jedster

I'm afraid I'm also a bit ho hum about the whole thing - it's the fact that you are likely to do well if you are just disabled enough to fit in a certain category... Don't get me wrong, I think it's amazing what the atheletes are able to achieve but as a competitive spectacle it's flawed.

I think it is many ways more impressive when disabled atheletes compete alongside able-bodied people and finish well down the field (like amputee soldiers completing the London Marathon. climbing mountains, etc).

TheStone

Rolf F wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

Of course it is all very worthy and a terrific use of the facilities but to me about as interesting as a school sports day and pretending it is the same as the real thing is a bit Emperors new clothes. And it's a shame that events like wheelchair racing aren't in the proper Olympics - only with anyone eligible to enter. How can a wheelchair be less of a valid means of transport than a bike? If the non disabled were seen wheelchair racing (and probably being beaten by the disabled) it might actually have a real positive image benefit for wheelchairs.

+1
Many events can be combined or included in the normal Olympics and open to everyone.

I don't see the point of the flame full stop, but seems really strange that they have a separate one for the paras!

Wrath Rob

Anyone caught I Am Spazticus? C4 show in a Dom Jolly mould where people with disabilities play jokes on the public. My current favourite is either Guide Dwarfs Association or the guy in the wheel chair with the voice synthesizer.

Proper laugh out loud funny.

roger_merriman

jedster wrote:

I'm afraid I'm also a bit ho hum about the whole thing - it's the fact that you are likely to do well if you are just disabled enough to fit in a certain category... Don't get me wrong, I think it's amazing what the atheletes are able to achieve but as a competitive spectacle it's flawed.

I think it is many ways more impressive when disabled atheletes compete alongside able-bodied people and finish well down the field (like amputee soldiers completing the London Marathon. climbing mountains, etc).

the grading partically when they have events that are factored, is a bit hmmm

to copy/paste from http://www.paralympics.org.uk/sports/cycling

"Some Cycling events are also factored. This happens when cyclists from different classes compete against each other and means that the results take into account the severity of the impairments of each competitor. As a result, some riders within an event will have their times ‘factored’ while other riders will not. The gold medal goes to the athlete with the fastest time after all the required times have been factored."

the Road races are dreadfully short 6km to 15km round Brands hatch....

i suspect most could leave me for dust so why not a proper road race?

rick_chasey

roger merriman wrote:

i suspect most could leave me for dust so why not a proper road race?

Ask Colin Lynch: https://twitter.com/TTworldchamp

AKA Pokerface (used to spend a lot of time on here - mainly in road/pro-race).

He's TT world champ for his disability level thingy.

dhope

Rick Chasey wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

i suspect most could leave me for dust so why not a proper road race?

Ask Colin Lynch: https://twitter.com/TTworldchamp

AKA Pokerface (used to spend a lot of time on here - mainly in road/pro-race).

He's TT world champ for his disability level thingy.

Number one rule of race prep: don't bring the wrong leg to the track. Especially when you're missing the bits to put it on! #fauxpas

Pokerface

roger merriman wrote:

jedster wrote:

I'm afraid I'm also a bit ho hum about the whole thing - it's the fact that you are likely to do well if you are just disabled enough to fit in a certain category... Don't get me wrong, I think it's amazing what the atheletes are able to achieve but as a competitive spectacle it's flawed.

I think it is many ways more impressive when disabled atheletes compete alongside able-bodied people and finish well down the field (like amputee soldiers completing the London Marathon. climbing mountains, etc).

the grading partically when they have events that are factored, is a bit hmmm

to copy/paste from http://www.paralympics.org.uk/sports/cycling

"Some Cycling events are also factored. This happens when cyclists from different classes compete against each other and means that the results take into account the severity of the impairments of each competitor. As a result, some riders within an event will have their times ‘factored’ while other riders will not. The gold medal goes to the athlete with the fastest time after all the required times have been factored."

the Road races are dreadfully short 6km to 15km round Brands hatch....

i suspect most could leave me for dust so why not a proper road race?

The road race CIRCUIT is 6km. But the race itself is many laps of the same circuit. They keep the circuit short(ish) to accommodate the different classes of rider. Handcyclsits and Trikes will do just a few laps, whilst tandems will do something like 20 laps. My TT there is 16km, higher classes will be 24km and Tandems 30km I believe.

Races are kept 'short' to allow them to run them all. If they were all 120km, it would take too long to fit them all in. My Road race is 70km and is plenty long enough!

To those (EKE-MIKE) who have no interest in watching the Paralympics - can totally understand that. It's not for everyone. However - the cycling (especially track cycling) is pretty damn good, especially Tandem Sprinting. I suggest you tune in on Sunday and have a watch - it will blow you away.

A lot of Paralympic sports are a bit dull to watch, but some of the athletics, swimming and cycling is just as exciting as the able-bodied stuff.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Bloody good effort in the velodrome, matey! Gutted to see you just missed out. Fingers crossed for your other events...

tailwindhome

Had a good chuckle at the friend of swimmer Ellie Simmonds who was telling the radio interviewer what a well grounded young women her mate Ellie is......apparently she never "Bigs herself up"

EKE_38BPM

Pokerface wrote:

To those (EKE-MIKE) who have no interest in watching the Paralympics - can totally understand that. It's not for everyone. However - the cycling (especially track cycling) is pretty damn good, especially Tandem Sprinting. I suggest you tune in on Sunday and have a watch - it will blow you away.

I did and it did.

CiB

Can't describe this whole shooting match in words. It's brilliant, superb, all the way down to the C4 Last Leg prog and its #IsItOk tag. Don't want it to end.

I was another one to be counted amongst the doubters when this all started to take off after the Proper Olympics [yeah]. It's addictive.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Fifth for Pokerface in the time trial.

Road race tomorrow.

rubertoe

Its all about Bethany Woodward....

PBo

CiB wrote:

Can't describe this whole shooting match in words. It's brilliant, superb, all the way down to the C4 Last Leg prog and its #IsItOk tag. Don't want it to end.

I was another one to be counted amongst the doubters when this all started to take off after the Proper Olympics [yeah]. It's addictive.

Embarrassed to say that I had a hissy fit when didn't get "proper" tickets, and refused to bid for para tickets. Fortunately my wife talked me round. had a park ticket saturday and saw goal ball and wheelchair basketball - both fantastic. ( i didn't find wheelchair tennis that entertaining, but then I'm not the biggest tennis fan anyway).

Going to the stadium tonight for athletics, and men's sitting volleyball finals on Saturday - absolutely stoked...

rick_chasey

rick_chasey

Greg66 wrote:

Fifth for Pokerface in the time trial.

Road race tomorrow.

He's not happy about it either.

jonginge

That's a great photo

rick_chasey

Looks like Pokerface binned it on one of the corners in the RR