I just don't get it!

cowsham

Rick Chasey wrote:

Really?

Seems to be exclusively played by pinky-ring wearing middle aged men from what I can see.

Until they realise they're now old men with dodgy knees.

pinno

Lacrosse then?

cowsham

Pinno wrote:

Lacrosse then?

Hurling for whimps

pinno

Cowsham wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Lacrosse then?

Hurling for whimps

You mentioned this Ballycastle dash before!

cowsham

Yeah that's how we put it on the wall

rick_chasey

Fair enough.

Let me rephrase; no one at my school played it but a lot of the private school kids did when I was growing up.

amrushton

Certain sports are played at private schools because those are the places that can afford the facilities. Rowing is an obvious example. There are statistics about how many public school athletes there are in the Olympics (approx 30%)

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/rio-olympics- ... l-winners/

DeVlaeminck

amrushton wrote:

People who think zwift is like bike racing and now think it should be an Olympic event. A Gold Medal in Donkey Kong!!!

Definitely. One of my football team is going out with a pro-Fifa player, I thought she was taking the pee but he was on Sky sports the other night and the worst bit is I actually watched a few of his games.

Pross

amrushton wrote:

Certain sports are played at private schools because those are the places that can afford the facilities. Rowing is an obvious example. There are statistics about how many public school athletes there are in the Olympics (approx 30%)

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/rio-olympics- ... l-winners/

Luckily Rick never got involved in such an elitist sport!

I played squash for a while during my school years (I was useless). I went to a junior club at a leisure centre in a former mining town. I can only think the image of it being a posh sport is that it was once the game of choice for the more active people in the sort of professions that played golf in the 80s and 90s. In reality it is more accessible than tennis (although that has become slightly less exclusive recently).

Pross

DeVlaeminck wrote:

amrushton wrote:

People who think zwift is like bike racing and now think it should be an Olympic event. A Gold Medal in Donkey Kong!!!

Definitely. One of my football team is going out with a pro-Fifa player, I thought she was taking the pee but he was on Sky sports the other night and the worst bit is I actually watched a few of his games.

Zwift is an odd one though. FIFA can be won by a morbidly obese person whereas Zwift still requires someone to be physically active. Agree with the point that it has no place in the Olympics, there are plenty of existing cycling disciplines that could be brought in if there was space.

rick_chasey

Pross wrote:

amrushton wrote:

Certain sports are played at private schools because those are the places that can afford the facilities. Rowing is an obvious example. There are statistics about how many public school athletes there are in the Olympics (approx 30%)

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/rio-olympics- ... l-winners/

Luckily Rick never got involved in such an elitist sport!

I played squash for a while during my school years (I was useless). I went to a junior club at a leisure centre in a former mining town. I can only think the image of it being a posh sport is that it was once the game of choice for the more active people in the sort of professions that played golf in the 80s and 90s. In reality it is more accessible than tennis (although that has become slightly less exclusive recently).

Well, quite.

FWIW, I actually helped create the current iteration of the rowing team for my state school sixth form (which was decades ago an all boys grammar school), and linked it to the club those old boys set up; it's now one of the more competitive boats in the town. I basically spent a few lunch times a week for about 6 months trying to get the school to commit to funding it and the club to commit to matching it, with a view that they'd get a steady stream of young local students.

10 years later they're getting international level coaches to help them train.

TBH it's one of the things I'm more proud of as, as you say, rowing is an elitist sport but we were all, bar one, state school boys through and through. Now it gives all the big guys and women in town a chance to try a sport that they otherwise wouldn't have access to them.

It's still a peculiarity of the town; as my wife who's not from round here says, you don't know how privileged you are just to have all of that elitisim around you even if you're not part of it. Still, better than just leaving it to the private schools.

Round here the state schools are (or at least were when I was growing up) pretty good so if you chose to go to the local private school you were making a class point, pure and simple. That's probably why I have a chip on my shoulder about it.

shirley_basso

It's a city.

rick_chasey

Yeah ok. It’s not your typical city is it? 130,000 isn’t much.

Reading is a town and it’s almost double the size.

shirley_basso

Doesn't have its own cathedral, but in the diocese of Ely, so a city.

In any case, you do seem very chippy this week. All ok?

Private education and the advantages that come with it doesn't necessarily equate to elitism. I'd say given the University and likely backgrounds of many of the students here, Cambridge doesn't really display any of that. Everyone looks like a liberal peasant!

mrfpb

At 6th form in Cardiff (in the '80s) the Council opened up all local sports facilities to all 6th forms. I got to do sailing for PE, until the reservoir dried up, then I did archery for a couple of months. It was quite a novelty, but only lasted a few years. My younger siblings didn't have the same experience.

Pross

mrfpb wrote:

At 6th form in Cardiff (in the '80s) the Council opened up all local sports facilities to all 6th forms. I got to do sailing for PE, until the reservoir dried up, then I did archery for a couple of months. It was quite a novelty, but only lasted a few years. My younger siblings didn't have the same experience.

There's a sailing club near me. My younger daughter isn't remotely sporty but has been sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Trust a couple of times and enjoyed it so we looked at membership fees - I was amazed by how cheap it is as it is another sport that feels a bit elite, I guess accessibility is more of an issue for many though.

mrfpb

There was an argument that giving every school child a free sports club membership of their choice would help tackle the obesity crisis, but it never went anywhere.

rolf_f

mrfpb wrote:

At 6th form in Cardiff (in the '80s) the Council opened up all local sports facilities to all 6th forms. I got to do sailing for PE, until the reservoir dried up, then I did archery for a couple of months. It was quite a novelty, but only lasted a few years. My younger siblings didn't have the same experience.

We had a bit of that - occasional access to the local sports centre but nothing as exciting as sailing or archery. I can't remember much other than more badminton courts and trampolining though possibly the more sporty were quicker at signing up to things. Decent running track though.

Now it's all been demolished and housing built on it. The sports centre has been replaced by a leisure centre of which the only outdoor feature is the car park....... Harlow gets fatter by the year.

rjsterry

mrfpb wrote:

At 6th form in Cardiff (in the '80s) the Council opened up all local sports facilities to all 6th forms. I got to do sailing for PE, until the reservoir dried up, then I did archery for a couple of months. It was quite a novelty, but only lasted a few years. My younger siblings didn't have the same experience.

Isn't this what the Scouts, Guides and similar organisations are for (not that schools shouldn't provide it)? I tried sailing, canoeing, climbing, and caving that I can remember and the eldest daughter has ticked off a sailing and wind surfing taster day with Brownies.

FocusZing

James Cracknell doing the boat race.

Tashman

rjsterry wrote:

mrfpb wrote:

At 6th form in Cardiff (in the '80s) the Council opened up all local sports facilities to all 6th forms. I got to do sailing for PE, until the reservoir dried up, then I did archery for a couple of months. It was quite a novelty, but only lasted a few years. My younger siblings didn't have the same experience.

Isn't this what the Scouts, Guides and similar organisations are for (not that schools shouldn't provide it)? I tried sailing, canoeing, climbing, and caving that I can remember and the eldest daughter has ticked off a sailing and wind surfing taster day with Brownies.

Similarly I remember climbing, caving, orienteering, hiking, flying and gliding as well as the usual team sports as a cadet in the ATC. My kids experience a lot through Brownies and Scouts still too.

surrey_commuter

FocusZing wrote:

James Cracknell doing the boat race.

he is a student at one of the universities so eligible for selection

FocusZing

Surrey Commuter wrote:

FocusZing wrote:

James Cracknell doing the boat race.

he is a student at one of the universities so eligible for selection

Yep, I heard this when he was interviewed and I have nothing against him having a crack at it, good for him. I just don't understand why a guy who has won Olympic Golds and Worlds would step back into the past. Also the hype will be around him rather than the team.

Wayne Plunger

FocusZing wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

FocusZing wrote:

James Cracknell doing the boat race.

he is a student at one of the universities so eligible for selection

Yep, I heard this when he was interviewed and I have nothing against him having a crack at it, good for him. I just don't understand why a guy who has won Olympic Golds and Worlds would step back into the past. Also the hype will be around him rather than the team.

I seem to remember much capped Wales rugby player Jamie Roberts playing in the varsity match as he had gone to Cambridge after retiring from a rugby career.

pinno

James Corden moaning about how fat people don't get the break in acting roles.

ROFL

cowsham

Pinno wrote:

James Corden moaning about how fat people don't get the break in acting roles.

ROFL

Why my son gets James Corden. But I'm not annoyed by that he's young bless him.

rick_chasey

I’m a fan of his.

What’s not to like?

He co wrote Gavin & Stacey so that puts him above pretty much everyone else from the off

thistle_

Pross wrote:

There's a sailing club near me. My younger daughter isn't remotely sporty but has been sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Trust a couple of times and enjoyed it so we looked at membership fees - I was amazed by how cheap it is as it is another sport that feels a bit elite, I guess accessibility is more of an issue for many though.

I suppose using the water doesn't cost much but it gets expensive when you have to start buying your own kit? (a bit like cycling...)

robert88

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

Pross wrote:

There's a sailing club near me. My younger daughter isn't remotely sporty but has been sailing with the Ellen MacArthur Trust a couple of times and enjoyed it so we looked at membership fees - I was amazed by how cheap it is as it is another sport that feels a bit elite, I guess accessibility is more of an issue for many though.

I suppose using the water doesn't cost much but it gets expensive when you have to start buying your own kit? (a bit like cycling...)

Never buy your own boat. IME there are always owners looking for crews especially ones with good feedback. There are also different grades of owner of course.

shirley_basso

Hard to get good without your own boat, unless you go to private school.

We had insane facilities where I went and as a result I am a competent sailor and have kept it up through school and uni as a friends dad owns a racing yacht. We're doing the Fastnet again this year. Yacht owners swansong as he's getting on a bit. Probably my last one for a long time.