Inspired by the Olympics????

Just sitting and watching the Handball the other day and I think its ace! Was just wondering if anybody else out there has seen something that they may think about dabbling in?

I knew Handball existed etc but never really given it much thought. Plus the Olympics are to inspire a generation.

Also had a chuckle at watching all the Horsey people jumping over stuff and thought 'I never had the choice of doing that in PE at Woking High' Plus you got to be a bit posh to do rowing too. So some sports are not easily accesable for all??

Comments

  • PhilPubPhilPub ✭✭✭

    Good question.  I feel like I've got enough on my plate sport wise to keep me happy but you never know.

    I take issue with the idea of rowing being particularly inaccessible, although maybe I'm lucky to be where I am geographically.  During one of my running injury spells I did a crash-beginner course with Poplar Rowing Club based in Greenwich.  It cost something like £30 for 4 sessions per week x 4 weeks, including a couple of sessions per week (weather/tides permitting) rowing on the Thames.  It was ace, especially when the Woolwich Barrier was up for its annual test, turning the river into a still pond.  The only issue I had was with the time commitments involved - being available for training sessions at the same time as 3 other people to fill a boat, working round tide schedules, inevitable silly-early hours which can't be moved...  Even so, it's something I'd possibly consider for the future. I'm pretty nifty on the ergo but proper rowing technique is something else.  I can imagine it being hugely satisfying when it all clicks.

    What I'm most keeping an eye on "legacy" speaking is any plans to open up the velodrome to the general public.  Seriously can't wait to have a go on the boards!

  • I suppose if you seeked out rowing like you did and geographically lived in the right place. But I can't blame rowing for that as you ideally need water image

    I agree, I have never cycled on a velodrome track indoor or outdoor and would quite fancy a trip down London to do it. I just hope the general public do have acces after the Olympics finish

  • BookyBooky ✭✭✭

    They were talking about diving on Radio 2 today. I can't remember the figures, but they were commenting on how few pools have diving boards that are available for public use.

    An awful lot of access to sports seems to come down to where you happen to live and what you can afford. 

  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    When I was at school in south west London, we did athletics, hockey, netball.  Boys did football.  This was back in the days before schools sold off their playing fields.

    We had swimming lessons, and I went on to join a swimming club, but got fed up with that after a while.

    More 'exotic' sports that required boats, bikes or animals never came into it, and this was in a fairly affluent area. 

    My parents weren't sporty, so didn't particulary encourange me to be.  I would guess that youngsters who take up riding, rowing, sailing, cycling, etc., often have families who already do these things, and so have ready access and encouragement.

  • I never have gotten the urge to try the luge or skeleton after the winter Olympics image

    (We have a very good rowing club here in our town - and those two brothers in the 4 man lightweight are from up the road from here...)

    Aileen Morrison who is doing the triathlon is from our town - the council are setting up a marquee in one of our main squares with fake grass and bean bags and catering available for people to watch her on our town's giant screen - should be fun!!

  • My school all we ever done was Rugby, Cricket, Football and once in a blue moon they dusted of the trampolines. We had football and rugby clubs. But we would never have dreamed of doing rowing or sailing (Many of us had never seen the sea!) I agree you have to know somebody who already dabbles in the sport to take you under their wing

  • Insaying that I have just looked in to hand ball and the closest club is 40 miles away image

     

  • TheVicar - agree with you about Handball. I've never really watched it before, but it's great to watch and I'm becoming hooked !

    I would love to have played it when I was younger - reminds me of 5 a side football, but faster and more exciting.

  • I played a lot of volleyball in the past, sometimes to a reasonably high standard, but gave it up about 3 years ago as I had a recurrent knee problem. The volleyball at the Olympics (not just the beach stuff) has made me think about giving it a run again so I think I'll wait for the first dry Wednesday and go out looking to see if I can get a game in the park (all volleyball clubs play in the park on wednesdays in the summer - no idea why).

    Handball looks great too but I know I'd be pants at it.

  • Interesting stuff - kind of steers us towards the sligtly precarious issue of whether a medal or achievement (or any high level performance) in certain mass participation sports (running ?? football ??) is "worth" more than one of the more selective activities (equestrian ?? sailing ??).

    Prob a good way to start a bun fight....

  • Just look at the equestrian team. I bet none of them came from a housing estate? lol

    I know what you mean. Would England winning the world cup be a bigger achievement than a Brit winning a gold in the fencing?? How many millions of people play footy and how many fence? But at any high level of sport everybody is going to be pretty damn good at what they do whether 10 people do it or 10 million. So becoming the best in the world will always be a massive achievement

  • image It's always made me smile that Bruce Dickinson from Iron maiden almost got to the olymic's as first reserve a few years back in the fencing after taking it up off his own back.

    Regarding the rowing I've kayaked on and off from about the age of 12 to mid 20's and never even seen a opportunity to take up rowing even through used some of the some facilities as the rower's at the national water sports centre and think i might have been half good at it as a err big lad. But think attitudes have changes in the last few years and it has become more easy to get into it. One of the ladies who won gold yesterday got into it after being put forward for example.

    In terms of the bum fight not touching that with a 10 foot pole think best to agree all are equally valid and well done if you've won any of the events?

  • The guy wot won the shooting was a bit posh.



    I grew up in Thatcher's Britain when there was no extra curricular sport at all. I did judo and ju-jitsu for a while as a kid and I've always been interested in martial arts but only took up training seriously as an adult.



    There are a lot of sports that require specific facilities ie diving, rowing, kyaking whatever, so it can be a lottery whether there is a local club. But the good thing about the Olympics is that it raises awareness of sports and for a lot of them there will be a club nearby.



    One thing to consider with 'obscure' sports and the value of the medal is that what might be considered a minority sport in the UK might be hugely popular elsewhere in the world.
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