Sport for all

[enitharmon]

Kudos to the British cycling team. I can't remember a time when a British team has so totally dominated a sport or an Olympic event. Usually Britain's Olympic performance amounts to the odd silver or bronze here and there, and a gold or two if we get lucky. This year those cyclists have given cause for some national pride in this most cynical of non-nationalists.

It's such a shame, then, that track cycling will disappear from view for the next four years. Oh, for sure money will be poured into a hand-picked elite of cyclists to ensure a good showing in the London Olympics, and there's not much wrong with that provided that it doesn't get out of hand. But most people won't see a sniff of it. Not even more than a token amount of television coverage - there's no advertsinig revenue. How many people know where their nearest cycling track or (if they're really lucky) velodrome is? I think mine may be in Manchester. I'm pretty sure that Barrow doesn't even have an all-weather running track and if I ever took it into my head to do some track training I'd have to make the trek to somewhere like Lancaster to do it. I was lucky in Reading, the Palmer Park running track and the trails in the park proper were a great place to train. Mind you, the cycle track in the stadium had a neglected air and I never saw anybody racing on it. I certainly wouldn't want to take a fast brakeless bike on its ruts and cracks.

I don't know what other people's experience of PE teaching was at school, but mine was that the few who were likely to be a credit to school teams were singled out and taught and the rest of us could go hang with no teaching or coaching at all. And certainly no attempt to find an activity which suited you. I've heard that fencing is a good sport for those like me who were hopeless at other sports. I'd have loved to have learned to fence but how many outside the public schools ever get the chance?

Winning Olympic medals is all well and good, but it shouldn't be the be-all and the end-all (if I may quote the Scottish Play here). Sport is for enjoyment, and there shouldn't be an elite set apart from the rest, isolated on a pedestal as somehow "other"; there should be a pyramid with the top performers at the top for sure, but also a broad base from which that elite can be drawn, and from which everybody can be encouraged to find their level. I have a nasty feeling that it ain't going to happen.

Comments

[gingergeoff.livejournal.com]

Cycling really has done us proud this year, but I do have faith that it will continue until 2012 at least. The programme that has brought on a lot of the talents we have seen in the last week came through the World Class Performance Plan. This is something that Dave Brailsford and Peter Keen were working on in the late 90's, even before lottery funding was available, so credit really should go to them.

I for one, saw Victoria Pendleton and Paul Manning race when they were both juniors and you could see even then that they had incredible talent.

What you say about tracks is ture though, we have one in Manchester, a new one in Newport and a very old one in Herne Hill. I think there is one at Meadowbank too. The only good thing about all of the cost of the Olympics is that we should end up with another world-class velodrome... but unfortunately, it will be in London.

[scatz1.livejournal.com]

Until we see municipal courts,pitches,tracks and pools which are well-maintained and hygienic I think the outlook is bleak in most areas.
State school facilities are seriously underused or have been sold for building - independent schools, of course, hire out theirs for hefty fees.
There have been calls for a major injection into sport venues for the last 20 years or more and even though more youngsters are obese and unchallenged the money isn't there.
Do you remember the "Sport |For All Campaign"? I believe there is a sport for everyone.
Riding,golf,tennis,skiing and sailing are just a few of many sports which will remain elitist.
The cynical side of me thinks that all funds between now and 2012 will be diverted to upgrade our transport system!

I think the BBC coverage has been excellent, apart from the bumbling,indifferent, uninformed passenger Adrian Chiles.
I've enjoyed watching the minority sports - didn't think I would ever be interested in watching BMX racing!

[swanofkennet.livejournal.com]

I sailed a bit on the Mediterranean in a 270 class boat in my teens when I visited France in the summer. Also, one summer in my late twenties I helped to crew for a sailor grown too old and frail to crew for himself. I'd have loved to do more sailing but owning a boat of my own has never been a practical possibility, and opportunities to crew have otherwise been non-existent.

Some sports - sailing and cycling among them - are a problem because they demand very expensive specialist equipment. This is one area where the state could be a big help by establishing centres where the less wealthy could make use of shared equipment.

On the other hand, running only requires a decent pair of running shoes every six months or so, and my new pursuit of bowls only a set of woods (second-hand for GBP 20-25, otherwise GBP 80 and upwards - more for rink bowls as you need four woods not two.) But bowling greens are far too often being sold off to housing development.

[pookledo.livejournal.com]

I wasn't keen on PE at school but I loved doing PE when could choose the sport. I volunteered to do it most lunchtimes.

Hockey, indoor hockey, handball, badminton...

Didn't matter that I was overweight at all. And I didn't get stuck in goal either. I played on my hockey teachers ladies team once!

I did fencing once and I went to a comprehensive on a pit estate! I played cricket one day too.

[swanofkennet.livejournal.com]

We had a fad for handball at my primary school at the time of the Tokyo (1964) Olympics. I've never come across it again in this country. Britain doesn't even field a team.

Your school was obviously more enlightened than many. Sounds like they didn't have the same sod-you-if-you can't attitude that my school did.

[pookledo.livejournal.com]

Yes. For a comprehensive I think I did well. Shame yours wasn't :o(

I can't even remember the rules for handball now even though I played it every week! *lol*

[chelseagirl-bc.livejournal.com]

I hated PE at school, but was lucky enough to have a go at fencing. In my third year at high school we went to the local leisure centre and were ble to choose from a range of sports, including the gym, squash, swimming, table tennis, badminton and fencing. it was great fun, but I haven't done any since.