Excuse me for asking...

P

Peppermint

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but are the Olympics loosing the point.

In PBO James Stevens seems very pleased to list out the logistics and finances for a sailing team to go to an Olympic regatta.

18 sailors and 20 support staff.
3000 nights in Athens???
80,000 litres of rehydrating fluid.
20 Container loads of boats and gear.
Nine RIBS
Lots of ...ists
Coaches
A Lorry
A Forklift

The "MAIN" sponsor lobs in £6,000,000. God knows the cost of the whole campaign.

A bit different to towing your Firefly to an Open Meeting then.

The best sailors I've known didn't seem to need rehydrating or three years of met info or all that much coaching.

I'd have thought £6 million might have been useful for quite a few projects in sailing that would benefit more than 18 sailors.

But what do I know? We'd have rehydrated on larger, stolen the forklift and hidden the Germans boats.

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The whole of the olympics is missing the point:

1. The valid points you make.
2. Drug taking is rife - yet more millions to counteract it.
3. Cheating is rife.
4. Endless overblown adverts on TV, radio and papers - more millions.
5. Pointless TV programmes - one the other day was on the vet going with the equestrian team for God's sake. More millions.

Ditto football - what a shambles - not just Sven.

I love sport - so I'm not watching it.

Magic

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://practical-business.co.uk>Click for website!</A>
 
>>The best sailors I've known didn't seem to need rehydrating <<

Really? The best sailors I've known seem to need rehydrating long before they're dehydrated.

(Roll on, Prescott, till we all die of thirst.)
 
Aahhh but.....

Can you put a price on success? And if you don't spend it - and didn't win wouldn't it be sad that 'all for the want of a nail'....or in your case all for the want of an ale - our brave boys and girls - living there in the harsh and critical light of some foreign field that will be forever Grecian 2004 didn't bring home the crock of gold?
Peppermint - sometimes I wonder about your patriotism - you don't shoot foxes do you?

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>regards
Claymore<font color=purple>
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Re: I suppose

that our brave young lads and lassies (little scottish phrasing there) deserve the very best. They'll never kickstart their lucrative pro yottie careers otherwise.

It gets a bit like the Ferrrari story in F1 though. Can you buy success? Or how quick does it devalue if you pay over the odds for it.


Patriotic no.

Falling of Band Wagons a speciality.

Foxes. I give em a sporting chance. I let em out of the bag before I let rip with my canon.

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Yeah, The world of every Sport has gone bonkers.
Back in the middle 60's, as hopefuls in the FD class for 68, I remember we got a grant to sail in Alassio, from the (I think) CCPR of £100.. Just about paid for the trip there and back towing the boat...
Then later must be in '67 we got to Bendor for the Worlds or was it Euros? and found that the West German guys had be being flown down each weekend for a month or so to "learn the water"!

Sport has gone mad.. I never deliberately broke a law when I played Rugby.. Now if the wing forwards are not caught off side the're not trying..

Sorry I'm a boring old fart but.. Get money out of sport.. I do not watch kissball.. understand that a guy called beckford or something missed an open goal and is still paid a fortune..

I don't really care who wins what when they're really just earning (sometimes) a living...

I do not blame the individuals but the worst thing that happened to sport was the removal of the max wage in kiss sorry football and the Olympics becoming professional..

Any way who'se this guy Ainslie? What about good old Rodney P 2 golds and a silver in three successive Olympics, never a mention in the hack media..
And His first gold was won with a 0 after having a Dsq for being over the line in the first race at Acapulco.. I had some beer that day when the beeb finally announced it.
So I won't be watching.
Cheers Bob E...

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I think the success of our sailors at the Sydney Games justified the amount of money spent on their development.

Other countries have been assisting their athletes for many years and GB was definately the poor relation. The Lottery funding has improved our performance in many sports and sailing responded with the biggest haul of medals in Sydney.

Ainslie and co have done us proud and I think we will see more medals in the coming fortnight.

My only wish is that all this talent could be harnessed in one boat and we could win back the America's Cup. (fat chance).









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America's Cup ? Well if you're talking about waste of money ...

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is an optimist with a boat in the UK
 
An off the wall suggestion...

...but wouldn't it be a good idea if instead of allowing serial sex offenders who are currently behind the bars of an open prison to win £7m on the National Lottery, that the money be put to causes such as bettering our sportsmens chances?

Nice though of 'Blind Pugh' to say that said offender will not be allowed to benefit from the money while he is residing at Her Majesties Pleasure!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!
 
Re: An off the wall suggestion...

I think the lottery money has improved our chances in many sports and our sailors have taken advantage, reaped reward and delivered medals. Long may it continue.
Other sports have not enjoyed such success. I remember Redgrave and Pinsent moaning in 1996 at Atlanta that our athletes were underfunded and it was like trying to compete with one hand behind your back.

The lottery funding has changed that and I like to think that people will take pride in our success when (if) it comes.

As for the Amwericas Cup, yes a lot of money but wouldn't it be nice to win, just once.
Can you imagine what that would do for British yachting ?

The Solent would be packed for years !


Fully agree that £7m rapist shouldn't benefit while he's inside.
Unfortunately I assume he must be out soon as he was in a bail house when he won.
No doubt he will be entitled to the interest at 4 per cent per year thats £280,000 p.a.
Nice !

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If the government takes your money for a ticket

Then you must be entitled to any winnings in the unlikely event there are any. it seems a bit late/unethical to wait until you win and then say "Actually you are the wrong sort of winner and you can't have the money". perhaps buying lottery tickets could be restricted to those allowed to vote ie over 18 not criminal or mentally ill or a member of the house of lords!

<hr width=100% size=1>It's more fun than housework!
 
Funny world

Apparently he was out on parole and had therefore served his time. Odd idea - sentence someone to say 20 years and 10 years is considered doing the full time.

Anyway, and i saw in one paper that his victims have a slim chance of suing him for compensation for the emotional distress he caused them and that now he has money he is worth going after.

Also a little late to say he can't win. I have nothing but contempt for the man but i would defend completely his right to the money. He paid his £1 and won fair and square. I wouldn't be at all surprised though to see this government take his money as he is the wrong sort to win.

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Re: If the government takes your money for a ticket

Is that the thinking behind the new proposal to allow the cops to arrest someone for dropping litter. Win the lottery, drop a hair, get arrest for litter, have criminal record, donate winnings to Blair / Brown.

Brian

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Re: No I still don\'t get this.

A sailing regatta is all very lovely and I'm sure I'm pleased we're winning medals. They don't taste so good when you know you've bought them rather than won them though. BUT! where does it end? Is it worth £50mil? A £100mil. If the US or any country throws big bucks at the job should we follow suit. What about the poorer nations?

If you want to know the best sailor. Ban the met info except for the race brief input. Draw lots for the boats on each day and let em get on with it.

Then you could dump the hangers on and get back to the racing.





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Re: No I still don\'t get this.

"If you want to know the best sailor. Ban the met info except for the race brief input. Draw lots for the boats on each day and let em get on with it. "

Absolutely. Doesn't have to be modern or expensive, it's a test of the sailor not his boat.



<hr width=100% size=1>John
http://www.on-line-marine.com
 
Re: No I still don\'t get this.

Which is surely where the Laser becomes the perfect Olympic boat? Identical hulls, spars, sails, minimal gadgets and just one person...THE sailors boat!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!
 
No - YOU are missing the point.
The idea of going there is to WIN.
I never won any firefly "opens" as I could only afford second hand sails and a knackered boat and my daddy didn't have a car to tow me - well he did but couldn't get it out of the cardboard box we lived in in case the lid fell in.
It is no wonder the Aussies call us "whining Poms".
Time you got back on the water - and enjoyed it.
Ken

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>>> Any way who'se this guy Ainslie? What about good old Rodney P 2 golds and a silver in three successive Olympics, never a mention in the hack media..
And His first gold was won with a 0 after having a Dsq for being over the line in the first race at Acapulco.. I had some beer that day when the beeb finally announced it.

Dare I suggest that your reaction is slightly uncharitable: Ben Ainslie is a guy who has won a silver and a gold in the Olympics under the current regime! You can't hold him personally responsible for the lack of media attention to Olympic sailing nine years before he was born. If he can pull back from a 9th and a DSQ on the first day he will be a worthy Gold medalist.

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