Why do they bother?

donfers · 24-02-2010 04:13PM #1

The Winter Olympics is on at the moment. I was up late last night and caught a glimpse of the Irish ladies bobsleigh team. I wanted them to do well but didn't expect them to do well. However I am no expert at bobsleigh but the driver couldn't even jump into the bobsleigh properly and they are in last place at the moment and way way off the pace.

This is not a gender thing so please if anyone wants to spark a gender debate/war or accuse me of whatever spare your breath. I'm sure and Irish men's bobsleigh team would be equally as embarrassing.

I just want to know why do they bother? To fight for last place? To gain experience? In a million years these girls won't get close to a medal.

I do need clarification on two matters

1) there was a lot of controversy about their qualification. Were they just shoehorned into the competition to get a new country involved? If so, I completely disagree with this but I do know there were complaints and appeals about Ireland's participation in this event.

2) Is the taxpayer funding their participation. I don't know if they are receiving grants from the sports council of Ireland or if the taxpayer is funding them through the Olympic Council of Ireland. If so, then please invest the resources somewhere more worthwhile as this is a complete waste of time and money and a real token representation in my view.

Anyway my main query is why? So they can have a laugh and a party in Vancouver and try not to come last? If so this doesn't justify the funding in my view.

mikom · 24-02-2010 04:15PM

Our Father, who art in Calgary, Bobsled be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, gold medals won, on Earth as it is in Turn Seven.
With Liberty and Justice for Ireland and Haile Selassie. Amen.

funk-you · 24-02-2010 04:17PM

You never win at anything if you don't try.

-Funk

IrishManSaipan · 24-02-2010 04:20PM

Its a privilege and an honour to represent your country in a sporting event.

My name is URL · 24-02-2010 04:21PM

I'd rather see my tax money going towards supporting our athletes than our bankers, but whatever

stovelid · 24-02-2010 04:22PM

You appear to be far better at bobsleighing than they are.

If you're Irish, you should be there?

Or at least offer your advice directly.

Bonito · 24-02-2010 04:24PM

Hey! If Jamaica can bobsleigh why can't we?! :mad:

super_furry · 24-02-2010 04:26PM

donfers wrote: »

1) there was a lot of controversy about their qualification. Were they just shoehorned into the competition to get a new country involved? If so, I completely disagree with this but I do know there were complaints and appeals about Ireland's participation in this event.

They qualified based on their times throughout the season - they were one of the fastest 20 teams in the world this season and earned their place on the basis of that. Australia protested their involvement as Ireland were number 20 in the qualification times and the Australians claimed that all continents should be included in the games, and that Ireland should be removed in order for them to take part based on their location. The Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that Ireland had earned their place and world indeed take part.

You're not even aware if they recieve funding yet you're outraged by it. Being good enough to participate in the Olympics is an achievement within itself, have you learned nothing from Cool Runnings?

FlutterinBantam · 24-02-2010 04:40PM

Call me Mr HJ Cynical, but it seems to me that a certain coterie of folk make a career of this stuff.

Obscure events funded by the taxpayer that they have no chance in.

Now ,per se, I have no argument with that but there ARE a group out there who use the system to the nth degree.

Terry mcHugh is a good example, nothing ,I repeat nothing against the lad himself but he certainly did well over the years.

Out in Switz. now i believe.

InkSlinger67 · 24-02-2010 04:47PM

Apparently they only learned the sport when trying to figure out how to get a few trays home from the off license over christmas

Fair play to them

connundrum · 24-02-2010 04:52PM

Eh.. they are not coming last.

They are in fact coming 20th out of 21 competitors.

Whilst I actually know one of the girls on the team and would only wish them well, I'd rather see the money used in sending them to Vancouver redirected towards our national basketball teams who have been disbanded as of today.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/basketball/2010/0224/ireland2.html

dylano_k · 24-02-2010 04:53PM

We finally qualify for some kinda tournament in 2010 and we have someone crying about it. We'll never win a world cup yet we pay millions on building stadiums for the Irish Team, we'v been sending our cricket team to world cups that we will never win or even come close.

Its great to see anyone represent our country whether we come 1st or last.!!!!!

robby^5 · 24-02-2010 04:54PM

Nuff people say they know they cant believe Ireland we have a bobsled team!

cork*girl · 24-02-2010 04:57PM

Ireland have a bobsleigh team!

They could make a film about it!!:p

major bill · 24-02-2010 05:00PM

ireland participation in the winter olympics is something that has always puzzled me and it dawned on me when watching the luge and the skeleton that we are a country full of joyriders and generally mad [EMAIL="b@stards"]b@stards[/EMAIL] who quite frankly if tapped into we would clean up in the winter olmpics, cos lets be honest ye have to be a mad fcuk to go down a tunnel of ice at fast speeds on your back:D

phasers · 24-02-2010 05:04PM

The Ski cross is the best Olympic sport ever, Irish people should do that

Some American chap got banned from it for smoking dope, so then he just joined the Canadian team

pickarooney · 24-02-2010 05:10PM

Didn't an Irish guy come 4th in the bobsleigh or luge a few years back? Lord something or other?

edit: Lord Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdin Wrottesley, Paddy to his mates.

Glenster · 24-02-2010 05:30PM

Joke about them all you want but I'll tell you this,

when they look in the mirror they dont see silly little boys like you do

they see pride

They see power

They see a bad-ass mutha who aint gonna take no crap from nobody

But this doesn't mean that I like them.

donfers · 24-02-2010 05:39PM

I really don't see the point in them being there

l've actually done a bobsleigh ride once and there was nothing to it, i was third man in, the driver does 95% of the work, the brakeman/brakewoman at the back does a very easy job of braking at the end and other than that all that's required is jumping into the thing as fast as you can at the start

fair play to these girls for having a go, it's not a sport for the feint-hearted but honestly i'd prefer if the money that sent them there was invested in the likes of derval o rourke or luke sorensen or paul hession or olive loughnane (I knew the people I've mentioned already get funding but i'm sure they'd like more and be able to compete more effectively with more and unlike the bobsleigh girls the examples mentioned would actually be able to compete rather than be merely token representation to justify some departmental boffin's existence in the olympic council of ireland)

Prof.Badass · 24-02-2010 06:05PM

Bonito wrote: »

Hey! If Jamaica can bobsleigh why can't we?! :mad:

because jamaica don't do drug tests during training season :rolleyes:.

General Zod · 24-02-2010 06:16PM

Instead of trying to enter events in the winter olympics, we should get events we excel at made into winter olympic sports.

We should lobby the IOC for "Taking a swore one when your head bounces off the ground after slipping on ice" made into an event. We'd be great!

dr.bollocko · 24-02-2010 06:20PM

General Zod wrote: »

Instead of trying to enter events in the winter olympics, we should get events we excel at made into winter olympic sports.

We should lobby the IOC for "Taking a swore one when your head bounces off the ground after slipping on ice" made into an event. We'd be great!

Or the old smoking and shivering event. I'd kick ass at that one.

Herb Powell · 24-02-2010 06:24PM

Maybe because it's fun??????? No?????????? But of course they're just doing it for the medals:rolleyes:

Naos · 24-02-2010 06:25PM

Woah there! When & where did you do that? I'd say it's some craic. Scary but some craic.

donfers wrote: »

l've actually done a bobsleigh ride once and there was nothing to it, i was third man in, the driver does 95% of the work, the brakeman/brakewoman at the back does a very easy job of braking at the end and other than that all that's required is jumping into the thing as fast as you can at the start

As for them competing, I suppose it depends how serious they are about it (in terms of dedication to training) and how much of our tax money went towards it.

In saying that, if they won it'd be something else, lift the spirits - I love watching any sport where an Irish person is participating, become an avid fan for those few moments then have to see it out to see where they come.

Cunning Stunt · 24-02-2010 06:36PM

I don't know why Ireland has never invested properly in sports facilities in general.
I am living in a country smaller than Ireland and they are well represented at an international level for most sports. What the hell happened to us?! It's embarrassing..:(

oppenheimer1 · 24-02-2010 07:07PM

donfers wrote: »

I really don't see the point in them being there

l've actually done a bobsleigh ride once and there was nothing to it, i was third man in, the driver does 95% of the work, the brakeman/brakewoman at the back does a very easy job of braking at the end and other than that all that's required is jumping into the thing as fast as you can at the start

fair play to these girls for having a go, it's not a sport for the feint-hearted but honestly i'd prefer if the money that sent them there was invested in the likes of derval o rourke or luke sorensen or paul hession or olive loughnane (I knew the people I've mentioned already get funding but i'm sure they'd like more and be able to compete more effectively with more and unlike the bobsleigh girls the examples mentioned would actually be able to compete rather than be merely token representation to justify some departmental boffin's existence in the olympic council of ireland)

I doubt they got much money from the Olympic council to be honest. They only took it up about 3 years ago, it shows that if you're athletic and have the time patience and most importantly money you can make it to the games

The thing about winter sports is that it is incredibly expensive to participate in, much more so when your home country isn't an alpine nation. Team GB generally do fairly poorly considering they have a population over 10 times the size of ours. Even China hasn't been doing that great either.

Irish competitors can also realistically forget about track and field in the Summer games when it comes to medals, the best they are really looking for is PB and national records. The european circut isn't competitive enough to really challenge the african/jamacian/us sprinters... It just seems to appear that black people are faster than white people (personal observation).

The focus for ireland should be minority sports with many diciplines which amplifies the chance of medals. Boxing is a great example of this. Indeed this approach is one that is being taken bu the olympic council of ireland. The aim is to medal in sports that most people don't know are even in the olympics!

The_Kew_Tour · 24-02-2010 07:13PM

at least there out there competing in something for there country rather then sitting at home doing F all.

It always makes me laugh when I see people in pubs laugh at one of or own in say Olympics and calling them useless when all there doing is sitting in pub wasting there life.

oppenheimer1 · 24-02-2010 07:13PM

Cunning Stunt wrote: »

I don't know why Ireland has never invested properly in sports facilities in general.
I am living in a country smaller than Ireland and they are well represented at an international level for most sports. What the hell happened to us?! It's embarrassing..:(

Thats not true, we have invested in sports, just not ones that we can compete on at an international level. Some of the GAA facilities you find in even small communities are on a par with what you would expect to find in even a professional set up. If hurlers had taken up hockey, probably no nation on earth could beat us.

The problem we have when it comes to olympic games and international competitions is that our best athlethes compete in sports that are played nowhere else.

thebossanova · 24-02-2010 07:23PM

Oh pardon me! I didn't realise that two pasty white girls in a sled could make you blush.

General Zod · 24-02-2010 07:25PM

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Thats not true, we have invested in sports, just not ones that we can compete on at an international level. Some of the GAA facilities you find in even small communities are on a par with what you would expect to find in even a professional set up. If hurlers had taken up hockey, probably no nation on earth could beat us.

The problem we have when it comes to olympic games and international competitions is that our best athlethes compete in sports that are played nowhere else.

That's mostly the GAA investing in itself, in fairness. the Irish government has a terrible track record in investing in sports, even ones we can compete with such as athletics.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 24-02-2010 07:39PM

donfers wrote: »

I just want to know why do they bother? To fight for last place? To gain experience? In a million years these girls won't get close to a medal.

They're not fighting for last place, they're fighting for first place but not getting there.

But in their hearts they want to win, and so what if it never happens?.

The man who says it can't be done is the man who'll never do it!.

I fight in an olympic sport (Judo). I'll never get there, I'll never be a blip on the radar. But I've got national medals and walked away feeling like a champ, but the older I get the less this happens - but I continue to train & fight.

At my age now I compete as a 'Master' (old man stuff now

), so I might have a chance at something in at least the European master's.

Seeing as Judo is an Olympic sport and I'll never compete in an Olympic games should I give up, lie down & die?.

Fair play to the girls, I know what competition is like as the underdog & I'm very proud of their spirit & commitment.

Why do they bother?

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