to think that Athletics are really rubbish!

[Portofino]

We saw the end of this last night. I find it hard to believe that grown men can spend their whole lives practising to jump higher and higher over a pole. What kind of job is this for anyone? It's dull to watch too.

I was gobsmacked that they were blaming their inability to jump over the pole on the DAMP! I mean damp is a problem when you have it in your house, but how the feck does it affect your jumping ability?

Don't watch it if you find it dull.

'What kind of job is this for anyone? It's dull to watch too.'

Well it beats sitting in a two hour meeting about pot holes. In Flemish.

man hole covers even

Athletics > Big Brother, I dare say.

I imagine that kind of repetitive practise becomes an addictive obsession, like many other activities. Can you not admire their skill, if nought else? I mean, HOW does someone manage to jump 17m (long jump)? That's amazing, imho.

I think you can make the same comment about most sports in general; grown men chasing a ball around a field, wtf is the point of that? Especially when the sport in question is Golf.

Each June DH follows Wimbledon closely and insists on telling me all about it (at which point I start hunting for razor blades).

I follow the Tour de France avidly, which may seem the most pointless of all. But there's so much strategy and personality in it, when you really get to know how the competition works, I find it riveting .

You can apply that logic to all sport can't you?

But it's hard not to be impressed by a man that can run 100 metres in 9.5 seconds.

Of course you could suggest that these rubbish athletes are giving the youngsters of today, someone to lookup to, admire and want to follow maybe? Even suggest that it might get people off their butts and do a bit of excercise?

I love all sport, so I think ybu, but like PBK says, not everyone has to like every sport.

belgo, you're quite right - it isn't THAT dull!

I have to admit that running very fast is quite impressive. But I stand my ground on the high jump being pointless! As is golf as PBK quite rightly points out.

Athletics is fantastic for children. Sadly neglected in schools, especially primary schools.

You don't have to be good with a ball, you don't have to be able to run fast, you don't have to have long legs.. there's something for everyone to do well at. So many disciplines to try.

It's so fantastic and so easy and should be cheap. You can buy the right size discus and shot for as young as six year olds and most can learn to enjoy a bit of sport and to cheer on others freely, because they've got their own speciality and are not left out of "the team".

The only things you can't really do are javelin and pole vault. Everyone can have a go at hurdles and relay.
I love athletics

this Jesse Owen stuff is giving me goose pimples

i also think it's sadly neglected in schools

one of the things I remember about school athletics (as we did it at school) is that everyone could do something. Didn't matter if you couldn't run, you could throw something. If you couldn't throw, you could jump etc. etc. Everyone (well virtually everyone) enjoyed one of the activities.

Yes you're right about it being a good sport for school children - at least it's something that everyone can get a fair go at, unlike netball and rounders where you stand there waiting for ages to be picked by one of the team captains and when you do finally get picked you get given a crap position

lol belgo

I have fond memories of doing the long jump (only chosen because the sand pit was right at the far corner of the athletics field which meant lazing about for ages till anyone checked we were doing anything ).

Maybe I have always hated it after having an excellent record in the 200m but losing badly on sports day! LOL Belgo, the picking of school Netball teams has led to long lasting trauma in many cases! I was always GD. I have grown up friends who still play!

Yabvu

How can you not be inspired by someone smashing the world record twice by some amazing distance?

Or Jessica Ennis and Philips Odowu winning their events.

I think watching anybody do their sport well is inspiring,it beats teenagers gathering at street corners drinking and smoking and so on

(I am a big athletics fan,can you tell,lol)

Re the damp,it slows down take off speed,thus giving less momentum.

Sorry.Bit of athletics bore.As a teen I ran for my county but wasn't good enough to get to national level.

It takes LOTS of practice and hard work.I used to train 4x a week just as a rather untalented junior.

Like any sports the best ones make it look easy