Commentating Cliches

I watch a lot of gymnastics. There are a lot of different commentators with different styles, but there are some quotes that crop up quite a lot. Commentators always want to have something to say, since they are pretty much paid to talk. There seem to be some sayings that they feel that they always need to say.

If I actually drank alcohol, I think I could make a drinking game about for each gymnastics meet.

I list some of these below.

On events...

• On floor, you can let your personality shine out.
• Beam is the most difficult event to start on, because the adrenaline means that it is hard to stay on.
• Vault is a great event to start on, because it lets you get some of your energy out of the way.
• In bars, it is important to hit all those handstands.

On elite gymnastics

• Three up and three count. That is a lot of pressure.
• Yuchenko double. We are going to see a lot of those today.

On college gymnastics

• In college gymnastics, it is all about the team.
• When you make a mistake, you know that your team is behind you.
• Yuchenko full. We are going to see a lot of those today.

Just generally

• On all events: It is important to stick that landing (you could argue that in elite, sticking the landing is less important than it used to be).
• Right now, this gymnast is probably mentally visualizing their routine.
• Both/all the teams in this meet want to win (well, obviously).

I am back...

Well, it has been an interesting few months with summer holidays, seeing family that I have not seen for ten years and I spent lots of time on the beach. Body surfing involved a number of somersaults and twists. The trick with it is to go with the direction of the surf rather than against, and then you can do skills that would never be possible in reality, at least for me.

But anyway, from now I on, I will attempt to write at least one blog every week.

Now I have a twitter... @Gymadmirer so I can be followed.

A very overdue take on the last year of gymnastics will come soon.

My secret

New Zealand is a rugby playing nation. When there is a match by our rugby team, the All Blacks, the country almost stops to watch it. For a few weeks, it is the default topic of conversation for everyone. When the All Blacks lose, the newspapers and magazines are smoothered in black ink, and the reasons the loss are debated all around the country. Was it the coach, the team, one single player? Is it a defect in New Zealand's national character? They say that the economy nose-dives, and that incidents of domestic violence increase when we lose a rugby match. I can believe it. As a country, we seem to define ourselves by rugby.

I am a New Zealander.

I have a secret.

I don't like rugby. I have tried to watch matches many times without success. I always end up reading whatever is nearby instead, whether it be an advertising circular, accounting textbook, or chocolate bar packet. The rugby world cup is next year, and I am seriously contemplating leaving the country while it is on, because between the media hype and the conversations at work, it is already starting to bore me.

I prefer gymnastics.

I did do gymnastics once. I wasn't that good at it. Unfortunately, gymnastics required a number of qualities that I did not have. Co-ordination was one of these. My best skill combination was a cartwheel plus cat leap on the beam. Most of the time, I ended up off the beam rather than on. I would cat-leap off, or land my cartwheel at the side. But on rare occasions, I landed both skills on the beam. I was proud of this, but my proudest moment was getting first on the floor(out of 6 girls), and an orange certificate. I quit for some reason. It was just an unspoken thing at my school that only 11 and 12 year olds did gymnastics.

A couple of years ago, I found out that you can watch gymnastics videos on Youtube. When I first started, I did not know the names of all the skills, or who the gymnasts were. Now through a combination of blogs and youtube videos, I am learning. Yet there is a certain distance between me and the sport I love to watch. Unlike rugby fans, I don't rate my chances of finding a competition of my favourite sport in my backyard. This blog is an attempt to connect with other gymnastics fans and express some of my opinions.