The Games

[*Sarah*]

Has anyone been watching the Games lead-up on Channel 4? The competition starts tonight and the men and women are doing gymnastics, coached by Colin Still, which led me to the following question.....


Have the competitiors become members of BG? :)

Are they insured - Lisa Maffia had a belly piercing in on trampoline the other day... ;)

[Crystal]

And Colin Still wearing a watch whilst coaching?!

[*Sarah*]

Just to let you know, if you don't already that is, that the women are doing their floor routines tonight and the men are doing vault!

I'm not sure if Philip Olivier is going to be doing a half on half off as I saw him doing one in one of the training shows.

[Eric Williams]

It just looks like a watch in fact it is his pace maker.BG issue to all it's old staff.

[jack]

I would assume that the participants are insured through the film company and not BG!!

This jewellery business is a bit of a joke IMO. So what if he's wearing a watch.

[Jen]

Yes you are right, the jewelery issue is all a bit of a joke. It should all be 'so what' if he is wearing a watch/ gymnast has a belly piercing.

However BG are intent on enforcing us to abide by all the health and safety rules, so when someone so public as Colin Still or the celebrity athletes break a rule I think we have a right to be put off! What makes them any different to us?!

Yes no doubt they are all insured a thousand times over by various production companies, but the issue of them being BG members is interesting. I would put money on the fact that they don't have it.
Also being that training and competition is taking place at certain venues, under the new insurance rules does this mean that Colin Still is coaching outside of his BG membership?!

[Gingerheid]

Aw... Am I finally missing a good programme for not having a TV? :confused::(

[DJC]

I missed last night's show. Who won vault and floor?

(Eric Williams I say, hullo!)

[Laura]

Kevin won vault with a half on half off (9.35)
Kirsty won floor (9.00)

[*Sarah*]

BUT Kirsty obviously forgot her floor routine and walked a bit whereas Anna did a lovely routine, even finishing her moves! Ok so Kirsty's somi was better but they both touched on landing....

[Sarah]

I was well impressed with the men's vaults. To learn a 1/2 on 1/2 off in 8 sessions is pretty good going. The women weren't bad either. They had a good go at the front somi. Well done to all of them I reckon!

[Dave]

Although i was pleased with how everyone gave the gymnastics a real good go, i was alittle surprised at how high the scores were considering there were bent arms and legs all over the place - maybe im being a bit harsh on them but surely it makes a small mockery of gymnasts who train hard and get lower marks.

[Jasmine Lee]

I kind of agree with Dave I'm going to find it hard to explain to my younger and neater trampolinists why they didn't get 8.5 like Kirsty even though their routines were far superior and why they have to learn certain moves in order with increased neatness when the contestants of the games pretty much tired the front somersault on their first go on a trampoline.

[Janice]

Does anyone know if Colin Still is qualified to coach trampolining? I was not impressed by what I saw, but I missed the fact that he was wearing a watch well spotted.

I was obviously that traumatised by the lack of somi supports to notice as I spent most of the time with my head in my hands waiting for someone to land on their heads.

[Vivien Gourlay]

Don't you think you could just watch this as an entertaining programme and think how well everyone has done in such a short space of time and consider all the sports they are having to learn.

These people would be in the Veteran's section and their scores would be worked out according to their ages. "Real" gymnasts should know not to compare the scoring system.

This is a big plus having gymnastics shown in this series and can only do the sport a lot of good in the publicity stakes. Nit picking does not.

Somebody had to coach it so why not Colin Still? We should be trying to encourage everyone regardless of age to take up and keep up training in gymnastics.

I have not been an ardent follower of this programme but have enjoyed the bits I have watched and take my hat off to them for having the courage. I certainly do not think I could dive from a High board after this amount of coaching nor go out and perform a front somersault.

We should get them all to come to the next gymnaestrada and join the mass display team.

[Gingerheid]

Most TV is rather speeded up and makes things look rather easier than they actually are. Anyone tried cooking up a proper meal in 20 mins or whatever it is, or tried making a model at the same speed as an art program, or redecorated an entire house complete with new handmade furniture between sunrise and sunset, or magically transformed the back garden between the school run and the misses getting home from the shops?

And in reality - they had to present the program to a wider audience than just trampolining anoraks - the judges were never going to be allowed to look at a routine and give it mainly .4s!

[Jasmine Lee]

Good point but I still think that a simpler routine and maybe a separate skills section may have been more appropriate and maybe prevented mel from flying onto her face as the somersault was complulsory yet the back drop 1/2 twist wasn't and surely the front somersault is so much more difficult and adds extra pressure onto the already difficult event.

[Gingerheid]

I can't comment on the quality of the somies as I didn't watch the program... but perhaps they missed an opportunity to explain how you can be worse off messing up a somy than if you leave it out, even in the set.

[DJC]

It was more interesting with the risk involved. I'm sure they signed many things to say if they were injured it was their own fault, and they accepted that because they're not complete cowards.