The Boat Race

[Doon frae Troon]

To make it more interesting, I suggest they move it from the Thames to the Clyde

 

[Deleted member 15344]

To make it more interesting, I suggest they move it from the Thames to the Clyde

And have the Highland Games on Salisbury Plain

 

[srixon 1]

During a visit to Glasgow in the 1980's, aboard one of Her Majesty's war ships, we had to clear the upper decks when we sailed out of the place as the local idiots were hitting golf balls at the ship.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Not saying the boat race is in any way eliteist but noticed there weren't too many Sharons, Shanices or Britneys rowing for the ladies.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Not saying the boat race is in any way eliteist but noticed there weren't too many Sharons, Shanices or Britneys rowing for the ladies.

It's a race between two of the elitist Uni's in the country - it's only ever going to be that way

 

[JohnnyDee]

It's a race between two of the elitist Uni's in the country - it's only ever going to be that way

Agreed, but wouldn't be great if there was just the odd one or two.

Listening to the interviews with the men then it seems there will be no shortage of prospective parliamentary candidates for the Tories in the coming years.

OK? Yah!

Bunch of damn good blokes.

 

[Farneyman]

Do they still dip their cox in the water at the end?

 

[JohnnyDee]

Do they still dip their cox in the water at the end?

I suspect not only at the end but throughout the whole process and at every possible opportunity too.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Well done the Light Blues!

Although at my advanced years oughtn't that to be the 'Pale Greens'?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

During a visit to Glasgow in the 1980's, aboard one of Her Majesty's war ships, we had to clear the upper decks when we sailed out of the place as the local idiots were hitting golf balls at the ship.

Those Helensborugh and Cardross members can be a bit strange.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Not saying the boat race is in any way eliteist but noticed there weren't too many Sharons, Shanices or Britneys rowing for the ladies.

I did notice that some of them had about five names.
Now that is just greedy.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Well done to the female Cambridge team. They may have lost the race but what a fantastic effort to keep the boat going and above water (just at times) and get to the end. Mind you looking at them and the gents, definitely what you call posh totty. Having read about what goes into getting into a blues boat and then training and maintaining studies, its a big committment. Never realised there's so many Oxford v Cambridge university matches on so many different sports

 

[JohnnyDee]

Reference the plaudits and brickbats heaped upon oarsmen - then I fear I'm about to upset the apple cart and even now I'm reaching for my tin hat and placing a phone directory down the back of my pants.

Rowing is at best a marginal sport indulged in, by and large, by well-heeled well-off rich kids. The overall global pool of talent is pretty small compared to most mainline sports, and so emerging top of that particular heap is, IMO, great but hardly the same as achieving McIlroy, Woods, Borg, McEnroe, Pele, Messi or Djokovic status.

Britain was in the doldrums global sporting success-wise when Redgrave, Pincent and the others won world and Olympic titles.

Please don't get me wrong, their dedication and achievements were laudable, but to me, only in a big fish in a small pool kind of way - they were hardly earth-shattering on the global sporting stage but nevertheless the honours showered around them like confetti.

I find the idea of awarding knighthoods in such circumstances pretty meaningless and it always makes me wince when I hear any of them announced with their full handles.

*Runs for cover*

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Reference the plaudits and brickbats heaped upon oarsmen - then I fear I'm about to upset the apple cart and even now I'm reaching for my tin hat and placing a phone directory down the back of my pants.

Rowing is at best a marginal sport indulged in, by and large, by well-heeled well-off rich kids. The overall global pool of talent is pretty small compared to most mainline sports, and so energing top of that particular heap is, IMO, great but hardly the same as achieving McIlroy, Woods, Borg, McEnroe, Pele, Messi or Djokovic status.

Britain was in the doldrums global success-wise when Redgrave, Pincent and the others won world and Olympic titles.

Please don't get me wrong, their dedication and achievements were laudable, but to me, only in a big fish in a small pool kind of way - they were hardly earth-shattering on the global sporting stage but nevertheless the honours flowed like confetti.

I find the idea of awarding knighthoods in such circumstances pretty meaningless and it always makes me wince when I hear any of them announced with their full handles.

*Runs for cover*

Up to a point it has always been an elitist sport but you could say the same about things like show jumping and dressage at international level. I think like many sports they are trying to make it more accessible but things like the university race will always be about the well off as that's where a large majority (not all and again the universities are making more places available for bright children from more modest backgrounds - that got away from me but I hope you understand where I'm trying to go with it) are from.

I think you can argue about many sports being classed as marginal. It doesn't make it right or wrong necessarily. As for knighthoods, I'm not convinced about the honours system in its entirity and we've a long history of rewarding sportsmen and women at the very top of their chosen sport so it's nothing new

 

[Tongo]

All a bit ironic on a golf forum. Not exactly a sport with the most inclusive of pasts.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Up to a point it has always been an elitist sport but you could say the same about things like show jumping and dressage at international level.

I agree, you could as indeed I would. And in all honesty I find the honours system an arcane, outdated, anachronistic and completely pointless institution and have little or no time for it whatsoever.

All a bit ironic on a golf forum. Not exactly a sport with the most inclusive of pasts.

Disagree here as although golf is not the world's biggest sport it is nevertheless pretty big, and what's more, it has millions of aspirant players the world over - unlike rowing which I imagine has a really small handful by comparison.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not done any research or googled it (sure some will) but I'd argue there are probably more boat clubs around in the UK than you'd think. Granted not on the scale of golf clubs. A lot will be working hard at local levels with kids from all backgrounds. Same with many sports

 

[JohnnyDee]

Not done any research or googled it (sure some will) but I'd argue there are probably more boat clubs around in the UK than you'd think. Granted not on the scale of golf clubs. A lot will be working hard at local levels with kids from all backgrounds. Same with many sports

I'm sure there well may be but the mechanism for their sport to be brought to the public conscience is nowhere near as advanced as that of golf.

All walks of life and stratas of society play golf at club level, whereas I'm sure the same can't be said of boat clubs. And what's more boat clubs are not the same as those promoting regatta style sporting events.

 

[dewsweeper]

Elitist sport.
One you do not have any interest in yourself!
As an aside, the irony of a sport being described as elitist on a golf forum.

 

[JohnnyDee]

Elitist sport.

One you do not have any interest in yourself!

Not at all. For me it's one that is played by the perceived upper classes and / or more affluent, as opposed to those played by all stratas of society.

I might be blinded by my own fascination with golf - but let me ask a completely genuine question.

Compared to rowing or showjumping is golf really just as elitist as either?