The party's nearly over...

[Tin basher]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19228232

Better than being mortared said one, I'd just like to be at home says another, top brass issuing platitudes. So how was it for you?

 

[firestorm]

Though no longer in military uniform I feel I can say from experience of working there that the military personnel have been a key part of the success of the games. The common sense approach (watch and learn G4S asda lookalike numpties) and the professional attitude (no surprise there though) shown by the military were very reassuring.

A couple of questions.

Are you staying on site with us for the paralympics and if so in what numbers?

Its been a long slog with some very long hours (and I'm only half way through!) but I'm proud to have done my bit.

 

[gemarriott]

Has there been an Olympics?

You'd have thought somebody would have mentioned it!

 

[MrMasher]

I can honestly say that it's the worst thing I have ever been a part of during my service career.

 

[gemarriott]

I can honestly say that it's the worst thing I have ever been a part of during my service career.

In what way mate?

I know the ticket sales were a fcuk up as well as the security. You lads pulled their nuts out of the fire pretty much on both. The volunteer system seemed to work pretty well in hosting and sheperding the athletes and in doing the marshalling jobs.

The competitions themselves have bee pretty amazing, something for everyone and lets face it the ladies beach vollyball was pleasing on the eye.

Even the transport system coped well.

 

[MrMasher]

I don't really want to say much more at the moment for fear of getting witch hunted.

All I will give you for now is left hand, right hand and morale hoovering.

 

[John Lloyd]

Burn the Witch!

Everything is clockwork, I'm sure.

 

[UlsterExile]

For the Exile Family it was ACE, as we had managed to get tickets for the swimming and 10m diving final. Now I did speak to some people I know who are on duty down there. There is a mix of being stitched up like a kipper and brilliant. They have worked long hours and got very little thanks for stepping in at the last minute. Imagine if this was four years later and a dimished armed forces I don't think we would have been able to provide what we did.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

The party's nearly over...

So, the great sporting p1ss up that is the Olympic games is nearly over. Holby City will be back on TV on Saturdays, 'Stenders will move back to BBC1 and news bulletins will contain news that just depresses or angers us once again and the whingers that didn't utter a word for the last fortnight because they knew nobody cared what they thought can come out from under their rocks. DT_Xtremez_14:
Personally, I loved it. Yes, I thought we'd screw it up and that opportunism and self-interest would rule the day in the form of industrial action and other attention seeking guff, but it didn't. It thereatened to but it didn't. 65 medals for Team GB, 29 of them golds with some unforgetable moments and performances.
So, where do we go from here? How do we get the next generation of kids to follow through the perhaps temporary inspiration they've had through seeing diminuitive Laura Trott powering round the Velodrome to win gold, into sporting endeavours of their own?
And what about attendences at sporting events, paying customers being the lifeblood of some sports clubs. Lets face it, the public are by-and-large big game Charlies, they'll turn up for the Olympics but ask the chairmen of the lower league football clubs where all the fans who suddenly want tickets for a play-off final at Wembley or visit of a Premier league club go on wet nights in February, and they'll tell it you isn't to their local team.
So, can we carry this through or will it all wither on the vine and die. Lets hope not....

 

[fatal14]

If it wasn't for some older and more experienced blokes it would have been a total clusterf**k. As it was it was just a cluster. Long hours and little thanks. So glad I get to repeat it for the paralympics!!

 

[Rocket_Ronster]

So, where do we go from here?

We cut everything left to pay for the party.
Then we slowly discover, over the coming months, what bad news was buried while the country was congratulating itself. Heres a starter, the Govt has pledged half a billion quid for two years backing of our athletes. I don`t know what happened to the Lottery picking up the tab.

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

 

[muttywhitedog]

I wonder how many days (hours?) it will be before Robert Peston, the doom-monger general, returns to our screens reminding the world that despite being rather good (well actually, fcuking awesome) at organising the biggest sporting spectacle in the world, and despite most of the whole country being inspired by our athletes surpassing expectations, Spain's unemployment levels, or the Greek debt should be a catalyst for us to slash our wrists.

On the bright side, I'm looking forward to Vim returning to the Forum!

 

[muttywhitedog]

I was bag-searched by the Paras yesterday at the North Greenwich Arena. They were slick, professional, friendly and damned efficient. No queues, no fuss, no drama.

I was extremely pleased to see them all file into the basketball arena once their VSF stint was over to enjoy some top class sport from the courtside seats, which appeared to have been set aside for all those employed on stewarding duties.

 

[grumpyoldb]

Chav scum will rush out this week to kit the whole brood out with new reeboks to wear whilst watching daytime telly and shoving more crisps and take aways into their mouths.

After that, back to normal.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

We cut everything left to pay for the party.

Already paid for.

Then we slowly discover, over the coming months, what bad news was buried while the country was congratulating itself.

Suggesting you weren't joining in the congratulations but were sat on the outside? Everyone else out of step eh?

Heres a starter, the Govt has pledged half a billion quid for two years backing of our athletes. I don`t know what happened to the Lottery picking up the tab.

The lottery is still providing £125m per annum funding.

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.

No you can't just sit an bask in the glow of success, but you can use success as a springboard to propel yourself forwards. Whether that can be done remains to be seen.

 

[Rocket_Ronster]

Already paid for.

Honestly ?
Do you believe that ?
What about `the legacy` ? When West Ham/Spurs/Barnet turn round and say they`re not gonna pay umpteen million for the stadium, who do you think will pick up the shortfall ? Because i`ve a fair idea it`ll be that unemptyable bank-the UK taxpayer.

Suggesting you weren't joining in the congratulations but were sat on the outside? Everyone else out of step eh?

I didn`t watch the opening ceremony.
I haven`t seen a single event.
I won`t be watching the closing event.

I hope i am out of step with the population at large. Because that population gave us Blair, Brown and now Cameron, showing what a track record of judgement it possesses.

The lottery is still providing £125m per annum funding.

Good, let the idiots pay for the games. Shame the tax-payer is putting in twice as much.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

Honestly ?
Do you believe that ?
What about `the legacy` ? When West Ham/Spurs/Barnet turn round and say they`re not gonna pay umpteen million for the stadium, who do you think will pick up the shortfall ? Because i`ve a fair idea it`ll be that unemptyable bank-the UK taxpayer.

We shall see shan't we? No point arguing about something that hasn't happened yet.

I didn`t watch the opening ceremony.
I haven`t seen a single event.
I won`t be watching the closing event.

I hope i am out of step with the population at large. Because that population gave us Blair, Brown and now Cameron, showing what a track record of judgement it possesses.

Fine, the olympics were never going to be for everybody. But to suggest your judgement is better than the majority of the populations? Hmmm, whats it like looking down on everyone from upon that lofty perch knowing you are right and everyone else is wrong and yet also knowing there's not one tiny thing you can realistically do about it?

Tell me, whats sort of country do you envisage as ideal? What would you spend money on? Would it all be on utilitarian things or would you allow people a little bit of escapism at the taxpayers expense?

 

[Downsizer]

I for one was massively sceptical. But I really enjoyed it.

 

[briggfairy]

Dear god your depressing rocket I'm pretty sure you would find something to moan about if you won the lottery

Let's face it politicians will always find something to throw money at so for once I'm very pleased that it was spent on something to make us as a nation feel proud and maybe inspire people to want more than just easy benefit money and that hard work can have very very big rewards

 

[Stevienics]

I was way, way wrong I readily admit it (which became pretty obvious right from the off), and it was much much more than I thought it would be and we won a helluva lot more than demographics alone might imply we would - maybe there just might be something in multiculturalism after all.

But

We are not stupid people on this forum, however diverse the opinions might sometimes be. I think we sort of get a feel for the vox pop and the fickleness of the customer base, and how the big event will always win over people but longer term tenacity either in support or participation in sport (or in any arduous pursuit) is by no means a natural by-product of that single event.

To answer the question, I think it is a matter of philosophy. For every winner there will be thousands of losers, so statistically the chances are the upcoming generation will fill the latter role. For too long we have been beguiling youth that this is not the case - we were not honest enought to tell the truth because the path of least resistance is placation in the form of "everybody wins". It is, of course, utter nonsense for they all find out in due course anyway. Perhaps an Olympics of such brilliant british magnitude is not the best place to instill the values of sport simply for the sake of participation in young people - it's not going to be like that.

To get widespread engagement even in the face of lousy odds means other values need to come to the fore; Being in a team, looking and feeling good, winning at the level at which you compete, the sheer joy that comes one day with stopping doing a thing that hurts so comprehensively, and yet the next day comes so easily to you that you feel that you could take on the world. Testing yourself and not finding yourself wanting - sure, watch the olympics of 2012 and emulate them, but these are the things that stick to the psyche like shyte to a blanket. For a more widespread good, these are the things we ought to push.