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#1
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My latest whinge...
Now, this is something that has really bugged me for a while... so now I
have to say something about it... Funding for elite athletes. I just received an email talking about the Qld Govt providing funding for elite juniors to travel overseas. Honestly, I think this is great, because they should get the opportunity to represent their country. The unfortunate truth, however, is that if the parents/guardians/coaches of these juniors got off their butts, there would no doubt be plenty of corporate sponsors out there available to help. That's the way it is with elites - you're up to national rep level, you can get the funding. The Govt also seems to spend a lot of money on talent search programs (that don't seem to be coming up with much). Given that obesity levels in Australia are pretty appalling, and getting worse, does anyone else think that, instead of the govt spending money so much money on elite athletes, we should probably focus on encouraging EVERYONE to play sport? I see an emerging attitude that sport is for people who are good at it, and if you're not good at it, you shouldn't be doing it. Not everyone has this opinion but a lot do (and I have to say, I LOVE seeing overweight people getting out there and exercising with that determined look on their faces - if someone them they shouldn't do it, that would break my heart). It's pretty hypocritical given that there's a big push for everyone to have adequate education, and particularly university education (not just if you're good at it). I don't know what your childhood experience of sport was like, but mine went something like this: In summer, I was the queen of the pool, but I had no interest in swimming squad, so I never did it, I just swam for fun. Mum was wonderful and never made me go to a swimming squad either. So I did alright at our school swimming carnival, but never went further. My brother was a gifted tennis player who preferred soccer, so Mum let him play soccer. We're both very grateful to have parents who didn't try to live vicariously through us. I pretty much sucked at all other sports. We all had to sprint or play ball sports. I couldn't catch and throw all that well and if I tried to run fast I would trip myself up. (This still happens, hence converting to ultramarathon where I'm not expected to run so fast.) I would have a go, but the other kids would laugh at me. I would be the last kid picked for sport. So I would do everything in my power to avoid the ball or whatever we were playing with. For example if we were playing soccer I would be a defender, and I would tackle the attackers but would always pass the ball straight away and never try to move it upfield myself. I'd happily run around on the field all day, but get me to actually do something, I'd freak out. In touch football, I'd always make sure no one would pass to me, by being surrounded by opponents, but I'd love defending. I'd avoid any competition, anything where I had to line up against others. I especially hated team sports because I felt like such a waste of space, like I was letting the team down. I would practise catching at home, bouncing the ball off the wall, but no one thought to practise with me at school. The PE teachers didn't want anything to do with unco kids. Sport was for those who were good at it - the rest of us should just go back to the classroom. I guess it was fortunate that I liked running around anyway, because during high school I was no longer the worst at sport - all the girls who were worried about hair and appearances and so on were rapidly dropping past me. We did things like gymnastics and I then realised that I wasn't as uncoordinated as the continual subjection to humiliating ball sports had led me to believe. Eventually I noticed I was a bit fat so I started training. I developed a love for boxing and then judo and the associated fitness training led me to a love of running. Injury led me to the pool, where I found out I was still a competent swimmer, and the subsequent recovery led me to triathlon and then cycling. These were sports that I was never going to be brilliant at, but I enjoyed them. Improving myself was enough. I felt no need to judge myself against others. Now I am a trail ultra runner. I also enjoy mountain biking. I like these sports because the terrain challenges me more than any other competitor will. Maybe I'll always be an hour behind the marathon winner - but that doesn't matter to me. The winner would never laugh at me, she'd be impressed that I was out there running. An armchair sportsfan might laugh at me, but I'd just think they're a loser for watching when they could be playing. So I guess I feel like there is a serious lack of funding into promoting sport participation for everyone, and that's bad enough. But it seems even worse that there is a continual push for elite funding, spreading the message that sport is only for people who are really good at it. Tam |
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#2
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My latest whinge...
Tamyka Bell wrote: Now, this is something that has really bugged me for a while... so now I have to say something about it... Funding for elite athletes. I just received an email talking about the Qld Govt providing funding for elite juniors to travel overseas. Honestly, I think this is great, because they should get the opportunity to represent their country. The unfortunate truth, however, is that if the parents/guardians/coaches of these juniors got off their butts, there would no doubt be plenty of corporate sponsors out there available to help. That's the way it is with elites - you're up to national rep level, you can get the funding. The Govt also seems to spend a lot of money on talent search programs (that don't seem to be coming up with much). The other side of the coin is that how many of elite sportspeople, once they start earning big bucks, go and hide in tax havens and never put much back into the system that paid for their development? A significant number .. I'm all for mutual obligation in this context If we (the Australian Tax Payer) take a punt on some athlete, and they come good, then they should have to contribute back to the society that paid for a great chunk of their development. Given that obesity levels in Australia are pretty appalling, and getting worse, does anyone else think that, instead of the govt spending money so much money on elite athletes, we should probably focus on encouraging EVERYONE to play sport? Yes. Is there any relationship between participation rates in non-elite levels compared to elite level success? Any good studies you know of? Correlation is not causation, of course ie: Is there some connection between the amazing success of US elite sportspeople and the overall participation rate in sports in the US (or here, or anywhere?), or does Lance armstrong just get more people watching him on TV rather than going out and racing their bikes? |
#3
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My latest whinge...
Bleve wrote:
Is there any relationship between participation rates in non-elite levels compared to elite level success? Any good studies you know of? Correlation is not causation, of course ie: Is there some connection between the amazing success of US elite sportspeople and the overall participation rate in sports in the US (or here, or anywhere?), or does Lance armstrong just get more people watching him on TV rather than going out and racing their bikes? I don't know about cycling but in hockey there are countries like China with very few players but high level elite success. They look for athletic children who have the ability to be coached and put them into training to become world champions. I think Australian sports organisations do much the same. They don't care so much about whether you are a champion school level player at a particular sport but whether you have right the physical and mental attributes. Wasn't their an Australian in the winter olympics who came from Bundaberg or somewhere distinctly non-snowy who was selected for the toboggan (or whatever) because she could run quickly over ten metres? That said, I'm all for focussing on both elite and average sport. I've always had the attitude that I want to be active until I'm well into my old age. It heartens me to see people in my town playing hockey into their seventies and people actively cycling until they are well over eighty. P -- Peter McCallum Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA |
#4
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My latest whinge...
Tamyka Bell wrote:
So I would do everything in my power to avoid the ball or whatever we were playing with. For example if we were playing soccer I would be a defender, and I would tackle the attackers but would always pass the ball straight away and never try to move it upfield myself. I'd happily run around on the field all day, but get me to actually do something, I'd freak out. You would have fitted right into the English long ball game of the 80s/early 90s ... All you had to do was whack the ball up from defence to your strikers, bypassing the midfield along the way. FWIW, in the days when I was a rightback, I don't think I ventured beyond the half way line too many times. In fact, I don't know if I even left the 18 yard box ... |
#5
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My latest whinge...
Peter McCallum wrote: Bleve wrote: Is there any relationship between participation rates in non-elite levels compared to elite level success? Any good studies you know of? Correlation is not causation, of course ie: Is there some connection between the amazing success of US elite sportspeople and the overall participation rate in sports in the US (or here, or anywhere?), or does Lance armstrong just get more people watching him on TV rather than going out and racing their bikes? I don't know about cycling but in hockey there are countries like China with very few players but high level elite success. They look for athletic children who have the ability to be coached and put them into training to become world champions. I think maybe the more government-controlled societies may be a bit of a special case? (or maybe we're the special case, being a lot more free to do what we want? ) I think Australian sports organisations do much the same. They don't care so much about whether you are a champion school level player at a particular sport but whether you have right the physical and mental attributes. Wasn't their an Australian in the winter olympics who came from Bundaberg or somewhere distinctly non-snowy who was selected for the toboggan (or whatever) because she could run quickly over ten metres? Sure, but does that benefit "us" by getting more ordinary people out playing sport? Does it even affect grass-roots sport? My suggestion would be (no facts to back this up, it's a belief ) that focussing on elite sport may reduce grass-roots participation levels, but as above, that's just a belief, I don't know if it's the case. |
#6
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My latest whinge...
Tamyka Bell wrote:
I just received an email talking about the Qld Govt providing funding for elite juniors to travel overseas. Honestly, I think this is great, because they should get the opportunity to represent their country. The unfortunate truth, however, is that if the parents/guardians/coaches of these juniors got off their butts, there would no doubt be plenty of corporate sponsors out there available to help. There's one young boy I've played hockey with and against who looks like he has the potential to play for Australia. I see his father doing things like collecting money at the gate of the car park at the hockey grounds, working in the bar, umpiring, etc all to raise money to send his son away to regional/state/national titles. It's much the same for every parent out there with kids who are recognised to have talent. When you consider that the Hockeyroos have had massive success, including three straight Olympic gold medals, yet they were struggling to find a sponsor after the Sydney games when Telstra dumped them. The Matildas had to pose nude for a calendar to fund their Olympic campaign one year. While a lot of young players do get some sponsorship in the form of equipment, there isn't a lot of actual cash money available from private enterprise. When the money is available, the corporates want a clear understanding of exactly what they are getting in return for their contribution. It's not easy even if you are a skilled marketing guru to get that money, let alone a parent/coach whose real interest is sport. Peter -- Peter McCallum Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA |
#7
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My latest whinge...
Bleve wrote:
Tamyka Bell wrote: Now, this is something that has really bugged me for a while... so now I have to say something about it... Funding for elite athletes. I just received an email talking about the Qld Govt providing funding for elite juniors to travel overseas. Honestly, I think this is great, because they should get the opportunity to represent their country. The unfortunate truth, however, is that if the parents/guardians/coaches of these juniors got off their butts, there would no doubt be plenty of corporate sponsors out there available to help. That's the way it is with elites - you're up to national rep level, you can get the funding. The Govt also seems to spend a lot of money on talent search programs (that don't seem to be coming up with much). The other side of the coin is that how many of elite sportspeople, once they start earning big bucks, go and hide in tax havens and never put much back into the system that paid for their development? A significant number .. I'm all for mutual obligation in this context If we (the Australian Tax Payer) take a punt on some athlete, and they come good, then they should have to contribute back to the society that paid for a great chunk of their development. Exactly - students are expected to pay back HECS debts, and even students on PhD scholarships will as postdocs contribute tax (in a higher bracket than from their undergrad degree) - oh except that with no incentive to keep scientists in Australia, most head overseas... Given that obesity levels in Australia are pretty appalling, and getting worse, does anyone else think that, instead of the govt spending money so much money on elite athletes, we should probably focus on encouraging EVERYONE to play sport? Yes. Is there any relationship between participation rates in non-elite levels compared to elite level success? Any good studies you know of? Correlation is not causation, of course snip No studies I know of. |
#8
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My latest whinge...
Peter McCallum wrote:
snip While a lot of young players do get some sponsorship in the form of equipment, there isn't a lot of actual cash money available from private enterprise. When the money is available, the corporates want a clear understanding of exactly what they are getting in return for their contribution. It's not easy even if you are a skilled marketing guru to get that money, let alone a parent/coach whose real interest is sport. True. However if they were provided with a sponsorship proposal package on which they could base their sponsorship requests, it'd be a lot easier for them to get the sponsorship. Easier than doing it on their own, anyway, and probably cheaper than implementing a massive strategy to provide funding for this and that... The cost of sending one young person to one international event is significantly less than the cost of sponsoring a team. It's the kind of thing that a local community business can do, to get people in there. It's the kind of thing that, ESPECIALLY in small towns, everyone will chip in an extra buck here or there to get the kid going. And my gripe isn't really with young talented kids getting money - so they should. I just think that promoting sport only for elites is a really fscked up idea. More healthy people participating in sport = lower health costs = more money for elite sport anyway, eventually, right? Tam |
#9
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My latest whinge...
Tamyka Bell wrote:
Given that obesity levels in Australia are pretty appalling, and getting worse, does anyone else think that, instead of the govt spending money so much money on elite athletes, we should probably focus on encouraging EVERYONE to play sport? Well, not sport, but certainly more recreational[1] activities. but that isn't a popular attitude. I do not support kids engaging in competitive sport outside their local area as i think until they are adults, it should be about fun, then they can decide if they want to compete heavily. Not in favour of the AIS either, but I'm not interested in any sport that I don't play. {:-). [1] loaded definition folks {:-) |
#10
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My latest whinge...
"Tamyka Bell" wrote in message ... Now, this is something that has really bugged me for a while... so now I have to say something about it... Funding for elite athletes. I just received an email talking about the Qld Govt providing funding for elite juniors to travel overseas. Honestly, I think this is great, because they should get the opportunity to represent their country. The unfortunate truth, however, is that if the parents/guardians/coaches of snip funky rantage even worse that there is a continual push for elite funding, spreading the message that sport is only for people who are really good at it. Tam This is something that really needs more attention. I'm not good at sports of any kind really, and never have been. I'm not fast on the bike and I don't race. But I enjoy riding and while I'm still a fat *******, I'm becoming a fit fat *******. Apparently this is miles better healthwise than being skinny and unfit. I'd rather be lean and fit but that hasn't happened yet. Some encouragement to get out and just DO could be pretty readily worked into sports telecasting and other promotion. Get the athletes in front of the camera: "You've just seen me *insert sports activity* for *insert time period*. Now it's your turn. Get out there and enjoy yourself." Or something. I'm sure there are plenty of them who'd be happy to promote actual participation. |
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