John Wesley Harding wrote:
In addition to that, the whole race is in lanes and you can hardly see the athletes as individuals since they’re wearing swim caps and submerged in water.
At least you can’t see their junk flopping around like in t&f.
John Wesley Harding wrote:
In addition to that, the whole race is in lanes and you can hardly see the athletes as individuals since they’re wearing swim caps and submerged in water.
At least you can’t see their junk flopping around like in t&f.
Rodney Gaines does an excellent job. I'm surprised they still let him announce with his daughter's platform. I'm pleased they let him. And I like her stance.
Danicmic1 wrote:
Rodney Gaines does an excellent job. I'm surprised they still let him announce with his daughter's platform. I'm pleased they let him. And I like her stance.
His name is Rowdy, not Rodney, and he’s not related to Riley.
this and this wrote:
No- track is better.
Swimming has less time between events because every event starts in the same place, there are no hurdles or steeplechase in swimming, no real field events in swimming (diving sort of is) and winners do not take victory laps around the pool.
Track also has field events which sometimes slow action on the track itself. Track has multi event competitions like the decathlon of which there is no equivalent in swimming.
The various events in track have roots in real life situations and that adds interest and diversity to the sport.
Both track and swimming have issues with their different and non-standard methods of movement. In track there is race walking, and in swimming you have the three other strokes aside from freestyle. The events that constrain movement are less popular.
If track was like swimming there would be a full slate of distances for racewalking, along with one-legged and crawling on hands and knees races too.
As much as it pains me to admit (breaststroke was by far, my best event when I swam in college), this is true. The strokes make no sense, but they have been around for a long time so they are fully accepted in the swimming community.
I would however equate breaststroke to racewalking, backstroke to backwards running, and butterfly is like some kind of speed hopping where you travel around the track with both feet always landing together and judges watching for any separation to DQ. Hurdles make much more sense than any of these form based strokes (or racewalking for that matter).
dog paddle wrote:
I agree. Announcers are into it. One race after another do little dead. The longer swim races are pretty boring but then.....
Agree, plus being indoors/confined adds intensity.
They show the whole race as opposed to cutting away
At least in swimming no one will trip and fall .
Swimming is actually a pretty strange sport, when you think about it.
If track were like swimming, we'd have at least five different ways to run from point A to point B, and each different running "stroke" would be considered its own event.
You could have athletes who specialize in running backwards, running on their hands, running with a pronounced heel strike, running on all fours, running with your hands clasped behind your back, or running a "medley" of all of those styles.
Swimming is the sporting equivalent of the Ministry of Silly Walks. That's why Michael Phelps has 23 gold medals.
Any other swimmers winning as medals many or even close as Phelps? He dominated the sport. Different strokes
different strokes wrote:
Any other swimmers winning as medals many or even close as Phelps?
No, obviously. But the point is that athletes in a sport like track can't approach anything like the medal haul of swimmers because track doesn't offer as many variations on the same theme.
But yes, Phelps has been by far the best at mastering a lot of silly walks.
Huminu wrote:
Less time between events. Not as much wasted time between events. Announcers sound excited.
I love track and field but we do a horrible job promoting it.
OP should surf on over to letsswim.com.
different strokes wrote:
Any other swimmers winning as medals many or even close as Phelps? He dominated the sport. Different strokes
Phelps has 13 individual Olympic golds. The second among men is four. Marchand could win his 4th in 200IM. I don't think he will catch Phelps, but he will be distancing the pack in the next Olympics.
The women's leader is Ledecky with seven. If she wins 800, that will be her 8th. I think it will be very hard to win five more after that.
Swimming is getting a bit spicy with the drama unfolding with the Chinese swimmers pulling a burger version of Shelby's burrito-gate. Now, Chinese swimmers are complaining that swimmers from the West are giving them the cold shoulder and looking down on them because they are Chinese. Of course, the swimmers are all pissed at the Chinese swimmers because they are obviously doping, especially after the 100m free WR the other night.