TOP 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE OLY TRIALS TV COVERAGE

1) Have F1-like coverage of distance races. I want to know the speed of EACH lap, for EACH runner. I want _all_ breaks/surges covered, from _everywhere_ in the field. I want analysis about stride length, breathing patterns, etc.

2) Use multiple cameras for different packs of runners.

3) In addition to the arial view of marks, use computer technology to mark where others have thrown.

(PLEASE KEEP THIS THREAD CONSTRUCTIVE)

Have the announcers knowledgable enough to understand that it's not automatically the top 3 that go - (the A standard thing) - and that a slow race may guarantee that the winner doesn't qualify.

Incorporate views like that of the 1:27 - 2:02 mark in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Q3WFonQUAok

Oh, and officially ban the word "gangbusters."

i'm a runner and I can't sit through 25 laps of boringness....sorry

false starts add to the tension of the race

btw....do you not think sprint fans would be pissed if they showed the whole f***ing 10k and cut the false starts?

its all about balance...and a 30 min race just doesn't cut it when the broadcast is trying to appeal to a lot of people

ooooh, I really like the idea of different cameras for different packs in the distance group. It would be easy to cut the screen in half horizontally to show both packs.

ya that race camera was really cool. they should do that all the time for the distance races and maybe a couple of aerial shots once in a while

uh_no wrote:

boringness

What's the difference between this word and 'boredom'?

30 minute split screen shot of full 10k / allison felix's booty

Exactly!!! This brilliant shot shows the speed and thrill of running even for the layperson. It along with say split screen overheads and flying cameras through the turns to create a full 400m dynamic view of the race would do a lot to show the action and excite viewers. And F-1 commentary would help too. And get a European to announce.

Really, the first posters ideas are great. Nothing the TV guys couldnt come up with themselves if they werent so busy drinking the \"cool aid\" of the past. CBC in cananda does a great job with track and field. It would be so easy to do it right.

Maybe Jackie Stewart and his scottish accent? Not European, I know, but close. It would hold viewers interest becuse people would be thinking "WTF did he just say?"

DUELIST wrote:

Exactly!!! This brilliant shot shows the speed and thrill of running even for the layperson. It along with say split screen overheads and flying cameras through the turns to create a full 400m dynamic view of the race would do a lot to show the action and excite viewers. And F-1 commentary would help too. And get a European to announce.

Do not broadcast anything live. Take a couple hours after the race to edit footage, and then go to broadcast. There's too much going on at a track meet, and too much boring stuff that needs to be cut out, for a live broadcast to be effective.

Also, the camera work in the video that someone posted above is fantastic. Good camera placement (and movement) makes the track events much more entertaining. The issue of American track announcers has been discussed enough in the past, so I'll leave it alone.

That first point is great! I love F1 and I always wonder why track announcers don't watch it and learn.

Bob Varsha (F1 announcer) was an Oly Trials marathoner.

my opinions wrote:

Do not broadcast anything live. Take a couple hours after the race to edit footage, and then go to broadcast. There's too much going on at a track meet, and too much boring stuff that needs to be cut out, for a live broadcast to be effective.

I disagree. This has been done in the past by the usual U.S. broadcasting team and, coupled with poor commentators, makes for bad presentation. On at least a few occasions (though I can’t recall what meets specifically), they did the commentating work after the fact since the meet was on tape delay, which allowed them to make comments such as “I would really watch out for Runner X to come out of nowhere” or “you have to think that someone is thinking of making a move with 550 meters to go to try to win this thing,” which really made for frustrating viewing.

While this horse has certainly been bludgeoned to death already, the answer lies in scrapping the current talking heads and hiring people both articulate and knowledgeable. Eighty percent (at least) of our complaints go away if that is the case.

I agree a 30 minute 10K for men is boring. It's good thing it only takes 28 minutes or less. They can easily show the entire 10K split screen if they have to and show some field events at the same time. They showed every lap of Indy 500 utilizing a split screen during commercials. IMHO - 30 minutes of 100m coverage is boring and I guarantee they will show way more than 30 minutes of a 10 second race when you add up all the pre-race hype, false starts and replays each day. I seriously doubt they will show all of the 5K either.

1. Explain the false start rules to me for every race.

2. At the end of each post-race interview, tell the athlete what to do next ("Go celebrate!", "Take a victory lap!", "Get some water!")

3. Relate everything in terms I can understand, like my local high school track, or my backyard, or being the Michael Jordan of ___.

4. Give frequent leg turnover observations.

5. Pronounce names wrong on purpose; it's really amusing!

6. Show extra footage of the sprinters at the local middle school's assembly.

7. Remain calm and collected when lap splits are on record pace.

8. Acknowledge every sprinter who raises his hand in the blocks as a "Savvy veteran!"

9. Refrain from showing the results of fourth place and beyond. Why would I care about those losers anyway?

10. Splice in some more clips of Prefontaine.

Pure Guava wrote:

1. Explain the false start rules to me for every race.

2. At the end of each post-race interview, tell the athlete what to do next ("Go celebrate!", "Take a victory lap!", "Get some water!")

3. Relate everything in terms I can understand, like my local high school track, or my backyard, or being the Michael Jordan of ___.

4. Give frequent leg turnover observations.

5. Pronounce names wrong on purpose; it's really amusing!

6. Show extra footage of the sprinters at the local middle school's assembly.

7. Remain calm and collected when lap splits are on record pace.

8. Acknowledge every sprinter who raises his hand in the blocks as a "Savvy veteran!"

9. Refrain from showing the results of fourth place and beyond. Why would I care about those losers anyway?

10. Splice in some more clips of Prefontaine.

POD