Gold, Silver, Bronze and Blah!

         

          The NBC affiliate in Hawaii sure is messing up the broadcasts of the London Olympics – big time!

          At 2:30 pm on a given day last week, I found out from my sister in Australia, that their swimming gold hope had, some hours before, been pipped at the post.  He had lost by a fingernail to an American. 

          What was I watching on my TV screen at that particular time? Half a dozen bums bouncing around the seats of their bicycles.  The swimming final my sister was referring to didn’t hit my TV screen until much, much later that evening.  A bit of an anticlimax?  You betcha!

          The TV station’s response to angry questions about delayed broadcasting is that they like to provide Hawaii workers with the same excitement that attendees to the Games are experiencing.  Apparently they’ve never heard of international telephone capabilities nor thought that viewers might have access to computers…even at work!  Additionally, there are quite a number of people who don’t actually work nine to five…and in this economy they’re increasing each week…who would like to see their favorites winning or even losing in real time.

          Of course, the announcers at the actual venues don’t do a great job either.  What is it with commentators who can only see their own country’s participants and are completely blind to the excellence of others?  This, slightly paraphrased, was broadcast during a 200m freestyle swimming heat:

          ‘What a nice entry into the water…yes, lovely kick as he surfaces.’  The swimmer in question soon started to fade, but not according to the commentators.

          ‘He certainly does have a lovely even stroke.  Look at him slicing through the water, lovely arm action.’  By this stage the swimmer was nearly a full pool length behind everyone else. 

          ‘What a superb turn…yes, you can see he’s put in his time practicing can’t you?  You know these swimmers spend months and months perfecting their skills.  We certainly wouldn’t be able to cope with the hours they put in.’

          Now the swimmer was barely dog paddling trying to catch up to the three swimmers in front of him who were ready to touch the wall.

          ‘And there he is…looks like he’ll come in fourth.  Don’t think he’ll make it into the finals this time…but what an effort.  Well done.’

          About this time I thought the commentators were going to go into raptures about the poor guy’s swim suit.  The color, the cut, the style! Thankfully the cheering crowd distracted them from further joy about their competitor and grudging acknowledgments about the three place getters were offered.

          Now that the track and field part of the Games is in progress, I wonder what rapturous accolades I’ll be listening to?  Whatever they might be, I’ll be hearing them hours and hours after everyone else.  Ah, so lucky I live Hawaii!