Elise Christie

[stroudydad]

Put it into context. If you'd been working single mindedly towards a specific professional goal for the last four years and it had all gone catastrophically wrong, you'd probably bat questions away in the immediate aftermath until you'd had time to go away and spend some time working out what happened. Failure at the Olympics is a huge thing for a sports person and the shock/denial/anger etc cycle kicks in; you can't expect a sensible answer straight away. (Professional footballers spout the most meaningless and often infuriating nonsense in the post match interview, no one ever criticises them for the rubbish they talk!)

I don't think anyone with any sense pays attention to anything a footballers say at any point....
honestly though, Elise Christie has apportioned blame to others when it's clear (and supported by experts) that she was wrong...
that is a bad trait for a professional in any walk of life

[mad?]

Put it into context. If you'd been working single mindedly towards a specific professional goal for the last four years and it had all gone catastrophically wrong, you'd probably bat questions away in the immediate aftermath until you'd had time to go away and spend some time working out what happened. Failure at the Olympics is a huge thing for a sports person and the shock/denial/anger etc cycle kicks in; you can't expect a sensible answer straight away. (Professional footballers spout the most meaningless and often infuriating nonsense in the post match interview, no one ever criticises them for the rubbish they talk!)

I must say I agree with this. I think in particular in view of what happened in Sochi and the dreadful abuse she has since had to put up with, she has shown remarkable resilience to carry on this far. I imagine that being virtually unknown in her own country (and hence does not get all the lucrative Omega watch contracts et al) despite being our most successful winter sports person must irritate somewhat, but I imagine she would forgo anything not to be in the situation she is in now. I just feel really sorry for her, 'likeable' or not .

[Amber]

My take on this is that the coverage has become ridiculous. Does anyone else remember the days when things like the Olympics were televised with an actual commentary, and the whole event was shown, without the benefit of an 'expert panel' to explain at every stage 'what this means'? I am not a massive sports fan to start with, and nor am I keen on watching telly, but there was a time when I would have been glued to the Olympics like everyone else. This stop-start, snippety, highlights-centric coverage, interspersed with flashy graphics, loud music and, worst of all, that bevy of 'experts' interpreting it all for us ('and here to tell us what this means is...', as if we are all too stupid to work it out for ourselves), is infuriating in the extreme. The actual amount of sport shown is now smaller than all the so-called celebrities tossing their hair (and I include both men and women in this), uttering banal and screamingly obvious 'insights' which anyone with a brain could deduce from watching the event, if only they were allowed to.

And the incessant interviews with people who have either just won something or, in our case, not won something, adds little in the way of edification to the whole process. Christie was only too happy to court the spotlight with her tearful addresses to the nation; but it isn't her fault that she is in this mess now, it is the fault of the programmers who indulge it and, ultimately, of the way in which entertainment now consists largely of short bursts of material which need 'celebrity experts' to interpret them for the masses.

[mike1880]

being virtually unknown in her own country...despite being our most successful winter sports person

Exactly. The list of British winter sports champions is not exactly long and illustrious but when we actually have one it seems all we can do is snipe when they have a bad day at the office.

I imagine she would forgo anything not to be in the situation she is in now. I just feel really sorry for her, 'likeable' or not .

As spectator sports go I prefer speed skating to witchhunting.

My take on this is that the coverage has become ridiculous. Does anyone else remember the days when things like the Olympics were televised with an actual commentary, and the whole event was shown, without the benefit of an 'expert panel' to explain at every stage 'what this means'? I am not a massive sports fan to start with, and nor am I keen on watching telly, but there was a time when I would have been glued to the Olympics like everyone else. This stop-start, snippety, highlights-centric coverage, interspersed with flashy graphics, loud music and, worst of all, that bevy of 'experts' interpreting it all for us ('and here to tell us what this means is...', as if we are all too stupid to work it out for ourselves), is infuriating in the extreme.

And yet they manage not to tell us anything remotely useful. So far this week I've seen the end of the ice dancing (not my usual cup of tea, but rather good this time I thought) and I hadn't a clue what was going on. I really needed an expert to explain how they were totting up the technical score that was ticking away at the top of the screen, but not a word. Same with the half-pipe skiing. Was that a good "five forty" (whatever that is) or not? And how does that score compared to a "seven twenty"? No answer...

[kenyancowgirl]

So do I prefer watching sport than, as you put it, a witch hunt, unfortunately what I got was someone telling us why everyone else was at fault that she fell over or got dq'd for shoving others over or deliberately skating into their paths to block them. The other two girls actually speed skated and finished....and did not get interviewed at all.

EC has worked hard at her sport. She now needs to grow up and work hard emotionally. Respect is earned - you get it for the way you behave as much as how you perform. For many people, she will earn more respect if she behaves as professionally as she tries to perform. That is all. It's not a witch hunt (which, incidentally has unedifying gender undertones) - I would be equally as unimpressed with a male sports "star" who was touted as promising so much who performed as she has done - but all the other GB team I have seen interviewed, win or lose - and let's be honest, not many have been winners - and they have all been gracious in their defeat.

And, seriously? Virtually unknown? She's been the poster girl in the lead up to Sochi and throughout to this one....virtually unknown relates far more to the two other speed skating girls who, I say again actually did better in the 1000m than EC did...not that you'd know it!

That is all.

[Surferfish]

I think 540, 720 etc refers to the number of degrees they spin in the move.

(Good for the DC's maths practice! )

[stroudydad]

Just occasionally I wish there was a 'like' button on this site.

[mike1880]

a witch hunt (which, incidentally has unedifying gender undertones)

I disagree, thanks to Senator McCarthy (there's a phrase you don't hear every day) for that small gender-neutralising mercy. The word is grossly underused in modern life imho since the pastime is all too prevalent.

[kenyancowgirl]

My apologies: your use had unedifying gender undertones to me, about me.

At this point I am bowing out. I expressed an opinion. Others have a different opinion - that is fine. I clearly said that I am not doubting her achievements however, mike1880 you have started to be personal which I think nullifies most of your comments.

What is clear is that EC is a devisive character - some obviously love her and she can do no wrong, others, like me, see character flaws. Neither are likely to change their opinion, unless EC dramatically changes the way she appears to each of us.

[hermanmunster]

Mods have received some notifications about this thread and looking at it, I think it has probably gone rather off topic and hence I am going to lock it