TargetTalk

Watching the Winter Olympics in Torino is proving to be something of an eye-opener, albeit a slightly cynical one. In my neck of the woods shooting sports are frowned upon by the average man-in-the-street, and certainly shunned by the media, advertisers and potential sponsors. The usual string of excuses are given, low number of participants, no viewer appeal, poor interest levels, etc . . . all boiling down to one common denominator, shooting is a small sport and we don't "do" small sports.

So here I sit and watch some of these winter events . . .

Firstly I live in a country where if, in any given winter, it shows ANYWHERE in the country it makes the primetime news! Yet we are being given 24hr coverage on two separate tv channels, and highlight packages on various others for each day of the championships. Our media is providing saturation coverage of events which have never, are not, and will never be held in my country . . . while ignoring sports which are practiced every week in my country.

And then I think of the "small sports" and their supposed lack of appeal to the viewing public. We have seen more tv coverage of luge in one day than we have seen of shooting in the 33 years of tv in my country!

I ask myself, "How many people around the world take part in competitive luge?" (-vs- the number of people doing competitive shooting). How many people do Gunderson hill ski jumping -vs- shooting? Judging from the participants I'd have to say not many, yet we enjoyed hours of coverage. Even the commentator was forced to acknowledge that only 10 of the 80 competitors were worth watching, and he was proved right when most of them failed to even meet the minimum qualifying jump distance. Clearly the even had been padded to fill out the field. In the one snowboarding event yesterday the commentator informed us that the one "star" competitor was not "competitively minded at all" . . so then I have to ask "What was he doing in an Olympic event?" . . . enjoying a paid for holiday, judging from his oh-so-casual performance.

I look at events such as the luge, jumps, speed skating against the clock, etc and I see really boring sports, yet they have wonderful spectator appeal because they are being filmed well. I ask myself why we cannot elevate shooting sports to this level? Shoulder-to-shoulder 10m air rifle is infinitely more exciting than individual speed skating, or luge. It all lies in the filming, the angles used, the commentator, the graphics shown, etc. I see so many opportunities. I have only been in snow once in my entire 45 years, yet I find myself more fascinated and drawn into these Games than even the Summer Olympics.

Enough rambling from me . . . I need to get back to watching the short-track speed skating!

I understand completely. However, on a more positive note, I was impressed to see a 1/2 page story on the top US biathelete (forgive me for not remembering his name) in Friday's USA Today, complete with a very large photo of him holding his rifle. At least the shooting sports aren't being completely ignored.

-Ted

Spandex! All shooters must wear tight-fitting, colorful uniforms. At least biathalon gets some coverage. Maybe tracer and/or exploding pellets would help, too.

Great post,

Joe

jrmcdaniel wrote:Maybe tracer and/or exploding pellets would help, too.

Or if they were shooting at each other and there was lots of blood.

like Matt Emmon's 5 seconds of fame, Dick Cheney shoots a incorrectly placed shot ONCE and it makes national and global news!

but a billion shots fired properly at local club everywhere, several hundred thousand in state, national and world championships and essentially no coverage from the news media or entertainment industry....

This is the same attitude of an uncaring, irresponisble, unethical, predjudaced, discriminatory, unregulated media that has invited a billion people to start burning Danish flags this month.

Poole

Bill Poole wrote: Dick Cheney shoots a incorrectly placed shot
Poole

What a gentle way to describe a shot that violated one of the cardinal rules of gun safety: Always know what is behind your target!

Perhaps a small part of the reason this "accident" became news - not that I disagree with your fundamantal point, Bill - is that this action was so typical of Cheney's habit of shooting first and being unconcerned with the potential consequences.

FredB

It's still safer to go hunting with Mr. Chaney than to ride in the car with Ted Kennedy.

This is the most coverage I have seen in the US on shooting.

USA network has had more hrs on this than some of the other events in prime time.

I think we should all be happy it is there on the air for any one to watch it if they choose to. I remember when all the coverage we would get was just a highlight

Yes, the great coverage just gets better and better! Yesterday I was able to watch the entire 10km Mens Biathlon live. Tremendously exciting with plenty of footage of the rifles in action, targets systems, coach feedback, etc.

It served to confirm a belief I have that the "commentary" is crucial to the success of the televised event. The filming, camera angles, etc are very important, but it's the educated and informed commentary which breathes life into the event for us viewers. The commentary team covering the Torino biathlons know their stuff. They know the competitors, their history, the subtleties of the sport, the potential pitfalls, and the opportunities for success. I've never watched biathlon before, yet I find myself glued to the television, enjoying every minute!

If I compare this to the coverage of the shooting events during the last Commonwealth Games, and last years Summer Olympics, it is like chalk and cheese. During last year's Olympics I found myself switching channels from the shooting to the archery (!) which was infinitely better filmed and commentated on.

Too bad the coverage in the USA is only available on cable! I hate it when broadcasters divide up the sports like that.

If the USA could medal in the Biathlon, it would help to draw attention to all 'olympic style' shooting sports.

I think one of the outdoor channels should have a 1/2 show for shooting sports such as smallbore, and highpower matches. If they did creative and high quality coverage, it would work.

If the USA could medal in the Biathlon, it would help to draw attention to all 'olympic style' shooting sports.

3 medals in rifle/rifle/shotgun in Athens did not bring any media attention to speak of....

but one cross fire did bring a day's worth of attention!

this is our news media and entertainment industry

Maybe if we could get USOC/IOC to write into the contract that the buyer of broadcast rights MUST broadcast every sport or subcontract a niche broadcaster to broadcast the niche sports like shooting. Or maybe that they must put the finals of every single event on a website within two days.

But that would be too much to hope for.

as one might suspect I am in general disappointed with the performance of the news/entertainment industry in the US and beyond.

Poole

jrmcdaniel wrote:Spandex! All shooters must wear tight-fitting, colorful uniforms. Joe

The snowboarders all look like they've just stepped out of a spin cycle at the local lawndromat! Crotches of their pants around their knees, clothes 5 sizes too big. Hard to take them seriously, they look more like clowns than athletes.

Certainly our international shooting athletes look more appealing than the snowboarders!

Kinda like the spandex idea though . . .

HEY

a biathlete finally made the news:

Russian Biathlete Expelled, Loses Medal

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_ ... NlYwM3NTU-

about 200 male and female biathletes skiing and shooting their way to fame and glory, I'm glad the US news media finally found one newsworthy


"A doctor who treated Pyleva in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk for an ankle injury in January gave her an over-the-counter medication..."

so this might not be a case of a former soviet using steroids to gain an unfair advantage....

"Under the IOC's rules, athletes testing positive at the Olympics are considered guilty if a banned substance is found, regardless of the circumstances."

so much for "innocent until proven guilty"

"Durmanov said no appeal was planned at this time."

They should appeal

we need to find a way to keep cheaters out without criminalizing accidental occurances.

Poole

Bill,

The rules are the rules. It is the policy of IOC and WADA and thus USOC and USADA that the athlete is responsible for anything they put in or on their body.
Being prescribed by a doctor cannot be an excuse.

A number of years ago a shooter, whose father was a doctor, had gotten a prescription for a beta blocker. Normally used to control high blood pressure, it has a side benefit for shooters and other athletes who need to remain calm. The shooter was quite successful when he was using the drug. In the opinion of the sports governing body, it can enhance performance. It is now banned.

How can you determine if any drug was prescribed innocently or with some nefarious intent? Thus any use is banned.

It is the athlete's responsibility to know and follow the rules.

What about the US skeleton racer who was taking Propecia for thinning hair? It was allowed in 2004 and previous years but was banned starting in 2005. He tested positive at a race in Canada in November last year. USADA determined that he did it without the intent to mask some other drug use. Propecia (or finesteride) is clearly listed as a masking agent. He admitted he made a mistake by not checking the list. USADA was going to slap him on the wrist by having him forfeit the result in November and admonish him, (normally the penalty for first offense is 2 years) but WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). CAS gave him a one year suspension (WADA wanted the full two years). This was resolved just last week. It ruined his Olympics.

Does it sound fair? Probably not, but as coaches we must respect the rules. Not doing so, sends the message that it is may be ok to cheat if we claim ignorance or try to shift responsibility.

The bottom line is doping is against the spirit of fair competition and the athlete is ultimately responsible for what is in their body.

Gotta agree with Marcus. We all know the rules and it's easy enough to check out any medication. I do it myself now even for simple cough medicines and the like. I'm not anwhere near world class but I can still be routinely tested just like anyone else.

If athletes and coaches don't check these things out then they have only themselves to blame if they fall foul of the rules.

Rob.

RobStubbs wrote:We all know the rules and it's easy enough to check out any medication.

What I think you mean is, it's easy enough to check out any medication if you're in your home country, and if that happens to be one where sufficient labeling is required by law, and if the label happens to be in a language you can read and if you know the list by heart of all the banned substances. But who the heck knows what "Croscar-mellose sodium" (off the label on a bottle of vitamin C tablets) is, or whether "clemastine fumarate" (on the label of Tavist-D, an OTC decongestant) has some other name that corresponds to a banned substance? And that's here in my own country and my own language. I recall arriving in Germany a few years ago without my luggage and trying to buy some toiletries. I had a devil of a time trying to figure out if what I'd picked out was indeed shampoo or a treatment for head lice!

My point is, these may be world-class athletes and coaches, but they're still athletes and coaches -- jocks, basically -- not MDs or PhDs from Harvard Med, specializing in pharmacology. If they're outside their own country traveling to a match and they get sick, what is it you think they should do? Get their own doctor to fly out for a house call and have any drugs they need Fedex'ed from home? If you have a million-dollar endorsement contract, maybe that's possible, but I think the rest could have a real problem.

Nicole Hamilton wrote:But who the heck knows what "Croscar-mellose sodium" (off the label on a bottle of vitamin C tablets) is, or whether "clemastine fumarate" (on the label of Tavist-D, an OTC decongestant) has some other name that corresponds to a banned substance? And that's here in my own country and my own language.

I have this cool little "Drug-Free Sport Advice Card" which is a fold-out card with a list of banned substances on one side and permitted substances on the other. It folds neatly down to be credit-card-sized and lives permanently in my wallet, which lives permanently in my pocket. I've never had to use it myself, but I've lent it to others who have come down with something before a match.

HBP wrote:

jrmcdaniel wrote:Spandex! All shooters must wear tight-fitting, colorful uniforms. Joe

The snowboarders all look like they've just stepped out of a spin cycle at the local lawndromat! Crotches of their pants around their knees, clothes 5 sizes too big. Hard to take them seriously, they look more like clowns than athletes.

Certainly our international shooting athletes look more appealing than the snowboarders!

Kinda like the spandex idea though . . .

Have you gone to a mall lately. I hate to tell you they aren't trying to appeal to middle aged men, they are going after the kids. Try watching an X Games, these guys equate the Olympics as equal or just below the X-Games. I hate to tell you more of the X-Games events are going to be in the Olympics and the only way to make room is to get rid of some of the other sports.

I love shooting and I wish it was on TV but they are never going to show a bunch of guys standing still punching holes in paper. You have to honestly step back and take a look at the entertainment value, rather than bad mouthing other popular sports maybe we should learn something from them.

i didn't recommend ignoring the rules, I was criticizing the rules that as they are currently set up create the risk elimination due to an accidental infraction, without a means of correcting for it.

I've got the dumb card and an email from USADA confirming that my prescriptions are legal, and I've had my doctor rewrite prescriptions to not give me the wrong stuff and I've tried as best I could to go thru the ingredients list of the vitamins... just in case..... I'm not even YET on the national team!

Can you all imagine what it would be like to spend 4 years training and then get kicked off cuz of an accidental ingestion?

I have heard that someone I know had olympic aspirations ended due to taking a legitimate medication (which does not enhance that persons sport) for a legitimate medical reason and declaring it

another thing that scares me is sabatoge, how easy would it be for a sabateur to slip something into an athlete's food in the week prior to a compeition?

and all this USADA BS is one of the issues that makes me wonder if its even worthwhile.

Poole