Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:32 pm  

The "traffic cops" were a joy on they way home rather than just let the fully functioning traffic lights get on with it until at least the Torch and parade etc etc were near they decided to direct it themselves whilst the torch was still in fu#*in Ilkley!!!
Completely out of sync ,no thought process to the side roads access either you couldn't f##* it up better if you let damo organise it!!
Btw i'm glad i didn't stick around now aswell sounded a great event .........not!!

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:10 am  

I was going to stay, but 1 hour is a long time to hang around to watch a torch burn.

This is what the torch site had to say
1804: We've lost pictures here.
But our reporter tells us there are dozens of people on the pitch at Headingley and hundreds more on seats around the pitch. Young cricketers dressed in white are among those welcoming the torch.

1810: Glenn Lamont is passing the flame on to Susan Marley. He has had a strong run in the sunshine in front of big crowds here in Headingley.

I also hear some idiot let the City of Leeds down @ 1852: in Harehills
This was the moment someone failed to throw a bucket of water over the torch relay, and intercepted by the torch security team - Even more bad publicity

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:15 am  

We were talking to the stewards and they were all briefed that the torch would do a lap of the cricket pitch so I don't know what happened there. There were some angry people around. TBF we only stuck around waiting for the England game on the big screen.

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:35 am  

McLaren_Field wrote:

Its a gold stick with a flame on the end of it in case you missed it and wanted to know, you haven't missed much.

Its a marvellous example of how good media bullshitting can create an event out of a non-event, its got bugger-all to do with the Olympics at all, the idea of parading a symbolic flame around the country for several weeks is a wonderful PR concoction that is supposed to gell the population into forgetting that nearly ten billion quid has been spent on two and a half weeks of sporting events, some of which you actually wouldn't go to the end of your street to watch or would switch the TV off if they were shown individually - how many have actually sat through an archery competition on TV, no, not many, and do you know which league your local badminton club play in ?

Great PR to get so many people out onto the streets - non event though, and they'd better not delay my journey to work in the morning either.

I'm with you......came within 1 mile of where we live and couldn't have been less inspired to see it.

It was bad enough when I actually thought it was one torch making its journey from its start in Greece and flown over on a chartered airliner. Bluddy disgraceful waste of public money when so many are having to suffer pay cuts and job losses.

At least one legacy from Hitler lives on

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:39 am  

Glad I fecked off home due to no interest

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:57 am  

I had a personal reason to see the torch being carried, because my aunt was carrying it while it was on merseyside (insert tracksuit / theft gag here).

Other than that I'm not sure I would have gone. I probably would have, but I feel I may have been undewhelmed.

One of my friends said the other day, that just because some thing is a once in a lifetime experience, doesn't mean its good to experience it.

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:33 am  

The Eagle wrote:

One of my friends said the other day, that just because some thing is a once in a lifetime experience, doesn't mean its good to experience it.

Thats another wonderful piece of PR spin, its not "once in a lifetime" at all, or at least no-one can guarantee it - there was an old bloke on Radio Leeds today who ran the torch relay for the 1948 Olympics (which was just an armed forces thing from Dover to London) - try telling him it was "once in a lifetime"

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:51 am  

I am looking forward to the Olympics avidly, I love watching athletics.

As for the torch, not really bothered either way but I was prevailed upon to hang around to see it so we did the rugby pitch inspection (some of it is bit bare down the Southern touch line and the surface was a lot damper than it had looked from the North Stand )... and then we sat in the sun at the cricket side with a pint awaiting the torch.
The waiting was the best bit.
Whoever decided to hide the runners and the torches with two too-tightly-ranked rows of people thereby preventing thousands from seeing it wants their #rse kicking.
I saw a distant flicker when it went through the shade in the pavilion.

Still I don't suppose YCC are used to that many people in the stands.

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:37 am  

I carry a torch.

Re: Olympic Torch Farce : Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:09 am  

Shame to hear that YCC didn't make the most of a great opportunity. It's sad also when negative comments about the London Olympics are made, in regards to minority sports and funding etc. The torch symbolises the history of the games, that's not hard to understand, I thought I was cynical!
From my point of view and experience the legacy of the games in schools is absolutely massive, giving children the opportunity to try 'minority' sports where not everyone wants to play football etc, the whole school ethos in thousands of schools accross the country are also being modeled around the Olympic Values. If people don't care to watch the sports that's fine, but surely it's not hard to understand the positive impact of the games being in our country.