Speed in Switzerland

Does a thundering drum roll followed by a pumping string mix-up of Bach's Fugue in D Minor get your heart racing early on a Sunday evening? When you hear the word 'wax' do you immediately want to add '...up your skis'? If so yesterday's Ski Sunday offering was an absolute gem. Famous as the longest downhill ski course in the world, overlooked by the infamous Eiger,the Lauberhorn now boasts another accolade: the first run on which the 100mph barrier was broken during a race. On Saturday, in Wengen, Frenchman Johan Clarey became the first skier to ski at more than 100mph during a World Cup race. Despite his record-breaking speed of 100.6mph Clarey's overall time was insufficient to win on the Lauberhorn as he slid to fifth place overall on the 2.7 mile course. Confident Clarey believes that his competitors have snow chance of beating the record and that he will "hold this record for a long time now". Given the perfect conditions of hard packed snow and clear visibility he may have a point.

See BBC for the video or get yourself onto iPlayer to watch the Ski Sunday episode in full: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-sports/21120553

Elementary my dear BBC

The BBC may not have Downton but it is generally pretty good on its sport. However I have been irritated by recent errors in its online coverage. Yesterday's gem of a statement was 'Andy Murray returns to action this week for the first time since winning the US Open on 11 September, eager to round off his career-best season on a high.' True Andy Murray returns this week and it is the first time he's played competitively since the glorious moment when he claimed his crown as King of the Court in the US Open. BUT that momentous day was not the 11th September. I realise that as an avid Murray fan who has sobbed through his defeats and wept with pure joy at both the Olympic and Grand Slam victory I am more likely than most to remember the date of his victory. In addition to all that it happened on my birthday... or at least it would have done if I'd been in America! I had to stay up long into the night on the 10th/11th September 2012 watching on a Sky Go account on the smallest laptop in the history of the world. So I vividly remember that it was on 11th September in the UK but 10th September in the US. An understandable mistake I hear you cry. Well, maybe yes, but it was very definitely 10th September where Andy Murray was. Quite frankly I would happily have the anonymous tennis reporter's job and would do my utmost to sweat the little things and get it right. Obviously the fact that said reporter remains unnamed suggests that it could well be an intern who wrote this erroneous article, but as the poor payment, or non-payment, of journalists for their skilled work is a major aggravation to me I think I'll save that topic for another day.

Taking the plunge

It is a common feature in films: the protagonist moves towards the edge of a huge waterfall, carried along, inch by inexorable inch, towards certain death in a swift flowing river from which there is no escape. For one professional kayaker this scenario is the stuff of dreams rather than nightmares.

Jesse Coombs deliberately took on the 96ft drop at the Abiqua Falls in Oregon. So confident was he of his ability to take the plunge that he took his friend and photographer along to capture the momentous moment on camera. He followed in the footsteps of Tim Gross who had attempted to kayak this fall once before.

According to The Sun the Abiqua Falls is known as a very difficult waterfall descent. When Gross attempted it he dislocated both knees due to a bad landing, nevertheless Coombs decided to take the plunge. Coombs successfully completed the jump but did not emerge entirely unscathed as he suffered a shoulder fracture and collapsed lung.

After Coombs completed the jump world record holder Tyler Bradt took on the same falls. One could be forgiven for thinking that this was a rather fallish move as Bradt proved once more that you cannot attempt this jump without expecting injury (he broke his back but is now expected to make a full recovery.)

The entire fall took just three seconds (canoe imagine the exhilaration?!) but was captured gloriously on camera. (See The Sun website for more pictures)

Don't forget your Passport!

Yesterday two friends of mine (we’ll call them Mr B and Mr C) were supposed to set out on their adventure to cycle around Australia. This is a wheelie huge task with more than 12,600 miles to pedal starting from Darwin in the Northern Territory and travelling round Australia through some harsh terrain (not to mention the difficulties of avoiding stopping for too long down the famed East Coast.)

Flying out via Bali with their bikes and several panniers crammed full of essentials, the first few days were going to be a relaxed affair to prepare for the months of toil and tent-sharing ahead. However, as you may have noticed from the ‘hypothetical’ tone employed in this post everything has not gone to plan.

While the attempt to circumnavigate Australia on two wheels certainly qualifies these two for the Odd Balls Blog it is an error of epic proportions which has inspired me to write about them. After months of gentle teasing about their unpreparedness the day finally dawned for them to set off to Australia. On arrival at Mr B’s house, Mr C was asked if he had everything, passport, money, bike etc. Tyred of being mocked about being ready he pulled out his wallet and phone and responded flippantly “I expect these will help me get through most things.”

So together they travelled to the airport. While standing in the check-in queue Mr C turns to Mr B, and with panic rising within him stated: “I’ve left my passport in my scanner at home.” Now home for Mr C was an hour and a half away. It is an impressive feat to have been able to refrain from obsessively checking his passport on leaving his house/arrival at Mr B’s house/throughout the journey to the airport/any number of other moments when even the least neurotic person would have checked this small but essential item!

Mr C, who henceforth shall be known as The Muppet, headed home in an attempt to recover said passport and returned 25 minutes after the check- in had closed. He was not allowed to board the flight and will now be joining his compatriot (who had to board the flight alone and will be spending his time in Bali without The Muppet) at the weekend.

It would be fair to say that things have not got off to a flying start but I will keep you updated on whether Mr B has in fact killed The Muppet and indeed on their progress around Australia.

Retirement going swimmingly

Some people find themselves all at sea when they retire from working life but a retired surgeon from Guernsey has his own answer to this, having set himself a series of challenges to keep ‘fit and healthy’.

In the latest feat he made a splash in the media as he became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel. According to the BBC, Roger Allsopp, aged 70, set off from Shakespeare Beach in Dover and swam the channel in 17 hours and 51 minutes in an ‘incredible personal challenge’.

Mr Allsopp completed the swim in order to raise money for cancer research at the University of Southampton. He spoke of his retirement as ‘wonderful’ but emphasised his determination to keep ‘active in mind and body’.

Birdman Competition Really Takes Off

The Worthing International Birdman competition got off to a less than flying start after wind-stopped-play on Saturday. Although plans for the tournament were up in the air for a time, sunshine and a reduction in wind speed brought ideal conditions for contestants competing to fly over 100 metres on the Sunday.

According to Sky News there were nine serious competitors in the event who jumped off the side of Worthing Pier in West Sussex from a tower measuring 35ft in height. Several thousand people turned up to spectate at the event, witnessing contenders leap from the pier dressed as anything from David Hasselhoff (in the obligatory Knightrider car) to a BLT Subway sandwich!

With a potential jackpot of £10,000 for any contestant who travels more than 100m it is certainly worth dropping by to have a go. Alas for this year’s fearless fliers the jackpot went unclaimed. However Bill Brooks was awarded prize money amounting to £3,250 for spending more than 14 seconds in the air and travelling a distance of 78.4m.


See Guardian or Sky News for more pictures

Brit Breaks Butterfly Record

Fear not, dear reader, I have returned. After a prolonged absence due to a sporting injury of my own I am now able to type once more... and it transpires that there has been no dearth of strange sporting occurrences during my recovery.

Butterfly is not always the stroke of choice for swimmers, many of whom prefer the gentler action of front crawl, back crawl or breaststroke. However, according to the BBC, Dr Julie Bradshaw has racked up her 20th world record swimming butterfly around Manhattan Island in New York.

The Loughborough-based lady had attempted the feat before, in 2004, but a thunder storm put pay to it. This time, however, the time seemed to fly-by as she became the fastest woman to achieve the feat using this stroke, with a time of nine hours, 28 minutes and 37 seconds.

It isn’t the first time that Bradshaw, who raised money Rainbows Children’s Hospice in Loughborough, has made a splash in the swimming world. In 2006 she was awarded an MBE for services to swimming and charity fundraising.

Reaching new heights

A Chilean thrill-seeker has taken his base-jumping to new heights by riding his motorcycle off a 3,300ft cliff in the Andes. According to Sky News, Julio Munoz rode the bike off a ramp at full-speed and then let go of it before more than 3,000ft of freefall. Munoz eventually deployed his parachute at just 200ft from the ground but remarkably landed safely. Sky reports that three years of planning and $100,000 went into the stunt in the Loma Rabona region. The paratrooper said he feels ‘really comfortable’ in the air and that this was an ‘everyday thing’ for him. The extraordinary feat was captured by 12 cameras and can be seen at:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Chilean-Julio-Munoz-Rides-His-Motorcycle-Off-Andes-Cliff-In-Staggering-3000ft-Base-Jump/Article/201105115986549?lpos=Strange_News_First_Strange_News__Article_Teaser_Region__0&lid=ARTICLE_15986549_Chilean_Julio_Munoz_Rides_His_Motorcycle_Off_Andes_Cliff_In_Staggering_3%2C000ft_Base_Jump

McIlroy's having one of those weeks...

Rory McIlroy has continued his losing streak this week following his disastrous collapse at the US Masters. The BBC reports that McIlroy has ‘mislaid’ his clubs… or rather his airline has. In a week that could not be said to be the best of his life, the 21-year old faced a common problem: lost baggage. On arrival in Kuala Lumpar McIlroy’s airline informed him that his precious golf-clubs had been ‘mislaid in transit’ and that it might be some days before he is reunited with the cargo.

Following the loss of his four shot lead at the weekend the tournament in Malaysia was always going to be tough. The Northern Irishman must feel as if all is ranged against him with this latest blow but his calm and collected reaction to events has put him a fairway up in this writer’s estimation. He told waiting reporters of the latest calamity to befall him and followed it up with ‘it’s just one of those things.’ Having won me over to Team McIlroy I’m hoping that bad things don’t come in threes!

Climbing into the record books

Alain Robert, a climber who has been nicknamed Spiderman for his building scaling ability, has climbed the world’s tallest building. According to the BBC Roberts climbed the 828 m Burj Khalifa building in Dubai in six hours. The 48-year-old has climbed to fame having scaled more than 70 skyscrapers across the world, most without a harness. The latest gravity-defying feat was achieved with a safety rope in place but reports suggest that he did not fall back on his safety option at any point during the climb. The precautions were an unusual part of a Robert climb as the Frenchman normally turns up at dawn and begins his ascent without permission or equipment. Some sky-scraper owners consider his antics the height of rudeness rope the police in to meet him on his descent from several buildings. In spite of, or perhaps because of, his lawlessness Robert’s fan base is steadily rising.

Entry fee grates on nerves

The annual cheese rolling event at Cooper’s Hill has been cancelled after threats and abuse. According to the Metro the announcement of an entry fee angered some would-be contenders who took it upon themselves to spit at, verbally bash and threaten the organisers. The competition normally sees contestants chasing a rolling Double Gloucester cheese down a hill. Last year’s competition was also cancelled after a record number of spectators turned up to the 2009 event – far more than could be catered for. One can only hope that the would-be cheese rollers will mature in the next year and allow organisers to charge their £20 entry fee in peace.

Water way to break a record!

Water-skiing is not as easy as it looks, and certainly not as easy as Mexican Fernando Reina Iglesias makes it look. Anyone who has tried the sport will know that keeping your arms straight in counter-intuitive and standing up can be a long and arduous process. However, Sky news reports that the “businessman and lawmaker” for the Partido Verde Ecologista has broken a world record in his home town of Acapulco. Iglesias who hit 153mph on his second attempt did the water “skiing” without the aid of skis! The barefoot record breaker was towed by a helicopter beating the long-standing 135mph record of Scott Pellaton, set in 1989.

Vickers sees red

UK football has been hit by a flurry of disputed red cards in recent weeks. A disagreement over Robin van Persie’s sending off against Barcelona saw Arsene Wenger face disciplinary action (and gave Arsenal fans a scapegoat to pin the blame on if reports in the Mirror are to be believed.) In the Rangers v. Celtic clash El-Hadji Diouf was said to have received two red cards after he refused to leave the pitch immediately. (According to the Telegraph the Scottish Premier League has since refuted the claims)

We all love to have a good whine about an unfair sending off, after all our beloved team couldn’t possibly be responsible for losing the match/league/cup/plot! However few of us have as much to complain about as Dorchester fans after their player-manager, Ashley Vickers, was sent off last week.

Sky News reports that in a tie between non-league Dorchester and Havant and Waterlooville, a man dashed across the pitch, scantily clad in a Borat mankini and a black wig. As the streaker evaded the stewards and continued to prance around on the pitch, Vickers saw red and decided to put a stop to the shenanigans. In a move more at home on the rugby pitch he tackled the man and handed him over to stewards. The referee promptly whipped out his red card for Vickers’ “violent conduct”. The shocked player had to leave the pitch in the 70th minute. Two of his enraged teammates quickly followed and Havant and Waterlooville scored twice in the last 20 minutes to win the match 3-1.

Rain didn't dampen their spirits

We’re notorious for complaining about the weather in Britain. An extremely grumpy man from my village once spent a whole winter moaning about the cold and the rain and the frost and the ice and the fog... When summer arrived in full force we commented on what a glorious sunny day it was... he responded “Hmpf, far too hot for me, can’t abide this dreadful heat, be glad when summer's over.”

Football fans particularly suffer from our attitude to the weather with frozen or waterlogged pitches regularly causing postponements in winter. It appears that Brazilian players and fans are somewhat hardier than the British breed as the Metro reports that they braved torrential rain and a waterlogged pitch to play a championship match in Sao Paulo.

The match between Palmeiras and Sao Paulo was hit by the downpour which flooded the Morumbi Stadium and drowned the pitch. Once the referee decided to postpone the kick-off for an hour some of the supporters chose to frolic in the water. The stands were so drenched that fans were able to swim in front of the seating!
(The Metro has great pictures of this http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/856951-football-fans-enjoy-an-early-bath-at-flooded-morumbi-stadium-in-brazil )

Photo by Chris Upson on Wiki Commons

Thought I'd keep you abreast of all sporting competitions

The third annual naked sledging even in Braulage, Germany proved to be big crowd pleaser. Orange News reported that more than 17,000 spectators could bare-ly contain their excitment as they turned out for the event, which saw 30 sledgers compete for a prize of £1000. Only 30 of the 400 applicants were allowed to take part, although organisers insist that the selection was not solely based on looks. There was bare-faced cheek from one judge, who told Orange News that the close finishes were good “because we’re all very keen on studying the photo finishes!” For those who feel cold just thinking about it rest assured that the topless contestants do cover up with shoes, socks, scarves and underwear bottoms before facing the freezing conditions.

What a balls-up

Malvern Primary School in Huyton, Merseyside has caused a furore after banning footballs from the playground. Any ball made of plastic or leather cannot be used during break time for fear that it is too dangerous! The only balls allowed for the playground kick about are those made of sponge (I have vivid memories of these balls being utterly hopeless as a football!) According to The Telegraph the decision has been made on the grounds of health and safety and was brought to the attention of parents in the February newsletter. The reaction it has sparked has been all the more fierce as this is Liverpool Captain Stephen Gerrard’s childhood school. Whilst Gerrard’s status as an Old Boy of the school doesn’t guarantee future success it has certainly inspired the football loving children of the school to follow in their hero’s footsteps. The school has come under fire from national organisations such as the Child Growth Foundation (which as an anti-obesity charity presumably promotes upward or mental growth) with chairman Tam Fry arguing “Our children are in danger of becoming cocooned cotton buds.”

Potter's politeness

Let us return to the world of magical Mr. (Adam) Potter who survived a 1,000ft fall from Sgurr Choinnich Mor in January (see http://sportaccordingtobex.blogspot.com/2011/01/magical-tale-of-potters-survival.html). He has been hitting the headlines once again as he prepares to tackle Mount Everest in the near future. Perhaps the most surprising thing about this story has been the media reaction. This heart-warming tale of good fortune has naturally been a hit with the press and public alike. However recent headlines, particularly from Scottish papers such as the Glaswegian and The Scottish Daily Record, have been concerned with Potter’s return to thank his rescuers. This writer is all for politeness and clearly it is a good, honourable and right thing for Mr. Potter to do, but should it be so surprising that it is newsworthy? As a child I was rewarded with stars on my star chart for saying “please” and “thank you” (and for being nice to my sister, sharing my toys and tidying my room for that matter) but have we reached a point in society when someone saying “thank you” is so rare that it deserves to be headline news? Are headlines the new star chart? Perhaps this story says less about Adam Potter doing the right thing than about others not doing it!


(Picture on Wikimedia Commons: Lerian)

Epic fail by French football team

If you have time (and a sense of humour) I recommend that you check out the Free Kick Fail video on YouTube (second one down on the listings). The match between Mulhouse and Louhans saw Louhans concede a free kick. Three Mulhouse players lined up to take it each one gracefully (ish) hopping over the ball in turn before realising that none of them had actually kicked it!

Seven games without loss brings harmony to Liverpool...

You may have noticed that Liverpool FC have had a sparkling run of form over the last seven matches. You would be forgiven for thinking that this is due to Kenny Dalglish being back at the helm but one of the Reds’ players, Dirk Kuyt, is claiming some of the credit for himself. Kuyt, who has just had his contract renewed with the team, believes that his choice of music has been an important factor in the recent victories. He told the Daily Mail “Ever since I’ve plugged my iPod into our music system...we’ve not lost a game.” According to Kuyt the Kings of Leon, The Killers and Amy Winehouse have been particular hits with the rest of the team. His inauguration into his new role as dressing room DJ coincided with Dalglish’s acceptance of the managerial post, making it virtually impossible to ascertainwho should get the credit for the club’s new found form.

It's all about how you spin it...

Sporting headlines have been dominated this week by the drink-driving charges against Graeme Swann. The cricketer declined the services of Nick “Mr. Loophole” Freeman but his representative, solicitor Phillip Lucas, found a get-out-clause that would have made Freeman proud. Swann’s excuse came in the form of a bizarre tale regarding his “beloved” cat being trapped under the floorboards following building work at the home he shares with wife Sarah. In order to free said creature Swann was obliged to drive to a 24/7 Asda store to purchase a screwdriver. Unfortunately for both Swann and the cat the police stopped him en route and breathalysed him. On discovering that he was over the limit they demanded blood samples, wherein lay the loophole. The nurse took a first sample, decided it was not sufficient and then took a second. This second sample was unnecessary and according to an expert witness could have been contaminated. Therefore the case, which was based on the second sample, has been thrown out. It appears that Lucas is nearly as good at spin as Swann.

Telegraph reporter Andrew Hough has tapped into this rich vein of news stories regarding sporting heroes, their brushes with the law and the loopholes they have used to escape. The host of excuses range from the sublime to the ridiculous with gems such as “wrongly worded summons letter” to “being too stressed to give a drink drive sample.” ( See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8328438/Graeme-Swann-not-guilty-of-drink-driving-celebrity-driving-excuses.html for more details.)


Picture by Richard Woods