Australian Mountain Bike Championships on SBS

[DOM]

SBS were on hand to get highlights for the recent Australian Mountain Bike Championships at Mt Beauty.

This email from Joe from SBS.
Hey Farkin,
The nationals mudfest will be broadcast on SBS TV this Sunday at 11.30am. (30 mins)
4X, XC and DH are all covered and includes an interview with Jnr World Champ Sam Hill and a sneek peek of the John Waddell calendar.
If you could pass this on to your readers that would be tops!

Cheers, Joe.

Brisbane time - 11:30am
Sydney apparently the same.

Check your Local guides for Times.

- DOM -

[CHEWY]

what day?

[DOM]

refresh the page ;)

[jays_5000]

WiCkEd cant wait, thanks DOM

[CHEWY]

melbourne time is the same,
also the UCI BMX world championship are on at 1:30pm

[Scott]

very nice.... who'd have thought, mountain biking on televsion!

[CAM]

the tv guide actually says it on at 11.00 - 12.00 so mabey it goes for an hour, but the guide could be wrong i guess. should be good anyhow!

[iconic]

what channel is the bmx?

i think it will be 1/2 hour of road or track, and the other 1/2 will be mountain bike

[ELX]

Yeah the mtb is from 11:30 to twelve and i cant see any bmx for brissy :(

[Scott]

1 hour people!

*starts to chant*

[ELX]

yeah cant wait ay. It's keeping me sain while me knee heals :D Yay i can ride next weekend. And watch nats this wekend whats better ;)

[LTR]

ITS ON !! im taking a break because its xc :oops:

yay

[ELX]

ohhhhhhhhhh dont tell me whats going on :D

[LTR]

w00t..... finished....

i missed about 5mins of the 4x and i saw all of the DH and some of the xc.....

not bad at all !!

[DOM]

hahah it was put off in QLD .. another 30mins to go !!!..

[jays_5000]

it was ok, the 4x was the best bit by far!

There were some pretty alright stacks there aswell!

[ELX]

so it it on at 11:30 or 12 now dom? Cant wait i'll just watc both dont want to miss it ;)

[Commander Dilsnikk]

it was ok, the 4x was the best bit by far!

what?!?!?!
the 4x segment went for about 30 seconds... you anly saw a snippet of the final... or did melbourne miss the whole thing?

i thought it was rather average personally...
yes i know it was wet and that hampered SBS's best efforts to actually do something for the sport (props to them anyway... any publicity is good publicity)
BUT
the commentry was inane for anyone who knew the slightest bit about the sport... all Jim could say was "and this bit's very muddy so it's hard to get traction"... sure that might have been the theme of the event :( but it was a bit disappointing that the commentary involved no insight into the sport for those who don't know it... instead it just stuck with the ame repetative little phrases which seemed to have been pulled out of the "status-quo sports commentary 101" course handbook...

...and don't get me started on the guy who interviewed sam, etc....i felt insulted by his - "how did it feel" and other stock questions portrayed as an informative interview - style... what utter bullshit dressed up to seem like journalism


so, as i said, thanks toy SBS for getting a project like this off the ground and attempting to do something for an underrecognised sport (do we really want it to be bigger ;) :lol: )
BUT
i felt that it was severely lacking in many areas (especially in the entertainment one!!!) and could have been done better (read: more entertainment value, informed commentary and a few more shots of other deserving riders who came out and gave it their all on the day)

anyway...
my 2 cents has been provided

[jungle]

it's on now at 11.30

[jays_5000]

yeah the 4x went for about 30secs here aswell but it had a sick whip right at the end, and after watching ppl ride for 5 mins down the same section of a track it gets boring...

when the guy went thru and showed the track, that bit was interesting, but the rest got a bit boring....

i thought the XC track actually looked alright (coming from someone who hasnt ridden up a hill in his life)

[Mr Pants]

Hi, Joe the producer of said program here and the shite commentator (yes i know...)

-------------------

commander_dilsnikk says:
BUT
i felt that it was severely lacking in many areas (especially in the entertainment one!!!) and could have been done better (read: more entertainment value, informed commentary and a few more shots of other deserving riders who came out and gave it their all on the day)

anyway...
my 2 cents has been provided

------------------------

2 cents: That was pretty much the budget of the production, so be thankfully that looked a wee bit better than a home movie.

Translating MTB to telly especially in competition is very hard, angles are limited and you have to format it to look like most other TV events IE not kerazy like a mudcows film.

It was interesting to read the Brian Lopes interview on Opinionheads where he agreed that he thinks 4X looks "gay" on TV and the NORBA coverage is the best in the world. Again it's so hard to convey that feeling of speed. They do it well with TdF because you're right there next to them on a motorbike, maybe I should crank up the trailey and bomb down the track with them?

Gimme a 100 grand and I'll do something really special but on the budget I had, what you see is what you get.

Thank the efforts of MTBA and CA that it was there at all.

Stop watching telly and go ride! Joe Ward.

[DOM]

Thanks for ya Effort Joe, it was better than nothing.

I thought Jim and whoever esle commentated was ok ..... better then SICK .. RAD .. AWESOME .. PHAT like someone from Pepsi Max Extreme.

Dilsnick ... your entitled to your opinion but the dudes who put this package together dont get anything out of it.. and they have done more for the sport in that 30min then you probably will ever.

Look a bit more into it.

Dom

[ELX]

Ncie it looked pretty slow out there :? cause of the mud but overall a ice way to spend 30 mins thanks joe :D

[Ryan]

I thought it was pretty slick, head-cam in particular was a nice touch and they picked some good spots on the DH course to catch the action. How tough was Tracy Hannah's big off by the way, I would have cried like a little bitch if that was me.

Joe, Jim, you did a great job with what you had in my opinion. It's not like SBS has a huge sports budget to throw around anyway and any publicity is good publicity.

It does highlight what Glen Jacobs said about DH rarely translating well to TV, so lets take the nationals to the ready for TV track at the Cairns MTB Club and lets see how good it can be I reckon :)

[dropbm]

it may have been award wining tv but at least our sport got on tv for a change and gave the people who could not race or spectate the event a little bit of a insight of the races. maybe next time some sponsers could get togeather and give sbs a bigger buget.

[Tasha]

That was an really interesting segment.
Just to see familiar faces on TV was great, and for someone like me who may never get to see this track in real life, it was great to see what tracks down south look like.
Thanks Joe and Jim for putting the sport we all love so much on TV.

Tacey Hannah is powering on. The crash she had was major and she just back on the bike and kept riding down. The time difference between her and Tai Lee was not as much as their size and age difference would have expeted.

[DOM]

How tough was Tracy Hannah's big off by the way, I would have cried like a little bitch if that was me.

Hell yeah , she crashed like so many times.. shes TUFF... and fast .. she was flying. Big props .. that off onto the road was huge to finish after that was big and to come 2nd .. FREAK>

[CAM]

I thought it was pretty good, some really good footage there.
Looked like lindsay got a whole segment to himself with the U/19's bit!

[Damo]

Good show for the resources you had to put it together with. As Jim said at the end, "hope to see ya at Eildon". That would be cool to see some more coverage on the national events.

Another point, how fit are those XC racers hey? Absolutely unbelievable! I personally got to witness the power of those elite men at the Mont last year. Honestly, you would be (what you thought to be) hammering a section and these guys would literally pass you like you were standing still! 5 laps at that intensity is amazing!

& Lisa Matheson, what a little champion. I saw her at that 100km Preston Peak Wines to Peppers Hiddenvale, she's so tiny yet she packs a mighty punch. We'll be seeing more of her on the big race podiums for sure.

That mudfest at the bottom of DH track was just excellent. Usually the finish line in a DH race is one of the fastest parts to watch in the race. Maybe they should have swam that section. A giant kicker just before the mud would have solved that i reckon?

Anyways thanks to those who got on tele

[RaID]

good to see there was at least something one TV
obvioulsy the quality wasnt the best due budget restraints but props to SBS and the guys involved to make it happen

Cheers guys

rember beggers cant be choosers, we should be happy we got this much

[Ghost]

Looked like lindsay got a whole segment to himself with the U/19's bit!

Heh, I thought the same thing.

Sure it wasn't the best, but it's a start. Let's be happy we finally got some coverage! 8)

Now to get more air time than lawn bowls...

[Commander Dilsnikk]

ok... looks like it's time for me to defend myself and my comments...

rereading what i wrote it probably came accross a little stronger than i intended... but it's said now so i have to find a way out of this little hole i seem to have dug for myself...
so i'm going to keep digging

there is a LOT for me to reply to so i can't really reply to everyone's comments individually but i'll try to give a bit of an overview...

as someone who has made many amateur films and attempted some sports filming (including downhill mtb) i understand how difficult it is to translate this particular sport (or anything else for that matter) onto the screen... i understand well the major difficulties of conveying speed, working with limited cameras/ angles, and the many other challenges that have to be addressed before an idea is brought anywhere near fruition

in other words i HAVE looked into the processes ( :wink: DOM) and fully understand the difficulties faced in creating a piece of television which works on one level, let alone all levels


i certainly understand that there is a multitude of great resons (as you have all provided) as to WHY it didn't turn out exactly how i, or many others for that matter, would have liked... there is absolutely no question about that in my mind!!!

what i suppose i am bitter about is that there is not enough money put into the promotion of the sport and that, whilst this SHOULD IN NO WAY REFLECT ON THE BEST EFFORTS OF JOE, JIM AND CREW, it was not a production that would have inspired me to become involved in the sport as an outsider... having said that, though, it was still a great step forward in the RECOGNITION of mountain biking!!

so, perhaps i was a little hasty in my judgement but i would like to set the record straight by saying that my comments are not directed to the people (jim, Joe, etc), who were out there on the ground doing the work, but at the world in general which seems to provide no avenues to create the kind of recognition that our sport is worthy of...

all that aside, however, the main thing that has come out of this for me is that it's all very well complaining about things...
instead - it is ME who you will see in the next few years (it has been hard with school commitments) out in the community raising awareness and pushing for a wider recognition (if not participation) in our sport...
Thanks to DOM for telling me that someone had "done more for the sport in that 30min than [I] probably will ever".... i think i will take him up on his challenge (no matter how tired, and clichéd that sentence sounds)!!!

So cheers Joe, Jim, etc. it's been a wake-up call for me and has provided the MTB community with something positive to build from (instead of just my tired whining :) )

[curtisrider]

Damn ork, stupid idiots ringing in sick=me staying back=me missing out. :evil:

[Mr Pants]

I'll let you in a secret, that hardcore Tracey Hannah girl actually crashed hard in her qualifier and bent her front wheel, you should see how far the wheel bends in slow-mo, amazing!.

We have to use the footage from both runs together for continuity. The magic of telly... not.

Also don't go thanking SBS too much, it's MTBA and CA who paid for it. SBS spend heaps on Road TdF etc but they're really not interested in MTB.

You can change this however, write to: comments@sbs.com.au and tell em you want more.

Thanks for the praise peoples, hopefully with a few more sheckles we'll make something kick-ass for 2004.

[vulture]

i thought that some of the mens dh actually showed the speed alot better than world cup on tv that i have seen. or maybe thats cos we r faster than everyone else

[notobe]

will they show the next round on TV where its hopefully not raining so we can see abit more speed and stuff?

[S.]

will they show the next round on TV where its hopefully not raining so we can see abit more speed and stuff?

Next round? That was the championships, not the series... ie one-off event (ok, annual - but not a series).

[LTR]

did anyone watch the BMX Worlds after it??

BMX racing is sooo fast its amazing.....

[CAM]

We have to use the footage from both runs together for continuity. The magic of telly... not.
haha, I was wondering how Sam Hill changed from long pants to shorts in the middle of his run :wink:

[Mr Pants]

Damn you're picky, I didn't even notice that eh? I'm a bit more impressed by Sam's power and talent than his clothing.

The next MTB to be seen on yo telly will be the odd bit on SBS Cycling Central thru summer and the Nationals in March.

[josh]

God dammit,

I set the vcr but the thing is almost dead, it forgot to tape it :( Don't suppose anyone of my farkin crew taped it?

[hutchy]

I missed the segment on SBS but having read most of the post about it, there's one thing that really stands out to me so I feel a comment is needed

'Mr Pants' shed a little light on the big picture by pointing out why SBS where there in the first place. 1. they were asked 2. they were paid. Interesting, thanks. He also pointed out that if you have an opinion, make it heard! This is really the point I think is worth making.

Road cycling will always get more press - it's already got a huge following, it's easy to cover and makes pretty good TV, but, ABC & SBS are still largly funded by the government so to an extent, they're answerable to the public so tell em what we think..... the worlds leading nation in Downhill but virtually no coverage at home!!... I think we've got a good inroad here - remember email is free and the squeeky wheel gets the oil (well, actually grease in my workshop but what ever ;-)