Tag Archives: sport

Remote Sport

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Football has started again in Germany played in front of empty stadiums. It must be so weird for the teams to play without the roar of the crowd cheering them on. Normally, the chanting, banter and singing can lift and energise players to new levels. Now with the social distancing rules in place, when they score a goal there are no physical celebrations or embracing of other players. Instead, a punch in mid-air or a tap on the elbow. Not quite the same sense of euphoria or release.  The lack of atmosphere means there is no home advantage. Many players  approach the game more like a practice one. Show-boating and waving at the crowds also gone. It is no longer the beautiful game.

Same is true for other spectator sports and the Arts, from horse racing to concert-players. No audience physically present and no atmosphere to speak of. How can the performers find other ways to reach out to their fans and the fans connect back with them? Some venues have been thinking about how to bring real people back in their own car bubbles. A number of drive-in outdoor events are being experimented with. The Danish football side FC Midtylland, for example, plan to set up two massive screens in their large car park – that has 1000s of spaces – so that fans can rock up into a socially distanced space and tune into the commentary through their car radio. Instead of drive-in cinema it is drive-in footie. Maybe it will raise the noise level, as they hoot their horns when a goal is scored, but will it create the desired atmosphere for fans and players, alike? The football club have thought about this, too, and will show live footage of the fans parked up cheering in their cars from the car park inside the venue so at least the players can ‘see’ and ‘hear’ the crowd – albeit in their cars.

It might work – certainly better than the cardboard cut-out solution that some stadiums are using with canned cheering and crowd noises being emitted from loud speakers. I wonder how the graphic designer chose which people to use and how to place them at this match – to be representative of the fan base but also a chance for loyal season ticket holders to send in their choice of image to adorn their designated seat. Other plans are afoot for socially distanced drive-in raves and concerts. The mind boggles at the thought of 1000s of cars bouncing up and down as the owners ‘body’ dance while sat in their car seats.

All of these attempts to create some kind of connection, however, are a far cry from the real thing. Maybe, they will become the new normal for a while and morph into something that is still socially distanced but more socially connected. For example, they could evolve into a form of tailgating parties that are so central to US football culture – where fans rock up hours before the game to drink beer and cook on barbecues in car parks and open spaces near the stadiums. However, switching to drive-ins requires turning our cars into entertainment hubs – which obviously SUVs, 4x4s and pick-up trucks are best suited for. Trouble is society is trying to wean people off these gas guzzlers and get them to switch to compact electric cars. Seems counter-productive to saving the planet. There is also the problem that most cities don’t have the parking lots or spaces to support large-scale drive-ins. And then there is the added problem of managing toilet facilities but maybe someone will invent a portable toilet that disinfects itself after each use.

The strangest of drive-ins that have appeared are ‘drive-thru’ churches that pop up and where an outdoor mass is literally held in the carpark. It looks a sorry sight – no communal sharing of the bread and wine. Just the lone preacher necking the wine down himself while talking to a bunch of dark-windowed SUVs. That might be taking the biscuit somewhat.

Another way of connecting fans with players is to keep it digital. Streaming video games have been around for a while, where millions of spectators around the world watch top ‘streamers’ perform. They are provided with all sorts of extras that enables the fans to discover more about the player – not least their emotions and fluctuating heart rate and skin conductance at different stages of the game. This additional layer of data has been found to enhance the spectator experience and improve the connection between the streamer and spectators. But then we would return to being couch potatoes. Personally, I can’t wait to be part of a physical audience again, be it at a football ground, an outdoor venue or a theatre.

          Thanks to Daria Lisotsova on unsplash.com

Silly Siri

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I love going on vacation out of season when the weather is still perfect and the town and hotels are only half-full of more discerning tourists; the bumper families who descend in July and August having returned to their routines of work and school. We’re staying in a beautiful quiet spot on the island of Hvar that has dreamy views and a very still warm Adriatic sea gently kissing the shores. Sun-loungers covered in bright orange mattresses deck the rocky tiers beside our private beach, dotted with spruces, pines and other exotic trees, providing shade and privacy. Nirvana.

The joy of floating and snorkeling in clear blue sea and then drying in milky warm sun takes over as we let our bodies relax. So, too, do our minds empty. Stress-inducing, incessant work email is left on the plane. But our love and attachment to technology persists. Free Wi-Fi is pervasive, in our hotel, in the town, the bars, the restaurants and even at the beach on the sun loungers. We scan our friendly email, look at our twitter feeds and read the news – but only for the news and trends we want to catch up on.

On the first afternoon of our arrival I snapped with my iPhone one of our fellow guests slumbering, having quickly given up on her Kindle and succumbing to a change in her body rhythm. It lay inert in its place. At breakfast it popped up again. Everyone nowadays (even the retirees) has a Kindle, iPhone or iPad perched besides them at their table. They seem part of the furniture.

In the evening whilst having a sun-downer, A and I tried our voices at Siri, on our respective iPhones. We have previously both only ever had a fun time with him, showing him off to others who have not experienced asking him questions. Treat him like a fun app and you don’t get disappointed. He becomes the topic of conversation – since he always ends up misunderstanding you or only ever being able to tell you the weather. And you nearly always end up swearing at your phone because you want to see if he understands that – we’re all childish at heart. We asked him last night – admittedly after a glass or two of wine – what ‘good morning’ was in Croatian. On cue, he replied that the weather in Zagreb was 18 degrees. We tried a few more times, speaking ever more slowly and loudly into our phones, as one does to a foreigner or a child who does not understand you. Each time, we ended up in fits of laughter, listening to ourselves asking a piece of technology to tell us what good morning was in another language. Imagine if we were trying this on the train to London in the morning, our fellow commuters would have throttled us before even nearing Hayward’s Heath.

When the waiter came by to ask if we wanted another drink we asked him what good morning was and he told us sweetly what to say. Sorry Siri – the human won effortlessly – but not nearly as much fun. Next morning at breakfast, we noticed paper sheets on our dining table overlaying the tablet cloth – listing all the key phrases a tourist needs to know in 5 languages. The irony made us chuckle heartily over our continental breakfasts.

While we were playing with Siri at the bar the night before, we kept switching over to the BBC Sports page, in order to keep updated on Andy Murray’s semi final against Tomas Berdych in the US Open Tennis championship. Every few minutes a new line of text would pop up, nudging the old score down. There is something very exciting about waiting in anticipation for it to appear and imagining the game play out in the way you want, instead of watching or listening to it unfold under its own volition. When you imagine right there is a tremendous sense of satisfaction. A whole different way of experiencing sport.

We’d caught a glimpse of the start of the match on the receptionist’s TV as we left for dinner, then again as we passed a bar in town. We saw that Andy had lost the first set and, so later, when we got back and read on our iPhones that the match was into its 4th set, we assumed that it was Tomas who was 2-1 up in a commanding position. The set ended with a tie-break and we saw ‘match point’ flash up followed a couple of minutes later by ‘match point saved’. It got very tense for us, not knowing when the next update would come or whether Andy had already been knocked out. Being Andy, we assumed the worst and were about to switch back to Silly Siri when a new line of text appeared ‘Murray through to final!’ Our excitement was palpable. And the joy at regaling how we had got our wires crossed about Murray was even more fun.

It is OK taking technology on holiday. Some frown and tut, thinking a complete break is what is needed. There is even a new craze called digital detox. On ‘one site, it proselytizes “disconnect from technology and reconnect with yourself. Recharge your mind, body and soul. The Digital Detox is a tech-free personal wellness retreat where attendees give up their smart-phones and gadgets in exchange for four days of serenity and bliss. Yoga, meditation, hiking, hot-springs, art/writing workshops, and healthy eating in a natural and tranquil environment help one gain balance, perspective and a piece of mind.”

To ‘disconnect to reconnect’ is an oxymoron to our ears. It is an integral, extended part of us now not an addiction. The trick is to switch your technology into holiday mode and use it to enhance and join in the fun. That is where Siri and Kindles can give so much pleasure. It is simple once one understands how to switch.

I am sitting on a terrace by myself, listening to the sea on one side and plates being cleared away in the distant dining room, using my laptop to write this – I have never enjoyed writing a blog entry so much. It is natural, tranquil, and bliss. And technology is ever present in its place. It would not be nearly as much fun without it.

Marble Marvel

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Part of my dream fellowship is to open my eyes to new possibilities. So when I was invited by my host Gary and his friend Andrew to watch the Chinese Grand Prix with them last Sunday evening, I accepted without reservation. I’ve never had any real interest in Formula 1 before, except listening to the occasional news snippet about Jenson Button winning or Michael Schumacher returning after his retirement. Andrew and Gary, on the other hand, are both hooked on it – and have been since growing up with it – following every race and anticipating what will happen at the next one. During the race, like millions of others worldwide, they enter the F1 zone, gripped by the fate and fortune of the drivers, as the breathtaking action unfolds.

G gave me a little booklet about this season’s teams and drivers, as we were waiting for A to arrive, so I could at least become familiarized with the basics. As I flicked through the pages of handsome chaps and cars, he patiently answered a few of my rookie questions about which team Jenson and Lewis were in, what the sponsor names were of all the teams, how much it cost each year for them to take part and so on. I then found myself looking at a page of tyres and noticed there were six kinds, all lined up in a row with different coloured lines around them, reminding me of licorice allsorts. They are used for different conditions and stages of the race. There are 4 dry-weather ones: super soft (red), soft (yellow), medium (white) and hard (silver) and two wet-weather ones, which have different treads on them, an intermediate and a full-on heavy rain one. The treads help to expel the water on the track when racing in the rain. Apparently, the patterns of the wet tyre treads are mathematically designed to ‘scrub’ the maximum amount of water from the racing track surface in order to get the best possible contact of the tyre and to prevent aqua-planning.

The tyres, I quickly discovered, play a central part in the race but can be highly variable, all of which adds to the excitement. Gary filled me in on more fascinating factoids and I found myself gripped by tyre talk. Geeky or what? All the cars have to use the same Pirelli ones now so there is no unfair advantage. But the drivers have to use both soft and hard during the race and a key team decision is choosing which one to start with. The skill and luck is in selecting the right one at the right time. Use the soft ones first and you could loose ground. Use the hard ones first and you might burn out too quickly.

Instead of air the tyres are filled with nitrogen – this helps them to keep their shape when they get very hot as the cars zip round the circuit and also helps to keep their pressure just so. However, the downside of driving at extremely fast speeds for nearly two hours is that the tyres wear out quickly. Bits of rubber start to ping off the tyres, especially when the drivers are cornering, and trails of rubber debris can be seen accumulating all around the track. These tyre shreds are affectionately known as ‘marbles’. How cute is that?

Eventually, the tyres, if continually driven at very fast speeds, will blow or lock. They are designed to last for a maximum of 200 km and so the drivers have to make at least 2 pit stops to change them. Each pit stop obviously takes them out of the race temporarily and so at best, adds 20-30 seconds to their time. The longer they keep driving the tyres the more they keep in the race, but the less grip they have, and the more risk that they will lock or blow. Cut your loses early on and you could gain later on. But it depends on where you are relative to the other drivers, as to the pros and cons. The juggle is whether to change 2 or 3 times, early or late, soft or hard. Each involves different risks and pay-offs. There lies the thrill, deciding which one and when.

We settled in front of the big TV screen and the flag went up. Vroom vroom. The boys got straight into it, watching and commenting on the race, seeing things I didn’t even notice, such as which driver was in front, behind, in the middle, who had just overtaken whom, whether they were in the DRS zone where they can really accelerate, and so on. It was all a bit of a blur for me. Their eyes were on split second detail and mine were on the gestalt. But gradually, I started to see things a little more clearly and by the end of the race, I almost kept up with G and A’s octane talk as the race for second place hotted up. I even piped in a squeak or two – noticing one or two minor details.

The most fascinating part of the race for me was the pit stop. It seems that a race can be won and lost in the pits. Each team has to time their driver’s pit stops strategically to the moment, to try to ensure they minimize lost time on the track while maximizing the opportunities to overtake the cars in front using fresh tyres. It is a time when men and machines have to work in close unison, to perform a “precisely timed, millimetre perfect choreography”. You can’t but marvel at the team’s highly focused attention that ideally takes place during a 2-3 second window when all 4 tyres are switched in sync. 3 mechanics look after each wheel: the first takes off the single nut with an airgun, the second removes the tyre, and the third replaces it with a new tyre and then the first places the nut back on again and then tightens it up, using the airgun.

I watched my first pit stop tyre change in awe. Grown men, in lurid green and white jumpsuits sprung into action: machines pounding, wheels vanishing and arms flapping. I was not sure where to look at first as so much was going on. After watching a few more, I trained my eyes to focus on the action around one wheel and then glance momentarily at the other ends of the car and finally on the moves of the lollipop man (!) stationed at the front of the car. The affectionately called lollipop man refers to the shape of the long sign he holds in front of the car to signal to the driver where to stop and when to start. Just like the marbles – another, sweet naming touch. Men can be boys, too.

Clearly, there is a lot more going on during a pit stop than one pair of eyes can see. Awareness of what each is doing in fast motion is key. One slight fumbling and you blow it for the whole team and millions of dollars literally fly out the window. This happened early on to Michael Schumacher when we were watching the race in Shanghai. One poor soul hadn’t screwed the nut back on properly before the lollipop man had moved his shield, signaling to Michael to accelerate. The mechanic waved his hand somewhat limply to signal all was not well but he knew by then, it was too late. Michael had vanished in a roaring puff back onto the track, all the while his left front wheel wobbling. Too late…Within 5 seconds the race was over for him. Such a tiny margin for error is what makes the race so exhilerating for us, but as G and A noted, it was likely to be the end of the road for the poor sod whose nerves got the better of him when fumbling with the airgun.

I have just been reading Negative Camber’s blog where he describes the pit stops in NASCAR racing as being like ballet. I could not agree more. But unlike the 2-3 stops in F1 they have upwards of 8 to 10 stops and sometimes even more. And it is not just the tyres they change but a whole host of other things, including “making chassis adjustments, others servicing the driver, and so on.” This ‘full service’ take 13-16 seconds rather than the 2-4 seconds for the quick service in F1. Now I know what I should have been watching during my wilderness years living in the american mid-west. And to think one of my female colleagues at Indiana University was really into it and we pooh-poohed her. Luckily, there are many more F1 races to go, next sunday it’s Bahrain.