I CAN'T WATCH!

[blamebrampton]

It's the gold medal match of the men's wheelchair basketball and I might actually die of nervousness. I think it's finished in the real world, but I can't stop watching the replay to find out.

Canada has Patrick Anderson, the best player in the world. Australia have several very good players, including Troy Sachs, a man who I interviewed in 1999 and who is as tall in his sports chair as I am standing up. When he's standing on his prosthesis, it's just embarrassing. Nothing worse than talking to strange men's bellies.

It is SUCH A CLOSE GAME, with the lead seesawing and excellent play on both sides. There are seven minutes left and I am finding it hard to breathe. Of course, that's mostly because I still have gunk in my lungs, but the tension is NOT HELPING.

To distract myself, let me give you an update of other essential Paralympic news. In rugby, Australia goes up against the US for the gold after an amazing win against Canada, with Canada and Great Britain playing for the bronze. If you have any opportunity to watch either game, I recommend it highly. To describe the play, it's like polo crossed with rollerderby, crossed with football. And a bit of rugby. Played by very fast lunatics.

Oh good grief, one minute ten to go, five points in it. ARGH!

OMG! Australia won! 72:60! And the commentators have gone completely mad! And I cannot blame them in the least. I think Troy Sachs might be having a little cry, and I can't blame him, either, he's been wanting that medal since 1999 at least.

Oh god, now David Weir and Kurt Fearnley are racing the 1500m ... ARGH! Fearnley crashed! It's like watching the Monza Grand Prix all over again as the chairs skid on the wet track! David's taken it, and Fearnley's pushed back from a wipeout to the bronze! Oh I hope Kurt can win the gold in the marathon tomorrow, if anyone deserves it, it's him.

Thank goodness there are only a few hours of coverage a day, I have things that need to be done! At least my Darkfest fic now has a beginning, and an end, and a yawning gap between the two. But it's a step up from just the end!

Comments

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

so is paralympic wheelchair volleyball anything like murderball? those wheelchair rugby guys are vicious!

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

i mean basketball. *needs more coffee*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Heh, actually, the volleyball is done seated, with a low net. It's a bit wacky when you first watch it, but rather cool nonetheless.

The basketball has some degree of commonality with the rugby/murderball. The most common injury in both is broken fingers and there are a huge number of personal and team fouls in the average game. But the basketball is a little more technical, both in terms of countdowns of who can be in what part of the court for how long, and in terms of the tricks of successful offence and defence.

The shooting is very much like able-bodied basketball, obviously without the slam-dunks, but with more turnovers in the circle as teams send their tallest players in to take any rebounds. It's very exciting to watch, though a more elegant excitement than the gladitorial rugby ;-)

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

all those athletes just amaze me! they really do. and i've never understood why murderball is som much more popular in the US than actual rugby. :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Once you watch your first game of murderball, you want to see your second! Unless you're squeamish ...

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

that must be it! those guys are beasts! and they can't even walk. i watched the documentary on murderball (aptly titled Murderball) and it pumped ME up! :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you wouldn't want to meet one of those chairs on the field of sporting endeavour, unless you had really big safety boots and motocross body armour on!

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Oh, BB! Too much sports - I can't participate in the conversation and I miss you! lol

And oooo, because you are writing darkfest? I am intrigued by the idea of a Brammers dark and twisty fic....

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Heh, never fear, just one more day of Paralympics, then it's only the F1 for the rest of the year.

I am writing darkly dark fic for darkfest! At least, it will be after I go back and edit out all the jokes ;-)

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Well, you know where I am if you need any eyes to check for typos etc. It's a burden, but one I'd be willing to bear just for you. lol

And hee! Because F1 I know - hub was jumping off the couch this weekend watching!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

VETTEL! OMG! There was a lot of girly squealing here, too. Mostly from J.

[maya231.livejournal.com]

I don't watch much TV, but your posts made me curious about the Paralympics. However, I can't find a whisper of Paralympics. Is it me (and my lack of extra TV channels) or is this not on TV in the states?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Surely someone should be covering it! Though it's the last night today, so perhaps check out some of the highlights on YouTube.

[absynthedrinker.livejournal.com]

Australians and their obssession with sport. It never ends. Hope all is well with you.

Peace,
Bubba

Thought you might like the shoes

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's true, you know, ever since I've been here I am unable to walk past a good game. But it was SUCH a good game!

And I think I owned those shoes in the 80s ...

[jamie2109.livejournal.com]

Bah, damn I missed it! I did see the replay of the murderball semis where the guys trounced - ok snuck in under - the Canadians. That was the first time I'd seen the wheelchair rugby and it amazed me so much! It was so exciting and I was yelping in my chair! That Riley Batt is a superhero!

RUGBY SPOILER!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

ARGH! The Americans took the gold! BUM! But yes, brilliant play all round form that team and Batt is just amazing! Yet do I think he will receive an iota of the sponsorship that medoicre but pretty able-bodied athletes receive? Alas, no.

[shadowclub.livejournal.com]

Darkfest fic?? Omg, I can't wait to read it!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I have to keep stopping myself with the joke making!

[shadowclub.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem with writing dark fics! They start off all emo and sinister (e.g "Harry's dark head was shadowed by a dark cloak one dark night in London.") and then somehow end up odd and not quite how I started. (e.g "Harry woke up the next morning with the arse of a gay black man").

I feel bad for the people who beta for me:) They are never sure if I'm writing comedy acceptably or dark!fic poorly!

♥