Part of me wishes that Victoria hadn't entered Strictly because it saddens me that a reputation that took 10 years of hard work to build could fall apart in just 8 weeks because of a celebrity dance competition. But then I doubt the people the people who have called her selfish, attention seeking and moaning knew much about her pre-Strictly anyway.
I still respect Victoria and there's nothing I've learned about her from Strictly that I didn't know already: she's unguarded in her emotions, always feels like she's letting people down, is very self critical and finds it easy to be positive about everyone except herself. She's never pretended to be the ideal sporting hero or tried to hide her frailties and that's what she saw on Strictly.
Have to agree with you. I am completely fed up with all the negative comments from the judges - and others. Louis didn't go to stage school, he has achieved beyond expectations because of his ADHD, he has NOT appeared in West End Musicals and he has not been a member of a boy band appearing on huge stages throughout the world. Let us also remember that he is very shy.
Have to agree with you. I am completely fed up with all the negative comments from the judges - and others. Louis didn't go to stage school, he has achieved beyond expectations because of his ADHD, he has NOT appeared in West End Musicals and he has not been a member of a boy band appearing on huge stages throughout the world. Let us also remember that he is very shy.
I agree with what you have said. Performing to big audience and appearing in front of one are two very different things. Louis just goes out to perform his gymnastics routine for himself. It doesn't matter if 1000s of people are watching at the time, that is not the same as performing for them in the way a band or actor/actress does. They are trained to perform for and to work an audience. For those people performance is the whole thing as that is what they do. Louis on the other hand just performs a technical event whilst people are watching him do it. He is not doing it for them or to them. It's an entirely different thing that does give the others an unfair advantage.
Part of me wishes that Victoria hadn't entered Strictly because it saddens me that a reputation that took 10 years of hard work to build could fall apart in just 8 weeks because of a celebrity dance competition. But then I doubt the people the people who have called her selfish, attention seeking and moaning knew much about her pre-Strictly anyway.
I still respect Victoria and there's nothing I've learned about her from Strictly that I didn't know already: she's unguarded in her emotions, always feels like she's letting people down, is very self critical and finds it easy to be positive about everyone except herself. She's never pretended to be the ideal sporting hero or tried to hide her frailties and that's what she saw on Strictly.
I loved Victoria’s modesty and how she enjoyed the glitz and glamour. She never rated herself as a dancer just wanted to try and I admired her stoicism and commitment. Being on the show hasn’t tarnished their imagine Louis is still there abd Victoria is too charming a woman for that to happen. Both Louis and Victoria were asked to take part because they were Olympians and they’ll both be that long after the show is over and for the rest of their lives.
I would think they are happy they took part in something challenging and different. Also, even though Victoria didn't become a dancing marvel, she did learn a lot, and it is a nice gift to learn from this show, to learn to dance well. They have done nothing to be ashamed of themselves, they have given it their all, worked hard, practiced hard, and should be proud of what they have achieved.
Sorry, but it's those sorts of comments that really annoy me, as the condition is still so misunderstood. Regardless of whether Louis wins SCD (and really, it's not a major achievement let's face it), the fact he has, along with Victoria and other members of Team GB and Paralympics GB, inspired a huge number of children/young people/adults to look beyond their 'condition' or abilities and become involved in athletics or just in their community is the bigger picture IMO.
I hope Louis does manage to 'get' the performance aspect of the dance (without turning into a caricature), mainly because I believe he is the only one of the current contestants who has the capability to produce a 'WOW' dance.
If he doesn't - which he may not - I don't mind, he has produced some pretty good entertaining dances along with the others that I've enjoyed watching.
I'm not quite sure what your asking. As we are talking about Louis being on SCD, do you want him to be judged differently to the other celebs because he has ADHD?
If Louis was handicapped by ADHD surely he should have entered the Paralympics .
i don't question their decisions to enter sCD at all.
The time window for ex-olympians to cash in on their fame is actually quite short and they may as well make the most of it while they can.
I agree with what you have said. Performing to big audience and appearing in front of one are two very different things. Louis just goes out to perform his gymnastics routine for himself. It doesn't matter if 1000s of people are watching at the time, that is not the same as performing for them in the way a band or actor/actress does. They are trained to perform for and to work an audience. For those people performance is the whole thing as that is what they do. Louis on the other hand just performs a technical event whilst people are watching him do it. He is not doing it for them or to them. It's an entirely different thing that does give the others an unfair advantage.
I disagree. All sports people feel the extra pressure and nerves when they have to play/perform in front of big crowds as against when they do the same procedures in training.
So they learn hope to cope with pressure and nerves in front of big crowds which can only be of benefit when performing in front of an SCD audience.
If VP's reputation is now damaged then you'd better tell Halfords.
They've just renewed her contract to design more bikes and expanded it to include accessories. Halfords have never sold as many women's bikes.
[QUOTE=soulmate61;62631180]Kaycee says dance is a sport, I say it is an art.
Looking at the performance of numerous sportspersons on Strictly you have to wonder if there really is synergy between the two poles.
The outstanding Kara is artistic (she paints) and obviously musical. Denise may sound like a tomboy, but she is very musical and no athlete.[/QUOTE]
Dance competition is a sport; the process of dancing is artistic. That is why dance comps - officially called Dancesport - is pretty unique. It's not just what you do (as in athletics, for example, where its first past the post, etc) but how you do it.
I disagree. All sports people feel the extra pressure and nerves when they have to play/perform in front of big crowds as against when they do the same procedures in training.
So they learn hope to cope with pressure and nerves in front of big crowds which can only be of benefit when performing in front of an SCD audience.
Unfortunately, their training to deal with the crowds will be to tune them and just focus on themselves and what they are doing ... which is the opposite of what they need to do a performance rather than just peform.
I'm not quite sure what your asking. As we are talking about Louis being on SCD, do you want him to be judged differently to the other celebs because he has ADHD?
If Louis was handicapped by ADHD surely he should have entered the Paralympics .
I know there were swimmers with ADHD competing in the Paralympics, so I presume that yes, if there had been gymnastics at the Paralympics, Louis could have entered.
I disagree. All sports people feel the extra pressure and nerves when they have to play/perform in front of big crowds as against when they do the same procedures in training.
So they learn hope to cope with pressure and nerves in front of big crowds which can only be of benefit when performing in front of an SCD audience.
Well yes and no. The trick you are taught to cope with your nerves in a sport like gymnastics is to block out the audience and pretend it's just another training session. So when it comes to Strictly, whilst you might be able to execute the whole routine technically well without worrying about forgetting it (as Louis has done so far), you also won't be any good at selling it or building a connection with the audience (as Louis had struggled with) because you've been taught to just forget about them and concentrate only on what you are doing. Conversely, whilst someone like Nicky or Kimberley won't have the advantages Louis has when it comes to learning a routine, picking up steps quickly & being used to having a regular training routine, thanks to their day jobs they are used to performing in front of big crowds, & more crucially engaging their audience.
Unfortunately, their training to deal with the crowds will be to tune them and just focus on themselves and what they are doing ... which is the opposite of what they need to do a performance rather than just peform.
I suppose the people really to ask are the sports people like Michael, Louis, Victoria and all the other sports personalities they've had on SCD down the years.
I'm not quite sure what your asking. As we are talking about Louis being on SCD, do you want him to be judged differently to the other celebs because he has ADHD?
If Louis was handicapped by ADHD surely he should have entered the Paralympics .
yes no one seems to know for sure the nature and extent of Louis childhood ADHD or whether he still has it. Unitl then, it seems to be a convenient excuse for underperformance.
If VP's reputation is now damaged then you'd better tell Halfords.
They've just renewed her contract to design more bikes and expanded it to include accessories. Halfords have never sold as many women's bikes.
Why would someone think that Victoria's reputation got damaged because of SCD? She got a bit emotional at times, and didn't learn to dance as well as some people thought she should have. If that damages someone's reputation then wow, I want to see the people with untarnished reputations.
She took on a new kind of challenge, most likely enjoyed her time on the show a lot, and learned to dance. Why should she be ashamed, or why would that damage her reputation at all?
I suppose the people really to ask are the sports people like Michael, Louis, Victoria and all the other sports personalities they've had on SCD down the years.
I think cricket/football are slightly different because the players aren't 'on' all the time, there are people around them on the pitch and they interact with the crowd as part of what they do.
For something like sprint cycling or a routine, which needs the person to be completely focused for a short to medium length of time, the training is to tune everything out but your performance.
I'm not quite sure what your asking. As we are talking about Louis being on SCD, do you want him to be judged differently to the other celebs because he has ADHD?
If Louis was handicapped by ADHD surely he should have entered the Paralympics .
I know I'm not asking anyone to judge him differently simply because of his ADHD.
Most of the discussions have started because of negative comments on what people see as his lack of commitment to his Strictly experience. They often site the VTs and the continued lack of performance and/or acting in his dance as proof. Surely its fair to mention a difference reason for this behaviour that has nothing to do with him: being a brat, being "too cool"; no't connecting with Flavia or he doesn't want to do it anymore
Surely, it reasonable to offer up another reason for his behaviour and detachment. This is Louis' challenge, and at the moment he's not quite succeeding. Lots of people hope he does during Strictly, for our viewing pleasure. Some just hope he gains the skill for his future life.
Having laid the some medical facts before people making comments about Louis, the person, I'm absolutely happy that they then decide that they enjoy watching others dance more and vote accordingly.
Sorry - late reply! Louis trains alone at the gym and so can concentrate in short bursts if necessary - he can pace himself.
Learning unfamiliar routines and techniques will be more challenging for him.....he will have to face two dances a week very soon and might have some difficulty with this. I wish our local boy well!:)
On that last point, it is interesting to note that although part of the mens all round team, Louis only competed on the pommell horse, while the others did parallel bars, vault and floor. When asked whether he would compete in Rio, Louis commented that it depended on whether he would be picked as he might not bee good enough to make tyhe team in 4 years time. He also questioned whether there would be room for a pommell specialist.
I know he can do all the other disciplines, but obviously not to the same Olympic standard, so perhaps his ADHD means that he has to concentrate on the one discipline and become expert at it - as he has done. If this is the case, then learning anew dance and routine every week must be a real challenge in itslef, let alone then having to try to bring emotion and feeling to the dance.
I think cricket/football are slightly different because the players aren't 'on' all the time, there are people around them on the pitch and they interact with the crowd as part of what they do.
For something like sprint cycling or a routine, which needs the person to be completely focused for a short to medium length of time, the training is to tune everything out but your performance.
Apolo Ohno was a double Olympic gold medallist in short track speed skating but that didn't stop him winning DWTS.
Why would someone think that Victoria's reputation got damaged because of SCD? She got a bit emotional at times, and didn't learn to dance as well as some people thought she should have. If that damages someone's reputation then wow, I want to see the people with untarnished reputations.
She took on a new kind of challenge, most likely enjoyed her time on the show a lot, and learned to dance. Why should she be ashamed, or why would that damage her reputation at all?
I agree with you, I was commenting on the others who aren't as enlightened as you and me!:)
If VP's reputation is now damaged then you'd better tell Halfords.
They've just renewed her contract to design more bikes and expanded it to include accessories. Halfords have never sold as many women's bikes.
I didn’t know VP was working with Halfords until I saw her cycles in the shop only a week or so ago. As you say Victoria is signed up to work on a new range, could feature in TV advertising and will be writing write a regular cycle blog for them.
“We are confident that her outstanding performance as a gold and silver medallist at London 2012 will continue to inspire female cyclists across the UK.”
Pendleton, recently knocked out of Strictly Come Dancing, said she was looking forward to returning to the world she knows best as she seeks to use her knowledge and expertise to 'expand into further commercial activities with Halfords'.
Pendleton said: “It was a dream come true for me to design my own range of bikes. I want to encourage women to cycle more and that is why I wanted to design a range of bikes with Halfords. I am so pleased that customers liked them as much as I do and am really thrilled to be designing more.
“I’ve had an amazing time doing Strictly but I’m more used to coping with two wheels than two feet and I’m looking forward to getting back to the drawing-board and creating more bikes with Halfords.”
Think it’s safe to say it’s all happening for our first lady of cycling.
I didn’t know VP was working with Halfords until I saw her cycles in the shop only a week or so ago. As you say Victoria is signed up to work on a new range, could feature in TV advertising and will be writing write a regular cycle blog for them.
“We are confident that her outstanding performance as a gold and silver medallist at London 2012 will continue to inspire female cyclists across the UK.”
Pendleton, recently knocked out of Strictly Come Dancing, said she was looking forward to returning to the world she knows best as she seeks to use her knowledge and expertise to 'expand into further commercial activities with Halfords'.
Pendleton said: “It was a dream come true for me to design my own range of bikes. I want to encourage women to cycle more and that is why I wanted to design a range of bikes with Halfords. I am so pleased that customers liked them as much as I do and am really thrilled to be designing more.
“I’ve had an amazing time doing Strictly but I’m more used to coping with two wheels than two feet and I’m looking forward to getting back to the drawing-board and creating more bikes with Halfords.”
Think it’s safe to say it’s all happening for our first lady of cycling.
Victoria was my pre-show favourite but let's not unnecessarily exaggerate her sporting achievements. She is a top athlete but she got fewer gold medals than Laura Trott.
As for designing her own bikes, she seems to be a very clever girl. All on her own? So is she has become an expert in mechanical engineering and also wind dynamics while training for the Olympics. Her degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Northumbria University would not have covered mechanical engineering much if at all.
Whatever next? Victoria Beckham designing a Range Rover?
I like Victoria a lot as a sports person and her personality. Also quite pretty with a nice figure But let's not exaggerate.
Why would someone think that Victoria's reputation got damaged because of SCD? She got a bit emotional at times, and didn't learn to dance as well as some people thought she should have. If that damages someone's reputation then wow, I want to see the people with untarnished reputations.
She took on a new kind of challenge, most likely enjoyed her time on the show a lot, and learned to dance. Why should she be ashamed, or why would that damage her reputation at all?
Obviously a lot of people were voting for her but I think she's picked up just as many detractors as supporters by appearing on Strictly. Have you read some of the posts on here and newspaper articles written about her over the past 8 weeks? Full scale character assassination in many cases, including uninformed speculation about her career as a cyclist (her teammates didn't like her, she's responsible for Jess Varnish's disqualification at the Olympics etc etc).
Then again, the people who dislike her now are probably the people who had little or no idea who she was before Strictly.
Ilie Năstase, Jimmy Connors Shane Warne and of course Usain Bolt all know how to work a crowd. Depends on the sports person concerned.
And on the discipline they're competing in. Getting amped up & getting the crowd on side is part of how Bolt prepares for his race, gets the adrenaline going - you don't want that if you're competing in a precision sport like gymnastics, archery, dressage etc.
Comments
I still respect Victoria and there's nothing I've learned about her from Strictly that I didn't know already: she's unguarded in her emotions, always feels like she's letting people down, is very self critical and finds it easy to be positive about everyone except herself. She's never pretended to be the ideal sporting hero or tried to hide her frailties and that's what she saw on Strictly.
Agree
I agree with what you have said. Performing to big audience and appearing in front of one are two very different things. Louis just goes out to perform his gymnastics routine for himself. It doesn't matter if 1000s of people are watching at the time, that is not the same as performing for them in the way a band or actor/actress does. They are trained to perform for and to work an audience. For those people performance is the whole thing as that is what they do. Louis on the other hand just performs a technical event whilst people are watching him do it. He is not doing it for them or to them. It's an entirely different thing that does give the others an unfair advantage.
I loved Victoria’s modesty and how she enjoyed the glitz and glamour. She never rated herself as a dancer just wanted to try and I admired her stoicism and commitment. Being on the show hasn’t tarnished their imagine Louis is still there abd Victoria is too charming a woman for that to happen. Both Louis and Victoria were asked to take part because they were Olympians and they’ll both be that long after the show is over and for the rest of their lives.
I'm not quite sure what your asking. As we are talking about Louis being on SCD, do you want him to be judged differently to the other celebs because he has ADHD?
If Louis was handicapped by ADHD surely he should have entered the Paralympics .
The time window for ex-olympians to cash in on their fame is actually quite short and they may as well make the most of it while they can.
I disagree. All sports people feel the extra pressure and nerves when they have to play/perform in front of big crowds as against when they do the same procedures in training.
So they learn hope to cope with pressure and nerves in front of big crowds which can only be of benefit when performing in front of an SCD audience.
They've just renewed her contract to design more bikes and expanded it to include accessories. Halfords have never sold as many women's bikes.
Looking at the performance of numerous sportspersons on Strictly you have to wonder if there really is synergy between the two poles.
The outstanding Kara is artistic (she paints) and obviously musical. Denise may sound like a tomboy, but she is very musical and no athlete.[/QUOTE]
Dance competition is a sport; the process of dancing is artistic. That is why dance comps - officially called Dancesport - is pretty unique. It's not just what you do (as in athletics, for example, where its first past the post, etc) but how you do it.
Unfortunately, their training to deal with the crowds will be to tune them and just focus on themselves and what they are doing ... which is the opposite of what they need to do a performance rather than just peform.
I know there were swimmers with ADHD competing in the Paralympics, so I presume that yes, if there had been gymnastics at the Paralympics, Louis could have entered.
Well yes and no. The trick you are taught to cope with your nerves in a sport like gymnastics is to block out the audience and pretend it's just another training session. So when it comes to Strictly, whilst you might be able to execute the whole routine technically well without worrying about forgetting it (as Louis has done so far), you also won't be any good at selling it or building a connection with the audience (as Louis had struggled with) because you've been taught to just forget about them and concentrate only on what you are doing. Conversely, whilst someone like Nicky or Kimberley won't have the advantages Louis has when it comes to learning a routine, picking up steps quickly & being used to having a regular training routine, thanks to their day jobs they are used to performing in front of big crowds, & more crucially engaging their audience.
I suppose the people really to ask are the sports people like Michael, Louis, Victoria and all the other sports personalities they've had on SCD down the years.
yes no one seems to know for sure the nature and extent of Louis childhood ADHD or whether he still has it. Unitl then, it seems to be a convenient excuse for underperformance.
Why would someone think that Victoria's reputation got damaged because of SCD? She got a bit emotional at times, and didn't learn to dance as well as some people thought she should have. If that damages someone's reputation then wow, I want to see the people with untarnished reputations.
She took on a new kind of challenge, most likely enjoyed her time on the show a lot, and learned to dance. Why should she be ashamed, or why would that damage her reputation at all?
I think cricket/football are slightly different because the players aren't 'on' all the time, there are people around them on the pitch and they interact with the crowd as part of what they do.
For something like sprint cycling or a routine, which needs the person to be completely focused for a short to medium length of time, the training is to tune everything out but your performance.
I know I'm not asking anyone to judge him differently simply because of his ADHD.
Most of the discussions have started because of negative comments on what people see as his lack of commitment to his Strictly experience. They often site the VTs and the continued lack of performance and/or acting in his dance as proof. Surely its fair to mention a difference reason for this behaviour that has nothing to do with him: being a brat, being "too cool"; no't connecting with Flavia or he doesn't want to do it anymore
Surely, it reasonable to offer up another reason for his behaviour and detachment. This is Louis' challenge, and at the moment he's not quite succeeding. Lots of people hope he does during Strictly, for our viewing pleasure. Some just hope he gains the skill for his future life.
Having laid the some medical facts before people making comments about Louis, the person, I'm absolutely happy that they then decide that they enjoy watching others dance more and vote accordingly.
On that last point, it is interesting to note that although part of the mens all round team, Louis only competed on the pommell horse, while the others did parallel bars, vault and floor. When asked whether he would compete in Rio, Louis commented that it depended on whether he would be picked as he might not bee good enough to make tyhe team in 4 years time. He also questioned whether there would be room for a pommell specialist.
I know he can do all the other disciplines, but obviously not to the same Olympic standard, so perhaps his ADHD means that he has to concentrate on the one discipline and become expert at it - as he has done. If this is the case, then learning anew dance and routine every week must be a real challenge in itslef, let alone then having to try to bring emotion and feeling to the dance.
Just a thought.
Apolo Ohno was a double Olympic gold medallist in short track speed skating but that didn't stop him winning DWTS.
I agree with you, I was commenting on the others who aren't as enlightened as you and me!:)
I didn’t know VP was working with Halfords until I saw her cycles in the shop only a week or so ago. As you say Victoria is signed up to work on a new range, could feature in TV advertising and will be writing write a regular cycle blog for them.
http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/victoria-pendleton-signs-up-for-more-halfords-bikes/014000
“We are confident that her outstanding performance as a gold and silver medallist at London 2012 will continue to inspire female cyclists across the UK.”
Pendleton, recently knocked out of Strictly Come Dancing, said she was looking forward to returning to the world she knows best as she seeks to use her knowledge and expertise to 'expand into further commercial activities with Halfords'.
Pendleton said: “It was a dream come true for me to design my own range of bikes. I want to encourage women to cycle more and that is why I wanted to design a range of bikes with Halfords. I am so pleased that customers liked them as much as I do and am really thrilled to be designing more.
“I’ve had an amazing time doing Strictly but I’m more used to coping with two wheels than two feet and I’m looking forward to getting back to the drawing-board and creating more bikes with Halfords.”
Think it’s safe to say it’s all happening for our first lady of cycling.
Victoria was my pre-show favourite but let's not unnecessarily exaggerate her sporting achievements. She is a top athlete but she got fewer gold medals than Laura Trott.
As for designing her own bikes, she seems to be a very clever girl. All on her own? So is she has become an expert in mechanical engineering and also wind dynamics while training for the Olympics. Her degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Northumbria University would not have covered mechanical engineering much if at all.
Whatever next? Victoria Beckham designing a Range Rover?
I like Victoria a lot as a sports person and her personality. Also quite pretty with a nice figure But let's not exaggerate.
Obviously a lot of people were voting for her but I think she's picked up just as many detractors as supporters by appearing on Strictly. Have you read some of the posts on here and newspaper articles written about her over the past 8 weeks? Full scale character assassination in many cases, including uninformed speculation about her career as a cyclist (her teammates didn't like her, she's responsible for Jess Varnish's disqualification at the Olympics etc etc).
Then again, the people who dislike her now are probably the people who had little or no idea who she was before Strictly.
And on the discipline they're competing in. Getting amped up & getting the crowd on side is part of how Bolt prepares for his race, gets the adrenaline going - you don't want that if you're competing in a precision sport like gymnastics, archery, dressage etc.