Winter Olympics 2012

Watching the half-pipe snowboarding event on the Beeb's Winter Olympics coverage last night was surprisingly entertaining. It may be predictable to mock the names of the half-pipe manoeuvres involved but is that any reason not to do so? I think not.

I'm almost certain I heard the commentator describe one of Gretchen Blelier's moves as a Double McFlurry and the 'triple Black and Decker, toll-booth, $5 shake with extra Cheese manoeuvre' may not have been the product of my limited imagination but rather a hitherto un-executable trick worth 10 points with the judges.

In 'trendy' new sports such as this, the uninitiated (i.e. the overwhelming majority) really are at the mercy of the commentator to tell us what's good and what's not. Okay, I can tell that falling over and smashing your face on the pipe wall is bad but beyond that the commentator can pretty much make it up as they go along. Of course we have experience of commentators spouting nonsense - masquerading as expertise - on football commentary but at least then we have the knowledge to expose them for the charlatans they are. But in sports such as the half-pipe we might mistakenly cling to the insight of the Commentator more than we would normally do. That is my rather long-winded point, ladies and gents.

The usual Beeb authority on such matters seemed a little undermined on this occasion by the consciously 'trendy' commentary of the half-pipe event. Gone were the patronising, relaxed tones of Barry Davies ('aaaah, the Russian athlete reaaally was quite amazing. Lovely') and were replaced with something like 'rad man. She's nailed that and she'll be rocking all night once she watches that on the VT...'.

But trendy commentary delivery and different terminologies cannot hide the results of a commentator prepared to talk bollocks. As Hannah Teter prepared for her second run knowing she had already won gold, the Beeb commentator described her ability as an Olympic athelete in the following manner...."Hannah Teter is tiramisu. She's got the sponge fingers...and the hint of whiskey...'.

Winter Olympics 2012: The Trifle Games