That’s just weird. Like a kid who gets mad at a playmate and takes his toys home so no one else can touch them. :rolleyes:
Are they as good as when I’ve watched the live stream in the past? No. But Melanie does make some good observations about the strategy of riding a jumping course that I think would be comprehended by non-horse people. Her dressage is more off and the gender change for Charisma annoyed me.
If she only did show jumping, which is her sport, none of us would have a problem with her. The problem is with NBC. They seem to think equestrian events in the Olympics are all the same. Someone needs to educate them and explain that it’s like having a race swimmer (think Phelps) do the commentating on diving or synchronized swimming.
I really wish they’d have Jimmy Wofford commentate. He’s done Rolex for NBC multiple times (& used to do Fox Hall) & speaks in a way that’s informative to non-horse people yet relevant to horse people. If they’re only going to have a commentator from 1 discipline cover all 3, it should be an eventer. At least eventers have some knowledge of dressage & SJ by necessity, even if those aren’t their areas of expertise. Melanie Smith Taylor shouldn’t commentate on anything other than show jumping (about which she is very knowledgeable!)
Ya’know I was home today so I watched the whole live stream and tried to learn from the commentators on that site–pretty technical. Then I watched the TV “version” and they didn’t teach me anything I didn’t get from the on line guys, but they told such great stories–I mean, who (not in that discipline) knew that Carl payed only $4500 for Valegro or that Laura’s parents traded a washer/dryer for her first pony?
Although I know that this broadcast couldn’t initiate the unknowlegable, I enjoyed it.
[QUOTE=vagabondrider;8792938]
I really wish they’d have Jimmy Wofford commentate. He’s done Rolex for NBC multiple times (& used to do Fox Hall) & speaks in a way that’s informative to non-horse people yet relevant to horse people. If they’re only going to have a commentator from 1 discipline cover all 3, it should be an eventer. At least eventers have some knowledge of dressage & SJ by necessity, even if those aren’t their areas of expertise. Melanie Smith Taylor shouldn’t commentate on anything other than show jumping (about which she is very knowledgeable!)[/QUOTE]
Yep, JW does a great job.
[QUOTE=Velvet;8791518]
If she only did show jumping, which is her sport, none of us would have a problem with her. The problem is with NBC. They seem to think equestrian events in the Olympics are all the same. Someone needs to educate them and explain that it’s like having a race swimmer (think Phelps) do the commentating on diving or synchronized swimming.[/QUOTE]
I recall Barcelona, when she dutifully ticked off that the horse did the appropriate number of one-tempis, total ignoring the fact that the horses haunches were swinging wildly from side to side, the entire exercise had little expression, and the rider was lurching from one side of the saddle to the other. At the end of the tempis, she opined he would get a good score because he “did all of them.” Ummmm…not so much. I think it was a “5.” (Well, he DID do the correct number of changes) Aaargh.
(And yes, Charisma. A gelding MST, a gelding!!) Maybe we should say we admired her rides on that nice mare, Calypso. Sigh.)
[QUOTE=shea’smom;8789311]
Well. … Melanie incorrectly identified Boyd as someone else and completely misread an incident when a rider was having a runout. I don’t know why they can’t get an Eventer to do it.[/QUOTE]
Melanie is sitting in a studio in Stamford, Conn, watching the same videos we are. I agree — no excuse for getting a name wrong, but when it comes to run outs – she has never walked the course; she knows no more than you or I about how the combinations ride.
All that said in defense of Melanie, I LOVE the English guys. They are the best I have ever heard.
Kudos to Randy and Melanie for the job they are doing from thousands of miles away but still… skipping or flying changes was getting old… they are tempi’s 
[QUOTE=Sandy M;8794981]
I recall Barcelona, when she dutifully ticked off that the horse did the appropriate number of one-tempis, total ignoring the fact that the horses haunches were swinging wildly from side to side, the entire exercise had little expression, and the rider was lurching from one side of the saddle to the other. At the end of the tempis, she opined he would get a good score because he “did all of them.” Ummmm…not so much. I think it was a “5.” (Well, he DID do the correct number of changes) Aaargh.
(And yes, Charisma. A gelding MST, a gelding!!) Maybe we should say we admired her rides on that nice mare, Calypso. Sigh.)[/QUOTE]
She also counted the strides in the pirouettes.
And wasn’t it Lectron in Atlanta who stuck out his tongue and Melanie said it had NEVER happened before, even though the horse had a history of sticking his tongue over the bit?
John Kyle and Steve Hadley were A+ on the live stream.
I think there is an art to commentating for public TV (or cable TV in this case). The commentators on the live stream are more knowledgeable, but pretty dry. Knowledgeable horse people prefer them because they know what they’re talking about. The rest of the world who aren’t experts in eventing/dressage/jumping probably prefer the slightly more animated/interesting commentary of NBC and either don’t realize or forgive small errors.
Along these lines, there are NO commentators who get as excited as swimming commentators. I want to hear that level of excitement in equestrian!
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8795088]
Melanie is sitting in a studio in Stamford, Conn, watching the same videos we are. I agree — no excuse for getting a name wrong, but when it comes to run outs – she has never walked the course; she knows no more than you or I about how the combinations ride.
All that said in defense of Melanie, I LOVE the English guys. They are the best I have ever heard.[/QUOTE]
At least one of whom said he had actually walked the course.
[QUOTE=OldLadyYoungOTTB;8795425]
I think there is an art to commentating for public TV (or cable TV in this case). The commentators on the live stream are more knowledgeable, but pretty dry. Knowledgeable horse people prefer them because they know what they’re talking about. The rest of the world who aren’t experts in eventing/dressage/jumping probably prefer the slightly more animated/interesting commentary of NBC and either don’t realize or forgive small errors.
Along these lines, there are NO commentators who get as excited as swimming commentators. I want to hear that level of excitement in equestrian! :)[/QUOTE]
Last night I was wishing the swimming commentators would stay as calm as the equestrian ones.
I have listened to the British guys on replays and I love their technical commentary, their knowledge of the horses and riders and what they are doing. That said, I still say kudos to Randy and Melanie, because I think a lot of nonhorsey viewers might have gotten more of interest from their commentary than from that of the British guys. I think NBC “cast” them well, I just wish it had put them on the ground in Rio instead of a studio in CT, and had required them to walk the course. But, as I said in my OP, I enjoyed their repartee and Randy’s sense of humor. Melanie may not know the difference between a mare and gelding; Randy apparently knows the different between a gelding and a stallion, which is more than some nonhorsey people I know know. I once had a male friend ask me, while watching the Kentucky Derby together, “Now, what do you call the ones with nuts? … and the ones without?” :winkgrin:
Maybe Randy can spend the next four years covering Rolex, Badminton, Burghley, etc., and take notes so that come 2020 he can be more knowledgeable and pick an eventer to work with him in Tokyo. My pick for his co-commentator would be Hinrich Romeike.
Ok, I have to ask because I (gasp) haven’t been watching the Olympics due to only having plain old NBC and nothing good showing on basic network.
Anyway… Are we talking Randy Moss as in “straight cash homie” NFL player, Randy Moss? Because I would pay good money to listen to him announce dressage, Lol
Not the football Randy Moss, but the horseracing analyst/announcer Randy Moss. If you watch the Triple Crown Races, you’ll see Moss.
[QUOTE=anotherera;8795971]
Not the football Randy Moss, but the horseracing analyst/announcer Randy Moss. If you watch the Triple Crown Races, you’ll see Moss.[/QUOTE]
Oh ok that Randy Moss. Have to admit I’m a bit disappointed… Dressage announcing was about to get way more interesting. Lol
Well, they’re definitely more knowledgeable than this, albeit not as entertaining.
http://www.altdriver.com/lmao/the-best-olympic-commentary-ever/
Caution - colorful Irish language.
Finally a sport where you can have the volume back on and won’t mind listening to Melanie.
Peggy, that was hilarious!
At least he had the b@!!$ to admit he wasn’t that familiar with the sport. If we can’t get Kyle and Hadley to do the NBC eventing commentary next time, let’s try to get this guy.
:lol:
