THE MEDIA AND NOVA PERIS-KNEEBONE - GOOD FOR ATHLETICS?

Aside from excelling in mediocrity, the Commonwealth Games reminded us just where athletics sits in the minds of the nation's media outlets. After a very successful decade since Seoul, athletics is little more than novelty value for the various forms of media and there appears very little we can do about it, as the Nova Peris situation shows.

Nova is a past Olympic gold medallist in a team sport with a lower profile than athletics and, at most, 3 recognisable names and fewer faces. This is not the fault of the athletes for, like track and field athletes, the spotlight is rarely shone their way, and they could rightly complain about the poor coverage they receive. Nova decided to make the change to athletics full time and in doing this, set herself up for a decent fall, especially when one considers that her alternative was to continue on her winning ways in the hockey team. This is a great challenge to set yourself, and is something she should be proud of, but at what point does she become precious to her new sport?

The media likes to tell us that she has always been precious, but where does that leave our better performed athletes with superior performances and competitive records? What is Jagan Hames supposed to think when a top ten ranking is beckoning and a very real chance of a medal in Seville '99? What about Jai Taurima, Louise McPaul and Debbie Sosimenko? Nicole Boegman has been making finals for 10 years, but is most famous for a calendar shot! There is no doubt we will be beaten senseless with images of Matt Shirvington for the next couple of years, but at least he has a national record and a super time. It is conceivable that he will break 10 seconds next season…no offence, Nova, but you couldn't break 11 seconds running down a well.

The dangers with excessive media coverage of athletes like Nova Peris are that they are not even our top athletes, let alone world class athletes, and there is a real risk of seeing them disappear from view very quickly, thus leaving athletics without its public faces. We could not do without media exposure, this is true, but aren't we better off utilising our equivalents of Kieren Perkins and not Lisa Curry-Kenny? After all, had it not been for injuries, Nova would have only been running relays for the past ten days.

The media can highlight this fact and comment on what an accomplishment it was, but there were greater accomplishments in KL that were passed over because they didn't offer the right photo opportunities. To assume that we should be grateful is to belittle the more deserved athletes and leave them slogging away without due recognition. It leaves me wondering, like those waiting to see the 3 Australian athletes in the top 6 in the men's shot, just whether any publicity is, in fact, good publicity.

Your Loving Son,

Queen Victoria

Response from Tonza

Peris has played it smart....from day 1 she's managed to maintain probably the third highest profile amongst women athletes (and probably all athletes) in Australian track and field, even when she was placing well down the track in the nationals and looking more like Jim Furyk swinging a golf club than a class runner. Now she's got herself in with the most high profile training squad around at the moment....a squad with a similar style to Gai Waterhouse's stables, one that will talk up every athlete at every opportunity.....now with a couple of gold at a sub-standard commonwealth games she's managed to make herself the "face" of Aus aths, because of injuries to Freeman and Gainsford......unfortunately she has a bit of the Kathy Watt's about her, and telling the world that she thought Gainsford choked was an absolute farce, but with 2 golds hanging around her neck the media will believe anything.....Let us hope that she continues to improve, as does Lauren Hewitt etc, so that Her Gainsford, freeman and hewitt can all take the step to the next level.....if she stays an 11.4 runner she'll disappear for ever come Seville as the media finds out that she's "not much"....if she improves, athletics will be the winner. In the meantime the media is welcome to print stories about her, but some common sense and perspective wouldn't go astray.....NP would be happy to medal in a full strength Australian 200 title, so to claim any superstar status from her performances on in KL is a joke! Now if only we could see the LJ or Decath or SP comps we'd all be happy! A field event comp should be seen in full, rather than in a 2 minute highlight package....it provides endless drama.....see Tokyo LJ '91 You know these days we may have cracked it for 3 jumps in the highlights!

A new voice!! Brenno pipes in:

A few comments on 'Super Nova'. While I don't doubt for a second that she is the most overrated athlete since Tani Ruckle there was something about the 200 run that impressed me. I mean she was gone with 50 to go but she dug her heels in and pulled through to win while others were falling apart around her (due to injury or whatever else). And yes I know she has an ego the size of Aaron Neighbours shoulders, but I think she has a winning way about her that is not always noticeable in Aussie athletes (read M G-T) and if she can pull herself into the sub 22.5's you never know what she may be capable of. Yes she is over exposed but I reckon she could be just the person to handle the ego boost and push herself to the next level.

Anyway to more important issues. With the tragic death of Flo-Jo this week conversations have once again turned to athletics uniforms and the much anticipated release of the new improved Bayside get up. Wild rumours of bodysuits with one full length leg and a hood seem to be attracting the attention of the athletics world and certainly have my vote of approval. However I personally frown on the Matt Shirvington trademark 'freeball' look and move a motion that it should be outlawed in the interest of public decency and good health. (maybe I'm just not as well equipped). Either way with the Bayside fashion guru David Appleby hard at work on the design I'm sure it will be a fluorescent masterpiece that I will want to wear out to Redheads afterwards for its chick pulling power. Perhaps a Singlet presentation night could be in order to see all the Bayside athletes get together and see how much winter training has really been done!

Brenno