Olympic Quiz

How hot is your Olympic Knowledge? Have a go at our multiple choice quiz! If you get 100% you will win…

Our respect!

Good Luck

Olympic Quiz

Matt Weston

Radiu5 Long Video

Take a look into the Radui5 project and see what young people are doing in and round Birmingham. Explore why these young people think that volunteering is so important and how it affects their lives.

This video was directed by Kathryn Smith and involves The Radiu5 project and Sampad.

Did you know these Olympic facts?

Hi guys

I’ve been searching for some Olympic facts and came across these. Did you know …?

•The only Olympian ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize was Philip Noel-Baker of Great Britain, who won the silver in the 1500 metres in 1920.

•In order for a sport to be considered for inclusion in the Olympics it must be ‘widely practiced’ by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries and on three continents.

•At the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, silver medals were awarded to the winners and bronze to the second place getters.

•Olympic athlete Roger Black was not allowed to run as a schoolboy because of a heart defect

•When London host the Olympic Games in 2012, they will become the first country to host the Games three times: 1908, 1948 and 2012.

•The only female competitor not to have to submit to a sex test at the 1976 Summer Olympics was Princess Anne of the UK, who was competing as a member of the UK equestrian team. As the daughter Queen Elizabeth II, such a test was seen as inappropriate.

•The last time Great Britain competed in a Summer Olympics on its home turf, they earned a disappointing three gold medals.

•From 1896 to 2004, Great Britain has won 668 Summer Olympics medals, including 188 gold. The United Kingdom has more gold medals than Greece, Cuba, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and India combined…

•Kate Howey was the flag bearer of the British Olympic team at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Who is she? Kate was a judoka (Judo practitioner)

•In the 1910s, Great Britain’s national football team won its third-ever gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm (Sweden).

Kathryn Smith

MOB longer video

Our 60 second film MOB has been nominated for a First Light Award. We have also made a longer video to give you more of a feel of what MOB is all about. Have a watch:

Please vote for MOB the award nominated film by clicking here.

The Award nominee…

Here is our video which has been nominated for an award. Please vote for us by clicking here and selecting “Birmingham Will Mob You”.

Here are the judges comments about the film:

• Liked it! well edited
• Fun, smiled watching it
• Personal and heart warming
• Emotional – felt like you hear their stories
• Saw Unity & get equality & respect – positive & cross cultural
• Celebration aspect comes through

And some quotes:

“Very positive about volunteering, different people coming together”

“Good focus on values”

“Passion stands out”

“The energy was high”

“Good intimate use of camera ”

“Use of ‘normal’ people. Feel included and makes it accessible”

“Want to find out more about MOB!”

“Montage & fast pace, reflects the drums & gets viewers attention”

“Content is emotional. Real life”

“Enjoyed the way the film was edited, felt it gathered momentum”

Matt Weston

Let the voting begin!

Our 60 second video “Birmingham Will MOB You” has been nominated for a First Light award. The award will be decided by judges (50%) and public votes (50%). Please vote for us by clicking here.

The annual FIRST LIGHT AWARDS showcases the creative talents of young people across the UK. It is an inspirational event that celebrates the next generation of British filmmakers. This year’s event will take place atODEON, Leicester Square, London on the afternoon of Tuesday 15th March.

Young people from across the country, many from disadvantaged and minority ethnic backgrounds, have received nominations for a prestigious FIRST LIGHT AWARD for their short digital films and media projects.

Barbara Broccoli, First Light Chair remarked: “The 2011 First Light Awards will celebrate the fantastic filmmaking achievements of young people from across the UK. Their films are inspirational, and increasingly sophisticated and entertaining. They give a unique insight into young lives and indicate that we have a remarkable amount of young talent within the UK of which we should be proud.”

Matt Weston

Mandeville the Mascot

So last week we posted an article about Wenlock the Mascot. But what about Mandeville? Where does that name come from?

Well it derives from a village in Buckinghamshire called Stoke Mandeville. It is steeped in Paralympic History as it was where the first ever Paralympic Games were held back in 1948 to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics.

The German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann started the games in the forties believing that sport was a method of therapy, as a way of building self-respect and physical strength. The competition started on a small scale but it continued to rise across Britain and eventually the world. The legacy of the Paralympic games lives on and I’m sure Guttmann would have been proud if he could see how it has grown – and the fact that one of the mascots is named after his work I’m sure he would have been proud.

Here is a video of the Stoke Mandeville Stadium and the history of it below:

Matt Weston

Radiu5 60 Second Video

This is the Radiu5 60 second video directed by Kathryn Smith.

Here are the judges comments about it:

• Put together well
• Liked how it shows Equality through people of different backgrounds
• Friendship was effectively shown through the group shots, looked fun – worked well
• Liked graphics – gave it a quality look
• Ucas points quote – attractive to students, encourage volunteering – may not know about this
• Good at showing personal benefits to individuals

And some quotes:

“Really expresses the value of friendship”

“Happy, positive atmosphere”

“Interesting & put together really well”

“Makes good impression”

“Positive”

“Great graphics!”

Check back for more videos soon

Matt Weston

Wenlock the Mascot

For those who haven’t seen the 2012 Mascots take a look at this video:

Yes, Wenlock will be one of our mascots for the 2012 games but where an earth did the name come from? In our interview with David Moorcroft he mentioned “Much Wenlock” and it rang a bell. Only after doing a bit of research on the Shropshire town did I find that it is steeped in Olympic history. It even has its very own website dedicated to an Olympian Society with archives showing how this small town has played a huge part in the formation of the Olympics. There have been games held almost every single year since 1850. On their site it tells us about how the mascot is named after the the Midlands town…and those with hawk eyes will have already noticed in the video above that on 2:52 that the book opened on the table says “Much Wenlock – An inspiration for the modern Olympic games”. We owe a our thanks to Dr William Penny Brookes for his wonderful idea, which has risen to the great Olympic games we know and love today.

They still hold Olympic events in the town to this very day and 2011 marks the 125th Anniversary of the event. Details of this years events can be found here and they will take place on 8, 9, 10, 11 July 2011 across Much Wenlock and Shropshire.

Matt Weston

David Moorcroft Interview

This is our interview with David Moorcroft who once held the world record for the 5,000 metres. As well as being a former Olympian he is also currently the Chair of the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games. We talked about the up and coming 2012 Olympics and how Birmingham and West Midlands will benefit as well as the fact the Jamaican and American team will be based in the second city, including a certain Usain Bolt.

Matt Weston & Mike Chinn