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generally 16/1, hopefully still is by the time you finish reading this..personally i'd back 1st then read.
The campaign to see him win SPOTY is already well underway, encouraged by the horse and hound..with a facebook page which is gathering rapid momentum.
its been an awful long time since show jumping had a SPOTY win, that was 1960 when broom managed a bronze medal.
so fans of this sport and Nick have had an awful long wait and can finally now give something back by voting him there winner.
the backstory too nick is quite something, apart from the countless titles to his name he has been put right through the mill in his sport of show jumping.
gonna try and keep this as short as possible so there will be numerous links, all at the bottom which you can read at your own leisure.
so bullet points are:
nick won the 1st ever british show jumping gold medal in rio
he's the oldest gold medal winner in over 100 years
he has the world record for the highest ever jump
he broke his neck in 2000 and was told he'd never ride again
he had a hip replacement in 2011
on top of all of that, his horse big star fought back from a career ending injury, where nick said if big star is retired so am i...lucky enough big star regained full fitness and they both went on to win gold in rio.
Kev's campaign got him to 2nd last year and no offence to rugby but its nowhere near loved and adored as much as equestrian sport, or all horsey sport for that matter.
there was a decent segment for Nick on BBC breakfast this morning where he thanked the support he has had from older fans since winning, i believe this support to be massive myself and will certainly not all show up on social media.
fans that have followed his whole career and people of an age that do vote, i'd go as far as saying many would be the ones who voted for murray in previous years, who i now think will side with Nick as voter fatigue for murray must now surely be at its peak, regardless of what he has done this year or how he finishes it.
also see quite a split vote going on with murray, trott and farah etc..nick having the horsey types on his side is quite a swing in what could be a lowish winning vote.
Nick also has a few aces up his sleeve which could see him win by a landslide in all honesty.
not only has AP McCoy come out and backed him for spoty but both his sons are very well known in the racing world.
dan skelton is a race horse trainer and harry is a national hunt jockey, both are well behind the campaign and will no doubt create massive interest for there father in racing circles.
for me this is probably the bet of the year, if he don't win..he goes mighty dam close.
no-one else's back story comes remotely close to that of Nick's.
also any talk of a lifetime achievement award is simply not gonna happen coz if anyone watched the BBC clip this morning he said big star has a good 2 years left in him and Nick is very keen to be a part of it.
you don't give lifetime awards to people still competing at the top level.
links to follow as this thread is already long enough, plus a bit of research i did from the daily mail comments.
The campaign to see him win SPOTY is already well underway, encouraged by the horse and hound..with a facebook page which is gathering rapid momentum.
its been an awful long time since show jumping had a SPOTY win, that was 1960 when broom managed a bronze medal.
so fans of this sport and Nick have had an awful long wait and can finally now give something back by voting him there winner.
the backstory too nick is quite something, apart from the countless titles to his name he has been put right through the mill in his sport of show jumping.
gonna try and keep this as short as possible so there will be numerous links, all at the bottom which you can read at your own leisure.
so bullet points are:
nick won the 1st ever british show jumping gold medal in rio
he's the oldest gold medal winner in over 100 years
he has the world record for the highest ever jump
he broke his neck in 2000 and was told he'd never ride again
he had a hip replacement in 2011
on top of all of that, his horse big star fought back from a career ending injury, where nick said if big star is retired so am i...lucky enough big star regained full fitness and they both went on to win gold in rio.
Kev's campaign got him to 2nd last year and no offence to rugby but its nowhere near loved and adored as much as equestrian sport, or all horsey sport for that matter.
there was a decent segment for Nick on BBC breakfast this morning where he thanked the support he has had from older fans since winning, i believe this support to be massive myself and will certainly not all show up on social media.
fans that have followed his whole career and people of an age that do vote, i'd go as far as saying many would be the ones who voted for murray in previous years, who i now think will side with Nick as voter fatigue for murray must now surely be at its peak, regardless of what he has done this year or how he finishes it.
also see quite a split vote going on with murray, trott and farah etc..nick having the horsey types on his side is quite a swing in what could be a lowish winning vote.
Nick also has a few aces up his sleeve which could see him win by a landslide in all honesty.
not only has AP McCoy come out and backed him for spoty but both his sons are very well known in the racing world.
dan skelton is a race horse trainer and harry is a national hunt jockey, both are well behind the campaign and will no doubt create massive interest for there father in racing circles.
for me this is probably the bet of the year, if he don't win..he goes mighty dam close.
no-one else's back story comes remotely close to that of Nick's.
also any talk of a lifetime achievement award is simply not gonna happen coz if anyone watched the BBC clip this morning he said big star has a good 2 years left in him and Nick is very keen to be a part of it.
you don't give lifetime awards to people still competing at the top level.
links to follow as this thread is already long enough, plus a bit of research i did from the daily mail comments.
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https://www.facebook.com/NickSkeltonSP16 . http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/nick-skelton-sports-personality-of-the-year-590985 . http://www.nickskelton.com/ . http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/nick-skelton-how-i-got-back-on-my-horse-after-breaking-my-neck-t/ |
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so here's the daily mail research, after murray, farah, trott and skelton won...the daily mail did articles.
here are the top rated comments for each one. murray. Me, Here, United Kingdom, 2 weeks ago What a match! What a legend Andy Murray is. Knighthood for this guy - he surely earned it by defending his Olympic title AND his Wimbledon one. #ProudtobeBtitish. We rock! 2769 like 159 dont like . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3740698/Murray-wins-epic-four-hour-tennis-final-Britain-s-gold-haul-six.html#comments farah haidaryousuf, Manchester, United Kingdom, 1 week ago The greatest British Olympian of all time! To be so dominant and get the 'double double' in an event that team GB were so poor in before, what an astounding achieve! Arise Sir Mo Farah! 2676 like 292 dont like . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3751130/MO-problem-Farah-clinches-glorious-long-distance-double-double-thrilling-victory-Rio-makes-look-like-walk-park.html#comments trott purplehamburger, Atlantis, United Kingdom, 2 weeks ago Aussies, French and ze Germans, your cyclists are continuing to take one hell of a beating!! 2158 like 82 dont like . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3744045/Golden-girl-Laura-Trott-Britain-s-greatest-female-Olympian-four-gold-medals-winning-velodrome.html#comments Skelton Claire, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, 2 weeks ago Huge congratulations to Nick and Big Star - what a fantastic jump off! Just goes to show you should never give up on your dreams. 2651 like 6 dont like . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3749435/Britain-s-prolific-Olympian-wins-gold-seventh-Games-individual-showjumping.html#comments so when you compare the positive number there all closely matched, while trott a bit behind...but amazingly the negative number is extremely in Nicks favour, only 6 people didn't like the story. i think the odds are massively out on who's the rightful 2nd fav to murray in this market, give it a bit of time and i see a certain 58 year old gentlemen in his rightful place at the top end of the market. murray is not even a worthy winner for me after so much hogging the SPOTY limelight in recent years, many ive spoke to feel the same farah for me, just don't have vote firepower in this..plus the drugs thing is always hanging around..mud sticks unfortunately trott has time on her side and i think if push comes to shove, Nick is far more deserving having put his life into show jumping. there's a lot of people out there, that have been waiting a long time to do there bit for Nick and his sport. well its coming |
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I'd like to add Kevin sinfields campaign, although rugby league based did breakout into union quarters...where good support also came from, even still his campaign would of remained very localised to strong rugby playing area'a.
it was a determined and well run campaign, as not all campaigns get off the ground from the looks of it, Nick's campaign is just as determined and 40 years in the making but whereas kev's voting heartland was localised rugby strongholds. Nick's voting power will be national and more importantly rural, not many candidates can tap into the foundations of great britian..our thousands upon thousands of villages. where you see horses being ridden on the road, oh how ive cursed them getting in my way...not anymore, there the people that will get this nap home...on the bridal. horse lovers, animal lovers is what gives Nick the edge, not only is Nick being recognised by giving him a vote, you can also put a vote Big Stars way..which im sure many animal lovers will. omg, i just thought of something massive..kev's campaign went viral with #buykevapint Nick needs a gimmick too, he and Big Star can easily get two votes..1 each #makeitadouble i dunno, surely come up with something, i'll be passing this idea onto the horse and hound, plus another idea of mine. a downloadable leaflet from there site with all the bullet points on that can be put up in the local village shop window and notice boards. watch this space, i'll get this bet home if ive gotta carry Nick and Big Star over the line on my back all it needs is a well run campaign, which im gonna make dam sure it gets. |
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Huge thumbs up from me, already on at 28/1 EW but you've cemented my thinking here. Will see what I can get on, will be interesting to see how well the price holds up. Thanks for a great write up.
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thanks Kauto, another great horse.
im fully expecting the BBC to do a documentary at some point, especially after there decent segment yesterday. would be a travesty not too, his backstory is pure gold probably go down as one of the best and most deserving winners ever can't see the BBC not getting behind him in a big way, he's the perfect fit for them |
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You lot have gone mad. Murray is one of the most successful British Sportsman of all time. Showjumping has minimal following. Tennis is huge in UK now.
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Well I've taken what I was allowed with four books. I've opted for the EW bet as Murray is still a threat due to his fanbase.
Exciting times ahead :) |
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The overnight Konta and Edmunds wins will only help and raise the profile of tennis as well.
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Great write-up, Armagnac.
I would dearly love to see Nick Skelton win SPOTY. |
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thank you MD, all the best with strictly
looks a decent heat this year |
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Really looking forward to it
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well done armagnac - as an octagenarian without internet access who loves show jumping and lives in a village I completely agree! But seriously, this is my max bet of the year as well and I really hope he wins! (And I think the split vote for everyone else is going to be important as Nick will have quite specific and differentiated voters whereas tennis/athletics/cycling followers are likely to be very similar people.)
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thank you AL, i couldn't agree more..Nick's hidden vote is absolutely massive and fully motivated
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Very much on board army for the reasons you give. An historic and unexpected win. A great story that could be and probably will be made into a Hollywood movie. Also the potential for a big campaign from the Equestrian and Horse Racing mob
With Murray, we've seen it all before. He was rightly rewarded when he won Wimbledon for the 1st time and virtually single handedly won the Davis Cup. Not sure people will be so keen to pick up the phone for him again As for Mo, people always appear to be reluctant to pick up the phone for him. Being the only athlete helps but I don't see much value in his price given how badly he's done in previous votes |
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yes fig, fully echo your sentiments..especially that of farah, he already looks a busted flush to me, given his historical efforts
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Been laying most of the market leaders for eight months, building mostly useless greens on all the outsiders, waiting and hoping for one or two springers to make it worth while. As such, he was decent green, but I`ve also been backing him up to 40, so he`s now in the `jackpot` category.
Decent pick, army, and unusually coherently argued! |
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Nick Skelton is very well loved. The horse world is huge. Everyone will all be behind him. Plus plenty of non horsey folks will be voting for him too.
If Nick doesn't win SPOTY I will eat my iPad! |
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a very well researched write up army
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Nice write up, taken some 20s.
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cheers jolly and lifter, seems to me if you back the most deserving in specials you can't go far wrong.
will have to ring the BBC and ask when were gonna see a documentary on Nick ive been shouting from the rooftops the last week and will not stop till he's announced the winner, most people think im nuts but they agree he deserves to win. spread the word, plant the seed |
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facebook campaign currently has 18,363 likes
pretty certain that number could be close too 100,000 by the time the vote begins im guessing that number could easily be tripled with his core older support who mostly don't show up on social media, as we have seen many times with RTV so say 300,000, all giving 1 vote for Nick and 1 vote for Big Star..that's 600,000 votes just say a third actually do vote, that's still 200,000 votes in what will be the most split vote in years im guessing that 200,000 is the bare minimum he'll get my estimate is easily over 300,000 if the BBC do a good job of promotion in the run up too the event. you ask anyone under 30 and they've never heard of him then ask most people over 50, the people who turn up and vote for general elections etc and they know exactly who Nick Skelton is. this gift of double figures still available is mind boggling to me, he should be single figures at least even farah and trott are the wrong way around, in a competitive heat with lots of males in the running...the feminists will get trott above farah in the final vote imo |
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Morning armagnac
I've just finished inviting 2000 facebookers to like Nick's page. And posted the link on the forum, let's get rolling.  |
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good work pm, even if the younger generation pass the campaign news onto there mums, dads and grandparents.
it means facebook is a powerful tool for spreading the word, too those who don't use the internet |
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Its as simple as this if Skelton is on the shortlist he will win but I suspect he won't make the shortlist.
I definitely hope he is on it. |
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I expect him to be the 1st person on the shortlist, 1st ever show jumping gold medal
why would they put a tennis player, athlete or cyclist over a new category there's been dozens of the above in recent times, if anyone should be off it...its murray, to give someone else a chance of a podium |
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lol
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gotta remember as well good chance at least a couple of paralympians will be on the list - there were 3 in 2012. is a real crowded field just to make the final 12
murray, farah, trott, kenny and whitlock will certainly be 5 doesn't leave much room for others when you've got froome, hamilton (if he wins) probably bale as well. comes to something the masters champion might not even make it |
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the
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the shortlist can be as many as they want it to be 10, 12, 13, 14 even 15 if they want
they make it up as they see fit in Olympic years |
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usually 10 or 12 in exceptional years. be surprised if they go beyond that. there's loads of single olympic champions you could argue a legitimate case for in that regard - adams, brownlee and jones all retained olympic titles. unlikely any of those will get a look in
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I can't think of anyone who is more likely to win the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' more than Nick
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obviously, none of them have broken there neck and then gone onto winning a gold medal
this story has a ring of Bob Champion to it |
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there not gonna leave the biggest campaign candidate off the list or give a lifetime award too either
the public has spoken simple |
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the LAA can be given to any tom, d1ck or harry who is retired and has had a long semi decent career
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Champion never won Spoty
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correct he got team award that year
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Helen Rollason award
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yeah and that, 20 years later
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let me think, that was when he was retired
Nick Skelton is still competing |