Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
From: hweingra@.com (Howard Weingram)
Subject: Re: spoiled brats who train
Reply-To: hweingra@oracle.UUCP (Howard Weingram)
Organization: Oracle Corporation, Belmont, CA
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:54:58 GMT
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In article <1992Aug12.193728.25708@geovision.gvc.com> pt@geovision.gvc.com writes:
>schuette@roadkill.nrl.navy.mil (Larry Schuette) writes:
>
>>pt@geovision.gvc.com (Paul Tomblin) writes:
>
>I say that the rowing events at the olympics should have had the WR times
>for comparison.  Sure, don't count them if the wind is above a certain
>amount, but at least let the _fans_ see where they compare.

Frankly, the informed fans know better, and you won't find very many
uninformed rowing fans. You either love the sport and know about it
or you don't, and don't care.  

>
>Even in Orienteering, where _every_ event is a totally different playing
>field, we like to compare minutes/km, time lost due to mistakes, that sort
>of thing.
>
>I'm basing my opinion on two instances mentioned in "Caldwell on Cross
>Country" - which used to be _the_ book for self coached cross country
>skiers.
>

Look. Ski jumpers & x-country skiiers are not rowers or kayakers or paddlers.
They may be as spoiled as you claim. I really don't care. Rowers and,
it's obvious from the posts, kayakers who want to perform well in
elite competition are willing to make astounding sacrifices of time and
effort for their sports.

I had a crew in Minnesota that went out in a hailstorm (and ended up seeing this
great waterspout -- aka tornado -- on the Mississippi). My crew in Boston
regarded it as ORDINARY to come in off the water in the late fall/early spring
and have icicles hanging from our hair, ice caked up on the oars and shell,
ice stiffening our jackets. We also found it completely run-of-the mill
to be rowing in a snowstorm, a driving rainstorm, a blistering crosswind,
100 degree heat with humidity, etc.
etc. About the only thing that drove us off the water was whitecaps on the
Charles R. so tall that there was immediate danger of swamping. That, abd
the freezing of the river, and close, visible lightning.    

>Another instance - I was at a ski camp for my University team, and the
>Canadian national womens team was at the same place.  The temperature
>plummeted down to -40.  Many of the national team members weren't
>skiing, while our group was out everyday working on technique until the
>camera froze, and just skiing around.  Guess what the temperature was a
>week later at the Muskoka Loppet?  I set a personal best at that race.
>Of course, the Loppet lost their accredation the next year when it was just
>as cold, and FIS had declared that you can't have races when it's that
>cold, but _I_ was glad I skied that race, and at the ski camp.

Good for you. Looks like you understand our attitude, then, when someone
accuses all national team athletes of this kind of shirking.

				hal
                  ___o                        Howard Weingram
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