Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
From: hweingra@.com (Howard Weingram)
Subject: Re: why no world record times
Reply-To: hweingra@oracle.UUCP (Howard Weingram)
Organization: Oracle Corporation, Belmont, CA
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:27:40 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

In article <1992Aug12.012039.9643@geovision.gvc.com> pt@geovision.gvc.com writes:
>schuette@roadkill.nrl.navy.mil (Larry Schuette) writes:
>
>>Record times are not mentioned in the strictest sense because of the
>>amount of variablity due to race conditions.  Current, wakes,
>>wind, and variable bottom depths are some of the variables that need to
>>be controlled.  
>
>To me, that is a cop out.  We have world records in the Marathon, and there
>is no control on how hilly, wet, cold, etc the course is.  Same with most
>road running events.  Same with most outdoor sports, I would think.
>Why this insistince on a totally level playing field?  Personally, I think
>it's things like this that make the olympics so damn expensive, and make
>most athletes (except Silken Lauman, of course), spoiled brats who won't
>even _train_ is the conditions are a little off.
>
>Just say no to rowing tanks and artificial white water courses!
>

totally f*cking incredible. Currents and wind make a very, very
significant difference in sports like rowing (and, presumably,
kayak/canoeing). you can't even compare different times from different
heats rowed on the same DAY in a regatta, much less between different
river/lake/etc courses and salt/fresh water. this is common knowledge
among rowers. the wind can change, and suddenly a fast course
becomes a nightmare of chop and crosswinds. The tide can change
and suddenly you're fighting a current that wasn't there a few
hours before. this sort of thing makes world records MEANINGLESS.

despite this, records are maintained for individual race courses.
but varying conditions may make such a difference you can't tell
whether a broken record means the fastest crew that ever raced
here or whether it just means the crew is fast and the course
conditions are good.

as far as whining athletes go, you don't see many rowers like that.
they don't survive in a sport whose culture values getting up at
5 am to train in bitter cold alone (single scull, Boston, midwinter),
fighting your way through a roaring headwind just to see if you can
do it (Brad Lewis, _Assault_on_Lake_Cassitas_), crossing the finish
line and going into convulsions or even dying like the 
legendary Japanese crew, doing what Silken just did, etc etc etc.
if a rower refuses to train on a particular day, his whole crew
is screwed. and they hate him for it. and they don't forget.
so it would take a really boneheaded rower to do something like
that at an elite level.

			hal

rowers  
                  ___o                        Howard Weingram
                  \   \                       ORACLE Network Products
                   \/\ |                      415/506-2885 hweingra@oracle.com
 "5,4,3,2,1 ARE YOU \ READY? (F#CK YES!) ROW!"
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle