Two Hours! (Of Shoveling)
The expected snow came right on schedule, and kept right on coming. The expected 8-12 inches turned into close to 20 here. I spent from 11:30 until 1:30 shoveling, then came in and had some lunch and crashed. My upper body was shot. The next thing I knew, it was getting dark. I went out and touched up a bit of the work I'd done earlier. I know my arms, shoulders and back all got good workouts, but I didn't get my skiing in. I'll be out in the morning to do some.
I've been watching the olympics. I watched the 5000 meter speed skating and was a bit surprised to see that the skaters move a bit more than twice as fast as the runners. I awakened to the news that Michelle Kwan had pulled out. I'm sure it was a tough decision, but in the end, it was probably the right one. She doubtless realized that with the injury, she couldn't compete effectively. By pulling out early, it opened the door for Emily Hughes to go to Turin and compete. The issues that could crop up with the "special treatment" accorded to Kwan are eliminated. In my opinion, Kwan's actions are a sign of her class as both an athlete and a person.
While I understand it, the level of nationalism in the TV coverage always strike me as improper. The Olympics are a festival of sport. If we look back to Baron de Coubertin's vision, the Olympics should encourage mutual respect and understanding between countries. While some nationalism is both normal and good, we should also respect the tremendous efforts of the athletes from other countries. I saw a cross country ski race yesterday (I'm unsure of the distance), and two Norwegians needed a photo finish to determine the bronze medalist. While the times were listed one-tenth of a second apart, I can't believe that the difference was actually that large. After about 45 minutes of racing (it may have been a bit more or less), a tiny fraction of a second separated them. One goes home with a medal, the other with a memory. Both went down at the line, trying to nip the other with their version of a lean. (I guess they score by first body part, as opposed to torso, as both racers seemed to be trying to get a foot across ahead of the other.) The finish made me think of Paul Tergat holding off a stumbling Hendrick Ramaala at the finish of the 2005 New York City Marathon.
I've been watching the olympics. I watched the 5000 meter speed skating and was a bit surprised to see that the skaters move a bit more than twice as fast as the runners. I awakened to the news that Michelle Kwan had pulled out. I'm sure it was a tough decision, but in the end, it was probably the right one. She doubtless realized that with the injury, she couldn't compete effectively. By pulling out early, it opened the door for Emily Hughes to go to Turin and compete. The issues that could crop up with the "special treatment" accorded to Kwan are eliminated. In my opinion, Kwan's actions are a sign of her class as both an athlete and a person.
While I understand it, the level of nationalism in the TV coverage always strike me as improper. The Olympics are a festival of sport. If we look back to Baron de Coubertin's vision, the Olympics should encourage mutual respect and understanding between countries. While some nationalism is both normal and good, we should also respect the tremendous efforts of the athletes from other countries. I saw a cross country ski race yesterday (I'm unsure of the distance), and two Norwegians needed a photo finish to determine the bronze medalist. While the times were listed one-tenth of a second apart, I can't believe that the difference was actually that large. After about 45 minutes of racing (it may have been a bit more or less), a tiny fraction of a second separated them. One goes home with a medal, the other with a memory. Both went down at the line, trying to nip the other with their version of a lean. (I guess they score by first body part, as opposed to torso, as both racers seemed to be trying to get a foot across ahead of the other.) The finish made me think of Paul Tergat holding off a stumbling Hendrick Ramaala at the finish of the 2005 New York City Marathon.
posted by Scooter at 10:08 PM
1 Comments:
I've done a little local officiating in xc skiing, and it's the first foot across the finish line you look for in a photo finish.
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