Text 19719, 94 rader
Skriven 2008-08-16 14:40:04 av Lee Lofaso (3:800/432.0)
  Kommentar till text 19698 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Winning               3/
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>>> Continued from previous message

WD>One can say .... "Duhhh ... she finished last". What we say is
WD>"What an achievement. Being the 24th best in the world ..." Getting
WD>to the Olympics is not an easy feat. There are international
WD>standards to be met to assure quality of performance and many
WD>national federations go beyond that. It is the case for Belgium, I
WD>know because I'm involved in selections, it certainly is the case in
WD>the US where "Being good is not enough". In gymnastics the standards
WD>there are higher than other countries ... it pays off. A friend of
WD>mine's daughter made the IOC minima in maxi-trampoline ... USA
WD>Gymnastics determined participants have to be 17, not 16. An
WD>excellent rule ... so she couldn't go as she was 16. She finished
WD>first in the trials ... "no go".

Having been a competitor in the Olympics might look good on a resume.
But finishing last or with no medals is not going to get one's picture
on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box.  What sponsors want is GOLD!

WD>The successes of a mr.Phelps are generally not the
WD>successes of a specific country where he just happens to
WD>live, but those of a single family which invested a lot of
WD>its own resources and the people which surround that family.

Michael Phelps has done well in representing himself and his country.
He honored his country not only by winning gold, but also by standing
at attention with his hand held over his heart as the American flag
was raised and the national anthem was played.

WD>Nastia Liukin probably would have made it as well had the family
WD>not moved to the US. So what is the value of nationality and how much
WD>do the successes of a country actually are the results of efforts by
WD>that country and not of the coincidence of a number of unplanned
WD>factors coming together by chance?

Nastia Liukin won gold because she and her family moved to the US.
Why did they move to the US?  Money.  The opportunity to make money.
Lots of money.  Much more than what they could have made in Mother
Russia.  While red, white and blue may be the colors for Michael
Phelps, it is the color green that is the color for Nastia Liukin.
Or rather, her father (he got tired of seeing red).

WD>China at the moment is the lone exception but that will
WD>also fade when eventually the communist rule will collapse
WD>and a democratic government will need to justify its
WD>expenses to the electorate. See what happened to the
WD>hegemony in eastern-European communist countries when the
WD>wall, and the regimes, collapsed.

Oh, my.  Vietnam will become the new superolympic power once China
fades.  Or maybe it will be Laos.  Or Cuba.  Although one could argue
for North Korea...

WD>There's so much to be said about this, that a Fido-
WD>conference is not even an appropriate medium because too
WD>many participants can only stoop to meaningless one-liners.

"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't
let anybody tell you different." - Kurt Vonnegut

WD>That one national title and that one university
WD>championship of my daughter have cost us a small fortune, I
WD>dare not even calculate. In September she's competing in a
WD>worlcup meeting in Portugal, that again is an investment
WD>... plus she needs to get permission from school. The next
WD>worldcup meeting is in Russia, we can't afford it. Then
WD>there's one in China ... can't afford it.

Get a sponsor.  Get her picture on a Wheaties cereal box cover.
Where a Nike cap.  Get married to Michael Phelps.  It took Mark
Spitz four times before he learned his lesson.  So be the first,
and don't wait too long.  :)

WD>I'm just guessing $5-6,000 alone for the cartransportation
WD>on an annual basis. On a whole gymnastics carreer of let's say 15
WD>years you can do the math ... just for the gas. We're fortunate to be
WD>able to pay that, many can't. We know of a particular family which
WD>drives 34,000km a year just for practice. We know of a couple who
WD>technically separated and mom rented an appartment closer to the
WD>swimming venue to live with her daughter there because practice is at
WD>6am. We know of parents of an Olympic hopeful who said "We hope our
WD>son does not get his selection because we cannot afford it". Someone
WD>needs to pay for talent to come into bloom, it's not something that
WD>happens overnight, not at the expense of

If a kid is good enough, somebody will pick up the tab.  Or not.  :)

--Lee


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