Great Britain was huge in the founding of the Olympic Games, right there with Baron de Coubertin, the French aristocrat who revived the Games back in 1996.
The Brits did quite nicely for the first 36 years or so, when Olympic sports were still mostly gentlemen’s games. (Remember
And then more professional-type athletes took over, and the Brits went south. Bigtime.
They’ve been Banana Republic-esque in their Olympic performances in recent times – as long as that Banana Republic isn’t Cuba, which tends to win about as many medals as the Queen’s subjects.
So, we were sitting around the other day, remarking on how difficult it must be to be a British journalist, sent out to cover Olympics in which your guys have little chance of winning much of anything. “Very sad. Embarrassing.â€
And then I start poking around, and it turns out the Brits have turned into powerhouses in at least two Olympic disciplines:
Cycling and sailing.
And one of those involves serious exercise. That would be cycling.
I’m at the cycling venue, and there are medal-contending Brits everywhere you look. Individual pursuit, team pursuit (men’s and women’s), Keirin. Like, when did that happen?
Great Britain already has two medals in road cycling. And some chap named Bradley Wiggins just set a record in individual pursuit — in qualifying. Wait till he gets interested. And the Brits just trashed the U.S. team in the team sprint and will cycle for gold in a hour or so.
In sailing, you expect the onetime ruler “of the waves†to be handy. But now they are looking at medal contenders in batch of categories.
Turns out, Sports Illustrated predicted Great Britain actually would finish seventh in the medal count, with 35, five more than the country managed in 2004.
Maybe they’re trying to gear up for London 2012, to make sure they don’t get run over while putting on the Games. Have to have something for the local lads to cheer.
Also, the title to this thing, “Rule Britannia” … is an old song about Great Britain and its sea power. You can see the lyrics (and perhaps listen to it sung) here.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Chuck Hickey // Aug 15, 2008 at 3:25 PM
My favorite quote of the Games so far came from the Australian Olympics chief, after a Brit won a gold medal in swimming:
“Great Britain may have been in lane seven and eight but, um, they seem to be getting there for a country that has very few swimming pools and not much soap.”
2 Joseph D'HIppolito // Aug 15, 2008 at 4:56 PM
Cycling and sailing.
And one of those involves serious exercise. That would be cycling.
Obviously, Paul, you have never covered sailing. I have, for nearly five years at the Orange County Register. I can tell you from first-hand experience that competitive sailing is a rigorous sport that demands superb muscular tone and endurance. You try hanging your body off the side of a small boat while manipulating ropes and rudders during a competition that can last up to four, five hours.
I realize that nobody east of the 241 knows what water looks like unless it comes out of a tap — or out of a pump in the back. But, really, Paul. For somebody who boasts about covering 12 Olympics, you sure do write some ignorant stuff.
3 cindy // Aug 16, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Geez Joe, what are you really trying to say here? I live east of the 241 and spent weekends on a boat. People in the IE own sailboats and compete in regattas. I know one family who does it almost every other weekend. And besides, if you knew anything about Paulo HE grew up in Long Beach, now lives in Long Beach.
Yes, you’re right sailing is physically demanding, but let’s face it, it’s a country club sport. And I would bet a sailor doesn’t train half as hard as a cyclist. I’d put up Lance Armstrong when he was competing against any sailor and see who is really more physically fit. You just seem to be picking on anything Paulo blogs about, why do you obviously have such animosity for him? The only thing I can think of is he must have round-filed your resume and never gave you an interview when he was SE.
You make some good points, but the points are lost because YOU lack the ability to stick to the point and go off on personal attacking. It’s too bad.
4 Joseph D'HIppolito // Aug 16, 2008 at 11:51 AM
OK, the comment about people living east of the 241 was snide and unnecessary. But in a profession in which many of its practitioners endulge in and enjoy snide and unnecessary remarks — especially about others — what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Besides, if Paul grew up and lives in Long Beach, then he should know better than to slam competitive sailors (as opposed to the weekend sailors). A major regatta, the Congressional Cup, has taken place every year there since 1964 and has featured such people as Dennis Conner and Ted Turner (who won an America’s Cup in 1977) at their competitive peaks.
Finally, just because a sports is a “country club” sport doesn’t mean it’s necessarily less demanding. Tennis (the Williams sisters aside) has always been a “country club” sport; does that mean that tennis pros don’t need to be in top physical condition for something that’s aerobically-demanding? Golf is a “country club” sport, as well, but look at the difference between John Daly and Tiger Woods. Daly is a slob who views serious physical conditioning like the plague. Woods takes physical conditioning and diet as seriously (if not more seriously) as he does his golf. One is arguably the best golfer who ever lived; the other will go down in golf history as a comic afterthought. Guess who will go down as what, and why?
5 cindy // Aug 16, 2008 at 3:39 PM
Again, you make your own argument. Daly is a physical wreck but has still enjoyed success. I highly doubt you can see a cyclist who is a “slob” and still be successful.
As for “snide and unnecessary remarks” I believe journalists — not celebrity magazine types — actually use the art of satire and not snide remarks. Certainly the remarks you wrote in your first response would NOT make it in print in any reputable newspaper.
6 Joseph D'Hippolito // Aug 16, 2008 at 5:08 PM
cindy, there’s a very fine line between satire and snide-ness. I’ve been around enough sportswriters to know when they’re engaging in snide remarks. Most of them do so w/out trying to justify them as “satire.”
In any case, Paul’s remark about competitive sailors cannot be considered satire. It *can* be considered snide.
7 Joseph D'Hippolito // Aug 16, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Then again, it all comes down to whose ox is getting gored, doesn’t it?
8 George Alfano // Aug 16, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Joe D’Hip… uhm, Dennis Connor and Ted Turner are in sailing because they are championship athletes? (If you are keeping score at home, that remark was sarcasm.)
John Daly has won a major and he just doesn’t have what it takes mentally to achieve what might have been his potential – or maybe it wasn’t his potential. If some grinder had the same record as Daly, people would say the grinder had a pretty good pro career.
Bob Ryan – who has achieved more than covering sailing for the Orange County Register – talked about motivation as a natural gift like foot speed or the ability to throw a baseball 90 miles per hour.
9 George Alfano // Aug 16, 2008 at 6:18 PM
To be fair to Britain, a cyclist won a gold medal today or yesterday. The individual pursuit was one of the few events which was not boring.
What somebody needs to figure out is medals per population to give a different perspective.
10 Joseph D'Hippolito // Aug 18, 2008 at 11:00 AM
George, perhaps Conner and Turner as they look now aren’t the best examples of what I’m talking about (and I’ve interviewed them both and Turner is pretty svelte). But the big boat racing that they were a part of isn’t an Olympic event. Olympic sailing involves one or two competitors per boat. It’s a much more rigorous endeavor than anybody realizes. It might not be as rigorous as cycling but it’s certainly not a church softball game, which a lot of sportswriters tend to think it is.
BTW, I have achieved more than covering sailing for the Orange County Register. I have covered six Rose Bowls, two Stanley Cup finals, a World Series, an NBA Finals, and have had political commentaries published by the Jerusalem Post in Israel.
Doug Padilla, I’m sorry if you find that boring. But them’s the facts, as they say.
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