We've just finished production work on the Olympic Whitewater Trials. Please tune into the broadcast airing this Sunday, May 11th on MSNBC at 12 noon eastern time. We had a great time calling this race and working with play-by-play broadcaster Craig Hummer was fabulous. Not only is he excited to be a part of the whitewater events in Beijing this summer, but Craig joined me for a kayak lesson on the Kern River today in Kernville, California. More about our kayak outing coming next week.
Also, please check out some excellent photo galleries from the Olympic Trials in Charlotte shot by our good friend, Bob Hollifield:
http://colemanroadproductions.smugmug.com/
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Last Word On Trials....
Although the Olympic Whitewater Slalom Trials concluded a week ago, I've been slow to recover from an emotionally draining weekend in Charlotte. Back at home in Tennessee, a few runs down the Ocoee River and a few mountain bike rides with friends have helped to re-energize me but I hadn't quite found the right way to resolve my own participation at the Trials - as a coach, spectator, and as part of the media.
For me, when it comes to the last word about anything whitewater paddling, it begins and ends with Jamie McEwan. Known in whitewater cirlces as the "living legend," Jamie won America's first-ever Olympic medal in whitewater slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Equally impressive, he competed and competed well at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Charlotte at the age of 55.
In a weekend of huge emotional ups and down, nobody offered more stability and good in the world of whitewater racing than Jamie. Competing with vigor, passion, and respect, his participation continues to set the standard of what it means to be an Olympian in Whitewater Slalom racing. Check out Jamie's essay about his Olympic Trials experience.
http://jamiemcewan.com/unpublished.html
Well done, Jamie.
For me, when it comes to the last word about anything whitewater paddling, it begins and ends with Jamie McEwan. Known in whitewater cirlces as the "living legend," Jamie won America's first-ever Olympic medal in whitewater slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Equally impressive, he competed and competed well at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Charlotte at the age of 55.
In a weekend of huge emotional ups and down, nobody offered more stability and good in the world of whitewater racing than Jamie. Competing with vigor, passion, and respect, his participation continues to set the standard of what it means to be an Olympian in Whitewater Slalom racing. Check out Jamie's essay about his Olympic Trials experience.
http://jamiemcewan.com/unpublished.html
Well done, Jamie.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Quick Update from Trials....
After an intense first two days of racing here at the Olympic Trials at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, all categories are up for grabs heading into the third and final day. A few things we do know:
- By virtue of good results on Saturday, the U.S. will field a full whitewater team at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
- The event has turned out large crowds each day - estimated Saturday crowd was 5,000 spectators.
- By virtue of good results on Saturday, the U.S. will field a full whitewater team at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
- The event has turned out large crowds each day - estimated Saturday crowd was 5,000 spectators.
- As the photo suggests, EJ is having a lot of fun.
Full results are available at:
http://animastiming.com/2008-olympic-slalom-results
Stay tuned....
Full results are available at:
http://animastiming.com/2008-olympic-slalom-results
Stay tuned....
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Scott and Brett
As the Olympic Whitewater Trials gets ready to start tomorrow here in Charlotte, much of the athlete media coverage has focused upon men’s kayak frontrunners, Scott Parsons and Brett Heyl. Both were my Olympic teammates during my final Olympic Games four years ago in Athens and I came to know them both in a different light on and off the water.
The test of friendship and competition is the featured element of recent stories on NPR and in the Washington Post. But for me, a fascinating part of their pursuits is how vastly different two competitors can structure such different athletic quests for our one Olympic spot and come out so close in the end. It’s the essence of marching to the beat of your own drum yet kindly acknowledging that your beat might not work for everyone else.
Scott brings an introverted, grounded, and powerful resolve to his paddling. Brett is an extrovert who draws incredible energy from engaging people of all kinds into the sport of kayaking. One’s source of energy wouldn’t work well for the other and vice versa. Ultimately, it’s not so much which way is the right way but believing in your own way to achieve excellence in kayaking at this level. There’s no problem there – all systems are ready to go.
Spending time with both Scott and Brett this week during on-river practice sessions, I can only simplify their racing and values like this – their representations of themselves and outreach to each other have not only been first-class but their pursuits have honored kayaking and the Olympic Movement at their respective cores in a way that anyone would be proud.
The test of friendship and competition is the featured element of recent stories on NPR and in the Washington Post. But for me, a fascinating part of their pursuits is how vastly different two competitors can structure such different athletic quests for our one Olympic spot and come out so close in the end. It’s the essence of marching to the beat of your own drum yet kindly acknowledging that your beat might not work for everyone else.
Scott brings an introverted, grounded, and powerful resolve to his paddling. Brett is an extrovert who draws incredible energy from engaging people of all kinds into the sport of kayaking. One’s source of energy wouldn’t work well for the other and vice versa. Ultimately, it’s not so much which way is the right way but believing in your own way to achieve excellence in kayaking at this level. There’s no problem there – all systems are ready to go.
Spending time with both Scott and Brett this week during on-river practice sessions, I can only simplify their racing and values like this – their representations of themselves and outreach to each other have not only been first-class but their pursuits have honored kayaking and the Olympic Movement at their respective cores in a way that anyone would be proud.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Resolving to Resolve Later
Selecting a kayaker to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games is not a straightforward process. One USA Canoe/Kayak official told me today that their Olympic Team selection criteria is more than 30 type-written pages, which only appears a little strange to a spectator when you see how straightforward flatwater kayaking is. The mano-a-mano, first-to-the-finish nature of the race is pure, rich, and the dominant intensity factor in this beautiful sport. And no race demonstrated this essence on Friday more than the men’s 500 meter single kayak (K1) race.
With a win in this event, two-time Olympian, Rami Zur, would qualify directly to his third Olympic Games this summer in Beijing. Confident, strong, and always looking for a big challenge, I got to know Rami five years ago during a “team-building” outing hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for Athens Olympic hopefuls. Our group of about 100 athletes went to the Naval Special Warfare Center in San Diego where we would tackle the training/obstacle course used to train and prepare Navy Seals. As our bus pulled closer to the obstacle course, our eyes fixated on a 55-foot wooden frame of ropes dropping out of the sky. I nervously said, “Climbing harnesses to go over those, don’t you think?” To which Rami replied, “No way, my friend.”
As we filed off the bus, the USOC officials, who had not seen the obstacle course in person before this moment, were quickly dissuading athletes from climbing the wall of ropes. But it was too late. Athletes were sprinting towards the wall like kids running to an ice cream truck on a summer afternoon. Leading the pack and smiling ear to ear was Rami. He scaled up the wall like Spiderman, hurled himself over the huge cross-log at the top, and flew down the other side giggling while the most of the other athletes were still sizing up the challenge from the ground on the other side.
It is this kind of can-do spirit that defines an athlete who would likely take the men’s 500 meter K1 Olympic slot on the U.S. Olympic Team. However, that spirit was provided by someone else on Friday.
Morgan House of Gainesville, GA played the role of “challenger” in this event. At 20 years-old, Morgan’s racing conveys wisdom beyond his years and a competitive fire that burns from “inside.” Calm, cool, and confident, Morgan brings something new to the race which is what made his strong surge in the last 100 meters to win here at the Olympic Trials much more interesting. Between Morgan and Rami, we’re treated to two very different styles trying to win the same race.
Which leads us to our un-resolution of this Olympic spot here at the Olympic Trials. By virtue of winning on Friday, Morgan doesn’t take the Olympic spot but he does prolong the Olympic selection until early June when he and Rami will compete in Europe for the start position in Beijing. It’s a “winner take all” situation and over the next six weeks, the emotion of two very different kayakers raising their standards, pushing harder, and going faster will be exciting to watch. But take away the emotion from that process and one element strikingly stands out. The U.S. will field a better kayak racer in Beijing by resolving to resolve later.
With a win in this event, two-time Olympian, Rami Zur, would qualify directly to his third Olympic Games this summer in Beijing. Confident, strong, and always looking for a big challenge, I got to know Rami five years ago during a “team-building” outing hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) for Athens Olympic hopefuls. Our group of about 100 athletes went to the Naval Special Warfare Center in San Diego where we would tackle the training/obstacle course used to train and prepare Navy Seals. As our bus pulled closer to the obstacle course, our eyes fixated on a 55-foot wooden frame of ropes dropping out of the sky. I nervously said, “Climbing harnesses to go over those, don’t you think?” To which Rami replied, “No way, my friend.”
As we filed off the bus, the USOC officials, who had not seen the obstacle course in person before this moment, were quickly dissuading athletes from climbing the wall of ropes. But it was too late. Athletes were sprinting towards the wall like kids running to an ice cream truck on a summer afternoon. Leading the pack and smiling ear to ear was Rami. He scaled up the wall like Spiderman, hurled himself over the huge cross-log at the top, and flew down the other side giggling while the most of the other athletes were still sizing up the challenge from the ground on the other side.
It is this kind of can-do spirit that defines an athlete who would likely take the men’s 500 meter K1 Olympic slot on the U.S. Olympic Team. However, that spirit was provided by someone else on Friday.
Morgan House of Gainesville, GA played the role of “challenger” in this event. At 20 years-old, Morgan’s racing conveys wisdom beyond his years and a competitive fire that burns from “inside.” Calm, cool, and confident, Morgan brings something new to the race which is what made his strong surge in the last 100 meters to win here at the Olympic Trials much more interesting. Between Morgan and Rami, we’re treated to two very different styles trying to win the same race.
Which leads us to our un-resolution of this Olympic spot here at the Olympic Trials. By virtue of winning on Friday, Morgan doesn’t take the Olympic spot but he does prolong the Olympic selection until early June when he and Rami will compete in Europe for the start position in Beijing. It’s a “winner take all” situation and over the next six weeks, the emotion of two very different kayakers raising their standards, pushing harder, and going faster will be exciting to watch. But take away the emotion from that process and one element strikingly stands out. The U.S. will field a better kayak racer in Beijing by resolving to resolve later.
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