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http://jamiemcewan.com/unpublished.html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.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
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.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Eric Jackson's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile
Back home in Tennessee, I'm fortunate to work with WRCB TV, the NBC affiliate in Chattanooga. I host the "Chattanooga Olympic Zone" in which we profile Chattanooga-related Olympic stories for the evening news broadcast. Since my 1992 Olympic teammate, Eric Jackson, is competing here in Charlotte and houses his fabulous kayaking manufacturing company, Jackson Kayaks, just up the road in Sparta, we figured Eric was an obvious choice for our feature segment. Working in television shouldn't be this much fun and I couldn't be more thrilled that Eric and his daughter Emily will be competing here in Charlotte at the Olympic Trials. Click the link below to see Eric's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile:
http://www.wrcbtv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2409907&h1=The%20Olympic%20Zone%3A%20E.J.%20Sparta&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=183900&LaunchPageAdTag=Olympics&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D8210608&rnd=84621745
http://www.wrcbtv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2409907&h1=The%20Olympic%20Zone%3A%20E.J.%20Sparta&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=183900&LaunchPageAdTag=Olympics&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D8210608&rnd=84621745
The Big Mirror
This being the first Olympic Trials of the previous four in which I am not competing, I’ve been wondering what it is about these Olympic Trials that would appeal to spectators, internet users, or viewers of the MSNBC broadcast coming next month. Of course there’s the pure nature of a race, particularly a race of the magnitude where Olympic dreams either continue on or come to a close. There’s also the natural attraction to whitewater and the venue hosting this event, the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
But watching from the side of the river as opposed to being in it, I’ve come to see the Olympic Trials as that of a reflection of ourselves and our own lives. How do we identify with athletes and their competitive values? How do their athletic characteristics parallel our own life pursuits?
Watching a paddler like Benn Fraker gets you thinking about such things. More than any other single athlete in our program, Benn does not blink an eye at taking on challenges that are beyond him. Whether it’s the difficulty of his practice courses or the level of competitor he is chasing, his bar is set at the top. It is people like Benn who take on such challenges that put themselves in uncomfortable situations every day. They also know it is a special path to raising standards and performing better.
Maybe it has been a while since you’ve evaluated how effectively you throw yourself into your own “beyond reach” situations but watching Benn paddle makes you think about it. He and roughly 130 other athletes will be testing their competitive style here in Charlotte this weekend – against the river, themselves, and each other. For those of us watching, it’s like standing in front of a big mirror. Which reflection will you see?
But watching from the side of the river as opposed to being in it, I’ve come to see the Olympic Trials as that of a reflection of ourselves and our own lives. How do we identify with athletes and their competitive values? How do their athletic characteristics parallel our own life pursuits?
Watching a paddler like Benn Fraker gets you thinking about such things. More than any other single athlete in our program, Benn does not blink an eye at taking on challenges that are beyond him. Whether it’s the difficulty of his practice courses or the level of competitor he is chasing, his bar is set at the top. It is people like Benn who take on such challenges that put themselves in uncomfortable situations every day. They also know it is a special path to raising standards and performing better.
Maybe it has been a while since you’ve evaluated how effectively you throw yourself into your own “beyond reach” situations but watching Benn paddle makes you think about it. He and roughly 130 other athletes will be testing their competitive style here in Charlotte this weekend – against the river, themselves, and each other. For those of us watching, it’s like standing in front of a big mirror. Which reflection will you see?
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Source of a River
It’s not uncommon for kayakers to ponder about the source of the river they’re paddling on a given day. Such thinking contributes to the humility and appreciation of an activity like kayaking. Here at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, site of this year’s U.S. Olympic Trials for Whitewater Slalom, the venue is more of a symbol of where the sport is heading more than where it’s been. Having said that, the concept of powerful whitewater rapids in Charlotte where a river never existed before is increasingly becoming a more important part of kayaking’s evolving history.
Back in 2000, two visionaries from Charlotte, Vic Howie and Chet Rabon, attended the Olympic Whitewater Trials on Tennessee’s Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater events. Watching the competition on this modified natural riv
er, Vic and Chet kept asking themselves, “Why can’t we do this in Charlotte?” Back in my living room that evening, a bottle of wine, a drawing on a cocktail napkin, and some spirited conversation and brainstorming lifted the concept of the “Charlotte Whitewater Park” up off the ground.
Of course it went further than that. Upon returning to Charlotte, they knocked on doors, introduced themselves and their idea, and shared their vision with anyone who would listen – they knew that openly and honestly engaging people and building alliances would be the only way to gain the public trust needed to complete such a project in Charlotte.
Much has transpired over the past eight years but one of Vic and Chet’s major milestones is about to happen this weekend. The Olympic Trials will be contested here in Charlotte on this venue – a venue that was conceived at one of the great American institutions of sport for “dreaming big,” the Olympic Trials. So with that, U.S. Whitewater athletes take their next step towards Beijing this weekend. And if any of the paddlers here stop for a moment to acknowledge the source of this river, they won’t have to wonder where the source starts – they can just hop out of their boats, shake hands with them and say thanks. I know I will.
Back in 2000, two visionaries from Charlotte, Vic Howie and Chet Rabon, attended the Olympic Whitewater Trials on Tennessee’s Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater events. Watching the competition on this modified natural riv
er, Vic and Chet kept asking themselves, “Why can’t we do this in Charlotte?” Back in my living room that evening, a bottle of wine, a drawing on a cocktail napkin, and some spirited conversation and brainstorming lifted the concept of the “Charlotte Whitewater Park” up off the ground.Of course it went further than that. Upon returning to Charlotte, they knocked on doors, introduced themselves and their idea, and shared their vision with anyone who would listen – they knew that openly and honestly engaging people and building alliances would be the only way to gain the public trust needed to complete such a project in Charlotte.
Much has transpired over the past eight years but one of Vic and Chet’s major milestones is about to happen this weekend. The Olympic Trials will be contested here in Charlotte on this venue – a venue that was conceived at one of the great American institutions of sport for “dreaming big,” the Olympic Trials. So with that, U.S. Whitewater athletes take their next step towards Beijing this weekend. And if any of the paddlers here stop for a moment to acknowledge the source of this river, they won’t have to wonder where the source starts – they can just hop out of their boats, shake hands with them and say thanks. I know I will.
Thank you, Oklahoma City
The racing between the start and finish lines at the Flatwater Olympic Trials this past weekend could have taken place just about anywhere and a good, capable group of athletes would have taken a step closer to paddling at the Olympic Games this summer in Beijing. But for the elements that make a canoe/kayak event special, memorable and world-class, Oklahoma City and its Chesapeake Boathouse set a new benchmark for paddlesports and on a personal note, I just wanted to say thank you to the amazing people who made the Olympic Trials in Oklahoma City a reality.
Organizers, volunteers, coaches, athletes, media, and sponsors worked together seamlessly and the result went far beyond fabulous kayak racing. The inclusion and influence of paddlesports on the way Oklahoma City lives, works, and plays by far exceeds the impact of what I thought was possible in a city of this size.
As I turn my attention to Whitewater Olympic Trials this week in Charlotte, thank you Oklahoma City for sharing your community’s spirit with us – the sport is already better for it.
Organizers, volunteers, coaches, athletes, media, and sponsors worked together seamlessly and the result went far beyond fabulous kayak racing. The inclusion and influence of paddlesports on the way Oklahoma City lives, works, and plays by far exceeds the impact of what I thought was possible in a city of this size.
As I turn my attention to Whitewater Olympic Trials this week in Charlotte, thank you Oklahoma City for sharing your community’s spirit with us – the sport is already better for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
