Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

Stryder · 06-21-2001, 07:07 AM

"Only X more days until Summer Nationals/Division 1/Olympic trials!"

"Olympic trials"? Are they serious? Is the USFA sending a team to Salt Lake City?

The events that will have any bearing on the US Olympic team won't start for two more years! What are they smoking over there in Colorado Springs?

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www.geocities.com/strydermike

[This message has been edited by Stryder (edited 06-21-2001).]

Peach · 06-21-2001, 07:15 AM

Give Dave Sapery a break (he's the guy, a fencer, who maintains the web site as a volunteer in his spare time) - he probably saved the script from last year and plugged it back in rather than rewrite it, and did it on the fly not noticing it still had the "Olympic" stuff. I'm sure he'll notice in a day or so or you can e-mail him at the webmaster link.

Parenthetically, it's funny how we use the monolithic "they" to talk about the USFA, as if it was a large group of autocrats rather than a small collection of office employees supplemented by a batch of volunteers.

I suppose it isn't helped much by the self-importance of a few of the USFA people we run into, who like church elders or school board members make up for their lack of importance and their heavy work loads by making much of what they do. As I noticed at a recent section meeting, the less actual money, power, or influence involved in a group's decisions, the more seriously they take it.

space_cadet · 06-21-2001, 08:42 AM

The 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics are the Winter Olympics. The 2004 Summer Olympics are in Greece. Is this correct?

neevel · 06-21-2001, 08:58 AM

Yes and, assuming the IOC doesn't do an emergency relocation of the '04 games, yes.

-Dave

Stryder · 06-21-2001, 08:59 AM

Space Cadet-
Yes, SLC is hosting the Winter Olympics. That's why it's funny. Get it? Because there's no fencing in the Winter Olympics!

And Yes, 2004 is in Athens Greece. http://www.athens.olympic.org/en/

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www.geocities.com/strydermike

Stryder · 06-21-2001, 09:02 AM

Dave-
Is there a reason they might relocate?
Is there a problem I haven't heard about?
Not another scandal like the one in SLC that turned out to be really uninteresting after all.

space_cadet · 06-21-2001, 09:07 AM

Oh, I get the mistake now.

neevel · 06-21-2001, 10:04 AM

There've been a lot of concerns about the organization and pace of preparations in Athens. The IOC has (I think) mainly been making such noises as a way to prod the Athens committee into picking up and maintaining the pace. There was a tiff about that last year when they were warned by the IOC that there was a danger of losing the games, and there was another piece about it on NPR earlier this week. The most recent tenor from the IOC mandarins seems to be "you're doing better now, but don't slack off". Some of the venues aren't scheduled to be completed until just a few weeks before the games.

-Dave

Stryder · 06-21-2001, 11:13 AM

So it DID turn out to be a rather uninteresting bit of gossip.

I read something about a lawsuit or complaint regarding the selection of the technical consultant. Who would be the coordinator of the construction of the venues. Sounds like it's gonna be fun.

I really wish I was in to winter sports a little more. 2002's Winter Oly's are here in Utah, and 2006's are being held in Torino where my family originates.
I'd be really happy. But since I am into summer sports, I learned to love iced tea, in '95, married an Aussie in '99, and maybe I'll learn Greek or something in '03.

Naw, I'll just eat some baklava.

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www.geocities.com/strydermike

[This message has been edited by Stryder (edited 06-21-2001).]