> As many of you know, sprinting is a hind-brain activity.
>
> The trick is when not sprinting to switch back to the cognitive
> functions.......if they exist.
>
> Bernard, thanks for the show, but the act still needs more work before you
> can put it on Broadway.
>
> Tony Craddock
>
> PS For those of you that missed it, in the post-race NBC trackside
> interview of the victorious Men's 4x100M team, Bernard Williams kept
> pulling a series of faces into the camera which seemed to indicate that he
> was either mentally deranged or on acid.
I watched the celebrations of the American 4x100m relay team and for a while
was amused.
Then I saw that the quartet didn't care at all about their fellow
competitiors because they DELAYED the start of the women's 4x400 relay and I
started to despair.
What is it about the world's richest nation that makes their young men so
crass?
Not their young women. Marion Jones remained a class act throughout. Three
golds, two bronzes was awesome yet she never resorted to crowing like an
immature young cock. Maybe that's it... cock, young men, excess
testosterone.
We saw Carter behaving like a prat in the early rounds of the 400 hurdles
but failing in the final... ditto Capel in the 200. Then the 4x100 team,
aruguably the hottest gold medal certainties of the track and field
competition, showing themselves up.
When you are old enough to remember the dignified protests of Tommie Smith,
John Carlos and Lee Evans on the medal podium in 1968 when they had a
genuine point to make it makes the behaviour of current crop of American
sprinters even harder to bear.
I never really liked Carl Lewis but his behaviour in victory was always
magnanimous. Michael Johnson never shows off however much some of this list
may feel he fails to appreciate his fans, Ed Moses was a giant in
achievement and demeanour, as was Renaldo Nehemiah, Butch Reyonds, JJohnny
Gary et al. Something went wrong in the upbringing and development of this
latest lot of American athletes.
Very, very sad.
Randall Northam
