A more visible bar in a vertical event would not impair competition. The
athlete still has to clear the bar and gets the same rest between jumps as
a 20/20 competitor. A more direct analogy would be requiring one group of
jumpers to do some physical activity between jumps, for example, running a
mile or doing a set of squats, while the others do whatever they please.
Anyone who has played a round of golf on a hot, humid day on a hilly course
knows that there is a significant difference to an able-bodied player
between walking and riding in a shaded cart. Over the course of a 72 hole
tournament, conditioning could affect scores because fatigue affects both
mechanics and concentration.
The biathlon makes a contest of performing an endurance activity
(cross-country skiing or running) and a skill that requires precision
rather than pure athleticism (target shooting). The level of exertion in
golf is lower and points are not awarded for speed (speed golf being a
different sport), but the role of fatigue over the course of a tournament
is implicitly part of the game, in my opinion.
Casey Martin can argue that his medical condition and the fatigue resulting
from walking are a wash, but what about the next person, or the one after
that? The sensible thing for the PGA to do at this point is to declare
victory and let any player who wishes to ride do so. The use of caddies to
carry a player's bag already exists, so even if they are correct that
walking is essential, they have an avenue available for re-leveling the
playing field. Golfers in carts would not be nearly as attractive for TV
as walkers, but I'm sure that this problem can be addressed by existing
video technology.
But I see little in this discussion that is truly relevant to elite
T&F. The most similar issue I can recall wheelchair competitors in road
races (albeit, in their own division), and that happened long ago. Maybe
the PGA should have cart/no cart categories...
Bill Bahnfleth
At 08:10 AM 6/7/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>At 10:30 AM 6/7/2001 -0700, you wrote:
> >Netters:
> >
> > One result of the Cssey Martin decision has not come up and,
>frankky, it just occurred to me though it was plain in front of my face from
>te start/.
> >
> > If the USSC can hold that walking is not essential to the game of
>golf, how can all the stupid non-competitive disqualification rules in the
>HS rule book stand up? E.G.: wearing jewelry, having your shirt come loose
>during a race, a relay team not having exactly the same uniforms
>
>Ed:
>
>I think your analogies are weak and make it more and more obvious that you
>have no idea how to interpret or read a Supreme Court decision. The color
>of uniforms and the wearing of stuff has nothing to do with ruling on
>whether or not a reasonable accommodation under the ADA fundamentally alters
>the nature of the event.
>
>Another poster mentioned the possible alteration in the color of a high jump
>bar for a visually impaired individual. What is your opinion of that? Or
>would you rather try to drag up silly analogies that do not make any sense
>whatsoever?
>
>I commend the members of this list that have kept the Casey Martin decision
>in an appropriate context. That is the context of common sense.
>
>Tim Willis ESQ.
>(770) 939-7669
>
>
> >book makes it plain that everything must be measured, otherwsie how are you
> >going to break a tie by going to the second best jump or throw (this
>happened a
> >couple of times this year). </FONT></DIV>
> ><DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
> ><DIV><FONT color=#000000
> size=2> It
> >goes even further. A South Jersey coach told me last night that at his
>sectioal
> >meet, they were using the seed cards to determine the minimum measureable
> >distance---anything bettered by half the seeds---or the styarting height in
>the
> >PV and HJ. Theey were going to start one PV at 12-0 because more than
> half the
> >boys had that height on their seed card. He pointed out that this was the
>boys'
> >top height, not what they intended to come in at.</FONT></DIV>
> ><DIV><FONT color=#000000
> >size=2> &n
>bsp;
> &nbs
_________________________________________________
William P. Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor
Department of Architectural Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
224 Engineering Unit A
University Park, PA 16802-1416 USA
voice: 814.863.2076 / fax: 814.863.4789
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/faculty/bahnfleth.htm
_________________________________________________
