Alan: Unfortunately, Alan, your "analysis" is flawed and reflects as usual a determined myopic and unscientific view of basic physiology and body types by population.
For the record, I did not mention in this article genetic superiority. That's an ignorant concept, one that I have always argued against. I did not raise such an issue in this or any other article I've ever written and never once used that phrase in Taboo (I used the phrase "innate superiority" once in a chapter heading introducing the 'strawman' claim by environmental dogmatists such as yourself tha). The only people who use such phrases are those like yourself who claim that some who embrace a nuanced, bio-cultural perspective, are genetic determinists. In fact, in Taboo, I have an entire chapter that discusses the environmentalists 'strawman' argument against 'innate superiority' YOU are the only one raising that disingenuous issue. And I did not write that social and environmental conditions are not important. There are not many Texans doing well in the ski jump either. Again, another strawman argument. The relative interwoven relationship between genetic factors and cultural ones will always be impossible to tease out. However, your assertion that the fact that athletes of West African ancestry do not dominate ski jumping somehow minimizes the findings that the distrubution curve of quick athletes of West African acnestry is longer and thicker than most other populations is just silly. For the record, I never argued the relative importance of genetics vs. cultural/environmental factors. They are obviously intertwined. For you to The only points that I am making, which in your fervor you refuse to consider, is that body type and physiology are key characteristics in certain athletic events and that those characteritistics are not equally distributed by population. That is science 101 (or actually junior high level science). I guess evolutionary biologists, anthropologists, geneticists, and sports scientists, such as Bengt Saltin do not have your sophisticated, nuanced view of such issues. It's clear you know little about bobsledding. The pusher/runner position is dominated by athletes who are the fastest and quickest. It is without question that people of West African ancestry are more likely, per capita, to have those characteristics than other population groups. So it is therefore not surprising that the runner position in bobsledding is fertile terriitory for athletes of West African ancestry. Now Kenya is trying to become involved in international bobsledding. They are no more likley succeed in that endeavor than they will succeed in becoming an international soccer power, come to domiminate sprinting, or turn out the next great long jumpers. It won't happen, any mor than Eskimos will come to dominate as NBA centers or a Watusi will become the next world heavyweight lifting champion. You are obviously disinclined to acknowledge even this very basic science of body type distribution patterns. That's your choice. Some people believe that the earth is flat. On 2/23/02 10:28 AM, "alan tobin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Oxymoron? > > "Flowers Is No Fluke: Black Success In Bobsledding Part Of A Growing Winter > Sport Tradition" > "The first ever gold medal victory by a black in the Winter Olympics..." > > How about ski jumping? Being very thin and having a strong push off the ramp > are very important. Explosive muscles fibers are needed. > > XC skiing? Oops...we've already been down that road. > > Speed skating? Come on, black athletes should dominate just as they do on > the iceless track. > > Also, East Asian athletes seem to dominate the short track speed skating. > Why is this? Is it about genetics? Or about an organized system that picks, > chooses, and trains these athletes. Where there is a will there is a way. > > I'm sorry Jon, but if genetic superiority was so superior then black > athletes, no matter how few there are in the sports, should dominate the > above events. Genetics is important, but not as much as you think it is. > > > Alan > http://www.geocities.com/runningart2004 > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. > -- Jon Entine RuffRun 6178 Grey Rock Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 991-9803 [FAX] 991-9804 http://www.jonentine.com
