Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Hazing Incident at Local University

You probably heard that I was a victim of a hazing incident at the University of Santa Cruz.  It started 4 laps into the University Road Race.  It was the result of a number of brutal attacks from numerous riders.  I really cannot comment on who was taking part, because I just had my head down and was trying to imagine myself in a better place.  I fought back initially by hitting a PR for four minute power levels, but was forced to succumb the very next lap.  I completely fell apart and was summarily dropped on the floor, kicked around by the next group of riders, and then dropped again.   After a few solo laps of the course, I was caught be a group of riders who had likewise been victimized.   I eventually was able to recover from the beating, and finished the race in fine form. 

Special thanks to Laura for handing up water bottles, and to Greg, Chris, Clark, and Todd, for partaking in the madness.  With their presence, it was not a lonely experience.

In case you had not figured it out by now, this was a sanctioned bicycle race, and had nothing to do with any incidents of assault, battery, or physical violence (even if it felt like it).

Friday, August 22, 2008

Race Walk?

Watching the Olympics is a blast.  For some reason I am mesmerized by the Track and Field, Gymnastics (man, these 12 year olds are good), and (surprisingly) Table Tennis.  I find myself asking, "Why don't I care about these sports any other time of the year?"  I dunno.  I love them now, but knowing how this stuff works, I imagine that next week I'll probably blow them off for another 4 years.   I guess it is just another one of life's mysteries.  Speaking of mysteries...

racewalking.jpgWhat is up with this racewalking thing?  Have you seen it?  This is the only race I know of where the participant is not allowed to go as fast as they can go.  Basically, the racers have to walk as fast as they can walk.  "It is a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs."  What this really means is that you have to shake your bootie like a honey bee doing a waggle dance.

But is it a sport?  I am willing to accept it, but what about the mainstream?  At nbcolympics.com they have a listing of "Top Sports," which contains Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, etc.  They also have another list of "All Sports."  Racewalking is not on the list.  Excuse me, but what are they trying to say?  Likewise, if you go to the Yahoo Olympics sports site and choose from the Sports menu "All Sports," you won't find it there either.  Wow.