Olympic dreams ?

[Moemg]

If you could be an Olympian what sport would you be in? You do not have to be qualified just dream .I will go first . In the summer Olympics I would be a swimmer and in the winter Olympics Luge would be my sport .How about You ?

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Basketball. Since if I was good enough to play for the Olympics I would probably be pro. I could have retired earlier. Got nothing for the Winter except maybe curling. Luge scares the hell out of me ha..

 

[RunningBum]

Notmuchlonger has the smart answer, to compete where you could make an extremely good living as well. But as far as personal interests, no doubt the marathon for me. In fact, I was in the same race as the fastest marathon ever run, Boston 2011.

Downhill skiing or giant slalom in the Winter games.

 

[FIREd]

Downhill skiing for the Winter Olympics. Diving for the summer olympics.

 

[RunningBum]

Oh, and I've also skied the Olympic downhill course at Snowbasin, Utah. The women's course (Wildflower) wasn't easy but didn't scare me. The men's course (Grizzly) was steep steep steep. Even groomed and with no jumps I was skidding through big S turns to check my speed and a couple times just stayed in a turn to slow way down when I freaked out at my speed. They now leave the bottom bumped up a lot so for a skier like me you really have to pick your way down and it takes awhile.

 

[donheff]

Downhill and biking. Is windsurfing still in the line up? If so that too.

 

[imoldernu]

I'll watch Swimming...
Brings back memories...some a little sad...
Last year in HS, was recruited by Yoshi Oyakawa and Kerry Donovanto visit Yale, and stayed in Bob Kiputh's apartment and worked out with the Yale swim team over my Christmas Vacation. Kiputh was coach for four Olympics I think, and had the best won-loss record in US history at Yale.
After visits to Harvard, and 5 Ivy schools, chose my Maine alma mater.
Simple times then. No such thing as a athletic scholarship, and had to keep a B avg. to keep the scholarship received.
Oyakawa won the 1952 Olympics, and I never swam him in competition.
Was a few seconds too slow for the 56 Olympics. By the 60 Olympics, was out of school and into the Army at Benning.
The off-year olympic equivalent in those days was the Pan Am Games... The winner of the 58 games was Frank Mckinney,(100m bckstroke) who was my chief competitor. Will never know how we would have made out... we were pretty even in times.

Frank was second in the '60 Olympics.

Problem for me, being, that '57 Jr. year, slipped to a B- avg. and lost a semester scholarship, and had to work during the summer to pay my tuition... $$400... or half of the yearly tuition. (lifeguard @ $.75/hr.)

In 1957, I held the national record for the 100yd. B.S... (the last year it was an official race. ), and found out that I still hold the record in the Old MIT pool... (or so my brother told me), as well as several NEAAU and National HighSchool AAU records. #1 in 1954.

Would have been nice to have an Olympic medal.


Memories....
So much for my last ego trip... After I realize what I've done, will come back and delete this, but dontcha know, everyone needs a little picker-upper once in a while.

 

[Moemg]

My only luge experience was as a kid we used to go down the Steepest hill in town on our sleds backwards so we steered with our feet . If you missed the turn off at the bottom you were on a busy street with cars whizzing at you .

 

[Gumby]

Skeleton in the Winter Olympics (I prefer headfirst).

Modern pentathlon in the Summer Olympics

 

[Purron]

Gymnastics. I'll never forget Nadia! Nadia comaneci-first perfect ten in history (1976 Montreal) - YouTube

 

[Htown Harry]

100 meter dash. "World's fastest man" has a nice sound to it.

Any event that's over in the first few days of the two-week schedule. I'm picturing myself as a young, talented celebrity athlete during a 14-day party - on somebody else's nickel.

 

[M Paquette]

I'll take a shot at anything that requires a remote control...

 

[Bestwifeever]

Water polo. Or field hockey. Or both!

 

[JOHNNIE36]

When in college, a fraternity brother got me to enter some trach and field events at what we called intermurals between fraternities. No official college team. He thought I could run pretty good. Well, I just think he wanted to make sure there someone in the field he could beat. I couldn't hold a candle to any of those guys. Their speed facinated me so I always wanted to be a better runner. I ran the 220 and 440. Always thought the 440 was the toughest of all. I think I got lapped by a couple guys. I also liked to watch the high jump and the various methods guys used to reach those heights. Wasn't there a guy that jumped with a style called "the Fosberry flop" or something like that? I'm dating myself.

 

[SJ1_]

If you could be an Olympian what sport would you be in? You do not have to be qualified just dream .I will go first . In the summer Olympics I would be a swimmer and in the winter Olympics Luge would be my sport .How about You ?

Marathoner - use to run a lot and always was either beating Rogers or Shorter or coming into the Olympic Stadium and taking that final lap...

 

[Koogie]

I second the skeleton for the Winter Olympics.. i've seen it first hand and it is take your breathe away fast and scary.
Probably mountain biking for the Summer Olympics. It's something I actually do and it would be nice to be world calibre at it instead of sucking at it.. )

 

[aaronc879]

I'm 6'6" and thin so basketball or high jump sound like good choices for me. Winter Olymipcs would require being outside in the cold with snow and ice. Sounds more like an Olympic Nightmare. No winter Olympics for me. I don't even like watching it.

 

[Lsbcal]

If you could be an Olympian what sport would you be in? You do not have to be qualified just dream

I'm in training right now for the 2016 Olympics. I go outside my backgate and run in the hills. My only competitors are the deer in the hills who think I'm totally nuts. Ran 28 miles last week.

If I don't make it into the 2016, then I'll go for 2020. My events will be running the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10000m. If I had to do one it would be the 5000m.

Do they have a 68 year old category for 2016?

Where is my coffee?

 

[FinanceDude]

When in college, a fraternity brother got me to enter some trach and field events at what we called intermurals between fraternities. No official college team. He thought I could run pretty good. Well, I just think he wanted to make sure there someone in the field he could beat. I couldn't hold a candle to any of those guys. Their speed facinated me so I always wanted to be a better runner. I ran the 220 and 440. Always thought the 440 was the toughest of all. I think I got lapped by a couple guys. I also liked to watch the high jump and the various methods guys used to reach those heights. Wasn't there a guy that jumped with a style called "the Fosberry flop" or something like that? I'm dating myself.

Dick Fosbury invented the Fosbury flop. I ran the 400 and 800 in college, also high jumped. I actually got to run an open 400 at the Drake Relays, got killed by the field, but set a PR of my own.

If I had Olympic talent, definitely track and field.........

 

[ChiliPepr]

Summer Olympics Rugby (though I will have to wait until 2016)
Winter Olympics Biathlon

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Dick Fosbury invented the Fosbury flop. I ran the 400 and 800 in college, also high jumped. I actually got to run an open 400 at the Drake Relays, got killed by the field, but set a PR of my own.

If I had Olympic talent, definitely track and field.........

I just remembered, back in the 50's I think everything in this country was still done in yards instead of meters in track and field. Somewhere along the line it changed to meters. Don't know when that was or how it came about. Like I said, I'm dating myself by still talking "440 yards". My fraternity brother that got me to enter those meets held the high jump record in New York state at the time and I believe it was 6'5".

 

[braumeister]

"World's fastest man" has a nice sound to it.

That's not what she said.

 

[RunningBum]

I just remembered, back in the 50's I think everything in this country was still done in yards instead of meters in track and field. Somewhere along the line it changed to meters. Don't know when that was or how it came about. Like I said, I'm dating myself by still talking "440 yards". My fraternity brother that got me to enter those meets held the high jump record in New York state at the time and I believe it was 6'5".

Not sure if it was nationwide, but as a HS freshman in 1977 Iowa we ran in yards, and in 1978 it was all meters.

 

[imoldernu]

Quote:
Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36
I just remembered, back in the 50's I think everything in this country was still done in yards instead of meters in track and field. Somewhere along the line it changed to meters. Don't know when that was or how it came about. Like I said, I'm dating myself by still talking "440 yards". My fraternity brother that got me to enter those meets held the high jump record in New York state at the time and I believe it was 6'5".
Not sure if it was nationwide, but as a HS freshman in 1977 Iowa we ran in yards, and in 1978 it was all meters.

Wasn't so hard to do on the track, or in measuring height etc., because it was just a measurement conversion or moving the start finish line, but a little different in the swimming pool. Except for Yale, which had a movable bulkhead in their practice pool, all older US pools were built in yards measurements. This turned records upside down, as more turns (time) were involved. (to tell the truth, it's the only reason I held the national record... it was a transition year, and many schools were swimming the metric races.) '57 - '58.

One of the interesting things about then versus now, that had to do with records... was that the rules changed during the years. Many things... starting blocks, requirement for touching (with hands) the ends during turns, and swim suits, as well as straight wall sides versus "no-wave" water levels, and relaxed rules for strokes.

Many of us trained in the same regimen as is being used by today's swimmers.... off season strength training, interval training, stroke analysis, turn techniques, and video (8mm camera) analysis. Most school didn't adopt much of this until the mid 1960's.

As you watch swimming, look at the waves piled up by the swimmers. The old pool design built up much higher (higher resistance) waves.

I notice different techniques in many track events, as well as changes in equipment in events that use tools... rifles, bows and arrows, footgear, track surfaces, lighting, etc.

Always interesting to watch national and international records fall, but good to note that it isn't always because of a better gene pool, or stronger athletes. Of course doubling or tripling populations also provide more candidates.

 

[clifp]

If you could be an Olympian what sport would you be in? You do not have to be qualified just dream .I will go first . In the summer Olympics I would be a swimmer and in the winter Olympics Luge would be my sport .How about You ?

What a great question. In the summer Olympics I'd say it is a toss up between diving (not that can manage anything beyond a regular dive) and sailing. Again not that I have any real skill.

Although after watching this video of the US swim team doing a music video. My god isn't this a fabulously good look bunch of young men and woman, I think diving would have the nod.
Call Me Maybe - 2012 USA Olympic Swimming Team - YouTube


In the winter, Biathlon would my top choice. Skiing and shooting how fun.