Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner Kersee
Bruce A. Dixon
Damn, I'm gettin' old. The goddess and I (she usta be a track star,
now simply a star, and me a former distance runner) were checking out
the results of the Olympic trials. Can it really be true?
Jackie Joyner Kersee, at age 34, placing SECOND in the heptathalon?
Carl Lewis, 35 years old with ice packs on each knee big as yo
head.... finishing LAST in the 100 meters? Whassup? Is the world
coming to an end?
We're gonna go out and buy some rollerblades this weekend. If you're
in Chicago and see two middleaged Negroes careening up your street at
high speed or at the lakefront embarrassing youngsters half our age,
stay clear or take your chances. It's up to you.
Bruce
Who has this thing for E. St. Louis ladies, and can hear his bones
creaking already this time of morning.
M2S
In article <4q69t2$a...@Nntp1.mcs.net>, bdi...@mcs.com (Bruce A. Dixon) wrote:
:Damn, I'm gettin' old. The goddess and I (she usta be a track star,
:now simply a star, and me a former distance runner) were checking out
:the results of the Olympic trials. Can it really be true?
:
:Jackie Joyner Kersee, at age 34, placing SECOND in the heptathalon?
:Carl Lewis, 35 years old with ice packs on each knee big as yo
:head.... finishing LAST in the 100 meters? Whassup? Is the world
:coming to an end?
I am not trying to make excuses for either Carl or Jackie, but you have to
put things into perspective. Carl had a good semi-final where he did
10.03. This was even better than fourth (and final team place) in the
final which was 10.06. Carl had a terrible race in the final, where he
ended up doing only 10.21. I don't know what happened. He had a good
start, but all I can say is that Carl had a sprained right calf which he
felt while running the semi-final. Anyway, he qualified for the long jump
final (Wednesday) and he will also be competing in the first round of the
200 on Friday.
Jackie was nursing injuries all through the event. First, she twisted her
ankle in the high jump (but somehow, she came back to clear the required
height). This injury woiuld also come back to haunt her in subsequent
events such as the long jump and 800. She then suffered some mental
flashbacks in the 200. This seem to be a recurring problem which dates
back to the World championships in Tokyo where she had a hamstring injury
while running the curve. I don't know if it was only mental, but she said
that she felt a cramp in her leg at about the same point in the race. This
forced her to basically jog out the rest of the 200 at the trials. Now
going into the final event, the 800, she was still leading, but she was
battling a cold and of course the ankle injury. Her asthma may also have
been acting up. She ended up trailing the field in that race. She was just
doing what she had to do to qualify for the Olympics. Why go out and
aggravate present injuries when you have just over a month to get back
into tip top shape.
:
:We're gonna go out and buy some rollerblades this weekend. If you're
pliesenberg
Bruce A. Dixon (bdi...@mcs.com) wrote:
: Jackie Joyner Kersee, at age 34, placing SECOND in the heptathalon?
: Carl Lewis, 35 years old with ice packs on each knee big as yo
: head.... finishing LAST in the 100 meters? Whassup? Is the world
: coming to an end?
I can still remember when, in my early 20s, I sorta
disliked Carl Lewis. Being into track and field myself,
I worked *hard* for my progress, whereas to him, it
all seemed to come playingly. He was there, stating
"records don't count" and not really applying himself
at times, and I cringed, thinking "Argh! This guy
*could* set world records that would stand for 20
years, and he doesn't care!" I really, really thought
that, with all he won, he had an underachiever's
attitude. That he could've made more with his
talents...
Last weekend, though, watching TV, a 32-year old
version of me was *rooting* for Lewis. He started
badly, as usual, but when you expected him to take
off in the second half (it's unbelievable, but he
had 2 different speeds in the 100m, who knows what
times he'd achieved if he'd learned to get off the
blocks more explosively), it wasn't there. Oh well.
Leroy Burrell... ditto.
But, 30's crowd, don't despair: Linford Christie
will be in Atlanta, too. That man is unbelievable!
...paul
Bruce A. Dixon
Yeah, I usta wonder why Lewis didn't get out there faster too, but the
brother always made up for it. s for his alleged attitude, I always
thought it had something to do with the fact that he never got the big
time endorsement money that some white athleletes of his stature do,
etc. Joyner-Kersee too got just a fraction of the bucks they might
have under some other circumstances. Don't think they've done the
women's long jump yet, have they???? I'm working so hard I don't get
to watch cable and keep up on these things.... hafta rely on the
morning papers, y'know. Understand Kersee may qualify there too.
And you're right, there are lots of us old folks still out there
outrunning and jumping these young 'uns. Mary Decker Slaney, the one
who that racist chickie from SA Zola Budd stumbled and took out at the
'92 (The authorities named a street after her in the middle of the
ghetto, in Jo'burg I think, which the locals usta set fire to every
time they got a chance.) has already qualified in the 1,500 I think,
and wants in on the 3,000. She's 38, and Ruth Wysocki is 39.
Torrance and Devers are both early thirtysomethings too. Not shabby
at all.
But personally, the goddess and I are on a mission to restore the
integrity and honor of the over 40 athelete.... so like I said if any
of you are rollerblading out here in Chi, step forward and get run
over. We're ready.
Bruce Dixon
Who still likes E. St. Louis women.
plies...@bix.com (pliesenberg) wrote:
>I can still remember when, in my early 20s, I sorta
>disliked Carl Lewis....
space for rent
Carl Lewis placed third in the long jump making him the only person
ever to qualify for 5 different Olympics.
D.C.I.
In <4qbfuf$1...@Nntp1.mcs.net> bdi...@mcs.com (Bruce A. Dixon) writes:
>
>Yeah, I usta wonder why Lewis didn't get out there faster too, but the
>brother always made up for it.
Joyner-Kersee too got just a fraction of the bucks they might
>have under some other circumstances.
Understand Kersee may qualify there too.
>
Carl made the long jump!
Jackie has a choice to
compete despite her 2nd
place finish.
>>But, 30's crowd, don't despair: Linford Christie
>>will be in Atlanta, too. That man is unbelievable!
>
>>...paul
>
I'm planning my comeback!
Anything an 80+ can do in
the Olypmics beside lie on
the side of the track and
wheeze in the humidity of
Atlanta?
DCI
ps: do they have cane throwng?
D.C.I.
In <Pine.PMDF.3.91.9606200...@MHFP.SWMED.EDU> space
for rent <fp...@MHFP.SWMED.EDU> writes:
>
>Carl Lewis placed third in the long jump making him the only person
>ever to qualify for 5 different Olympics.
Me thinks that is "the only
American" to do so.
DCI