I love watching the Olympics and major sporting events and get a real buzz out of seeing New Zealand performing well. I always allow for the fact that we have a very small population that we don't figure as high up the medal table as the big countries. I have observed though that we perform extremely strongly against some large countries - Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, Greece - to name a few. Our comparative performance is way out of scale to our comparative population. At the other end of the scale USA's performance is massively out of scale to their comparative population to other large countries so what's going on? I know that they have a more 'professional' approach to the Olympics and they have vast coaching and training resources but even so the difference in performance is amazing. The answer struck me when I was watching the news the other night and an American skiing olympian was shown practising in New Zealand as she does each year. This woman is not only part of the USA ski team with all of its training resources but she also has her own personal coach, her own personal manger, her own personal assistants plus a personal technical equipment adviser. No wonder than, if, and I guess it is the case for most of the USA team, that they outperform everyone else. It is not a level playing field (no downhill ski jokes please).
5 comments:
Hello curmudgeon.
It is rather interesting that you speak of the benifits of coaching at this time. I myself have my own coach for the blogging olympics. Richard (of RBB).
"I myself have my own coach for the blogging olympics. Richard (of RBB)."
That's fine Steph if you want a blog the equivalent of an event like curling or walking race. If you want to compete like a synchronised swimmer, a sprinter or a gymnast then I suggest you change coaches (hey! That sounds like an American version of getting on another bus.)
She now has the right to use the title Neff (of RBB).
Who'd want to use
'(of Comeinyourpants)'?
The Wine Guy?
It always amazes me how many managers it takes to supervise one worker. In my line of work I normally can count about six people behind a desk surfing the web or answering a few emails. One person is out there with a shovel.
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