Thursday, January 19, 2006
Frickin' athletes...
Here's a new lame joke I came up with today that isn't funny:
How many Canadian Athletes does it take to carry a Canadian flag?
Unknown, no one wants to pick it up.
That's right. Never before in the thirty years I've been on this planet have I heard an Olympic Athlete not wanting to have the distinguished honour & privilege of carrying the Canadian Flag during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics until now. And for the first time in recent memory, I'm agreeing with Don Cherry. Words have recently been used such as "exhausting" to describe the strenuous task of having to carry the Maple Leaf. Who can blame them? All that standing...and sitting...and interviews with the media...phew, I'd rather haul grand pianos than be subject to that torture!
I'm going to try to be open-minded and listen to the athletes complaints. Even the last flag bearer, Catriona Le May Doan, went to the defense of the athletes saying it's a tough task and it's draining. "It's at least a full day!" she proclaimed. Ok, she's an experienced flag bearer and she knows what she's talking about, and her last place finish in 2002 proves...oh wait, SHE WON THE GOLD MEDAL! How did you do it Catriona? Tell me, how was it possible with all that elation and excitement you carried with you along with the flag, that you managed to finish #1? Was there a ghost carrier the audience couldn't see? Maybe the flag was made out of that new material the hockey players are now wearing, you know, the good people at Nike designed it.
Ok, so some athletes are complaining the ceremony is too close to the start of their events, and they need that time to train and prepare. Point well taken. If the ceremony ends at 3 in the morning you're off to the races at 6, hey, who COULD pull that off? Saturdays, I tell ya, I need 12 hours of sleep from all that poker and pizza the night before. So let's look at some of the athletes who asked not to be considered, let's see...oh, here we go: Have you heard of the name Pierre Lueders? Well, neither had I until today. He's a bobsledder and in all honestly nobody really cares about bobsledding unless we hear someone won a medal in it. Anyway, according to the Calgary Sun, Pierre has already withdrawn his name from flag-carrying consideration even though his first event is EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE CEREMONY. That's right, this guy has over a WEEK to get ready for the event, and he still doesn't want the job. Unless there was some sort of unavoidable life-altering commitment that hasn't come to light, I have one word for you pal: Pathetic.
What's wrong with these people? Are these athletes that disinterested in showing their pride for their country in front of the whole world? Has carrying the flag lost prestige? Is it no longer a good enough task for these athletes? Should we instead start asking celebrities to stand in for flag bearing responsibilities...maybe Jim Carrey would make an appearance and crack a few jokes at the same time?
Could you imagine a young kid having to taking an oath at the start of his training, that if he or she somehow becomes competent and successful at his or her chosen sport, that they CANNOT turn down the opportunity to carry the flag at the opening ceremonies at the Olympics? It would be ridiculous. "What's the catch!?" would probably be the response.
On a positive note, the Women's Hockey team produced a name in secrecy (I'm guessing Hayley Wickenheiser) to the Canadian organizers who would like to be the flag-bearer for the ceremony . Imagine that! Someone who DOES want to do it!
How bizarre.
How many Canadian Athletes does it take to carry a Canadian flag?
Unknown, no one wants to pick it up.
That's right. Never before in the thirty years I've been on this planet have I heard an Olympic Athlete not wanting to have the distinguished honour & privilege of carrying the Canadian Flag during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics until now. And for the first time in recent memory, I'm agreeing with Don Cherry. Words have recently been used such as "exhausting" to describe the strenuous task of having to carry the Maple Leaf. Who can blame them? All that standing...and sitting...and interviews with the media...phew, I'd rather haul grand pianos than be subject to that torture!
I'm going to try to be open-minded and listen to the athletes complaints. Even the last flag bearer, Catriona Le May Doan, went to the defense of the athletes saying it's a tough task and it's draining. "It's at least a full day!" she proclaimed. Ok, she's an experienced flag bearer and she knows what she's talking about, and her last place finish in 2002 proves...oh wait, SHE WON THE GOLD MEDAL! How did you do it Catriona? Tell me, how was it possible with all that elation and excitement you carried with you along with the flag, that you managed to finish #1? Was there a ghost carrier the audience couldn't see? Maybe the flag was made out of that new material the hockey players are now wearing, you know, the good people at Nike designed it.
Ok, so some athletes are complaining the ceremony is too close to the start of their events, and they need that time to train and prepare. Point well taken. If the ceremony ends at 3 in the morning you're off to the races at 6, hey, who COULD pull that off? Saturdays, I tell ya, I need 12 hours of sleep from all that poker and pizza the night before. So let's look at some of the athletes who asked not to be considered, let's see...oh, here we go: Have you heard of the name Pierre Lueders? Well, neither had I until today. He's a bobsledder and in all honestly nobody really cares about bobsledding unless we hear someone won a medal in it. Anyway, according to the Calgary Sun, Pierre has already withdrawn his name from flag-carrying consideration even though his first event is EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE CEREMONY. That's right, this guy has over a WEEK to get ready for the event, and he still doesn't want the job. Unless there was some sort of unavoidable life-altering commitment that hasn't come to light, I have one word for you pal: Pathetic.
What's wrong with these people? Are these athletes that disinterested in showing their pride for their country in front of the whole world? Has carrying the flag lost prestige? Is it no longer a good enough task for these athletes? Should we instead start asking celebrities to stand in for flag bearing responsibilities...maybe Jim Carrey would make an appearance and crack a few jokes at the same time?
Could you imagine a young kid having to taking an oath at the start of his training, that if he or she somehow becomes competent and successful at his or her chosen sport, that they CANNOT turn down the opportunity to carry the flag at the opening ceremonies at the Olympics? It would be ridiculous. "What's the catch!?" would probably be the response.
On a positive note, the Women's Hockey team produced a name in secrecy (I'm guessing Hayley Wickenheiser) to the Canadian organizers who would like to be the flag-bearer for the ceremony . Imagine that! Someone who DOES want to do it!
How bizarre.
# posted by SBP : 2:58 PM
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