Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxk.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxk!rs55611 From: rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher) Newsgroups: net.sport Subject: Re: USSR - Alpine Skiing Message-ID: <563@ihuxk.UUCP> Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 14:48:32 EST Article-I.D.: ihuxk.563 Posted: Mon Feb 20 14:48:32 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 21-Feb-84 04:18:16 EST References: <574@pyuxa.UUCP> <6779@unc.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 19 The other side of the coin is that some of the entrants from some of the smaller countries (especially from those that aren't winter sports capitals) don't really train that hard, and are just there for a neat experience/vacation. There was one guy in the giant slalom (not the Costa Rican; he did pretty good) who basically snow-plowed down. It was like they asked for volunteers to go, and only got a couple of applicants. (There were also a fair amount of Americans on other teams, through various vague connections. The Puerto Rican luger wasn't really from Puerto Rico, as I recall. Also, how about the Egyptian skiier who was born in Egypt, but had lived in Lake Placid, NY since he was about three months old. He wasn't any good, but got a free trip to Yugoslavia as a member of the Egyptian ski team. His father is an Egyptian govt. official of some kind, and he had his son train by staying in a completely dark cavern for 40 days, for spiritual cleansing and concentration. ABC did a short feature on him.)