Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site uiucdcsb.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcsb!essick From: essick@uiucdcsb.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sport Subject: Re: Racquet Sports in the Olympics - (nf) Message-ID: <14000001@uiucdcsb.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Aug-84 10:17:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.14000001 Posted: Wed Aug 15 10:17:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 17-Aug-84 00:14:10 EDT References: <564@noscvax.UUCP> Lines: 30 Nf-ID: #R:noscvax:-56400:uiucdcsb:14000001:000:1229 Nf-From: uiucdcsb!essick Aug 15 09:17:00 1984 #R:noscvax:-56400:uiucdcsb:14000001:000:1229 uiucdcsb!essick Aug 15 09:17:00 1984 There aren't really that many swimming events in the Olympics. The men's schedule includes: 100, 200, 400, and 1500 freestyle 100, 200 of back, breast, and butterfly 200 and 400 Individual Medley 400 Medley Relay 400 and 800 Freestyle Relay This is only 11 events for the men. Women have a slightly different schedule: they swim an 800 instead of the 1500 (and may have upgraded to the 1500) and do not have the longer free relay. Total events: 11 and 10 for men and women respectively. If we compare swimming to track we see that the you have at least the 100, 200(?), 400, 800, 1500, 5000, and 10000 meter races. The swimming 1500 is on the same order as running 5000 meters. You don't see many (if any) people competing at both ends of the spectrum. The individual medley's can be likened to the pentathalon and decathalon; events which test the athlete's all-around abilities. Mark Spitz won 7 medals because he outclassed the world in 2 different strokes: freestyle and butterfly. He won the 100 and 200 races in both strokes plus was on 3 relay teams. Imagine Carl Lewis winning both the 100 and 200 and going on to win a pair of hurdles races, then put him on some relays. -- Ray Essick, University of Illinois