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Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Hmm...if my memory serves correctly, the Caribbean Islanders have always been competitive in the sprints, going back decades.

I'm just speculating here, sometimes we have a genetic outlier, someone for whom not only is thier physique uniquely suited to their sport, they somehow found that sport in which to compete in the first place.

Sometimes, we have overt chemical manipulation: injections, dietary supplements, etc.

Suppose, hypothetically, there is a third: differential dietary intake. Maybe there is something in the indigenous diet of Caribbean Islanders that is a "natural juicer" so to speak? Akin to Native Americans from Mexico and South America who grew up chewing raw coca leaves from early childhood and running long distances at altitude being great distance runners in 1968 Olympics, but not so esoteric.

Maybe there is some plant that is common to the Islands that has a salutory side effect, and sprinting is prized as an athletic feat? I have no clue, it would be interesting to find out though....

I told you already, it's the yams!!!!


;)
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Hmm...if my memory serves correctly, the Caribbean Islanders have always been competitive in the sprints, going back decades.

I'm just speculating here, sometimes we have a genetic outlier, someone for whom not only is thier physique uniquely suited to their sport, they somehow found that sport in which to compete in the first place.

Sometimes, we have overt chemical manipulation: injections, dietary supplements, etc.

Suppose, hypothetically, there is a third: differential dietary intake. Maybe there is something in the indigenous diet of Caribbean Islanders that is a "natural juicer" so to speak? Akin to Native Americans from Mexico and South America who grew up chewing raw coca leaves from early childhood and running long distances at altitude being great distance runners in 1968 Olympics, but not so esoteric.

Maybe there is some plant that is common to the Islands that has a salutory side effect, and sprinting is prized as an athletic feat? I have no clue, it would be interesting to find out though....

The only reply I have to counter that theory is Puerto Rico. Maybe their diet is too intertwined with the US mainland to do much. But it's odd to me that the richest island, by a wide, wide margin, in the Carribbean can't produce many Olympic atheletes. And they have much easier access to US universities, since they are part of the US.

On the other had, I do know that a lot of the traditional dishes are slowly losing favor there, and quite a bit of the food is imported, and not locally grown. That would counter my point quite nicely. It's almost as if they are in a gray area- should be capable of generating the atheletes, but just got the system beyond the area capable of doing it.
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Hmm...if my memory serves correctly, the Caribbean Islanders have always been competitive in the sprints, going back decades.

I'm just speculating here, sometimes we have a genetic outlier, someone for whom not only is thier physique uniquely suited to their sport, they somehow found that sport in which to compete in the first place.

Sometimes, we have overt chemical manipulation: injections, dietary supplements, etc.

Suppose, hypothetically, there is a third: differential dietary intake. Maybe there is something in the indigenous diet of Caribbean Islanders that is a "natural juicer" so to speak? Akin to Native Americans from Mexico and South America who grew up chewing raw coca leaves from early childhood and running long distances at altitude being great distance runners in 1968 Olympics, but not so esoteric.

Maybe there is some plant that is common to the Islands that has a salutory side effect, and sprinting is prized as an athletic feat? I have no clue, it would be interesting to find out though....

All possible-but why would it work only for 100 or 200 meters? it does seem to be specific. I have not seen the same incredible improvement in the rest of their team, 400 meter, field events, marathon and longer distance running, swimming, etc. What we have is a sudden improvement that is just a huge leap forward (sort of like the Bob Beamon jump of 1968)-but at first limited to one runner from one country but now present with a group of runners all still from one country. Diagnostic of tampering? Not at all. Suspicious? Certainly. Would be interested to see how they test during the year when not detoxed (if they are indeed doing anything) for the olympics or the world champioonships. I am not in any way saying something is being done-i am merely proposing an academic exercise to ponder.
Besides, if something is being done by the Jamaican team-I would think other things are being done by all the teams (as long as they don't get discovered).
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

All possible-but why would it work only for 100 or 200 meters? it does seem to be specific. I have not seen the same incredible improvement in the rest of their team, 400 meter, field events, marathon and longer distance running, swimming, etc. What we have is a sudden improvement that is just a huge leap forward (sort of like the Bob Beamon jump of 1968)-but at first limited to one runner from one country but now present with a group of runners all still from one country. Diagnostic of tampering? Not at all. Suspicious? Certainly. Would be interested to see how they test during the year when not detoxed (if they are indeed doing anything) for the olympics or the world champioonships. I am not in any way saying something is being done-i am merely proposing an academic exercise to ponder.
Besides, if something is being done by the Jamaican team-I would think other things are being done by all the teams (as long as they don't get discovered).

To a certain extent, it is a bit arbitrary....just walk into a GNC store (yes, they have brick and mortar retail outlets) and you'll see that dietary supplements are a big business. How many folks around the world take protein powder for example. High-altitutude training is fine; using a hypobaric chamber at sea level is borderline.

Now, what the East German chemists did to their women athletes without their knowledge and consent was barbaric. :eek: I'm not defending.

Some of the things on the banned substance list give no advantage at all; they are banned only because they can be used as masking agents to hide the use of other drugs. In a very few cases, they have a legitimate use in specialized treatment and if I'm not mistaken a person can get a letter from their doctor to allow use (e.g., asthmatics can take an otherwise-banned substance I think though I could easily be wrong.)

Within the next two decades you can bet a country like China will use genetic testing to find youths who are predisposed to have an advantage in certain sports and put them into intensive training camps.
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Change of topic ...

I just have to say how much I have enjoyed Olympic basketball. The format - no TV timeouts during play - brings me back to the days before both college and NBA broadcasts were ruined by concessions to TV. I've pretty much stopped watching hoops on TV because of that, but the Olympics are much more watchable
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

To a certain extent, it is a bit arbitrary....just walk into a GNC store (yes, they have brick and mortar retail outlets) and you'll see that dietary supplements are a big business. How many folks around the world take protein powder for example. High-altitutude training is fine; using a hypobaric chamber at sea level is borderline.

Now, what the East German chemists did to their women athletes without their knowledge and consent was barbaric. :eek: I'm not defending.

Some of the things on the banned substance list give no advantage at all; they are banned only because they can be used as masking agents to hide the use of other drugs. In a very few cases, they have a legitimate use in specialized treatment and if I'm not mistaken a person can get a letter from their doctor to allow use (e.g., asthmatics can take an otherwise-banned substance I think though I could easily be wrong.)

Within the next two decades you can bet a country like China will use genetic testing to find youths who are predisposed to have an advantage in certain sports and put them into intensive training camps.

You can bet that genetic testing and even manipulation will be on the horizon. We might even think about some sort of surgical enhancements.:eek:
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

"That guy just broke the 200 freestyle world record by 18 seconds!"

"I'd hope so. He's got webbed feet and hands along with gills. May as well be Aquaman."
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

If pot improved athletic performance, Dr. Johnny Fever would have spent a lot of podium time.

After Johnny went to LA then returned to WKRP, they asked him if he got into trouble for saying "booger" on the air. He said, oh you can say "booger" on the air in LA. What you can't say is "mother effer."
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

BTW - NBC will stream the closing ceremonies live.
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Pot has never made anyone do something faster.
Yes but they think they are faster and that is what counts.

BTW - NBC will stream the closing ceremonies live.
Does this make up the 1 hour long show that says Olympics but seems to be a show about WWII? UUTF has this got to do with the olympics. :mad: By the time they get to Sport I will be asleep :(
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

I saw this picture on the London Telegraph's web page and I had to hunt a bit to see what it was
rhythmic-hands_2306447k.jpg


German team rhythmic gymnastics
 
Re: Official XXX Summer Olympiad: London 2012- Take II

Looks like something out of Live and Let Die.
 
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