okansas.blogspot.com Occassional thoughts about orienteering
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Some comments on the U.S. cross-country skiing success
The U.S. had decent results at the recent world champs. I don't have the results on hand, but I know an American was 5th in the 50 Km race and another was 4th in another race (the same guy won the opening leg of the relay).
I came across an interview with a U.S. ski team coach who made some interesting observations about the success. He explained the success:
Training hard for years.
Creating a "true team" and a "ski culture."
Catching doped skiers is part of the story.
The entire article, which is definitely worth a read, is here.
Lessons for Orienteering?
There are probably some lessons for orienteers to learn from the success of the U.S. skiers. Certainly, there is no substitute for consistent good training (combined with some talent). With some work, the U.S. team could probably develop into a "true team" and a bit of an "O' culture." While I'm sure there is doping in orienteering, I don't think doping is prevalent or has much effect on orienteering. So, as far as doping goes, orienteering is probably well ahead of skiing.
posted by Michael |
7:41 PM
