Jerry Maguire, where you at?
Thursday, 21 August 2008 08:34
The Olympic cycling and triathlon events are over and the knives are out.
The performances of the Australian athletes was, for the most, a little sub par. Obviously Emma Snowsill, Emma Moffatt and Anna Meares are the exception but there will be some fairly heavy soul searching for some of our sports administrators post games. And with the old enemy (Great Britain) doing so well the Aussie administrators could do well to take a look at what happened between Athens and Beijing.
Essentially it came down to money, hence the Jerry Maguire reference. The much vaunted British track cycling team was funded by U.K lottery and many of their programs were the beneficiaries. The gold medal count was the proof that their system works. But the Aussie track cycling team was mired in its' own troubles. You see after the six gold medal haul in Athens we rested on our laurels. We ran the same template and used riders for their reputations rather than their form. We went in with an aging team and were exposed. Some of brightest stars were blown off the track before they could land a punch. A sorry state. Anna Meares seemed the only rider ready for battle. But part of this reason lies with the lack of money in the track game. If you were an athlete with a big motor the chances of you ending up a track cyclist as opposed to, say, a footballer (a job that pays rookies) would be slim indeed. You can't live on air.
The local cynics too would be loving the fact that the men's team failed in Beijing. Already the bush telegraph has been buzzing with calls for Brad Kahlefeldt and Bill Davoren's head. Word is Brad was injured and the connection between his starting the race and his coach (Davoren) was the only thing keeping him in it. Absurd at best. That Kahlefeldt didn't earn or deserve his spot on the Beijing team is laughable and little mischievous of others to suggest. The problem for the Australian team is of course, lack of money. Athletes who need to get points and race for their spot on a team are not paid so much. The lure of the big U.S races and the more lucrative 70.3 and European scene is for some, too irresistible as the window for being a professional athlete is small.
Sometimes life in the cheap seats is all too easy. We all like to speculate on how programs and athletes should be managed. The reality is none of these people came to Beijing with anything in the mind other than doing their best. The next few months will tell the tale. And let's hope Triathlon and Cycling Australia hire Jerry Maguire!
written by John , August 25, 2008
written by Whiteline , August 22, 2008
I think it's reasonably obvious that Kahlefeldt was our best performed athlete for a period of time. I think the issue is how or why a program wasn't set up so we could get 3 athletes in the team. If certain athletes didn't want to be part of it til the last minute (no need to mention names) then why were they considered at all. I'd ask the same question as 3times - who selects the team and probably even more importantly who puts the schedule together so that the athletes who want to be selected (or that TA think will give Aust the best chance)are in the mix. Who manages the HP manager? Is it TA, the AOC, the Sports Commission or do they operate independently?
