Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael B
This comment shows a complete lack of understanding of this sport and most Olympic sports. Virginia Thrasher from here in Springfield, VA, the same town I live, did not just pick up a gun and say "I want to go to the Olympics". She won a gold medal in 10 meter air rifle. That requires hitting a target the size of a dime from 32 feet 10 inches consistently. To be this good you need to fire THOUSANDS of rounds each year. Those are not free. You also need a specialized handmade rifle that is built for your body which costs thousands of dollars. You also need to have a shooting range, not free. There is also a coach, psychologist and possibly a physical trainer. You then must compete in enough sanctioned International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) competitions to qualify. Local competitions and national championships are not enough. Travel to other countries to compete is necessary and USA Shooting cannot completely fund every athlete for all of their expenses. Winning the NCAA championship this year, which she did, does not qualify her for the Olympics either.
I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea. I could do this for every Olympic sport.
|
Kudos to Ms. Thrasher. It seems that she is a "natural" who no doubt has worked countless hours perfecting her prowess but apparently didn't pick up a rifle until 5 years ago when on a hunting trip she dropped a deer with her first shot.
My beef isn't with her but with the IOC who continues to include "sports" like shooting, handball, equestrian, synchronized swimming and trampoline in the Games; while Baseball is currently out (coming back, I know). Handball? Come on!?