Olympic Shame - Pamela Weintraub

ARTICLE
OLYMPIC
SHAME
BYMARKTEICH
AND PAMELAWEINTRAUB
s you read this,
hundredsof Americanathletesare feverishlypreparing
for the 1988SummerGames in Seoul.Soutn
Korea.-ComeSeptember,they will try for the Holy Grail
of athleticcompetition-an Olympicmedal.
For most, it has been a long and single-mindedquest.
Fromchildhood,they have com6inedarduous
daily workoutswith full school courseloads.To survive,
many took on night jobs during high school and
college,then went into full{ime professionsunrelated
to theirsport as soon as they graduated.Through
it all, theirtrainingrarelyslackened,leavinglitile tirie or
energy for familyand friends.And wfrenthev
approachedOlympiccaliber,theiroutcaststatusonly
became more extreme.They now spent longer
and.longerperiodstrainingand competing
away from
-besides
home,puttingeverythingin theirlives
thei rsport on hol d.
PAINTING
BYROBERT
FLORCZAK
39
Why did they sacrifice their youth in
this way? Not for money;except for elite
athletesin one or two sports, most Olympic hopefulssufferfinancialdeprivation.
Perhaps it was partly patriotism, and
partly a narcissistichunger for acclaim.
Mostlyit was theirinbornneed to explore
their limits-to test themselvesat white
heatagainstthe bestathletesin the world.
At Seoul,they will have the chance to
do just that. For the first time in the contemporaryOlympic era, the world's best
summerathleteswill finallybe competing. lt has been a dozen years coming.
Not since 1976 have the major world
powersgatheredfor the SummerGames.
In 1980,after the UnitedStatesOlympic
Committee (U.S.O.C.)had supposedly
revolutionizedour program with its new
h i g h - t e c ht r a i n i n g c a m p a t C o l o r a d o
Springs,we nevergot the chanceto prove
it. lnstead,Jimmy Carter'svain political
boycott of the Moscow Olympics left the
Russians and East Germans to wade
through their oppositionlargely uncontested.When the iron curtain countries
returnedthe favor by boycottingthe Los
AngelesGames in 1984,the Americans
went on a medal spree unparalleledin
Olympichistory.We trumpetedour glory,
thoughit was justas taintedas the results
at Moscow
But this time all the big boys will be
there at the opening ceremonies.Once
the torch has been lighted to loud fanfare, once the doves and colored balloonshave been sent aloft,the tensionof
imminentcombat will thickenthe air.As
the athletesfrom the Great Red Bearand
its satellitesmarch purposefullyalong,as
the Americanathletesswaggerout in their
native garb, the clash of our opposing
systemswill be palpable.Everyonewill
know that the next fortnight will transcend spectacle-it will measure the
successes and failures of our different
ways of life.
And, sad to say, America will be tried
in the balance and found wanting.Our
athleteswill give theirall, but they will be
helplessagainstthe onslaught.Everytime
they look up, a Russianor East German
wi l l be winningan o th e rm e d a l , i n tra c k '
a n d f ield,in c y c lin g ,i n fe n c i n g -i n j u s t
about everything.By the time the final
curtain slams down on the Games, our
grand anticipationwill have given way to
excusesand bitter finger pointing.This
smokescreen will not hide the essential
fact that we have become a sec.ond-class
sports power.
Butdon'twe havewonderfultalent?The
most sophisticatedsport science in the
world? Financialresourcesto build an
awesomelong-rangeprogram?The answer on all counts is probably yes. Raw
talent,however,can'twin medalsif it isn't
properlynurturedand coached,or even
discovered in the first place. Sophisticated science doesn't mean squat if it
doesn't get beyond the laboratory.And
resourcescan't accomplishanythingif the
money doesn't reach the athletes.
40 PENTHoUSE
At Seoul,our Olympianswill be blown
away because the people charged with
their success have been too conservative or just plain incompetent.This includes a nationalgovernment that generally hasn't wanted to be bothered;
power-jockeyingU.S.O.C.officiatswho
have often been more concerned with
pomp and circumstancethan actualathletic performance;unfocused national
governingbodies(N.G.B.'s)that ruleeach
sport and allocatefunds to a whole range
of programs at the expense of Olympic
competitors;and inadequatelytrained
coaches who lack enough scientific
knowledgeto prepare their athletesfor
high-levelcompetition.lt includeswealthy
corporationsthat pay millionsof dollars
for TV advertisingduringthe Games,but
pump littleof theirample profitsback into
our program. And it includes us, the
Americanpublic,who completelyforget
our athletesfor threeyearsrunning,then
expect them to appear magicallyin the
6
Whenthe ax falls
at Seoul,don'tblamethe
athletes.
Oursystem
has letthemdownand
deprivedthemof
the chanceto be truly
competitive.
)
fourthyear and sweep the medals,
So when the ax falls at Seoul, don't
blame the athletes. Our system has let
them down. Their Eastern Bloc competitors have been monitored,funded, and
provided for by ingeniouslyorganized
p r o g r a m s ,w h i l e t h e A m e r i c a n sh a v e
been left mainlyon theirown. Rewarded
for their commitmentwith weak leadership, disorganization,
and neglect,they
have been deprived of the chance to be
truly competitive.
The seed for the coming debaclewas
plantedalmosta centuryago, when European aristocratsrevived the Olympic
Games.To recapturethe purityof the first
Olympics in ancient Greece, they declaredthat all competitorshad to be amateurswho made no money from a sport
and pursuedit in theirleisuretime.These
gentlemanlyOlympianswere necessarily part of the idle rich-the only ones
with time and money to train and compete in the Games.
I n t h e m o d e r n e r a , v i r t u a l l ye v e r y
countryexcept Americacame to understand that this elitismno longerworked.
Excellencein sports requiredhundreds
of hours of training"everyyear,and there
weren't enough idle rich around who
could afford to do this on their own. So if
a nationwanted to competesuccessfully,
it had to make the opportunity available
to others.The Sovietsled the way following World War ll. Seeing the chance to
publicizethe success of its revolution,
Russia primed for its first Olympics in
'1952,
and builtan Olympicprogramthat
was anything but "amateur."
First,the Sovietscreated a Ministryof
Sport to oversee every move their athletes made. They left no stone unturned
to find young talent, establishing compulsoryexercisesin preschooland elaborate sports leagues in elementary
school. Scouts attended national competitionscalled Spartakiads;and by age
12, kids with star mettle entered yearround children'ssport schools. No one
had to coerce them; they ate better than
other adolescentsand earned cash bonusesand better living arrangementsfor
theirparents.
Simultaneously,the government had
top scientistsand medical experts devote themselvesexclusivelyto sport science. They experimented with steroids
and other drugs that could add to size
and strength,and used the laws of physics to make competitorsswifterand more
efficient.Wheneverthere were holes in
theirknowledge,they invitedexpertsover
from the U.S. and other countries,then
winedand dined them and plumbedtheir
brains.
By the end of the 1950s,the U.S.S.R.
began winning the Olympics convincingly.By 1976,even its tiny copycat satellite,EastGermany,humbledthe U.S.at
the MontrealOlympics.Thoughthe U.S.
had 12 times their population,the East
Germans captured an astonishing40
gold medalsto our 34. (TheRussianstook
49.) lt was the first time in decades we
had finished lower than second place.
This cold-war embarrassment sent
Americastaggeringinto the "high tech"
sports era. Shortly after the '76 Games,
P r e s i d e n tC a r t e r s i g n e d t h e A m a t e u r
Sports Act, which empowered the
U.S.O.C.with responsibilityfor all amateur sports in America. lts urgent mission:to take our Olympic programout of
the StoneAge.
The U.S.O.C.concluded that its only
hope was a sport-scienceprogram of its
own. lt establishedthe OlympicTraining
Centerin an old Army camp at Colorado
Springs,and chose New Jersey cardiovascular surgeon lrving Dardik, team
physician for the previous Winter and
Summer Olympics, to head the effort.
"Therewas
no organizedapproach in the
U.S.,"Dardik recalls."Medicalcare and
scientific research were totally random.
Not even competitorsat the highest levels were getting state-of-the-arttraining
or treatment.Somethinghadto be done."
Workingas a volunteer,Dardik began
by recruiting scientists such as David
Costill, the widely respected exercise
physiologist,
and GideonAriel,who had
pioneeredcomputerizedbiomechanical Miller [the executivedirector] about fianalysis-a method that allowed him to nancesand othermatters.Dardikwanted
honeathletes'techniqueby manipulating to make financialcommitmentson his
s t i c k - f i g u r e i m a g e s o f t h e i r p e r f o r - own, withoutthe approvalof Miller."Darmanceson a computerscreen.Ariel do- dik denies these charges and says that
nated his own software, then cajoled the partingof ways occurredbecauseof
intothe
se ver al c or por at io n si n to c o n tri b u ti n g argumentsover the investigation
millionsof dollars'worthof computerand blood doping of U.S.athletes.Whatevdr
graphicsequipment,establishingone of the truthis, officialswho consideredDarthe best biomechanicslabs in the world. dik as abrasive and self-interestedas
He also persuadedvariousfitnessman- Arielwere happy to be left in peace and
ufacturersto outfita spectacularweight- q u i e t.
Today,four years later,that'swherethe
trainingfacility.
The Colorado center was soon her- American Olympic movement finds italded as the future rival of East Germa- self-in quiet, peaceful stagnation.The
'84
SportsInstituteat soaring progresssuggested by the
ny's all-encompassing
"lt's not
plan,
has
to
atwo-step.
slowed
the finest Games
Leipzig.Accordingto the
coaches,doctors,and researcherswould thatwe'vegone backward,"explainsEdmedalistin the
always be on hand, enticing premier win Moses,two-timegold
"lt's just
thatthe rest
competitorsfromalloverthecountry.The intermediatehurdles.
athleteswould live at the camp year- of the world has moved forwardand we've
round,working in unity with the team of stood still."
The resultswere therefor all to see this
experts.And for those who wouldn'tlive
on-site,Dardik conceivedthe Elite Ath- year at the Winter Games in Calgary,a
leteProject,whichwhen institutedwould
have dispatched squadrons of mobile
vans full of high-techtestingequipment
to 20 designated centers around the
country.This would allowOlympichope"lt's not that we've
fuls to receive personalizedscientific
trainingat home.
gone backward,"explains
The 1980boycotthad come and gone,
and the new emphasison science
g o l d m e d a l i s tE d w i n
"lt'sjust
seemed to pay off at the 1984 Summer
Moses.
that the
Games. American athleteswon an unprecedented83 gold medals, showing
restof the world
more speed, endurance,strength,and
has gone forwardand
precision than ever. lgnoring the abwe'vestood still."
sence of the Russiansand East Germans-who might have cut our goldmedaltotalat leastin half-the progress
appeared phenomenal.And thanks to
P e t e r U e b e r r o t h ' sb u s i n e s s m a n a g e ment,the Gamesgarnereda $215million
surplusthat could be poured back into fiascoso completethat it compelledJuan
the program.When the innovativeJack AntonioSamaranch,presidentof the InKelly became U.S.O.C.presidentsoon te rn a ti onalOl ympi cC ommi ttee(l .O.C .),
a f t e r t h e G a m e s , t h e f u t u r e s e e m e d to chastiseour program publicly in the
middle of the Games. As each day anb o undles s .
But thingssoon unraveled.GideonAr- other competitorcollapsedphysicallyor
iel,brandedan egotistand self-promoter emotionally,we became the laughingby many at the camp, had alreadybeen stock of Canada.Evenin the painfullyfew
forced off the premisesafter fights with wintereventswherewe won medals,there
officials about his corporate connec- was evidenceof far-reachingproblems
t i o n s , a g g r e s s i v ef u n d - r a i s i n gt e c h - and chaos.
For example,after speed skaterBonniques,and the rightsto his software.The
lab that he had put togetheralmostsin- nie Blairwon a gold medal in the womgle-handedlywas left to othersto man- en's500-meterrace,we learnedthatshe'd
into a rink each day
age. Then, in 1985,Jack Kellydied of a trainedby sneaking
"The rinkwas too
crowded
heart attack while runningon a streetin beforedawn.
d u ri n g i ts regul arpubl i c sessi ons,"her
Ph iladelphia.
" F u r t h e r m o r et,h e r e
As Dardikexplainsit, with hisalliesKelly m o t h e r e x p l a i n s .
and Arielgone,he was powerlessto push were no funds availableduring that pehis programs. More conservativeele- riod to pay the high cost of ice time."She
mentsregainedcontrol,and he watched had an insufficientsupport system.Perthem dismantlehis mobile-vanprogram, haps her teammateDan Jansendid, too.
as wellas manyof his otherplansfor long- Pickedto win a gold medal in the men's
range research. Furious, he returned 500, he lost his sister to cancer on the
home to lick his wounds and pursuehis day of his race. The Soviets probably
own projects.RobertHelmick,president would have rushed in a sport psycholoof the U.S.O.C.,explainsit in a different gist to decide if he could compete.lf so,
to
way. "l finally let Dardik go because of theywould havedrilledhim intensively
disputeshe had had withGeneralGeorge block out the trauma.Jansen,however,
42 PENTHOUSE
6
9
got a helping hand from family,friends,
and even the team physician-but no
psychologist.When he tumbled to his
kneeson the firstturn of the 500 and slid
off the track, then did the same in the
1,000-meterevent four days later,some
the lack of
observers commented on"Every
athlete
psychologicalcounseling.
has the choiceof using a sport psychologist or not, and to my knowledge,Dan
Jansen did not work with one at the
Olympic Games at Calgary,"says Mike
public
Moran,the U.S.O.C.'sdirector of
"Frankly,
informationand media relations.
I don'tsee whatthe relevancewould have
been in that situation."
FigureskaterBrian Boitano,who won
a gold, fared betterthan Jansen.But after
his stunningperformance,he noted that
his family had covered his huge expensesover the years.That'sin contrast
to most potentialAmerican champions
who suffer because their familiesdon't
have that kind of money.
Still,speed and figureskatingwereour
best events.We didn't win medalsin any
others.Here'sthe litanyof failures:
lce Hockey. This team's inability to
reach the medal round triggered President Samaranch'sdiatribeabout America's lack of preparation.Thoughdefense
is the heart and soul of hockey,the U.S.
team focusedexcessivelyon offense.
Skrtng.ln the Nordic events,our one
predicted medal winner, Josh Thompson, came in 25th. In the Alpine events,
which we dominatedin 1984,we never
came close to a medal, since a significant numberof the best Americanshad
been put out of commissionby injury in
the past half-year.
Luge. BonnyWarnertook sixth place,
our best finishin history.Meanwhile,the
East German women in Warner'sevent
took first, second, and third. East Germany,a countryas populousas Californ i a , r e p o r t e d l yh a s t h r e e w o r l d - c l a s s
trainingruns.The UnitedStateshas one.
Bobsled.After we spent a significant
amountof moneydesigningfive different
bobsleds, America's best driver, Brent
R u s h l a w ,e n d e d u p u s i n g a n l t a l i a n
model ,w hi ch,accordi ngto t he bobsled
N .G.B .,w as si mpl yfastert han t hosewe
had desi gned.U si ng the lt alianm odel,
Rushlaw'steam lost to the Russiansby
two-hundredthsof a second.
Whenthe Gameswere over,Russialed
with 11 golds and 29 medals total, followed by EastGermanywith 25 medals,
nineof them gold.America harvestedtwo
gol ds and si x medal s-fi n ishingin nint h
p l a c e . A p o l o g i s t sc l a i m t h e c a r n a g e
means little:America,they say, is summer-orientedand never did well in the
WinterGames.
'em in
But the cry of "We'll get
summerl" won't hold up anymore,either.Our
summer athleteswere outperformedat
variousworld competitionsin '87 and '88
not just by Russiansand East Germans,
but also by Western Europeans,South
A m e r i c a n s ,a n d A f r i c a n s . I n b o x i n g ,
CONTINUEDON PAGE46
ers always risk being cast aside by the
O l y m p i c e s t a b l i s h m e n tA. c c o r d i n g t o
conKeithHenshen,a sport-psychology
CONTINUEDFROM PAGE42
sultantwho has worked for yearswith our
"The
U.S.O.C.has a
which nettedus nine gold medalsin Los women gymnasts,
Angeles,we recentlylost a dual meet to longarm;if you becomea thornin its side
Cuba, ten matches to two, ln basket- it can eliminateyou. Those of us in the
" pur ely A m e ri c a n " g a m e -w e
trenchesare interestedin the athletes;
b a ll- a
were upset at the Pan-AmericanGames but at the U.S.O.C.,it appearsthey like
by the Brazilians,no less. In track and the traveland recognition,and are more
f i e l d ,t r a d i t i o n a l l yo u r n e x t - s t r o n g e s t interestedin protectingtheir .positions
summersport,we took a paltryninegold than dealingwith the programsand the
medals at the 1987 World ChamPion- athletes."
In the military-stylehierarchyof the
the 16 we
ships in Rome, compared to 'And
that's Olympic Committee,he notes, rewards
won in 1984at Los Angeles.
all we'll do at Seoul," laments Edwin tend to be based on long service and
"We used to dominate;now we're obedienceratherthan insightand innoMoses.
vation.Pushyidea men such as Arieland
prayingfor a few medals."
Apologistshave an explanationfor this, Dardik,with all their edgy energy,rock
"We just have a gap in the cycle this the boat too hard to staywelcome-even
too:
year,"saysCharlesDillman,formerhead if they'rethe ones who set the boat sail"lt
says
of the sport-scienceprogram and cur- ing. goes slowerwithoutthem,"
" They' re
re nt ly as s is t ante x e c u ti v e d i re c to r fo r th e U .S .O.C .'Cs harl esD i l l man.
"Becauseof the p e o p l e w h o m o v e t h i n g s - e n t r e p r e programsat the U.S.O.C.
boycott, we had a lot of good athletes
held over from the 1980 Olympicswho
stayed on to compete in 1984.lt was our
most powerful team ever. But now these
peoplehave retired,and we haveto build
up our reserves.We'remakingsignificant
progressand shouldhave very respectand East
TheRussians
able performancesin 1988.However,we
gaps.We
have
don't
Germans
shouldbe reallystrongin 1992."
havegapsbecause
But the ones who count-the ath"l
letes-won't buy it. don't believethere's
and
lackorganization
we
"Ouryoung
a cycle likethat,"says Moses.
We
continuity.
people are about the worst physically
prepared in the world. We don't have a
to chance.
leaveeverything
systemfor identifyingkidsat an earlyage
and developingthem throughthe years.
We stilldepend completelyon rawtalent.
lf we don't improve our Olympic program, we're going to be winning fewer
medalsby 1992."
"The Russiansand EastGermansdon't neurs.You need that personalityas well
have gaps," says Mac Wilkins,who won as rock-solidscientificguys."
spirit offends
But that entrepreneurial
a gold medal in the discus throw at the
"We have gaps the traditionalnotion of amateur sport.
1976 MontrealGames.
Wilkins,manyOlympic
because we lack organizationand con- Accordingto Mac
"live
and
tinuity.We leaveeverythingto chance." administrators in a dreamworld,"
"Theyfear
The problembegins at the top. ln this don'twanttheirdreamsto die.
crucial Olympic year, for example,the that athleteswill lose sight of the gentle"But
to preserve manly goals of sport," he says.
U.S.O.C.has been unable
"lt's the execu- they'velostsightof the truesportscredo:
even its own continuity.
club," saysone higher,faster,stronger.We can'tbe good
tive-director-of-the-month
enoughanymore,practicinga couple of
ins ider .
U . S . O . C.
"The movementhas sufferedbecause hours a day after work."
Olympic bureaucratscan't figure this
of several changes in executivedirecthey know
tors,"says ColonelF Don Miller,the ex- out, Wilkinsinsists,because
"They'reselfprecious
little
about
sports.
in
1978.
Dardik
hired
who
director
ecutive
"l lef tin' 1985,and G e n e raG
l e o rg eMi l l e r righteous,condescending,and paterme. But nalistic toward competitors.They think
replaced
man]
military
[another
he and [U.S.O.C.]PresidentRobertHel- they know what's best, but they've never
mick didn't see eye to eye. Millerwas re- been notable athletesthemselvesand
placed by HarveySchiller,who left soon can't understandathletes'needs."
Wilkins cites his own run-ins at the
after for personal reasons.Now Baaron
Pittengerhas taken over. I hope he stays MontrealOlympics.To preservehis psyin. There'sa lot of polarizationin the or- chologicalbalance,he decided not to live
"l
ganization;everyoneis protectinghis own in the overcrowdedOlympic Village.
and lose
turf.The whole organizationis not work- felt I'd become overstimulated
"So I
i n g t o g e t h e rt o a c c o m P l i s hc o m m o n energy and focus," he explains.
made plansto stay in an apartment.The
goals.We need leadershiP."
., hi chhad done nothi ngfor me
Unfortunately,the most vigorouslead- U .S.O.Cw
OLY-N4PICS
I
i
I
,,
'l
6
9
46
PENTHOUSE
but pay for my plane ticket and give me
a uniform, hassled me for weeks. They
found it so difficult to handle a request
made by an athlete for his own benefit.
An officialwhodidn'tevenknowmy sport
cameand said,Uustdo whatwe ask,son,
and everythingwill be okay.'Meanwhile,
the EastGermansand Russianshad arranged for their athletesto be outside all
the OlympicVillageruckus."
a Polish-borncoach
Kris Korzeniowski,
who has helped to revitalizethe U.S.rowing team,has othercomplaintsaboutthe
Aftertakingchargeof the team,
U.S.O.C.
he scheduledtwo days of meetingswith
"Out of the
officialsat ColoradoSprings.
people I spoke to," Korzeniowskisays,
"notone asked me how I intendedto prepare my team for Seoul,yet it seemedas
if halfof them had alreadybeen to Seoul
to preparethe celebration.Therewas no
one I could talk to about getting my athletes ready to comPete."
Mike Morandoesn't
But the U.S.O.C.'s
understandthe reasonfor the meetings
"There was no reason for him to
at all.
s c h e d u l em e e t i n g sw i t h a n y d i v i s i o n
"since the athletes'
heads," he says,
not
trai ni ngi s supervi sedby th e N. G . B. 's,
the U.S.O.C.The rowersdon't even train
here.I'm baffled by what he said."
Foreigncoacheswho moveto the U.S.,
h o w e v e r ,f r e q u e n t l ye x p r e s s c o n c e r n
aboutour attitudetowardOlympicsport.
They come over here thrilled with their
freedom,rubbingtheirhandsat the prospect of so much talentto work with. But
f rustrated
beforelong,they'rehopelessly
at the Americanapproachto athleticsas
well as the lack of support and control.
"we
"ln America," Korzeniowski
states,
are orientedtowardshort-termgoals.We
exploitthe athlete.The philosophyis rahrah-rah,let's be No. 1! But the real goal
shouldbe drawing up a plan of systematic development for the young athlete
over a period of years. We expect our
young people to be No. 1 consistently.
By the time they reach an international
levelofcompetition,they are often burned
out and leave athleticsaltogether."
Despite the conflict in Eastern and
Western training philosophy,American
N.G.B.'sare quick to snatch up the foreign coaches becausethey'reso much
bettertrained than our own, often boasti n g e x c l u s i v e ,a d v a n c e d d e g r e e s i n
c o a c h i n g .T h e h o n e y m o o nw e a r s o f f
when these coaches start doing what it
takes to win. Take the case of the lsraeli
Ari Selinger,who almostsingle-handedly
revitalizedthe Americanwomen'svolleyball program,bringingthem from a
No. 12 ranking in the world to a silver
medal in 1984. He started by scouting
other sports and selectingby computer
those who were best-suitedfor volleyball.He then spiritedhis selectionsaway
to GideonAriel'sbiomechanicscenterin
SouthernCalifornia.He kept the women
togetheras a unit for four years, using
strictdisciplineand allthe availabletools
of sport sciencein theirtraining.Afterthey
CONTINUEDON PAGE74
1!ilil
ilil
ill
ll
il
il
illl
il
ll
il!
ili
il,
ilili
t
to financea maximumOlympiceffort."We
feel we're very much short of the goal,"
saysthe U.S.O.C.'s
MikeMoran."ln 1978,
the President'sCommissionon Olympic
Sportsdeterminedwe neededa onetime
infusion of $300 million plus four-year
budgetsof well over $300 million.Those
numberswerecalculatedin 1978dollars;
yet here we are in 1988with a four-year
budget of $149million,by far our largest.
We are confidentwe can reach the $300
millionmark, but that is no longer
e n o ugh."
Accordingto membersof the Athletes
AdvisoryCouncil,much of the moneythe
U.S.O.C.does raise goes back into the
organizationitself."Whenpeopledonate
moneyto the U.S.O.C.,
theythinkit'sgoing
to the athletes,"says ChristopherDorst,
head fund-raiserfor U.S.waterpolo."But
th e U.S .O.Ci.s a bi g, sl ow -movi ngani mal. Once it's paid for itself,not much is
left."
That'sa questionof semantics,as Mike
OLY-N4PICS
CONTINUEDFROM PAGE46
won the silvermedal-and even though
the team members revered him-Selinger'scontractwas not renewed.The rea"We
needed a breathof freshair,"
son?
saysAl Monaco,executivedirectorof the
U.S.VolleyballAssociation.ExplainsSelinger'swife Aia, "He wasn'ta yes-man."
Most athletesin America,meanwhile,
can't even find coaches with scientific
training to help them hone their technique."l had a coach who startedme off
in t he r ight dir e c ti o ni n th e b e g i n n i n g ,"
says Mac Wilkins."But in my effort to
continueto improve,I had to research
and analyzethe information
myself."And
says Edwin Moses, who has a background in physics,"Unlessyou have an
aptitudefor technicalmaterial,that'sdifficultto do."
An even bigger problemthan coaching-the most overwhelmingproblemfor
"l've
our athletes,in fact-is money.
spokento the EasternBlocathletesI'vecompeted against,"says Bob Berland,a silver medalistin judo and a memberof the
U . S . O . C . ' sA t h l e t e sA d v i s o r yC o u n c i l ,
"and
they're completelysupported by
their governments.The only thing they
haveto worry about is training.American
athletesalso haveto worry about paying
the rent and who mighttake theirjob while
they'regone. They get transportationto
the competition,and room and board
whilethey'rethere;but for everythingelse,
they've got to find their own corporate
support or depend on their parentsor
theirspouse."As EdwinMosesputs it, "lt
all adds up to impossiblestress. Most
Americanathletesare carryingrockson
theirbacks."
Like most American athleteswho've
finishedcollege,Berlandhas a separate
full-timeprofession.He works as a commoditiestrader at the Chicago Mercant i l e E x c h a n g e ,w h i c h f o r t u n a t e l yh a s
sponsoredhim. "There'sno real judo in
Chicago,so if I haveto leaveand trainin
Japan, say,for six weeks,the Merc compensates me for lost wages," he says.
He'sluckierthan mostof his peers.Even
so, Berland has only been able to train
full{imesincethe beginningof thisOlympic year. "SovietBloc athleteshave support for life," he says. "They'vetrained
five or six days a week for years. I just
get six monthsbeforemy event."
"richest
So in this
of all countries,"
whereare the fundsthatcould help?Who
knows? Congress recently instituteda
c oinbill,aut hor i z i n th
g e m i n ti n go f a 1 9 8 8
SummerGames coin,with proceedsfrom
its nationwidesale to go towardtraining
a nd f ac ilit iesB. u tth e m l l l i o n si t w i l lh o p e f ullybr ing in wil l o n l y b e a ti n y ti p o f th e
iceberg.And aside from corrallingihese
public donations,the governmentcontributesnothing,unlikemost of the other
167countriesthat compete.For its part,
the U.S.O.C.simplydoesn'traiseenough
74 PENTHoUSE
6
Theindependent,
maverick
spiritwe so firmly
believein can no
longercut the mustard
againstarsenals
world-class
of
scienceturned
on magnumforce.
9
Moranpointsout."Puttingmoneyintothe
o r g a n i z a t i o nm e a n s s u p p o r t i n gt h r e e
training centers, sport-sciencelaboratories,and Olympicfestivals,amongother
projects,"he says.
"ln
fact, of the $149 mi l l i on,"says
Moran, "almost$100 millionis directed
towardathleteprograms,with actualcash
g ra ntsgoi ngto the 38 N .G.B .' sIn addi ti o n , the N .G.B .' srecei vedhundredsof
thousands of dollars from the money
raised by PeterUeberrothat the Los Ang e l e sGames."
But accordingto membersof the Athl e t e s A d v i s o r yC o u n c i l ,m u c h o f t h e
money going to the N.G.B.'sis filtered
throughadministrative
layersas well.
Moreover,some N.G.B.'ssupport not
just Olympicsports,but thewholegamut
from recreationaland youth sports to
handicappedsports.Some membersof
the AthletesAdvisory Council estimate
that after the money has been filtered
through the administrative
layersof the
U .S .O.Cand
.
the N .G.B .' s,then passed
around to variousnoneliteathletes,the
Olympiansare lucky to get about five
percent,for directstipendson whichthey
can livewhilethev train.
"The U.S.O.C.says its mandate is taking care oI all amateur sport," Korzen"But
iowskicomplains.
an Olympiccommittee should support Olympic sport. At
leastif you want to win."
Accordingto Edwin Moses,individual
athleteswill neverget the funds they need
until we find a way to get more contributionsto them directly,skippingthe administrative
layersof the U.S.O.C.
and the
N .G.B .' s.B ut unti l that day com es, say
many athletesand coaches, corporate
Americamust pick up the slack.
Thatadvice,however,oftenfallson deaf
ears when it comes to so-called minor
sports,such as water polo.Back in 1984,
when ChristopherDorst'steam won the
silver medal, he and other team members went into debt to complete their
training.But with an M.B.A.from Stanford
Universityand experienceas a high-tech
marketingconsultant,Dorst thought he
'88
coulddo betterfor the
team."l've been
marginallysuccessful,"he says, "in that
I've raised$75,000from KiwanisClubs.
RotaryClubs,and privateindividuals.But
corporationsdon't seem interested.We're
just too low-profilefor them. That's a
shame,"he adds, "because the strong,
handsome,articulatemembersof the U.S.
waterpolo team would be great spokespeople.They've balanced jobs, educati on, and marri ages,al l while achieving
"
Olympic-calibersuccess.
lf sports such as water polo, team
handball, and judo suffer because of
corporatedisinterest,a sport that does
get corporate sponsorship-track and
field-seems alsoto have declined,since
only big-nameathletesgarner the support. "l coach a bunch of 30-year-olds,"
saysTomJennings,coach of New Hampshire'sPacificCoast Club. "Look at the
field now. FromSteveScott to Carl Lewis
to BillyOlson,no one quits.Thesepeople
have names,and they'rein demand for
every major track meet. Since track
eventshave limitedentries,there'shardly
any room for newcomers.These younger
athletessimply can't get into competition. And to get good, you have to compete against the best in the world." ln
other words, the next generation isn't
Qettingthe chance to develop.
Americancompanieshave backed only
a selectnumber of our Olympians,says
one gold-medal-winningtrack-and-field
athletewho asked to remain nameless,
"because they are mostly interested
in
advancingtheir own good. Getting the
Olympiclogoon the productis the extent
of their involvement.They like going to
the partiesand meetingthe athletes;they
like taking pictures.But they don't really
care if the athletesget aid. They'll help
one or two and feel they're dolng their
job. But large companieslike Coke and
7-Up have to be much more involved."
Evenwhen programsare well funded,
however,they may lose much of their
valuebecausenot enoughathleteshave
accessto them.Considerthe thrivingresearch labs at ColoradoSprings.While
CONTINUEDON PAGE124
a lack of scientifictrainingon the part of grams are dictated to the athletes. ln
Americancoaches.And part of the prob- America, that's not so. Whether an athlem is the inaccessibilityof the training lete uses any particulardiet is up to the
CONTINUEDFROM PAGE74
center itself.lt's hard to travel there by athlete.This is paired with the fact that
excitingwork takes place in them, most plane. And the high-altitudelocationis we lack a systemto rapidlyconveyinforAmericanOlympiansdon't get to see a inappropriatefor summerathletes,whose mationto the athlete.An EasternEurolot ol it. They lack the constant.flowof eventsare onlyinfrequentlyperformedat peancoachonce told me that if someone
informationand supervisiongiven to all high altitudes.Evenwith recentimprove- in hiscountrycame up witha brilliantnew
di et, al l t he at hlet es
it's ugly and for- hi gh-performance
Eastern Bloc athletes throughouttheir mentsand innovations,
"We have
b i d d i n g ,w i th i nadequatefaci l i ti es.D ue would be on it within four days. In this
careers.As GideonArielsays,
the best potentialtechnologyin the world, to insufficientgym space, some teams country,on the other hand, the opposite
l t' s must leave the premisesto train. Most oftenhappens:Becauseof the press,our
b u t it ' snot beingut il i z e db y a th l e te s ."
eliteathletessimplydon't use the center. athletes are barraged with misinformain the laboratory,but not on the field.
"Colorado
Springs does me no good," tion.They may get their nutritionalinforTo be sure,the ColoradoSpringscen" Therei s
no di s- mationfrom pseudoexperts,whose adt e r d o e s b o a s t s o m e h i g h l y a c c o m - Ma c W i l ki nsdecl ares.
vice is totallywrong."
plishedresearchers-peoplecapableof cus-throwingfield."
Indeed,though some 20,000 athletes
Given all the problems, many Ameridoing athletesa lot of good. CharlesDillman is one of the most competentbio- p a s s th roughthe U .S .Ol ympi cC ommi t- can athletessuggest we revitalizethe
mechanistsin the country.Psychologist tee's training centers each year, Mike Olympicmovementfrom the ground up.
"Up
unti l now ," Mac W i l kins explains,
Shane Murphy, head of the sport-psy- Moran himselfnotes that these facilities
"Edwin
"we've relied on that rare individualgechologydepartment,has been laudedfor attractfew of the bestOlympians.
hisabilityto help athletesachievethe ap- Mosesis not going to come to a training nius to come to the fore." But the indepropriatemind-set right before a com- centerwhen he can trainin SouthernCal- pendent,maverickspiritwe so firmlybel i evei n-the underdogpul linghim selfup
"
petitionor game. Jay Kearnyand Peter i fo rn i a , Moran
expl ai ns.
Since most eliteathletesdon't make it by the bootstraps-can no longercut the
Van Handel of the physiologylab have
i n s t i t u t e ds o m e e x c e l l e n ta p p l i e d - r e - to ColoradoSprings,ColoradoSprings mustardagainstarsenalsof world-class
search projects,measuringsubtle bio- has to find a way to bring the fruitsof its scienceturned on magnum force.
chemicalfactorsso athletesat the center researchto the athletes.Unfortunately, lnstead,suggestWilkins,EdwinMoses,
and many others,we have to start early,
can improvetheir times and speeds as there is not an organized communica"ln
creating an organized nationwidesystionssystemfor everyoneto tap into.
th e yt r ain.
Yetwith all this expertise,the science Russia and East Germany,"says Ann tem to identifytalented athletesin their
ge tso u t o f th e l a b .P a rt G ra n d j ean,chi ef nutri ti onconsul tantfor youth.TiffWood,a memberof the rowing
o n l ys por adic ally
" di et and exerci se pro- teamand the A thl etesA dvisor yCouncil,
o f th e pr oblemc er t a i n l yi s re s i s ta n c ae n d th e U .S.O.C .,
recommends" pl aci nga far gr eat erem p h a s i so n p h y s i c a l e d u c a t i o ni n t h e
school s,much l i ke sci enc e and m at h, "
he says."Thereare a lotof positivethings
one can learnfrom sports."
Once everyonewas engaged in systematicphysicalactivity,it would be possibleto observethe talentpool early on,
and sel ect possi bl e futur e O lym pians
w hi l ethey' reyoung.Oncewe havef ound
the tal entedfew and used spor t science
to determine in what sport they might
perform best, we can nurturethem
throughthe years.
And when we have found Olympictalent worth nurturing.the experts say,we
must set up places for them to work and
train. There's almost no outlet. for instance,for juniorhigh schoolstudentsinterestedin the throwing sports such as
the javelin or the hammer throw, even
though those who get special training
earlierwillhavea hugeadvantage.Todeal
w i th that probl em,Mac W ilkins,wor king
with Ed Burke,an Olympic hammer
thrower,has set up a throwingacademy
throughthe ExplorerScoutsof America.
The academy attractsyoung people for
workshopsvirtuallyeveryweekendof the
year.Wilkinsand Burke are seekingassistanceto establishsix more facilities.
To nurture our future Olympians,we
must also make sure our coaches are
better trained in sciences that now remain mostlyin the lab. lnsteadof being
forcedto doubleas footballcoachesand
h i s t o r yt e a c h e r s ,o u r t r a c k - a n d -ife l d
coaches should be learningthe essen"l
can't do it withouta memo first."
t i a l s o f b i o m e c h a n i c s ,n u t r i t i o n ,a n d
physiologyrequired to groom runners
OLY-N4PICS
124
PENTHOUSE
CONTINUEDON PAGE138
-i'
ili
:*
*
OLY}4PICS
to be done. People are always saying,
'Oh,
the East Germans, they tat<eine]i
kids and force them to do it, turn them
CONTINUEDFROM MGE I24
into robots.'We thinkthat we'rethe happy
and jumpers. That means setting up a onesr but'it's just not true.
They,reprob_
long-termnationwidesystem of iistruc_ ably happier to compete for
theircountrv
tion that reaches coaches and athletes than we are for ours. You
see,
withoutthe
a o l
acrossthe land.
strucfure,our resourcesaren'treallydoinq
'America
will never be like Leipzig,with much good. Moreover,what you'd
ulti_
all the athletes gathered in a ientral mately like to do in athletics
in any coun_
,.Since
place,"says lrving Dardik.
Howto orderthem
we can't try is identify the people who have the
without embarrassment.
bring the athleteto the sport science,we righttalentand the right
attitude,people
must bring the sport scienceto them." ln who want to do it and who
How to use them
can be helped,
the short term, Dardik hopesto see fully and put them with someone
without disappoinhnent.
who can help
equipped mobile vans, manned by sci
them.That'sa completelylegitimatething
. ff lgrr'"" beenreluitant to purchasesexual
aids through the mail, the Xairaria Collection
entists, reach elite athletes arounO tne to do."
would like to gtrel you two things that may
country.In the long run, he'd like to see
Legitimate,maybe. But the ultimate
crlange your mrnd:
all athletestrain at home, armed with questionis whethersuch radical
changes
1. A guarantee
myriadportablesensorsto detect heart_ are worth it. What do we lose
by losing?
2. Another guarantee
beats,musclepatterns,and brain waves. Why have the East Germans
and Ru!_
"These
Firsj, y-e guarantee your privacy. Should
sensorssend informationdirectly sians devoted so much money
and nayou decide to order our catalogue or prod_
into the athlete'shome computer,which tionalgnergyto winning?
lf we can keep
ucts, your transaction will be-held iri the
wouldthen communicatethe information up with them at the Olympics,
how much
strictest confidence.
to a central clearinghouse,"he says. would we gain? Would we just
Your name will never (never) be sold or
be sacri_
"Once
every aspect of the athlete'scur- ficingour freedomand millions
glven to any other company. No unwanted,
of dollars
-And
performance
rent
has been analyzed, for mere fun and games?
embarrassing mailings.
everythins we
experts could prescribe future training
ship to
plainly packaged, secrirely
Rowing team member Tiff Wood be.yor'r.ir
wrapped, without the slightes[ indication of
programs.The athlete would thus ge1 lievesthe freedom
afforded the Ameriits contents on the outside.
specializedinstructioneven if he is not can athletemay be worth
the price of los_
_ Seco:rd, we guarantee your satisfaction.
e n t r e n c h e da t t h e O l y m p i c T r a i n i n g ing.
may neverwin doing thingsour
Everything offered in theXandria Collection
..We
Center."
way,"he concedes."Butwinningish'tim_
is the result of extensive research and realTo accomplishsuch far-reachinggoals, portant enough to put
life testing. We are so certain that the risk of
sports under a
obviouslyfundsare needed.Christopher government-enforced,
disappointment has been eliminated from
authoritariansort
Dorstwould like to see the people at the of control."
our products, that we can acfually guarantee
your satisfaction - or your money promptly,
U.S.O.C.
use more aggressivemarketing
Ann Grandjeanagrees. ,,1would not
unquestioningly refu nded.
techniques."l guess I think they'rejus-t wantto be in a countrywhere
l, or some_
too conservative,"he says. ,,lf they did one else, could dictate
What is the Xandria Collection?
every bite that
things
like
make exercisevideotapesor every athletetook and what hour
It is a very, very special collection of sexual
they got
sell the Olympic rings to put on T-shirts, up and how many hours
aids. It indudes the finest and most effective
they practiced,
the moneymight start rollingin."
products available from around the world.
and wherethey traveledand evenwhere
Products that can open new doors to pleasure
B u t n o m a t t e r h o w a g g r e s s i v et h e they lived. I happen to like
freedom."
(perhaps many you never knew exiitedtl
U.S.O.C.is, it cannot forcethe corporate
But like painterswho wantthe freedom
'A
Our products r:rnge from the simple to the
company will not sponsor the to paint and novelistswho want the
!and.
delightfully complei. They are desimed for
free_
Olympicsjust to be nice,"rowerTiff Wood dom to write, many world-class
both the timid ind the bold. For"anvone
athletes
"There
says.
has to be a profit for them. wouldconsiderit freeingnot to be
who's everwished there could be something
To make Olympic sponsorship pay off, l-"dby all the financialpressures shackmore to their sexual pleasure.
theynow
we have to change the public'spercep_ face. And the fallout from
If you're prepared-to intensifu your own
Olympic fever
pleasure, then by all means slnd for the
tion of the Games. ln ltaly,the aihlete of would be positive, to
say the least:
Xandria Collection Gold Edition catalosue.
the year was a sculler-that would never youth w oul d l earn pe r sever ance Our
and
It is priced at just four dollars whicl is
happen here."
teamw ork; and our populat ion would
applied in full to your first order.
For that reason, among others, Mac benefit from a renewed
V,Vriteto.day-.You have absolutely nothing
emphasis on
.
Wilkins believeswe must go the way of physical fitness, sport
to lose. And an entirely new world oi
medicine, and
almost all the other 167 nationspariici_ s p o r t p s y c h o l o g y ,a d i s c i p l i n e
enjoyment to gain.
that
pating in the Olympicsand give our ath_ teachesus how
to focusour energies,set
l e t e s g o v e r n m e n ts u b s i d i e st o t r a i n . goals,and succeed.
"There
The )Gndria Collection, Dept. pOSSS
is no other way," he insists,,,that
Finally,winningat the Olympicswould
P.O. Box 31039, San Francis"o-, Ca Se13f
we
can
raise the money to provide our restore some of America's
Please send me, by first dass mail, my copv of the r
trampled_on
Xandria CollectionGold Edjtion cat t'osJe. Ei;loseJi;
athleteswith total support.,'
:
world prestige.The Olympics,afterall,is
my dreck or money onderfrorbur dolh"ts wtrich wifibe
'Athletes
Edwin Moses agrees.
appliedtowardsnry 6rstpurchase.(U.S.Residentsonly). i
who one of the most highlypublicizedevents
I
I
have qualifiedand distinguishedthem- in the world. The Soviets
Name
are convinced
I
selvesneed to be subsidized.lt'sas sim_ that their victories are
I
Address
the best possible
r
ple as that. Everyonehas been bouncing
City
ln. .t9l their potiticat system. Wny
aroundthe subject for years;but the fact shouldn't
we feel that way, too? With the
State
Zio
is that our athletesgo into the Olympic Japaneseburying us
at trade and manI am an adult over 21 years of age:
Gamesunderstressfinanciallyand emo- ufacturing,and with
our space shuttle
tionally,and most of them have been un- exploding,it feelsas if America
has been
(signahrre required)
der that sort of stress for years."
second-ratefor the longest time. The
Xandria, U45 l6th St., San Francisco. Void where
As far as Moses is concerned,mere Olympicswould be a wonderfulplace
prohibited by law.
to
financialsupportmay not be enough.We snap out of it. This country
can obviously
might not ever win in the Olympiis, he compete with any country
in the world at
s a y s , " u n l e s s w e e s t a b l i s hp r o g r a m s anything it wants to compete
in. As Ed_
"lt's
similarto those of East Germanyand tne win Mosessays,
embarrassingto go
U.S.S.R.
I don'tsee an alternative.
lt'sgot in thereand get beat up allthe time.;G
138 PENTHoUsE
Senral
Ar(ls: