Australian 8 Woman Boat

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » August 27th, 2004, 12:00 pm

<img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_cox.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.twrc.rowing.org.uk/random/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.twrc.rowing.org.uk/random/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.twrc.rowing.org.uk/random/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://concept2.van-diepen.nl/bb_motivate.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.twrc.rowing.org.uk/random/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_canvas.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> They could have motivated her.

[old] Cran · Post by **[old] Cran** » August 27th, 2004, 2:55 pm

<img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/bb_cox.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/badrow2b.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/badrow2.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.matrix.uk.net/files/bb_canvas.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> just need to add in the chucking out the boat now!

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » August 27th, 2004, 8:12 pm

<img src='http://concept2.van-diepen.nl/bb_swim.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_cox.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_pair.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_pair.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_port.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://concept2.van-diepen.nl/bb_nobody.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_pair.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /><img src='http://www.triton.studver.uu.nl/img/bb_canvas.gif' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> I read a number of stories about this race ( and the one in 2002 ), and can't decide who's most to blame. BTW nice coach : just went away and let the girls sort it out by themselves!

[old] jamesg · Post by **[old] jamesg** » August 28th, 2004, 2:25 am

Have none of you ever raced? I've collapsed in plenty of races and consequently lost; I've also won in some races when we managed to force the other lot to collapse. It's not just in boxing that we have knockouts. As to physical reasons, blow up can be due to hunger, gearing too high, wrong strategy, adrenalin and no doubt many other causes. What doesn't come into it is lack of will power. In my most interesting race, our coach read the weather forecast, realised we'd hit a headwnd (on the Thames p to m course) just after Hammersmith Bridge. He shaved ¼" off the blades, and we rowed past the other lot, us on the outside of the bend. They collapsed and we won easily. It wasn't their fault, just we had a better coach.

[old] Roland Baltutis · Post by **[old] Roland Baltutis** » August 29th, 2004, 7:17 am

LAY DOWN SALLY ROBBINS Sorry for my delayed response on this issue but I was away cross country skiing for the past week. The Sally Robbins incident has been huge news in Australia since it happened. The Australian media really exploited this incident to the max. Apparently our nation is divided on this issue. The more accomplished sports personalities in Australia view her as a quitter rather than someone that deserves sympathy for the verbal abuse she received from her crew. The known facts are that she also previously quit or stopped rowing when representing Australia in the 2002 World Championships in a quad scull. Despite this she was still selected to row at Athens in the eight....and seated in the engine room (middle of boat) because of her excellent performances during testing since that incident eg. she had one of the best 2K erg scores in that crew of 6:44.4 All of the girls that were in her infamous 2002 World Championships quad scull crew have refused to and never rowed with her again. She stopped rowing in Athens in the womens eight final with 650 meters to go simply because she gave 100% and was totally spent, despite threats from team mates that she would be thrown out of the boat if she didn't continue. She did not black out during the race and was medically tested afterwards. They could find nothing wrong with her. After the race the question has been raised why there were no Australian team officials to shield her and the crew from the waiting media. In the heat of the moment on Australian national television her best friend and team mate said "there were 9 people in the crew(including cox) but only 8 were operating". The Australian Olympic Committee showed its weakness by bowing to the public uninformed outrage and threatened to discipline some of Robbins' teammates for their comments after the race. Strangely no action was to be taken against Robbins. After a team meeting with AOC officials the crew was forced to attend a press conference to show that they had all kissed and made up. However, that's not the feeling that everyone got in Australia, after that press conference. When Robbins' teammates were individually asked by the media if they would row with Sally again, they all side stepped the question and answered it like a politician would. It was then reported that many of her teammates phoned home very distraught saying they were gagged for the press conference and vowed never to row with her again. On latest reports we have been told that the coach of the Australian womens rowing team has fled to Germany looking for another job. I'll let you all be judge if Sally Robbins was the victim or the villian. Keep it smooth, keep it relaxed Roland Baltutis

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » August 29th, 2004, 7:32 am

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (Roland Baltutis @ Aug 29 2004, 11:17 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I'll let you all be judge if Sally Robbins was the victim or the villian. </td></tr></table> It's a sad story one way or the other. But - that's what can happen if one of a team ( in any event ) quits or fails; the Dutch 4 x 100 relay women runners didn't make it to the second runner - they missed the first change, so two of them came to Athens, and never competed. I hope all ends well with Sally and the other girls.

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » August 29th, 2004, 6:13 pm

The others could have kept rowing. Why did "they" stop? Sounds like a team full of bad sports. They weren't even close to winning the race anyway. I wonder what the coach will put on his resume. haha

[old] mjhmeyer · Post by **[old] mjhmeyer** » August 29th, 2004, 11:38 pm

When I watched the rowing races I could not help but feeling that rowing is the single most boring event to watch. We desperately need something to enliven the sport. Sally Robbins is a step in the right direction. Consider this possible outcome: the Australian women's eight not expected to medal defeats Rumania to win gold. The team coach says: "we had a really excellent preparation and everything came together for this fantastic accomplishment." OK. This sort of stuff happens all the time at the olympics. EVERY event has a gold medal winner. I doubt anyone outside of Australia would be able to name a single member of the gold medal winning crew. Indeed, what do YOU know about the members of the winning Rumanian crew or even which crew it was that actually won? Now consider this scenario: Sally Robbins, member of the Australian women's eight pulls up at 500m to go and is promptly thrown off the boat while exhibiting some presence of mind to take the oar with her (small technological modification) and dive under to let the boat pass uninhibited. Which do you think would generate more recognition, corporate sponsorship, tv viewer share and ratings, international fan club emergence and commercial opportunity? We already have a partial answer to this in the form of the events which actually occured. The Australian women's eight is now well known and has an interesting story for the media for the next olympics (was Sally forgiven?, can Sally be trusted?, why is Sally rowing singles?, who is to blame that Sally who rowed singles and won gold did not row in the eight which did not win a medal?, .... the possibilities are endless). My point is that the only people interested in a "bland" gold medal winner are his own fellow country men (briefly) nobody else gives a damn. This simply will not do in the age of globalization, international trade and world wide audiences.

[old] Roland Baltutis · Post by **[old] Roland Baltutis** » September 19th, 2004, 11:39 pm

Just to update everyone on the Sally Robbins saga (Aussie Womens 8 rower that stopped rowing in Olympic final), it's not over yet. There have been some further incidents recently reported in the media involving Sally. Last week at an official welcome home function for Aussie athletes Sally was assaulted by Oliver (one of her teammates). While she was chatting with the Aussie mens' coach (Noal Donaldson), Oliver approached Sally and gave her a hostile slap across the upper arm & shoulder. This was in full view of everyone present including the media. It was enough to cause her to break down in tears and seek refuge in the ladies toilets. Consequently Oliver now faces official sanctions from Rowing Australia. During the heroes welcome home parade through the streets of Sydney the media also had a go at her with comments such as: "does she really deserve to be in the parade with all the others" and "do you think Sally will make the distance in the parade or will she pull out half way". Furthermore, Rowing Australia have just received letters of complaint from some of the parents of Sally's teammates. They are demanding an apology from officials for the way their daughters were treated. It's an absolute debacle and has severely damaged the reputation of rowing in Australia. Keep it smooth, keep it relaxed Roland Baltutis

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » September 20th, 2004, 12:29 am

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (mjhmeyer @ Aug 29 2004, 08:38 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Sally Robbins is a step in the right direction. an interesting story for the media for the next olympics ... why is Sally rowing singles?, who is to blame that Sally who rowed singles and won gold did not row in the eight which did not win a medal?, .... the possibilities are endless).  </td></tr></table> Great scenario. I like it. lol Here is a bio of Sally Robbins. <a href='http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/athle ... ails&ID=76' target='_blank'>http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/athle ... s&ID=76</a>

[old] eurofoot13 · Post by **[old] eurofoot13** » September 20th, 2004, 10:28 am

you see, I am amazed that this has been such a big deal. I mean, just this year in the <a href='http://www.row2k.com/features/features. ... ead&ID=167' target='_blank'>US Olympic Singles Trials</a>, final 3- both boats stopped rowing. The mental load is sometimes just too great. In this example, they had beaten and then lost to the other by about a foot each time. they were mentally and physically exhausted from the effort. They cracked. it sometimes happens. Now perhaps Sally robbins just can't handle the pressure of a world-championship race. She simply might just need to work on her mental game.

[old] becz · Post by **[old] becz** » September 20th, 2004, 11:04 am

There's no comparison between what happened at the US 1x trials and the Olympic Women's 8+ final. If you read the row2k article, Adam Holland either caught a crab or missed a stroke, and it was then that he collapsed. It wasn't until he realized he had the race won that Conal Groom let up. Anyone who has raced a 2k in the 1x knows that if anything goes wrong in the final sprint, especially near the finish in a close race when you're absolutely spent, then the race is over. Sally Robbins stopped rowing at 650m to go, not even close to the finish. Whoever made the assertion earlier in this thread that they weren't even close to winning is absolutely wrong. They were in the bronze medal position. It's at that point that you do whatever you can to hang on and get across the line. You never stop. This wasn't some master's head race on some backwater where it was friendly competition. The reason people are so surprised is because it just doesn't happen in the Olympics. If you need to let up and just go through the motions, then at least you only need to answer to your own conscience and you aren't dragging your oar on the water and slowing the entire boat down (which is exactly what she did). There's always a backup plan in every international event...they're called spares. If she was truly exhausted as she claims then Sally Robbins owed it to her team to speak up and let her coaches know she couldn't make it, and let a spare take her place.

[old] dennish · Post by **[old] dennish** » September 21st, 2004, 10:03 pm

Roland, Truly amazing stuff. Its even getting some very minor play here in provincial denver. The local rag said Oliver slapped Robbins, leaving the impression it was across the face. Still a good story however. I'm still trying to get my brain around the how and why of what Robbins did. I'll probably never know what its like under those high powered circumstances, but to just quit and in such a detrimental fashion. Truly amazing. I love the Aussies, never a dull moment. If you see John Harvey at the Aussie Champs tell him "Its on the wall" He'll understand. later dennis

[old] debs · Post by **[old] debs** » September 22nd, 2004, 9:58 am

I must admit, this quote about the big parade was a tiny bit humorous: "Do you think Sally will make the distance in the parade or will she pull out half way". My take: Oliver deserves assault charges. My second take: Parents of teammates are demanding that an apology to be made to their daughters? How odd. I've taught my adult daughter to make her own demands!

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