I was bummed when I read that LA wanted to enter a master's swim meet.
As an American, I had found it easy to give the guy the benefit of the doubt for a lot of years. I thought his first TdF victory was an amazing accomplishment. With each successive victory, I realized how doped he and his team were and became less of a fan. By the time the seventh one rolled around, I wasn't rooting against him, but I WAS rooting for other riders to win. Obviously I was no longer a fan.
I couldn't stand to watch during his comeback with Astana. He went from suspicious rider to arrogant jerk, in my opinion.
The Oprah interview did a lot to galvanize that opinion of mine, as did reading about his interactions with Betsy, his sonier (sp?), and others.
But, to enter a local swim meet is just plain pathetic. In my opinion, master's swimming exists for the same reason master's cycling does - so older athletes with jobs and families have some motivation to get out and stay fit and give-it-a-go in a competition every now and then. Master's events are awesome for encouraging us to keep fit as we age. What a positive and humble thing they are!
But, for LA, it seemed a last gasp at trying to achieve the top step of a podium. The man's ego seems so incredible fragile that unless he is standing a step higher than the others he is miserable.
What next?
He might become one of those little league coaches who accosts a volunteer umpire at the YMCA.
I hate to say this about another human, but LA has become a truly pathetic waste.
As an American, I had found it easy to give the guy the benefit of the doubt for a lot of years. I thought his first TdF victory was an amazing accomplishment. With each successive victory, I realized how doped he and his team were and became less of a fan. By the time the seventh one rolled around, I wasn't rooting against him, but I WAS rooting for other riders to win. Obviously I was no longer a fan.
I couldn't stand to watch during his comeback with Astana. He went from suspicious rider to arrogant jerk, in my opinion.
The Oprah interview did a lot to galvanize that opinion of mine, as did reading about his interactions with Betsy, his sonier (sp?), and others.
But, to enter a local swim meet is just plain pathetic. In my opinion, master's swimming exists for the same reason master's cycling does - so older athletes with jobs and families have some motivation to get out and stay fit and give-it-a-go in a competition every now and then. Master's events are awesome for encouraging us to keep fit as we age. What a positive and humble thing they are!
But, for LA, it seemed a last gasp at trying to achieve the top step of a podium. The man's ego seems so incredible fragile that unless he is standing a step higher than the others he is miserable.
What next?
He might become one of those little league coaches who accosts a volunteer umpire at the YMCA.
I hate to say this about another human, but LA has become a truly pathetic waste.