Summer Olympics right around the corner

By Al Graning | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, July 7, 2008

What a blessing it is to once again celebrate America’s Independence Day last Friday.

Sadly, too many people constantly denigrate the United States of America.

Yet, half of the world seems to be trying to get into this country and very few try to leave it.

Only in the United States of America could someone like me have the opportunity to freely write this column.

No one, at the paper or otherwise, has ever attempted to tell me what to write about or how to write it.

I am free to express my own opinions about any sports subject.

The Speedo brand of swimming suit has been around for ages.

Now Speedo has developed their ‘LZR Racer’ suit, and it appears that the suit is leading to many new world record times in swimming competition.

This week’s Olympic trials are an example.

There seems to be a move afoot to outlaw those suits, because Speedo has a patent on the design, and the price tag of $500.00 is too steep for most colleges or individuals.

Some critics bemoan the fact that technology plays a part in those records, but what else is new?

Those critics seem to forget that less than 100 years ago the Olympic swimming events were held outdoors, and before that were often in lakes or rivers, even in the ocean. Today’s racing pools are designed for records.

There is almost no ‘backwash’ and it is almost as though the swimmers are each swimming alone in calm water.

If it were not for new and evolving equipment, new tracks or pools, and new fields, some old records would never be broken.

A perfect example is the face mask in football, which made heroes out of likely cowards.

I haven’t read many complaints about baseball, football, or basketball equipment and training improvements.

Track athletes run on composite tracks instead of the old cinders, and running shoes are practically weightless. I have heard no hue or cry about the current track records that seem to be set weekly.

A few years ago I spent some time writing about high school athletic events for the local weekly newspapers. Among my early assignments was the 5A and 2A State Track Meet, held annually at Pearl High School.

Among the highlights of the 5A meet was the performance of a young lady from Gulfport High School named Brittney Reese. She high jumped 5-feet, 8-inches to win that event, while also winning the long jump and triple jump.

That youngster, now long jumping for Ole Miss, won that event in the Olympic Trials and is headed to Beijing, China, for the Olympics.

Also at that same state track meet, I interviewed a young lady from Ridgeland High School who was then only a sophomore in high school.

She is Bianca Knight, and was the outstanding female track athlete in Mississippi four years in a row.

Bianca has qualified to run in the finals of the 200 meter dash in the Olympic Trials, and by Sunday afternoon will know if she also will go to China.

Reese’s winning long jump effort was 22-feet, 9 3/4-inches. Knight ran the 200 meters in 22.53 seconds, among the fastest in the world this year. Pretty good for a couple of Mississippi youngsters. High school football is just around the corner. Private schools start practice in two weeks, the public school teams a week later. Jamborees will soon follow, and the regular season will be here before you know it. Upcoming this year is a 30-team series of games at four locations in Ohio and Texas.

It will take place Labor Day weekend and is being sponsored and promoted by Burger King and Kirk Herbstreit. No Mississippi teams are involved.

And, That’s Official.

Al Graning writes a weekly column for The Democrat.