[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Sport/Nonsport

[Andrew MacIan]

Greetings from Andrew!

"I get *my* kicks *above* the waist-line, sunshine!"

--- lupinesque <aiz24 at hotmail.com> wrote:
> mjollner wrote:
> 
> > And completely switching gears to the topic of
> what is and what 
> isn't 
> > a sport...I just had a conversation with a
> Canadian coworker in 
> which 
> > I asked him to explain to me the pastime of
> curling.  I watched a 
> bit 
> > of it the other night, and...and...I just don't
> get it!  And 
> > furthermore, I don't understand why it is an
> Olympic sport!  It 
> seems 
> > to me that very little physical exertion is
> required.  As I've 
> never 
> > "curled" (is that the right term?), could someone
> who has enlighten 
> > me?  Is it just one of those things that's harder
> than it looks?
> 
> Hmmm...I don't know about the physical exertion, but
> IMO, skill is an 
> adequate replacement.  Curling, like golf (which is
> not an Olympic 
> sport) and shooting (which is), does not require a
> lot of physical 
> exertion but does require tremendous physical skill.

Also, per the IOC, chess is an Olympic-eligible sport.
 As to the exertion involved, I can testify that, at
my middle-ish level of the game, I get up from a
typical tournament game (roughly five hours or so)
temporarily exhausted physically and mentally.  The
second and last one for that day's schedule is about
two hours after the first finishes, BTW.  Tournaments
are usually three days long, so at the end I'm ready
to be picked up with a sponge {grin}.

But don't worry about my game being added to the
Winter/Summer Cycles; we've had a separate Chess
Olympiad since the 1920's that meets every two years.

>  
> 
> Amy
> for whom walking up a small hill could be considered
> a sport if 
> exertion were the only criterion <pant pant>

Ah, understood!  When in training for a competitive
summer (one in which I don't have classes/grad
students to keep on track) I usually spend about an
hour a day walking, just to build up endurance.

Between such regimens, everyplace on campus is up-hill
from every other! {grin}

Cheers,

Drieux

...now, where did I leave that oxygen tank?....

=====
ICQ # 76184391

'Each game of chess means there's one less
      Variation left to be played;
 Each day got through means one or two less
      Mistakes remain to be made.'
      --'Chess' by Sir Tim Rice

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
http://sports.yahoo.com