Discussion: WOC 93 relay

I was a control sitter that day, maybe in the vicinity of HH #16, but not exactly sure. Pretty fun.

Only controls #27 and #30 were on TT's version of the map. Anything to the north of the road minus the field wasn't used for the sprint, alas, not updated.

not updated

Ah, that makes much more sense.

If I read the chart correctly, controls 15-16-17, 20, 23, and 24 were on Steven Hale's relay leg, and 21, 22, and 25 were also WOC relay controls. I originally planned to use as much of Hale's relay leg as I could, but various considerations caused me to modify that somewhat. The leg from 21 to 22 was an actual men's relay leg that one runner from each team had (for the USA, it was leg 3, but the results in my copy of Skogssport don't list the runners' names past the 21st place team, and I'm too lazy to dig out the O/NA).

some of the HH seemed familiar, specifically the long leg. I can't say though what controls I had or did not have. I can't even remember what leg I ran or who else ran the relay. I will look for the results later today.

You ran second, Joe. Scarborough had that long leg.

Who was on the US and Canadian teams? I'm guessing for Canada it was some combination of Brian Graham, Martin Pardoe, Francis Falardeau and Chris Seligy maybe?

And I just remembered the Canadian Womens relay team. Or lack there of.

Canada: Graham-May-Seligy-Falardeau: 19th place
US team: Scarborough-Brautigam-Eglinski-Platt: 24th place

Here you´ll find everything you need in terms of WOC results... (only running order and places for relay teams though - no times)

If you click Maprunner WOC Database you find it all.

I'm not sure that that page has all of the teams in running order. The results in O/NA show:

19 CANADA
Brian Graham 57:40
Francis Falardeau 70:01
Chris Seligy 74:00
Brian May 60:18

24 USA
Mike Eglinski 72:48
Joe Brautigam 63:16
James Scarborough 72:07
Mikell Platt 66:52

You should know!
My guess is that the teams may have been picked from a start list that later has changed? I´m sure Maprunner would appreciate to be able to get correct details if you have more of this available from the organizers archives...

Rubbing salt in my wounds Nev?

Upset there wasn't a girls' team for you to run on, hammer?

;-)
Nope but the real answer is best served with some uisce beatha!

I knew that Misters Waddington and Adams were not on that team (Mark was hurt right?) That was Brian May's first WOC, and of course Seligy's only. Also, this just in, BG was really fast in 93.

Canada not fielding a womens relay team to a WOC in North America was not impressive.

Yeah, we were pretty pissed at certain people in the COF hierarchy who wouldn't allow it.

Didn't Canada used to have a set of rules, and I think several variations of those rules, that limited the number of people it would allow to run at WOC? Like if they weren't within X percent of the best Canadian man or woman? I certainly remember thinking they were being quite stupid about it.

It was a sport Canada rule where we had to place in the top 50% at World Champs otherwise you didn't go so yes we had rules that limited participation at WOC. We lost a lot of great athletes through that process.

@JJ The certain person in the COF hierarchy who wouldn't allow it was actually an American ;-) that left the sport shortly after those very odd selection decisions.

Wait, if you have to finish in the top 50% to be able to go, how did you ever get the chance to go back and try again for top 50%?

Catch 22?

I think they had something like you had to finish within 10% of the top person at the Trials (who maybe also had to have met the WOC 50% number). I don't know if the athletes ever gamed the system, i.e. getting Ted/Ron/Denise to slow down on purpose at the trials to help get others in.

It is possible that Australia has a similar system today. It was a frustrating system to work in.

Anyway that system is history and COF now has a strong inclusive program.

But aren't all those rules the result of financial support that amateur sport in Canada and Australia receives from the government? And if COF chose, couldn't they have attended WOC by paying their own way, or soliciting funding as we do in the US?

And what is an "inclusive program?"

inclusive meaning that COF has done an excellent job having an athletic rep on the board, developing a high performance program that the athletes can discuss direction. Raising profile of their athletes. Getting coaches for the programs. Fundraising efforts are a huge success.

In the past decisions were directed from the top and no we weren't allowed to pay our own way. For example, HKF (now GHO) hosted the first World Cup race outside of Scandinavia in Hamilton area. In the days leading up to the race one of Canada's athletes was injured so one of HKF's top athletes at the time asked to race instead (he was ranked high nationally at the time). The answer was no. The individual then left the sport a few years later because there was not support. In the 1990 World Cup in BC Canada could enter 6 women. We only entered 1. Yes 1 when the race was on our own turf. Again those days are over and things are much more exciting. Especially of yesterday's news that Brent Langbakk is now our new Jr. Team Coach.

Well, your leadership right at the top is so much better now. And that affects everything.