Community Chat

[Greeneyedlady21]

Pole vaulting can be very, um, tricky as we saw during these Olympics.

[cjm61]

Wow, that is amazing. Of course, I say that with most Olympic athletes. Sometimes I feel their accomplishments are just humanly impossible. 

[They CallMe MRWILKES]

[Still Raining]

Let us also have a moment for applause for the makers of the poles.  No pole - no jump.   Until a grandkid was involved in this I had no idea!  

[Estellee]

I heard  he jumped 20 feet 5 1/2 inches!

[beckyb1012]

It was incredible to watch.  I also loved the old family footage of him in the backyard as a very little boy learning how to vault.  I thought I heard wrong last night when they said Louisiana, but he was born here in the States.  I just assumed when watching him he was born in Sweden.  Loved the family celebration too.  Adorable.

[Mz iMac]

@beckyb1012  His mother was born in Sweden.  He wanted to honor his mother's country rather than the USofA.

Quite a few Olympian American citizens are representing other countries to honor parents birth place.

I always suspected the countries of their parents are "sponsoring" them 100%.  USofA as a country do not sponsor/take care of Olympian athletes. 

[They CallMe MRWILKES]

But the USOC helps out:

TEAM USA Athletes will earn $37,500 for every gold medal in Paris

$22,500 for every silver

$15,000 for each bronze

This is terrific (in my opinion) for athletes in lower profile sports where there is little opportunity for paid endorsements or professional leagues.

The USOC is one of the few national committees to receive no support from its government. 

[stevieb]

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@beckyb1012 wrote:

It was incredible to watch.  I also loved the old family footage of him in the backyard as a very little boy learning how to vault.  I thought I heard wrong last night when they said Louisiana, but he was born here in the States.  I just assumed when watching him he was born in Sweden.  Loved the family celebration too.  Adorable.

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It was an amazing feat and I was happy for him and the family, but with reservations.

He was indeed born, raised and educated in the U.S. While he had his reasons, one apparently that the Swedish national team enticed him by hiring his father, at some level I resent him not performing on behalf of the U.S..

HIs mother is Swedish and he now has joint citizenship, living there part of the year, but choosing Sweden seemed to have other 'advantages' and sorry, but while it's his choice and he obviously qualified to jump for Sweden, this doesn't sit real well with quite a few people, I've read. I guess I'm one of them. He's not alone, as other athletes do the same. Personally, I think it should be better regulated.

Clearly, standing out in a smaller pond is simplified, hence ensuring notoriety and promotional opportunities are as well, and it's said Sweden's 'deal' was more lucrative and training opportunities were better. Still, it sort of rankles.