No More Putting It Off: Our Olympics Hosts Event in Tuba City
Olympians,
Abra-abracadabra, just like that and we're back bruh! Our Olympics just pulled off a trademark in-house event, giving Our Games a foothold to kick start and revive monthly events. We nailed the venue at an abandoned airstrip in Tuba City, had good company, good food, and good attendance, and tried something new (shot put) just like we did back in 2015. It was a throwback, but also a big step forward.
In this blog update, find a recap of shot put, an invite to Tuba's June event (kayaking/canoeing), an invite to join us at the Monument Valley bike race, and a story of winter sports on the ice track from Val, not to mention a peak at pickleball.
Index:
Invite: Canoeing IV
Invite: Cycling VII
Just Finished: Athletics XV
Honorable Mention: Ice Track Sports
Invite/Update: Pickleball
INVITE! Canoeing IV
Join us for another potluck and Olympic event at Pasture Canyon Reservoir at 6:15pm on Wednesday, June 25th. We have two identical single-person-sit-on-top inflatable kayaks to serve as our drag racing vessels. Events will entail some combination of these disciplines from the Olympic Games: K-1 500m, C-1 200m, C-2 500m, K-4 500m. The second if we can get canoe paddles, and the latter two if we can get larger boats. Meet at the boat launch past the west end of the dam.
INVITE! Cycling VII: Cross-country Mountain Biking II
Note the updated date, June 21st, a week earlier than previously advertised due to an issue between the event organizers and the tribal park. We'll have at least three Olympians leaving from Tuba to head to this participation event* that Saturday morning. Do you want in?
*Run by Navajo YES Just Finished: Athletics XV: Shot Put (4kg)
Our Olympics' flag proudly flew at the site of a former airstrip in the heart of Tuba City on the Navajo Nation earlier this month. Competitors came from far and wide, generally walking from a few houses over, or stopping by after work. A concrete pad of unknown purpose became elevated to OO venue with the stroke of a single piece of chalk. A dirt patch partially overlaying a formerly paved surface now overgrown with camel's thorn glowed to life with the spirit of competition as it prepared to be peppered repeatedly by a tiny cannonball. With dinner served at the spectators' table, safety checks for walkers-by, and the attendant dogs thankfully uninterested in what might appear to be a fetch toy, but actually weighs in at almost nine pounds, the practice throws began. Several techniques were attempted for putting, including the glide, a daring spin, and the "direct put".
Val braved the gaze of the other competitors and went first, aiming at the sign in the outfield marking Miné de Klerk's Olympic-losing mark from Paris. The shot thudded and rolled, but unfortunately, the impact was where the measurement was taken, not the end of the motion. She started us off with a respectable 5.94m throw, practically within spitting distance of de Klerk's 15.63m effort! After studying a ten second slo-mo video all day, Gustave doled out instructions and tips to others as the throwers came in and out of the circle. Rickey then took to the ring and crushed an 8.33m throw, clearing most of the bushes and weeds in the landing area. Then Mitch popped off an even farther 8.81m throw. Several people walked by on their evening rounds, including a guy named Jay headed for the HPDP gym. He said he might participate when he was done with his workout. A security guard came over, but wasn't persuaded to try a cookie.
Round two began with a few change-ups of strategy. Ben switched from right to left hand throwing, increasing his distance by almost a meter. Katrina switched from left to right and her results similarly improved. All the others decreased in performance, maybe already pumped out from their vigorous training in the minutes before round one. That is except Val, who pushed up to 6.68m with the same arm as before. Jordan stepped on the line in his follow through, causing the first fault of the event. Then Jay returned from the gym and after one practice throw, blasted a simple put up and over the bushes, landing on the old runway shoulder and bumping into de Klerk's sign. At 9.19m, it was the longest we had seen. Jay seemed pleased, then promptly walked home without even retrieving the shot or considering a second measured throw.
As the Sun declined, round three opened with athletes hoping to get one more iota out of their trim, shot put specialized, toned muscles. Again, repetitions were mostly for naught, with most seeing declines in their distance. Lindsey, however, kept her throws within half a meter of each other, and Gabi won the prize for consistency, with all three throws separated by just 15cm. Thankfully, although weary in the third round, everyone was able to keep the shot well within the flagged edges of the pitch and no one was in danger of a stray shot. But wait, one putter refined her form and did see her best effort realized on throw three: Val threw for 6.78m, which was notably the farthest for any woman in this women's Olympic weight event. Then it was Mitch's turn, as he sat in second place, with one chance to upset Jay and bring the gold back to the group of nine who were still here. He stooped by the back of the ring, turned, fired... and his toes were over the line. The recordkeep drew a scratch mark.
With Jay nowhere to be found, the podium had a yawning void at the top, so to properly put our OO medals to use for the first time, Val jumped in between silver medalist Mitch and bronze medalist Rickey to don the gold and pose for the press.
Special thanks to Jennifer Sexauer for her winning design in Art II: Medal Design, it only took six years from having her design to making the medals and most importantly of all, to remember to take the medals to an in-person event. Belated success!
OO: Where's Jay? Oh, he headed home before even finishing his throws. So, um, Mitch? What's your experience with shot put?
MR: I did track and field in school, and by that I mean I did track. I always wondered what the field half was like, but never competed in it.
OO: If you had to use a fruit as a shot put, what would you use?
MR: A grapefruit.
OO: What fruit would you be? And no, I don't mean what fruit would you chose to be. What would you be?
MR: Not a strawberry, unfortunately. Yeah, I guess I would be a banana.
OO: When prepping for this silver medal performance, what did you have for dinner last night?
MR: Fettuccine pesto, with a side of steroids of course.
OO: Is throwing a ball for your dog good training for putting?
MR: At minimum, the fake outs when I don't throw the ball for Fenrir have built muscle.
OO: How long did it take you to rig the competition?
MR: Well I was the first to arrive and walk the course, so you can come to your own conclusions.
OO: What sport would you be most likely to qualify for the Olympic Games in?
MR: Although I have track experience, the competition is too fierce. Maybe bobsled?
OO: That's a great segue to the Honorable Mentions segment of this blog post:
Honorable Mention: Skeleton and Bobsleddding
Val Thoroyan regaled us with her experience on the ice track while we wrapped up the shot putting:
Val
(paraphrased): A few years ago my dad and I went to Lake Placid and
tried skeleton and bobsled! The skeleton is the event that's like luge,
but you lay on a little sled belly down and head first and slide down what's basically an iced-over water slide. I almost flipped
over in one corner, but I didn't, so it was okay! You can go really fast
on the ice. Then my dad and I did a four-person bobsled with two
professionals, one steering in front and one pushing off from the back.
The G forces were so strong and it was hard to keep my head from banging
the sides of the sled and to keep my feet in the proper place. Again, we went
so fast! I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to try out an event that
they've seen while watching the Winter Olympics!
Ongoing: Pickleball Singles and Doubles
A quick peak at the ongoing Pickleball tournaments, which still have room for more entrants:
Hope to see you at Pasture Canyon!
-Gustave
Commissioner, Our Olympics
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