Blogger: David Yarborough
Updates from USA Canoe/Kayak Executive Director, David Yarborough.
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ICF Congress 2008
Tue Dec 02 13:04:27 -0500 2008
It was pasta instead of turkey as the ICF held its biannual Congress over the thanksgiving weekend in Rome. Gina Sanchez and Eric Lokken joined me as official delegated of USA Canoe/Kayak. Also present from USACK were Cecilia Farias, Charles Yatman, Charles Luckman representing COPAC. USACK Board… Read More
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Why Focus on Governance Now?
Tue Nov 11 14:03:58 -0500 2008
Through open letters to our membership (click here to view the most recent letter on the homepage of our website) from our Board President Gina Sanchez, we have explained the series of decisions by our Board to undertake a sweeping review of how USA… Read More
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More on our new website...
Tue Oct 28 11:08:07 -0400 2008
Long time, no blog. This isn’t easy! When I was in Beijing I built writing about what I was doing into my daily routine. Since I’ve been back I’ve discovered I have very little control over my own time.
Since I last wrote about our new website initiative, much… Read More
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Sponsor Facilities in Beijing
Wed Aug 27 10:57:28 -0400 2008
It’s obvious that Olympic sponsors at all levels make a huge investment in their affiliation with the Olympics and that they focus intense efforts on realizing the maximum gain possible during the Games themselves.
The very large global… Read More
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A special place for the families of athletes
Tue Aug 26 20:34:26 -0400 2008
A beautiful facility called USA House is operated by USOC. It is located in what was once an upscale restaurant and bar near to Workers Stadium where the soccer matches are being played. USA House is private and like almost everyplace associated with the… Read More
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Venues you won't see on NBC--Part 2
Tue Aug 26 20:32:51 -0400 2008
A beautiful facility called USA House is operated by USOC. It is located in what was once an upscale restaurant and bar near to Workers Stadium where the soccer matches are being played. USA House is private and like almost everyplace associated with the… Read More
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Venues you won't see on NBC--Part 1
Fri Aug 22 14:46:52 -0400 2008
There are many important venues in Beijing that are vital to our Olympic success that you will likely never see or heard mentioned on NBC.
The most important is the USOC High Performance Center at Beijing Normal University (BNU). This oxymoronically… Read More
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Olympic Security
Sun Aug 17 19:34:40 -0400 2008
Despite the fears and predictions of many, I’ve never felt the least bit insecure at any time or in any place since I’ve been in Beijing. There are many levels of visible security and, I’m sure, many that are never seen.
There are… Read More
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The Olympic Alphabet
Thu Aug 14 03:59:37 -0400 2008
Even those who are a part of what is called the “Olympic Movement” can be easily bewildered by the array of initials and acronyms used as a common element of the Olympic language. Here’s a very quick primer.
The movement’s… Read More
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Measures of a Champion
Tue Aug 12 08:45:15 -0400 2008
On Tuesday afternoon in Shunyi, years of efforts and the hopes of many were dashed when Scott Parsons was judged to have missed a gate near the end of his second run in the first day of slalom competition in the Beijing Games. I felt literally sick. His large and vocal group… Read More
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Our Non-US Canoe/Kayak Team
Tue Aug 12 08:44:32 -0400 2008
The defining feature of the Olympic Games is the global dimension of the event. 204 countries had teams marching into those incredible Opening Ceremonies.
Watching that parade of athletes, I was struck by just how global USACK’s own… Read More
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A Beautiful Saturday Interrupted By …
Sun Aug 10 23:08:44 -0400 2008
I rode out to Shunyi with Bill McMillan on Saturday afternoon to watch our slalom team's final workout. It's about an hour's drive from most of the central Beijing facilities. The adjacent slalom and rowing/kayak sprint venues are quite impressive, huge, in fact. Very park-like, but so… Read More
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The Games Open!
Sat Aug 09 09:00:50 -0400 2008
Wow, what an evening. The opening ceremony was somewhere beyond spectacular. The sheer scale of it, especially the number of people involved, eclipsed the technology behind it. Not only were there tens of thousands of Chinese involved in the show, but they were not mere extras. Everyone was a… Read More
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The View From Seat 54D
Thu Aug 07 11:38:18 -0400 2008
United Flight 897 was not going to be long enough at 13hours+ so a faulty oil gauge added two more hours sitting on the ground before we left. We’re now approaching the half way point, I think. Two full-length movies have been played and we’re now on… Read More
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Every team has an MVP
Mon Aug 04 12:49:21 -0400 2008
We hope every one of our Olympians puts on a superstar performance in Beijing. Without the ability to foresee the outcome of the races at the Games, my early vote for our 2008 MVP is one of our key players who will not even be in China.Many of you have had the opportunity to work with… Read More
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The Olympic team is more than just the Olympians…
Mon Aug 04 12:46:57 -0400 2008
Those of you who are somewhat removed from the actual process of preparing for an Olympic Games would probably be shocked at just how much work goes into this. The processes used to qualify for and then compete to be selected for the team are complex and grueling. Beyond that there are dozens and… Read More
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The Importance - and Status - of Our Website
Tue Jul 15 16:36:35 -0400 2008
You are reading this blog either on our “old” www.USACK.org website or on the new one we are working with USOC and its contractors to create (now located at http://canoekayak.teamusa.org). Regardless of which site you are on, the important… Read More
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