Anyone watching the Olympics??

[limpalong]

I thought it was great to see the double amputee qualify for the finals. Instead of sitting in a corner feeling sorry for himself, he has worked hard to excel. However, there are those who suggest "it isn't fair" to have the assistance of mechanical devices. Almost had a knock-down, drag-out at the course this morning. I complimented the amputee for his performance and another fella got pretty angry with me. Said if they allowed this, next thing we'd see would be battery powered computers operating amputees just like robots.
Keeping it professional and polite, what are some of the ShotTalker's feelings???

 

[eclark53520]

I tend to agree that the mechanical devices shouldn't be allowed.

I don't care if it helps or hurts their performance from normal, it should be an even field of runners. If you weren't born with it, you can't run with it.

I know it's probably not his fault that he is disabled, however, it's not the other runners fault either. Why should they be 'possibly' beat by technology when this is supposed to be a human VS human event?

 

[BigJim13]

THE GUY HAS NO LEGS! How anybody can consider that an advantage is beyond me. Casey Martin got an "advantage" of riding in the cart too, how did that work out?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

THE GUY HAS NO LEGS! How anybody can consider that an advantage is beyond me. Casey Martin got an "advantage" of riding in the cart too, how did that work out?

Indeed, he has no lower legs. That means he doesn't have to be concerned at all with ligaments/tendons, nor calf cramps, nor metatarsal fractures etc. it's a great inspiring story, and I respect the guy a lot, but it really is not appropriate to have him running against natural legs. The human leg is much more prone to fatigue and failure than those "cheetah blades" he uses. Cheetah, cheatah... Heh.

In this case, his handicap may actually be an advantage. Not to the same extent, but it's as if he had a gas powered motor under his torso. He is no longer subject to the same physical stress as his normal competitors. I felt weird about this when I sat and thought about it too, but I think it's correct. He actually has an advantage in the races.

In every other aspect of life, I'm sure it sucks.

 

[BigJim13]

Indeed, he has no lower legs. That means he doesn't have to be concerned at all with ligaments/tendons, nor calf cramps, nor metatarsal fractures etc. it's a great inspiring story, and I respect the guy a lot, but it really is not appropriate to have him running against natural legs. The human leg is much more prone to fatigue and failure than those "cheetah blades" he uses. Cheetah, cheatah... Heh.

In this case, his handicap may actually be an advantage. Not to the same extent, but it's as if he had a gas powered motor under his torso. He is no longer subject to the same physical stress as his normal competitors. I felt weird about this when I sat and thought about it too, but I think it's correct. He actually has an advantage in the races.

In every other aspect of life, I'm sure it sucks.

And people with natural legs don't have to worry about securing their lower leg so it doesn't 1) fall off, 2) cause friction and pain and 3) learn to walk let alone run all over again.

I see the argument but both myself and the IOC agree on this. If there is an advantage its negated by the fact that HE HAS NO FREAKING LEGS!

 

[limpalong]

With all the discussion lately re anchored putters... and the emotional tone some of that discussion has taken... thought I'd bring up another discussion topic where there are NO STRONG opinions!!!

 

[eclark53520]

And people with natural legs don't have to worry about securing their lower leg so it doesn't 1) fall off, 2) cause friction and pain and 3) learn to walk let alone run all over again.

I see the argument but both myself and the IOC agree on this. If there is an advantage its negated by the fact that HE HAS NO FREAKING LEGS!

I'm not sure how that negates the advantage. An advantage is an advantage is an advantage. Somehow because he is 'disabled' it's OK to cheat?

Say I'm blown up in a horrific accident while attempting to save 30 orphans and 60 nuns and my only wish is to compete in the 100m dash. Say i lose everything non-vital. Say the only way for me to be mobile is a rocket powered sled. I suppose since I have no non-vital body parts, it would be OK for me to participate in the 100m dash in my 3 second quarter mile sled?

Obviously said tongue planted firmly in cheek, but it holds true. I don't see how we can give someone an advantage just because they are disabled. If he learned to run on his hands and was fast enough to compete, by all means. But aftermarket parts? No thanks. That's not the same race.

Let me ask you this. Would you feel the same way about disabled people racing if they purposely had their legs removed to take advantage of the prosthetic? I mean...they still have no lower leg....right?

 

[BigJim13]

I'm not sure how that negates the advantage. An advantage is an advantage is an advantage. Somehow because he is 'disabled' it's OK to cheat?

Say I'm blown up in a horrific accident while attempting to save 30 orphans and 60 nuns and my only wish is to compete in the 100m dash. Say i lose everything non-vital. Say the only way for me to be mobile is a rocket powered sled. I suppose since I have no non-vital body parts, it would be OK for me to participate in the 100m dash in my 3 second quarter mile sled?

Obviously said tongue planted firmly in cheek, but it holds true. I don't see how we can give someone an advantage just because they are disabled. If he learned to run on his hands and was fast enough to compete, by all means. But aftermarket parts? No thanks. That's not the same race.

Let me ask you this. Would you feel the same way about disabled people racing if they purposely had their legs removed to take advantage of the prosthetic? I mean...they still have no lower leg....right?

If he has an advantage, why did they let him race?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

If the world is round, why did we think it was flat for so long? Sometimes people make the wrong decision. He probably whomps the runners in the paralympics. I still think he's great, but I think logic sides with this being a mistake. Eclark is exaggerating but the premise holds true. Once his "legs" are secure, he's not having to worry about a lot of the things that the natural runners are. I do not expect the IOC to make a habit of this. An experiment to make a guys dream come true
Okay. Whatever about that. But it is not a level playing field. The 100m considers nothing but speed, and those "cheetah blades" provide a clear advantage in terms of durability and lack of fatigue. Can he get a calf cramp, or shin splints?

 

[BigJim13]

If the world is round, why did we think it was flat for so long? Sometimes people make the wrong decision. He probably whomps the runners in the paralympics. I still think he's great, but I think logic sides with this being a mistake. Eclark is exaggerating but the premise holds true. Once his "legs" are secure, he's not having to worry about a lot of the things that the natural runners are. I do not expect the IOC to make a habit of this. An experiment to make a guys dream come true
Okay. Whatever about that. But it is not a level playing field. The 100m considers nothing but speed, and those "cheetah blades" provide a clear advantage in terms of durability and lack of fatigue. Can he get a calf cramp, or shin splints?

HE HAS NO LEGS!!!! The fact that he can compete at this level is amazing. Again, mistake or no, if there is an advantage I would like you to prove it to me. Period. End of discussion. Prove to me that there is an advantage of A MAN WITH NO LEGS running a race using prosthetics. He still gets fatigued. Still gets cramps. And again, if there is an advantage why did they let him compete?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Okay. He's basically bionic. I'm perplexed asto why you can't even consider the advantage of this. He obviously has legs--he's RUNNING. but his legs are made of a material that is stronger, lighter, and more reliable than bone/flesh/connective tissue. Calling him a "man with no legs" is gross negligence. He's a man with super-legs, designed by science and technology, specifically tooled for sprinting.

This would be similar to a shot putter who was "born without an arm" getting a supremely powerful robot arm, then competing against naturals. Would you be saying, "BUT HE HAS NO ARM!!!"? No, you'd say, I hope, "that is an unfair advantage, even if it isn't a normal human arm."

The IOC probably did it to create buzz, since the olympics has become a lot less interesting to many people. Hard to have many "firsts." but hey, here's one. The first unnatural runner in the Olympics. Again, the fact that one organization allowed it is not an argument for anything. Organizations at every level act for their own agendas in spite of logic FREQUENTLY.

He clearly can't get calf cramps, shin splints, etc. his leg is not going to fall off, thanks to the huge amount of science devoted to creating them in the first place. He has a significant advantage. We can't know how fast he might or might not be had he had the chance to compete on normal legs. But the number of things that can go wrong for him in any given race is physically less than the other competitors. Might as well be doping.

Stop seeing him as a cripple and weigh the situation for what it is. He's an athlete with a significant technological advantage in sprinting. Not in life in general, in SPRINTING. And that's all that matters in the 100m dash.

 

[azgreg]

Well for what it's worth he finished last in his heat race.

 

[BigJim13]

He finished last, if he had an unfair advantage where was it? Prove to me that his prosthetic legs are better than human legs?

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I don't have to prove anything to you, Jim. Relax. You've ignored every point I've made anyway. Maybe he wouldn't have even qualified without his advantage. You know, considering hundreds of thousands try and almost all of them fail.

If you can't see, or at least CONSIDER the advantage based on what I've already said, I can't help you. Winning or losing is irrelevant. It is an advantage.

 

[TheTrueReview]

Geez, China has gone ahead in the gold medal tally.