Editorials/The Art of Verbal Communication/Coach of a Lifetime
Tyrrell, R. Emmett Jr.
EDITORIALS THE ART OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION A s the shadows of summer lengthen, does Vice President George Bush ever wonder why Americans seem so nonchalant about his patriotic offer of four more...
...And one other thing...
...The next is pretty much as its name suggests, independent...
...put in marvelous efforts in Seoul, but museums, and his dirty little secret was and a great man...
...In France the same diversity exists and gives differing political perspectives a voice...
...Early in the administration the President eschewed the liberals' advice, proffered in the confines of vast street demonstrations, that he freeze strategic development or actually unilaterally disarm...
...I where for a change the paid profes- had no idea I'd be near that...
...Growth is vigorous, the trade deficit is shrinking, and it is eminently conceivable that our genial President will be the first in the postwar period to vacate the presidential premises leaving both inflation and unemployment at lower levels than when he arrived...
...Internationally, as London's venerable Economist notes, "peace is breaking out all over"--mostly as a consequence of the Republican administration's policy of "peace through strength...
...In the early 1960s when the second fastest 200-meter breast I swam for him, his teams, swimming 8 THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR OCTOBER 1988 under the auspices of the Indianapolis Doc assured me that Mr...
...They devote thought we should be too...
...The last two are sympathetic to the Conservative government...
...Why is this...
...Inflation, now at 4.4 percent, is ten percentage points below the figure the Democrats left us in 1980...
...How does one explain such ingratitude...
...This ought to trouble our Republican miracle workers...
...and, unlike years tween practices Doc would encourage that you could...
...trained such legendary athletes as Last month a breast stroker, Mike Mark Spitz, winner of seven gold Barrowman, previously ranked seven- medals at the 1972 Olympics, and teenth in the world, dropped an amaz- Charlie Hickcox, winner of three in ing five seconds from his best time for 1968, and Jim Montgomery, winner of the 200-meter breast stroke, clocking three in 1976...
...With Doc, the only reward was straight national American Amateur Seoul are auspicious...
...It's by news of sport as it ought to be, got to be 2:18, not 2:13...
...best coaching in the world and that you six straight national collegiate titles...
...Doc's teams won seven convinced Doc that our prospects for training techniques and nutrition...
...Again the explanation ought to interest Republicans...
...three-quarters of all world swimming he also was quick to pronounce his years to their sports, but their coaches Today even amateur sport pays an records for men...
...Barrow- the focus of celebration ought not be that he was an opera aficionado who Athletic Club, often held two-thirds to man's achievement was prodigious, but limited to the athletes...
...dared...
...I was very surprised again lured to the sports page, with my time," Barrowman said...
...In Britain right now as much as 50 percent of the media argues that the Conservative government is good for Britain and that the opposition abounds with mischief...
...But Many athletes supposedly guided by records, which are usually held by na- Two years ago our team performed very his devotion was not solely to the sport, the amateur code receive financial suptional teams drawing their athletes unsatisfactorily in the world champion- it was also to his athletes...
...They may replace President Reagan with an obscure governor from Massachusetts, a state in economic malaise, and with no more foreign policy experience than the Boy Scouts of America...
...Times are too fast...
...They have brought the Republic to its lowest unemployment in fourteen years...
...If they have lobbyists in Washington defending their narrow views, they are happy...
...They have had to have the Republicans' point of view translated for them by Democrats...
...He was a port that in the great days of amateur-from an entire nation rather than a ships...
...The only records he high expectations for the American devote lifetimes...
...It is immensely satisis the father of modern American dom- Swimming, like track, is now a high- ing...
...Americans are dominated by commercial interests...
...Now Washington is on the best terms with the Soviets perhaps since both nations fought the Nazis...
...EDITORIALS THE ART OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION A s the shadows of summer lengthen, does Vice President George Bush ever wonder why Americans seem so nonchalant about his patriotic offer of four more years of public service...
...He easy and is certainly unexpected...
...THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR OCTOBER 1988 9...
...The sport The corruptions wrought by money is too advanced...
...bringing swimming into the modern Yet a semblance of amateurism's excite- era...
...Instead he strengthened the military...
...The prime rate is twelve points below the Democrats' unhappy legacy...
...The books of Aldous Hux- With Doc sports was always fun, which morseless clock and one of the basic ented and superbly conditioned ath- ley and of George Orwell were popular is the way it should be...
...The first two are sympathetic to the Labour party in the national debate...
...Some of his swimmers dropped ment endures, and an explosion of it five seconds off the world record, and at the Olympic swim trials last August that was merely in practice...
...The Republicans have not had the wisdom to take verbal communication seriously, save during the campaign season...
...Englishmen and Frenchmen put more stock in verbal communication than Americans do...
...Yet in America one gloomy voice dominates all others, at least at the national level...
...No wonder the voters are wary of the present prosperity and peace...
...It is the best he was also a great teacher whose con- knowing that you were receiving the Athletic national championships and comeback ever in swimming," he de- cern extended to his athletes' character...
...To improve teurs frequently are not the pure ama- that much on one's time in swimming teurs that the Olympic ideal envisaged...
...But the British and the French recognize that media should advance their point of view, not just with respect to a narrow piece of legislation but with respect to a broad range of cultural interests...
...I believe I glimpsed the explanation when I sat down to read the morning newspapers one Sunday last month...
...In Paris there is a similar diversity of opinion...
...Imagine seeing world records set fying to be able to walk away from a inance in this stupendous sport that ly developed sport...
...But the present Olympic trials major innovator in stroke mechanics, ism was considered unseemly and illocal team...
...The Soviets and their proxies seem to be withdrawing from Afghanistan, Southern Africa, and Cambodia...
...The athletes are in practice...
...Doc Counsilman certainly did...
...There I sat in the capital of what is often described as the world's most powerful nation, and Ihad precisely two newspapers to read, both espousing the same point of view—basically, liberal Democratic...
...When we swam but Doc made even trying to win fun...
...In London I would have had at least five national newspapers: the Guardian, the Observer, the Independent, the Sunday Times, and the Sunday Telegraph...
...In America there is no such diversity, and so the Republicans can only get their point of view to the electorate via the opposition press...
...were grueling, but tremendously excit- to do your best...
...They will in major cities he would drag us off to That is another mark of a great coach dent spirits...
...today is almost unheard of...
...induced me to call my old coach and And so I telephoned him back in be reminded once again of how impor- Bloomington, Indiana, where he tant a great coach is to athletics...
...competitors but also against the re- past, a wide range of supremely tal- us to read...
...The present epoch is full of gloom...
...But in the long hours be- sport knowing that you did the best pits the athlete not only against other now testing the limits...
...publicans must be wondering why...
...Those rare Republicans who own media are purely interested in the bottom line...
...His under the table and political shenani- feat put me in mind of the days when gans in the international competition my old coach, Doc Counsilman, was increasingly imperil the amateur ideal...
...COACH OF A LIFETIME A s the Olympics draw near I am stroke in history...
...I looked sionals of sport are being shunted aside at the clock and I said, 'No way...
...Other American epochs of common growth have been characterized as an "Era of Good Feeling" or a "Gilded Age...
...Winning is fun, elements of nature, water—now used letes from many countries are competi- with Doc's swimmers...
...For that matter, do any Republicans or captains of industry wonder about the average American's indifference to the peace and prosperity of the present...
...but legal...
...by me only as an accompaniment to ar- tive in every Olympic event...
...Still, as Vice President Bush will tell you, many Americans do not seem to be grateful...
...Such a turnaround has not been When I swam for him the practices would never have a better opportunity Twice he has been Olympic coach...
...uncouth solicitude to the bottom line...
...Barrowman's amateur sport—though today's ama- astonishment is justified...
...The ReAdapted from RET's weekly Washington Post column syndicated by King Features...
...Yet apparently those Americans who are not indifferent to all this good news are downright apprehensive...
...had trouble capturing were relay team in the forthcoming Olympics...
...A semblance of peace is returning to the Middle East, and in Nicaragua there is a glimmer of renewed hope for democracy...
Vol. 21 • October 1988 • No. 10
