# It's the freakin' OLYMPICS! You don't just "quit"! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 25, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484 "2004-08-25T18:55:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/61 "2004-08-26T17:34:12Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > But that’s kind of dangerous and pretty rare. (and some races say you must cross the finish line with all rowers, I don’t know what the Olympic rules are off-hand) Both international and US rowing rules state that you only need a coxswain in order to be placed. It’s mostly youth and a lot of college competitions that don’t let you jump out of the boat on purpose. At the elite levels, I’m pretty sure they assume you know what you’re doing by then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/62 "2004-08-26T17:55:14Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > …if she was hurt she at least should have pulled her oar. > [@Neurotik](#): > > No, no, no! If she was hurt, the last thing she wants to do is pull her oar - she’d probably end up clashing oars since she wouldn’t be able to keep the pace. She needs to move to the catch and tuck her oar in between her knees and chest and try not to mess up the set of the boat. Two minds, one thought… and only one of us, namely you, versed in the proper terminology. By “pulled her oar” I meant _removed it from dragging and gotton out of the way_, not _continued to compete._ I believe we’re actually in agreement as to what we’d like to have seen her done. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/63 "2004-08-26T18:07:05Z")
I say for the rest of the race she should have balanced the oar on her nose and clapped like a seal. At least with it going straight up it’s out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/64 "2004-08-26T21:31:35Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > ‘Years later, Fujimoto, whose knee still hurts, was asked whether he would do it all again. He said bluntly, “No, I would not”.’ > > This, from the nation that gave us _Endurance_, cannot be taken lightly. I see it more as the difference between a young man and one who has had more life experience and is more aware of his mortality. Ask any guy who did something heroic or tough when he was a kid if he would do it again and he’d often say no. Had Achilles lived long enough he too might have been heard saying, “That was bloody stupid!” about some of his exploits. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/65 "2004-08-27T01:44:34Z")
True. And people’s self reports are not always to be trusted. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/66 "2004-08-27T02:30:37Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > In really close competitions, when a rower has a catastrophic equipment failure, he’ll release the oar, throw it off the boat, and then jump (making sure to stay under water long enough to avoid getting hit by oars passing over him). That way, the rower isn’t in the way, the oar isn’t dragging, and the boat is lighter. But that’s kind of dangerous and pretty rare. (and some races say you must cross the finish line with all rowers, I don’t know what the Olympic rules are off-hand) I don’t know about America, but in Australia jumping out of the boat for any reason is an automatic disqualification, so I doubt that was an option for her no matter what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/67 "2004-08-27T06:22:45Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > In really close competitions, when a rower has a catastrophic equipment failure, he’ll release the oar, throw it off the boat, and then jump (making sure to stay under water long enough to avoid getting hit by oars passing over him). Could make for an interesting game of one-upmanship. Fujimoto: I nailed a dismount from the rings with a broken leg. Sublight: _I_ jumped into the Charles River. _And_ I held my head under. Fujimoto: Whoa… I’m also having trouble envisioning how one could jump from the middle of an eight-man without creating an even bigger dirsuption for the other rowers. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/68 "2004-08-27T06:32:41Z")
Careful, **sublight** , the executives from \*Endurance \* are going to steal your ideas and you’ll get zilch. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/69 "2004-08-27T13:07:43Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > I’m also having trouble envisioning how one could jump from the middle of an eight-man without creating an even bigger dirsuption for the other rowers. Normally, you’d be right. But we’re talking about something really bad - like a bent rigger that wouldn’t allow you to pull your oar out of the water. The easiest way to do it would be to simply undue your foot straps and then just fall out of the shell - almost like scuba diving. That probably wouldn’t disrupt the set too much. You couldn’t stand up and literally jump out without massively disrupting everything. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/70 "2004-08-27T14:46:00Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > I’m also having trouble envisioning how one could jump from the middle of an eight-man without creating an even bigger dirsuption for the other rowers. There is a “dramatic” sculls race in the lame flick “The Skulls” with Joshua Jackson where some guy’s oar breaks and they do just that. As \*\*Neurotick,/b] described, the guy sort of crounched and “rolled” head first into the water as if he was doing a somersault like a little kid on a front lawn. Granted in was a movie so their boat was probably being towed by a winch… but it gives you the basic idea. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/71 "2004-08-27T15:49:27Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > There is a “dramatic” sculls race in the lame flick “The Skulls” with Joshua Jackson where some guy’s oar breaks and they do just that. > > As \*\*Neurotick,/b] described, the guy sort of crounched and “rolled” head first into the water as if he was doing a somersault like a little kid on a front lawn. > > Granted in was a movie so their boat was probably being towed by a winch… but it gives you the basic idea. Yeah, I mentioned that movie earlier. (I saw it with a group of rowers when it came out and we laughed through out. The coxswain is this 180 pound guy? Yeah, right.) They really are rowing tho’ so they must have taught Joshua Jackson the fundamentals. And the teams they’re rowing against are the real Yale and Harvard teams. But if you look closely you’ll see that they’re not really rowing very fast or hard. And the single person boat Joshua Jackson rows to the climatic showdown at the end of the movie? It’s an Aero, a line of boats for beginners. Most people only row in 'em for a month or two before they advance. I mentioned the jumping out of the boat thing but it is _really_ rare. Most rowers know somebody who was supposedly on a team where it happened so it may be more lore than anything else. But it’s a legendary example of heroism and realizing that helping the team win is the goal. Which is where Sally Robbins failed. Not only did she not finish the race, she didn’t do anything to help the team finish the race. Maybe not jumping from the boat (that close to the finish line, it may not have helped) but sitting up, instead of lying on the rower behind you and controlling your oar would be a big start. It’s interesting how she’s getting a lot of sympathy and support from the general public and mostly derision from the rowing community. I think most rowers are used to pain and sacrifice. One of the members of my teams best quad, was thrown from a horse shortly before the national masters (master means over 27 and over) regatta last year. Despite some rib pain, she rowed the race anyway because she didn’t want to let down her team mates and they got the gold in a tough race. After the race, she found out that her ribs were actually broken. We’re all in awe of her but not surprised. That’s what top level atheletes do and that’s what makes Sally Robbins look so bad in comparison… wow, a thread I started actually got to two pages. I can die happy now… ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/72 "2004-08-28T02:29:40Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > I mentioned the jumping out of the boat thing but it is _really_ rare. Most rowers know somebody who was supposedly on a team where it happened so it may be more lore than anything else. But it’s a legendary example of heroism and realizing that helping the team win is the goal. Which is where Sally Robbins failed. Not only did she not finish the race, she didn’t do anything to help the team finish the race. Maybe not jumping from the boat (that close to the finish line, it may not have helped) but sitting up, instead of lying on the rower behind you and controlling your oar would be a big start. Like I said before, in Australian rowing getting out of the boat in a race for any reason disqualifies you, so unless they train the olympic teams with different rules it was never an option for her. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/73 "2004-08-28T03:37:44Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Yeah, I mentioned that movie earlier. (I saw it with a group of rowers when it came out and we laughed through out. The coxswain is this 180 pound guy? Yeah, right.) They really are rowing tho’ so they must have taught Joshua Jackson the fundamentals. el atheletes do and that’s what makes Sally Robbins look so bad in comparison… The hell?.. What is _wrong_ with me. Do you have any idea how many times this week I’ve gone through a thread post by post and still missed stuff like that??? Wonder if I’m doing something weird with my scrolling at work… It’s pissing me off in any case. Anyway, IIRC they _did_ in fact row a fair bit at a club near St. Catharines, ON, for the flick. He rowed his ass off. Joshua Jackson is much taller in real life than you’d expect and is a decently athletic guy. (Well, I dunno about currently, but he was at the time.) I’m pretty sure they also dragged the boat for the closer shots, though I may be mistaken. I’ll have to ask Sniffs\_Markers. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2004, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484/74 "2004-08-29T09:43:49Z")
> [@](#): > > After the intervention of John Eales, the former captain of the Australian rugby union team, the girls got together in public to make up and Julia Wilson, the leader, said that Robbins would still be a maid of honour at her wedding later in the year. Great; I can see it now. She gets three-quarters of the way down the aisle, then collapses, falling backwards onto the bride’s aged relative and causing an instant heart attack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-freakin-olympics-you-dont-just-quit/261484.md?page=3)