After I was awarded first team All-American honors in sabre fencing in 1982, I was approached by a coach from the US national team – would I consider spending two years in New York after graduation, in a bid to join the US Olympic team for the games in 1984? The Navy could cut me “recruiting” orders, such things had been done before. I was deeply conflicted, flight school awaited.
The chance of a lifetime, or the dream of a lifetime?
Pensacola, as it turned out.
And that may have made all the difference:
Health officials in Vancouver have already provided 100,000 free condoms to the roughly 7,000 ahtletes and officials at the Games. That’s about 14 condoms per person. But as of Wednesday, those supplies started running dangerously low.
So naturally, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS research decided to step and make sure there were no hitches in Olympic action.
“When we heard about the condom shortage in Vancouver, we felt it important to respond immediately,” said Kerry Whiteside, CANFAR’s Executive Director. The organization assembled three large boxes of about 8,500 condoms, much to the relief of libidos at the Olympic Village. They’re expected to arrive on Thursday.
With respect, I think the numbers are a bit skewed: There may be 7,000 athletes at Vancouver, but roughly half of them are female and don’t, you know.
All by themselves, I mean.
Need.
Silly me. I thought atheletes had to hold themselves chaste so as to not waste vital energies. Guess they were trying to imitate the Energizer Bunny…
Post game festivities?
“Precious bodily fluids,” Byron, “Precious bodily fluids.” Didn’t Gen. Jack D. Ripper teach you ANYTHING?
Dude, I was trying to keep the bar reasonably high and not drop to a certain level. Obviously, certain people LIVE there
Thants why Canada doesn’t flouridate their water.
A disciple of Sylvester Graham (of graham cracker fame) I see.
http://bit.ly/a0P6Hh
Well, whatever, but it’s a good idea to keep a belt-fed MG in the golf bag; you never know when you’ll need one.
He missed the party in Vancouver!
NAS skipper removed
pending conduct probe
Navy begins probe into officer’s alleged
inappropriate conduct
Travis Griggs • tgriggs@pnj.com • February
27, 2010
The commanding officer of Pensacola Naval
Air Station, Capt. William P. Reavey, was
removed from duty Friday, pending an
inquiry into alleged inappropriate conduct.
Base officials announced via e-mail shortly
after 5 p.m. that Reavey, 51, temporarily was
removed from his post by Rear Adm. Tim
Alexander, commander of Navy Region
Southeast.
Pensacola NAS spokesman Patrick Nichols
declined to elaborate on the nature of the
alleged inappropriate conduct.
Nichols said officials with Navy Region
Southeast, headquartered in Jacksonville, are
coming to Pensacola to conduct an
investigation next week. Officials at Navy
Region Southeast could not be reached for
comment Friday evening.
Cmdr. Greg A. Thomas, Pensacola NAS
executive officer, will serve as acting
commanding officer until the completion of
the inquiry, Nichols said.
Reavey, 51, of Manchester, Conn., graduated
from Roger Williams College in 1981 and
entered the Navy in 1984 through Aviation
Officer Candidate School. He took command
of Pensacola NAS in June 2008.
Reavey earned his Wings of Gold as a Naval
Flight Officer in May 1985, and has logged
more than 4,300 flight hours, primarily in
EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.
There have been comments that this whole thing is bogus and just being abused for publicity by the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.
ADDENDUM: I guess I shouldn’t excoriate ‘ole Byron too much, from the size of the order, doesn’t look like anyone else of the male persuasion of the species is following Gen. Ripper’s advise to “deny them my essence” either.
Logistics is everything. You can’t go to war without your supplies.
Geeez… doesn’t anyone buy their own any more?
not since the Condom Subsidy Act of 2001!
Good choice. 27 years later you’re still flying but how often have you been able to pick up a sabre and fence with a friend since that time?
I’ve had a similar problem. It’s been hard to find 21 other guys with pads for a full contact game after college.
Peter Westbrook won the Bronze in Men’s Individual Sabre in 1984. With the Eastern Block fencers boycotting the Olympics, the US had an unusual chance to medal in Fencing. I have a vague recollection of someone turning me into hamburger in 1983 at my last sabre competition, the Atlanta Open. It may have been him.
Lex, I’m sure you had a good chance, but flying is a lot more fun than being hit repeatedly with a sabre. The other full contact game events — hmmm.
From the article, it appears that in Vancouver, it is not difficult to find a “friend” to “fence” with.
Speaking of full pads, Wilco, lots of cities have annual Fire-Police full pad charity football games and I’m always amazed that these mostly years-ago HS athletes aren’t stroking out or being carried off with massive MIs in droves. Says something about the human body’s ability to absorb punishment, I guess…
Like most guys, I watch a game and, for maybe two seconds, I say to myself I could do that.
…and in the third second realize I would get my butt royally kicked in a powder puff match.
At least you can still play tennis.
Happens every olympics. Yet still passes for news. What does that say about us?
“ZOMG!! Athletic, attractive college co-eds are having recreational sex!!!!1!”
I think you nailed it. Wait… maybe that was a poor choice of words on my part…
Is this some kind of Canadian Stimulus Package?
Only if ribbed.
Lex, I keep wondering why you haven’t taken fencing back up. There are some excellent clubs in San Diego. Have a whack at the World Masters Games.
I would imagine that the condoms will be somewhat evenly distributed among the sexes. The best way for a woman to make sure that her man uses a condom is to give him one herself.
And the IOC made a big deal about some champagne, beer and cigars???
“…decided to step and make sure there were no hitches in Olympic action.”
From the fact the previous order has evidently been expended, it would seem no one needed to step in.
I can’t think of a good gladius joke here without actually saying vagina.
I’ve been to Vancouver. If I were younger and could find work… The population is about 3 million, I think. 2.9 million are good looking women.
And the National Curling Assoc. has the ‘Hurry Hard’ condom as a fund raiser.
No, really. Google it yourself if you don’t believe me.
See what I mean? The human monkey behavior is always funny if you look at it from a somewhat autistically detached point of view.
Canada won the Men’s Hockey Gold, so I suppose the two teams are behaving in a deplorably amoral manner. Sigh, where have standards gone?
Scott, I think the members of both teams are packing their gear and flying home. Some have NHL games Monday. And the rest have games Tuesday.
“There may be 7,000 athletes at Vancouver, but roughly half of them are female and don’t, you know.”
No glove. No love.