No.1 in the World
The trouble with blogs is they become an avenue for venting the spleen and become unduly negative. So today, it's accentuate the positive time.
We, in tiny New Zealand, currently have the world's No 1. female mountain bike orienteer. Yes, you read it here last - I haven't read the papers lately but I'm sure it was headline news in the sports pages up and down the country.
On the back of her trend-setting fourth place (yes, we orienteers are ahead of our time) at one of the races at last year's World Championships, together with recently going over and shoving it up the Aussies in their world champ selection trial races (who knows, this may also become a trand in NZ sport - see, I told you this was going to be positive), our own Marquita G. is currently ranked No.1 in the world.
This is going to be so positive I am even going to thank SPARC. Yes, SPARC have a hand in this - anything good that happens in NZ sport is usually down to them (and anything bad in NZ sport has nothing to do with them). Last year (or 2004, can't remember), they changed the rules for elite athletes' Performance Enhancement Grants for non-carded sports (i.e. sports that do not matter to New Zealanders, in other words sports they wish would drop off the face of the earth) from Top 3 in World Champs to Top 8.
So in went the application, out came the money, which allowed Marquita to travel to Oz and thus gain the No. 1 ranking. So it's SPARC we need to back-slap for this outstanding achievememnt.
Well done Marquita. Well done SPARC. Now been ranked No. 1 in the world does not necessarily mean she is the best (but I will be very very VERY VERY happy to be proved wrong - no pressure now Marquita, we are not going to put expectations on you and threaten anatomical surgery if you don't come home from this year's World Champs without a medal), and by the time the European season kicks in she might find herself sliding off the top of the tree, but for one month at least, we can say:
New Zealand has the world's best female mountain bike orienteer.
P.S. The normal shit-stirring sarcasm from this sad cynical sack will resume tomorrow.
We, in tiny New Zealand, currently have the world's No 1. female mountain bike orienteer. Yes, you read it here last - I haven't read the papers lately but I'm sure it was headline news in the sports pages up and down the country.
On the back of her trend-setting fourth place (yes, we orienteers are ahead of our time) at one of the races at last year's World Championships, together with recently going over and shoving it up the Aussies in their world champ selection trial races (who knows, this may also become a trand in NZ sport - see, I told you this was going to be positive), our own Marquita G. is currently ranked No.1 in the world.
This is going to be so positive I am even going to thank SPARC. Yes, SPARC have a hand in this - anything good that happens in NZ sport is usually down to them (and anything bad in NZ sport has nothing to do with them). Last year (or 2004, can't remember), they changed the rules for elite athletes' Performance Enhancement Grants for non-carded sports (i.e. sports that do not matter to New Zealanders, in other words sports they wish would drop off the face of the earth) from Top 3 in World Champs to Top 8.
So in went the application, out came the money, which allowed Marquita to travel to Oz and thus gain the No. 1 ranking. So it's SPARC we need to back-slap for this outstanding achievememnt.
Well done Marquita. Well done SPARC. Now been ranked No. 1 in the world does not necessarily mean she is the best (but I will be very very VERY VERY happy to be proved wrong - no pressure now Marquita, we are not going to put expectations on you and threaten anatomical surgery if you don't come home from this year's World Champs without a medal), and by the time the European season kicks in she might find herself sliding off the top of the tree, but for one month at least, we can say:
New Zealand has the world's best female mountain bike orienteer.
P.S. The normal shit-stirring sarcasm from this sad cynical sack will resume tomorrow.
Labels: orienteering
posted by Rob Crawford at 8:20 AM
2 Comments:
Big deal!
How many people do mountain bike orienteering? Marquita is probably the only one.
"out came the money, which allowed Marquita to travel to Oz".
Like she needed the money to travel!
Oh my God, a comment. So endeth the negative-free day.
From memory, there were about 60 riders from 20 countries at last year's World Champs. Current World Rankings have 69 riders with points.
"Like she needed the money to travel". I'm sure most of the COmmonwealth Games team could afford the flight to Melbourne, but it was still paid by the taxpayer. What's your point?
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