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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1978)
Pag« 6 Portland Observer Thursday September 7, 19?H Rafer Johnson on the Olympics by Rajer Johnson by B ill Schafer I think most Americans would agree that the Olympic Games is one o f the stellar attractions o f sports. In recent years, there have been times when the high drama o f the Games u n w ittin g ly focused the global spotlight on both the tragic and the controversial. Indeed — even today — two years before we compete in Moscow, some are telling us that a boycott o f the 1980 Games w ould serve as our strongest protest against the rejec tion o f human rights behind the lion Curtain. It’ s not my purpose, though, to survey the international po litica l scene I'd like to bring some o f that attention back to an area 1 know best. That is. amateur athletics — specifically, the thousands o f young Americans who are spending nearly every waking moment mentally and physically preparing fo r Moscow. Lake Placid and beyond. Regardless o f who they are, where they live or the sport they’ve chosen, these bright, aggressive and healthy Americans are bound by a common purpose. They’ re working as hard as they can. under the best available trainers, to qualify and represent this country in international competition. In my eyes, nothing compares with the thrill and satisfaction o f making the U.S. O lym pic team, and the pride in knowing you're a member of a team made up o f the best amateur athletes in the nation. It’s a proud moment for all Americans when we sit in the comfort o f our living rooms and watch one o f our own athletes lean forward to be draped with a gold, silver or bronze medal. But how does a young American reach that grand achievement o f in ternational victory? How, for that matter, does he or she reach the level o f Olympic caliber? One answer, as 1 m entioned already, is hard w o rk. Sadly, though, many o f the athletes we ap plaud during Olympic Games are there only because their commitment has driven them to make one per sonal sacrifice after another. The parents, relatives and friends o f many amateur athletes remain the single source o f the financial support so desperately needed to prepare for O lym pic co m p e titio n . A nd the situation hasn’t really improved since I first competed more than twenty years ago. The grand irony o f U.S. amateur athletics is that the major athletic organizations themselves have chosen to ignore one o f the most basic doctrines o f sport: teamwork. The Amateur A thletic U nion, the N a tio n a l C ollegiate A th le tic Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee have never really pulled RAFER JO H N S O N together in the interest o f our athletes. 1 think the obvious friction between the organizing bodies has prevented them from even talking sensibly to each other in the past ten years. But I don’ t wish to sound com pletely pessimistic, because there have been some hopeful signs in recent times. The landmark con trib u tio n by Toyota o f a m illio n dollars to the Olympic Committee, for the training of American athletes preparing fo r the 1980 Moscow Games, appears to be the leading edge o f a trend that sees private en terprise becoming more involved in amateur athletics. There’s also the special Olympic Job Opportunities Program , in v o lv in g about sixty U.S. firms. Likewise, 1 hold great faith in a key piece o f federal legislation, the pending A m ateur Sports A ct o f 1978, that has passed the Senate and is now aw aiting approval in the House. As a member o f the President’s Commission on Olympic Sports, I p a rticipated in the preparation o f this bill, which, for the fir s t tim e, w ill establish an equitable representation among the organizing bodies, the federal govern ment and the athletes themselves through an overall co ordinatin g body. A true coordinated e ffo rt — genuine n a tio n a l team w ork on behalf o f our amateur athletes — is long past due. We only have to look at the East European countries to find that unified effort. But don’ t get me wrong, I neither agree nor ap prove o f their approach to amateur sports. We can build a national team she way it works best for us, by p ro vid in g our athletes w ith the freedom to train as they wish, giving them expert instruction and the best E» SHOP IENOWS FOR B R A N D S you k n e w V A R IE TIE S you lik e SIZES yo u w e n * • «411 • I AW« • • • • • 3 3 rd A N .I K M ll w s w k » SS0» A I « r n » i4 « I A N I O b te n N Lem ko nJ •« G re e le y R e le t> A M ill* D ie s e A S .l Me m e H em eck • 3D th A S .l O iw ib e n e 3 3 r d A We«« A w m tld e e lefce O » w e * e DO B Ave • l l l ñ d r í í Otri »«en • K le« City • O e k G reve = E r na M ITHS High school season begins You're watching one o f the season opening high school football games this Friday night. The visiting team faces a fourth down and 25-yards-to- go situation for a first-down. The nuniei is roughed up but you, as a home town fan, aren't worried. It’s only a IS-yard penalty so it ’ s still fourth and ten for the other team, right? Wrong. A major rule change this season for all Oregon high school teams calls not only for a IS-yard penalty but an automatic first down for the kicking team. The reason for the rules change, says John H ilsenteger, assistant executive secretary o f the Oregon School Activities Association, is to dissuade teams from taking advan tage o f a kicking situation such as that mentioned above. " U n til this year, the defensive team could come as hard as they wanted knowing that the kicking team would still have to punt even if they were roughed up,” Hilsenteger said. "N o w we’ ve taken care o f that.” The other major change in Oregon high school football rules this year involves an invalid fair catch signal. A valid fair catch signal on the part o f a punt receiver calls for him facilities we can muster. I don’ t regret having had to work in a peach cannery during college summers, and at a hamburger stand after I was graduated, just to obtain enough money for basic needs while training. Maybe I ’ m the better for it. It’s also possible that my own ex perience showed me the vital impor tance o f providing every opportunity fo r Am erican amateurs to be as completely prepared as they can. Full-time training for Olympic com petition is enough o f a personal sacrifice for our athletes. Who can be less than amazed, for example, at A l Oerter, our greatest discus thrower? Oerter first com peted in 1956, won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, captured the national championship six times and set world records twice. Through it all, he was working for a living and finding time to train. On the corn- back trail at 41, he’s preparing for the 1980 Games in Moscow. Even more amazing than his record is the news that Oerter is training for the first time with a coach. I ’ m p u ttin g out a call to ail Americans who care. Let’ s support our amateur athletes for four years, not just once every four years. Let’s get the message to our legislators, the national organizing sports bodies and the business community. And let’s not just worry about the next team or the next Games. Instead, let’s plan to broaden our focus to bring along youngsters from the age o f eight. The winning and the medals w ill take care o f themselves. It’s time to shift the emphasis to an organized program that w ill result in con tinuous fu n d -ra isin g , tra in in g facilities coast-to-coast, top-notch coaching and anything else that best serves the interests of our amateur athletes. The O lym pic movement is fo r everybody — from the gold medal winners to the grade school hopefuls. to wave an arm above his head. I f he failed to do this in the past — for example, if he merely raised an arm above his head without waving it — his team suffered a IS-year penalty from where the ball was snapped. Now, an invalid fair catch signal will result in only a five-yard penalty from the point o f the snap. " I t ’ s a more equitable penalty,” Hilsenteger said. " A n invalid fair catch signal shouldn’t result in a first down for the kicking team. That was giving the kicking team too much of an advantage." The high school football season is starting one week earlier than last year to avoid having to play playoff games over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. For the first time, the state’s Class A A football teams w ill play an ex panded sixteen-tcam championship format, following on the heels o f the highly successful sixteen-team playoff system held for the first time last season by the Class A A A schools. The Class A and eight-man championships w ill involve eight teams. The girls volleyball season also opens this week but with no major rules changes having taken place. Other sports that w ill be getting un derway this fall include gymnastics and cross country for boys and girls.’ And it’s fo r you and me. I like to think o f my three-and-five-year-olds as p o te n tia l O lym pians. I ’ m ex posing them to as many activities as possible. Even at those ages sports works wonders as an organized ef fort that simply means having fun and meeting new faces. 1 think there are hopeful signs, and a national momentum seems to be gathering. A great number o f people down through the years deserve credit fo r w hat’ s beginning to m aterialize. Robert F. Kennedy pushed for a united effort in the ’60s. Today, Senators Culver, Stevens and Stone, the Congressmen Kent, Metcalfe, Michael and Mineta are among those in Washington carrying the message forward. 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FAILING Dial A P rayer 28441684 Church School 9:45 a.m Worship l i e a m Office 281 2332 Specializint In Individual • Marriott and Family • Group Therapy "The Church Where No Stranger feel» Strange" Sunday Sunday School 9:15am Morning M orahip 11:15 am “Showers of Kleaninga Broadcast" KGAR 1550 11:30 am 12:30 urn YPBC 6:30 pm Evangelistic M orahip 8:00 pm Tuesday-Friday Nnam Day Prayer t Tuesday: Bible Band/Jr. Church Wednesday: Choir Rehearsal Friday: “The Paator Speaka" 84 NE Killingaworth 281-0499 7:30 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm Sunday School Morning W orahip Evening Service 2nd, 4th and 5th Sunday» Communion 1 at Sunday Med. - Family Prayer Meeting and Bible Study Friday - Brotherhood Fellowship Service with Morning Star 3rd Sunday Prayer and Paator Phone: 281-6476 Church Phone: 281-0163 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 7:00 p.m. 5:00p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 3 7 2 5 N. Gentenbeln Avenue, Portland, Oregon 9 7 2 2 7
