W8+ Womens Eight Athens Olympics

[jorishermans]

it's not Holland, it's the Netherlands!

someone from Scotland would be very pissed off if he would be called an Englishman. but people from the UK remain calling the Netherlands Holland. (everybody does, but they should know better, for we have the same situation)

[bax0001]

She wouldn't have been the only one in that race that had blown up, however she stopped unlike all the other rowers. Sally could of easily just kept her blade work going until she settled down again rather then simply stopping;.

And for the selectors they have to choose the best boat at the time of trials and evidence showed that she was moving the boat well. Sally would of protested if she wasn't selected.

I am sure there would have been talk behind the scenes to not let her in the boat.

[boru1982]

Listen to the asshole of a commentator at 0:16. He was practically distraught when the US didnt win.

[daisybijou]

Why would you feel sorry for Sally Robbins - she willingly pursued a rowing career knowing that she carried this 'weakness' (inability to pace herself for entire races) and had carried it for many years. The coach and selectors backed her to be able to manage this weakness, but when the stress of a long campaign peaked (and crewmate's expectations), her mind pulled the pin on her body The coach certainly did not push her too much the day before (the day before was a rest day for the crew!).

[boru1982]

@daisybijou You have just proved that it wasn't her fault. The selectors selected her, already knowing that she had problems with her fitness in the past(know idea why you call it 'weakness'). Why weren't her fitness levels tested before the competition? Crazy set-up.

[daisybijou]

@boru1982 WTF? How is an 'inability to pace herself for entire races' anything to do with fitness? How do you think they pick olympic rowers in Australia seeing they don't do fitness tests on them - swimsuit parades?

No one blamed the selectors and coach for Paula Radcliffe not finishing the marathon in Athens, this was no different. Yes, those parties played their part in it, but so too did Sally.

[boru1982]

@daisybijou You're missing the point - this wasn't the first time this had happened to her. The selectors knew that. The selectors knew that she always had troubled with her fitness or as you call it 'pacing herself'. It looks like they did nothing to fix this problem. This is a team sport yet she seemed to get no support from hers.

[daisybijou]

@boru1982 Would it have been more supportive to axe her, instead of spending years &100s of thousands of tax payer dollars developing her right from junior? Just because the problem wasn't solved doesn't mean nothing was tried. Truth is she got too much support, instead of being kicked to the kerb years before, as you're infering should have occurred. Unfortunately, the 1st step in addressing your problems is to admit you have some-something she didn't do-you can't blame others for that. tx ;)

[boru1982]

@daisybijou This problem wasn't a secret. The selectors knew about. Her teammates knew about. Spectators knew about. The only people who didn't know about it were people who weren't fans of rowing, the very same people who jumped on this and wanted to crucify her.

[daisybijou]

@boru1982 No different from people jumping on this wanting to crucify the selectors. Agree, no secret - she certainly knew about it. After her collapse, the coach was sacked and left the country, the rest of the crew was publicly castigated by the team's chief, one teammate was suspended, and most of the others were ostracised and left the sport. Sally continued to row with taxpayer funded assistance and official support at the WAIS & tried for the 2008 team-so who really got crucified here?

[boru1982]

@daisybijou Why do you keep on bringing 'the tax-payer' line into it? It makes no sense. She is an Aussie and I presume she payed her taxes therefore she was fully entitled to use the resources she payed for...unless you know different of course?

[daisybijou]

@boru1982 Hey man, just stating facts that's all - although good point - as a fulltime athlete on government funded scholarships and other assistance, she wouldn't have paid any tax. Maybe they should bill her...*LOL*

[ohiosgreyghost]

Hopeless bitch let us down!

[NowRahRiver]

The only one I feel sorry for is Sally Robbins.

[d4nno9]

PS it wasnt the selecters, robbins is still an amazing rower, just she was pushed to hard by the coaches as i said before

[KevinMayall35]

Umm actually it WAS the selectors. They knew damn well she has "form" yet chose to risk her.

[d4nno9]

Sally didnt give up, she still gave her all, it was her coach who pushed them to hard the day before, therefore, sally passed out and the whole crew were to tired to race as hard as they could have

[BarbieBrittany1]

i'm 14 years old and had my first crew race yesterday. and WOW this video was really inspiring!! :)

[ETAG231189]

those eights look like they're 40 meters long :S

[girlygirl850]

who came 2nd and 3rd at 6:23

[girlygirl850]

if you look very closely at 6:36 sally passes out

[AxelPRC]

when does lay down sally lay down and what seat?

[trunkfunkowner]

Sally Robbins was in seat 6 (the third from the Coxswain at the rear of the boat). She lay down at about the 800 metre point. The Aussie crew was in the race up to about the 600 meter point, holding 3rd and threatening the US for 2nd. You live and die with your crew; you gotta feel for the other gals in the boat - especially in the final. The coaches are 100% to blame; Sally had done this 2x before- cracking under pressure, and they should have substituted her for Athens- especially the finals.

[AxelPRC]

i dont know if thats soo much the coaches fault as it is the selectors, the coaches sont have a choice about whos in their boat

[DrFlippin]

I think trunkfunkowner was probably referring to the coaching staff, including those who actually make the selections for their crews. Sally Robbins, like her mates, is supposed to focus on performing at her very best. The coachng staff are to make decisions about crew inclusions and exclusions. Sally did her best but on that day, she had a mental breakdown (like she had done before). The crew member that slapped Sally, slapped the wrong face; they should have all slapped their coaching staff's.

[AxelPRC]

yea i dont know about that, at the end of the day its all on the athletes. If you were in a race would stopping in an olympic final in a 8+ even cross you mind? NO

[DrFlippin]

I agree that is why Sally Robbins will never live that event down. My point about Robbins is that she did not intend to quit; neither would any other high performance athlete- especially in the Olympics. That's why I don't believe this was a case of someone just 'quitting'. Like a physiological organ that involuntarily shuts down, Robbin's mental system just packed it in. Unfortunate timing! Unfair to the other crew members! The coaches had seen this before but they still put her in the boat.

[AxelPRC]

yea i guess so. But you cant put yourself into the mind of Sally Robbins so no one will know. But yea she had done the same thing mutiple times. If i was in a boat i would have beat the shit out of her, it sounds cruel but when you put soo much time and effort into your sport and it gets taken away from you like that because of what someone else did you should be pissed the fuck off she got what she deserved in my opinion

[SixShotsFired]

i liked how he said regatta. re-gatt-a

[fibb11]

how the hell did USA do so well, they looked like crap, bodies going side to side!! must have been yanking the hell out of it!

[Dillonnnnnnnnnn]

maybe two leaned to the left, two leaned to the right, two leaned forward, and two leaned back, leaving it even =p

[xx765]

If by 'side to side' you mean half the crew leaning left and the other half leaning right at the front, it the right thing to do...

[lachiemckenzie]

well obviously, but some of the stroke siders lean to bow side and visa versa- hey it worked but it looks messy!

[DrFlippin]

Give the Aussie women some credit- for carrying the boat when one of their crew had a mental breakdown; face it, shit happens- and it happens on the world stage from time to time. Most of the crew bit down hard and refrained from publically berating their mentally ill crew member, when it must have been really hard not to. Aussies can forgive- they're champions!.

[monadomnica]

Romania was invincible!

[thisisinstant]

6 in the Aussie boat gave up