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Show Hilltop November 9, 2000 National Governing Body of the respective sport, may apply for inclusion into the WCAP. I wasnt sure if there was any kind of sports program anywhere, said Canfield. I started making a few phone calls and found out they (the Air Force) actually had a program of some kind and they could help with the travel costs. I did that for two years in Florida. They would send me out about three times a year to train, but then they moved me out Car-pedestri- an argument often ends tragically here. When I moved out here I was able to train full time, he said. I had already been in touch with the WCAP people and once I had enough markers and the National Governing body that governs the sport who decide if youre an Olympic hopeful or not actually contacted WCAP and they inducted me into the program in June. Im in the Utah Air National Guard, said Christie. When I met Maj. Canfield he told me about the WCAP program. I didnt think it was an option for me, being in the Guard. But I did the paperwork and here I am. Since Christie was in the Utah ANG, he didnt have to relocate to fulfill his training requirements, unlike Canfield who had to be receive a special duty assignment to Hill AFB where he could train. Based on their resume and inputs, athletes accepted into the program are assigned to a location that is most conducive to extensive training in their sport, in this case Utah. Athletes may train with the national team or with a nationally ranked coach for up to two years prior to the Olympics. They may remain in the program as long as they remain competitive in their sport and continue to progress toward their training goals and Olympic team selecpre-approv- by Gary Boyle Hilltop Times into flight and when impact with the asphalt occurs more damage is done and a person is either traumatized or dead. In a conflict between .a pedestrian and a vehicle the pedestrian is bound to lose. n U r tion. 50-ye- arefrigerated track. The beginning push is an important part of eting, but with out a strong push, wont see the gold. Canfield, iect to exceed speeds of 80 miles per hour down the icy chute. V - J,h ' f V flv : , f f t$ ; f ' Bf I ' v i M ; ? - hristie) last year in the National Championships test. Yat much. So this year Im going to use as a Var combination. to try and find that magic ing Witn the Air Force engineers helping with the eQuipment, Christie and Canfield used their resources and where picked up by the World Class Athlete ' i ! Program. The Air Force World Class Athlete Program offers qualified Air Force athletes the opportunity trainie yaPply for a program that provides ng in their sport. Any Air Force athlete who has Gained a high national ranking in an Olympic sport, 0r has been identified by the Olympic Committees iniVhly full-tim- ar members have earned more than 160 gold, silver Christie and Canfield hope and bronze medals to add to that number. Christie and Canfield are also soliciting the aid of some of the worlds most reknown coaches to help them add to the medal count. Weve hired a sprint coach whos very well educated and knows what hes doing, said Canfield. Were also in contact with the Olympic Track and Field coaches. One guy, John Smith has coached Maurice Green and a number of the athletes we saw in September in Sydney. Ill be working with him to see if I can get .these old legs to move just two percent faster. Canfield cant get that two percent being behind the desk, thats why WCAP was formed. Now both Canfield and Christie can spend all their time training, working toward that final goal. All I do now is train, said Canfield. Mainly what Im working on is my start. The track, Im pretty good at driving, but I need to get my start time down about a 10th of a second and Ill be in the range of where I want to be, definitely in the first 50 meters. I generally push a 5.10 seconds, I want to get that down to 5.0 seconds, he said. That 10th of a second actually increases my time two tenths of a second at the bottom. It doubles. Once I pass that, every tenths of a second or every hundredths of a second that I push faster off the top, Ill double that at the bottom. Which is the separation between me and some of the other sliders. The a competition is a combination of strengths and weaknesses, said Canfield. We have a people who are amazingly fast of the top, but their driving isnt the best. And weve got guys who arent so fast off the top but can drive fast on the track. Ive got ; a year to get faster. The Nationals didnt guarantee either contender a spot at the Olympics. It merely qualified them to compete in the races that will determine if these Olympic hopefuls will have a chance to fulfill their goals. We need five international races, said Canfield. The National tryouts allowed us to qualify in the so top 10 and go to these races. Theres only for many people the governing body wants racing the trials and the Nationals gave us the opportunity to try and become one of those people. Now the goal is to win these international races. For Christie, the Olympics is just an added benefit. The final test in his training. Even the goal right now is not the Olympics, he said. It just so happens the Olympics are coming I up in the time frame Im competing. just keep trying to improve. Canfield and Christie credited Doug Wiser and his team at the Aging Landing Gear Life Extension Program, Blaine Scholfield, Technology and Industrial Force Support Directorate, and Larry Coulter, Airthe racin helping Research Lab, for their assistance about more aerodynamics helping them ers learn increase their run times. staff During initial impact is when some of the bones break. As the body rolls over the hood the driver usually slams on the brakes. This puts the body ed Over a period of participating in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games, military service 17 j u t: s s rS r4 5 i A "4 1 j r4 f 4 - Last week a vehicle allegedly struck a person riding bicycle without a helmet through a crosswalk. A few days later in the hospital the individual began to recover some basic motor skills. We average around one pedestrian in a crosswalk accident a year, but if you talk near misses were talking several a day, Karen Thompson, of the Aircraft Directorate Safety Office, said. That is a shared responsibility of drivers not stopping and pedestrians not yielding. Throughout the base members of Team Hill often seem bent on taking each other out and not in the nice way. What is ironic is people who almost ran over a pedestrian one minute may soon find themselves crossing the same intersection a minute later. Pedestrians saunter across the road at their leisure while drivers will often miss a person by millimeters at crosswalks. There is just no courtesy between drivers and pedestrians. Drivers dont want to be the one who has to stop for the pedestrian. Pedestrians all seem to think because they have the right of way that will protect them and it wont, Jimmy Campbell, Ogden ALC Operational Risk Management Program Manager, said. I know as a pedestrian I have the right of way in the crosswalk. I also know that in an lose, so I dont step argument with a car I out in front of cars until know the driver has seen me and is going to stop. Campbell suggests making eye contact between driver and pedestrian to increase understanding of what the other person is going to do the is also quick to point out that the pedestrian is not always right. Utah Criminal and Traffic code, which applies on this installation, A pedestrian may not suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard. Put simply if you step in front of a vehicle before it can reasonably come to a stop you will get hit and then it wont really matter who is in the right or wrong. Dont push it. If you are a pedestrian dont automatically get out and challenge cars and expect them to stop, Campbell said. Drivers need to yield to pedestrians. Dont try to be the last guy across the crosswalk and make the guy behind you stop for the pedestrian. There are several places on base that are con- sidered hot spots, with the South Gate, the 649th Combat Logistics Squadron industrial area, and the 1200 area being some of the more notorious. The South Gate has a tunnel that goes below the street, but pedestrians dont always use it. Near Bldg. 1205 there is a cross walk marked with a big yellow sign and flashing light but drivers dont always see it. Courtesy seems to be the key. When crossing a street, do it quickly. No one says you have to run but get across with minimal fanfare. When you are behind the wheel let the person walk from one curb to the other with minimal threat. If you are running late that few seconds you may save by almost killing someone will make little difference. Incidents become accidents because someone was not paying attention to their immediate surroundings. Stepping off a curb a person puts their life into the hands of strangers, while at the same time a vehicle in careless hands can be a lethal weapon. Caution and attention along with courtesy and respect will insure all employees on base are safe. d f! |