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Friday September 16, 2016 vol. cxxxix no. 67
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Special Edition: Olympics Issue
By Shriya Sekhsaria news editor
Of the 13 University students and alumni and two assistant coaches that competed at the 2016 Olympics, three returned home with medals. Ashleigh Johnson ’17 goal kept her way to gold when Team USA beat Italy, 12-5, in the women’s water polo finals. This is the U.S.’ second consecutive gold medal in the event, and Johnson’s first Olympic medal. Johnson has been a key part of the team’s success through the tournament – she made eight saves to help Team USA beat Hungary, 14-10, in the semifinals and six saves when the U.S. defeated Brazil, 13-3, in the quarterfinals. In the group matches, Johnson made nine saves when the team beat Hungary, 11-6, eight saves when it beat China, 12-4, and eleven saves when it beat Spain, 11-4. Diana Matheson ’08 won her
second consecutive Olympic bronze medal when Canada defeated Brazil, 2-1, in the women’s soccer bronze medal match. Until it lost 2-0 to Germany in the semifinals, Canada had an undefeated streak at the Games – during the preliminaries, it defeated Australia, 2-0, Zimbabwe, 3-1, and Germany, 2-1, before beating France, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. American rower Gevvie Stone ’07 returned with a silver medal in the women’s single sculls event with a time of 7:22.92 on Day 8 of the Games. Australia’s Kim Brennan finished first with a time of 7:21.54. At the 2016 Games, Stone finished fifth overall in the heats, second in the quarterfinals, third in the semifinals, and second in the finals. Stone’s second place finish follows her seventh place finish in 2012. American fencer Katharine See RIO page 7
O N TA P
COURTESY OF TYLER NASE ‘13
University alumni at Rio 2016 Closing Ceremonies.
{ Feature }
Olympians at Princeton By Shriya Sekhsaria news editor
One hundred and one University students and alumni have competed in the summer Olympic Games for a total of 148 appearances between the 1897 and 2016 Games. “The intensity of Princeton undergrads makes the athletic culture here very c mpetitive and perfect for creating Olympians,” Kevin Cotter ’96, a two time Olympian and former crew coach at the University, said. American rower Carol Brown ’75, vice president of US Olympians and Paralympians, the USOC athlete alumni organization, said that the University has quite a few sports “where we consistently have put athletes on the Olympic team.” Brown said that these sports include rowing, track and field, field hockey, fencing, soccer and potentially women’s rugby. “For most sports, if an athlete re-
ally wants to focus, and if they have the disposition and the body for it, I think they can get all the resources they need as students at Princeton to be the best athletes that they can be,” American shot putter August Wolf ’83, a Trustee of the US Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, said. Most frequently represented sports Rowing has attracted the most Olympians from the University, with 36 University Olympians until the 2016 Games. “[Rowing] is an extremely physically challenging sport; but it’s also elegantly rhythmic and beautiful. When a boat gets in the zone perfectly synchronized, it feels remarkably rewarding,” American rower Douglas Foy ’69 said. Twenty athletes from the University have competed in track and field events, making it the second most popular Olympic category at the University.
U. Olympians recount their favorite moments By Shriya Sekhsaria news editor COURTESY OF ZIMBIO.COM
On tap with gold medalist Ashleigh Johnson ’17 By Shriya Sekhsaria news editor
After leading the U.S. women’s water polo team to gold medals at the Pan American Games and the FINA world championships last year, Ashleigh Johnson ’17 will be the goalie for the team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The Daily Princetonian sat down with Johnson to discuss her expectations and aspirations for the Games, her team traditions and her experiences with water polo. Daily Princetonian: Tell us a little about the first time you ever played water polo. Ashleigh Johnson: I don’t remember the first time I played water polo very well. But I re-
In Opinion
member that even though I didn’t know anything about water polo, I still had a ton of fun playing in a sport against all my siblings. DP: What’s your favorite thing about the sport? AJ: My favorite thing about water polo is the competitiveness of it and how evident that competitiveness is in every play of the game. DP: What was your first thought when you learned that you had qualified for the Olympic Games? AJ: My first thought when we qualified for the Olympics was “WE’RE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS!!” DP: What’s the craziest water polo practice you’ve ever had? See JOHNSON page 11
GUEST COLUMNIST LOUIS BERES GS ‘71 DISCUSSES THE SOCIETAL CONDITIONS THAT ALLOWED DONALD TRUMP TO RISE ON A PLATFORM OF ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM, AND OPINION EDITOR JASON CHOE DISCUSSES THE COVERAGE OF THE PARALYMPIC GAMES. PAGE 10.
Students and alumni who have represented various nations in several sports shared favorite moments from their University and Olympic experiences. Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Raymond ’68 said that his favorite moment at the University was sitting atop the old Palmer stadium with Don Marsh ’68 after a fall workout running the steps “on one of those soft pastel afternoons”. At the Olympics, one of his favorite moments was the afternoon before the finals when his team had lightly rowed up and down the course “in perfect quiet and calm.” “As we turned to head back up, suddenly the sound system opened with Joan Baez’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. And I watched the world champion single sculler, Argentinian Alberto DeMiddi, come by, gentle as a butterfly and just bursting with potential energy,” Raymond said. Raymond added that other
memorable moments from the Olympics included Dick Joyce, his opposite #6 seat in the NZ crew, giving him three NZ shirts; and encounters with the people he met at the Olympic Village. “[I enjoyed meeting a] short round man from Togo with whom I chatted half an hour, seated on one of the Aztec ruins uncovered in the construction of Mexico’s Olympic village, who a few days later appeared on a path with a great smile, ‘Peter!’ as if we were the world’s best friends, and a gift of a dashiki I have to this day,” he said. Fellow American rower Douglas Foy ’69 said that one of his favorite moments at the 1968 Games was meeting the weightlifters after watching one of their events. Foy and his teammates watched the middleweight competition from a special athletesonly area in the balcony above the weightlifting arena. “[The gold medalist] was huge. We [the rowers] were all big; but he was possibly the biggest we’d seen,” Foy said. Foy then met the gold medalSee MOMENT page 8
Today on Campus 6:30 p.m.: Princeton Shakespeare Company will perform “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged.” Frist Campus Center/Performance Theatre.
“I like the black and white nature of it [track and field events such as shot put]. There’s no referees. There’s no subjective judging. There’s a measuring tape. And I like that. It suited my personality,” Wolf said. The third most popular Olympic sport at the University for number of competitors is fencing, with twelve competitors hitherto. American fencer Soren Thompson ’05 said that fencing involved a lot of possibilities for each athlete to make their own tactics and strategies to develop themselves in a unique way, with each opponent acting as a new set of problems to figure out. “What I’ve always liked about fencing is that it’s an individual sport at its core, although I also loved the team aspect of it as well. It is one person’s skill, technique and tactics against another’s. It is a true martial sport in that sense,” American See OLYMPIANS page 4
A piece of advice from U. Olympians By Shriya Sekhsaria news editor
University students and alumni who competed in the Olympic Games through the years have advice for future Olympians, with most centering around making the most of the Olympic experience without getting distracted. “From one athlete to another: You’ve done all of the work, you’ve done all the training and you’ve done everything you could to prepare you for this moment — now just let it all hang out,” American rower Tom Welsh ’99 said. Fellow American rower Kevin Cotter ’96 said that Olympians should know that the Olympic Games are not the peak of their career. “There is more to do. More to leave on this planet. Do something bigger and better AFTER the Olympics… it is possible. For me that ended up being music… See ADVICE page 9
WEATHER
U. Olympians end Rio journey with three medals
TIGERS IN RIO
HIGH
76˚
LOW
51˚
Clear. chance of rain:
0 percent
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Tigers in Rio
The Daily Princetonian
Friday September 16, 2016
Kate Bertko ’06
Gevvie Stone ’07
Women’s Lightweight Pair, USA
Women’s Single Sculls, USA
“In 2014, I raced at the World Championships two months after having major abdominal surgery. I had been in the boat for less than a month prior to the regatta and was horribly unprepared to race. As I came off the starting line during my heat, I remember being genuinely concerned that I might not be able to physically complete the 2000 meter course.”
“Rio has been an incredible experience. The energy of attending other sporting events, exploring the city, and being at Closing Ceremonies are all amazing memories now. But, the highlight for me was the rowing. I love rowing, racing, and being a part of the international elite rowing community. And, of course, I will never forget the joy of being on the podium.”
Diana Matheson ’08
Robin Prendes ’11
Lauren Wilkinson ’11
Women’s Soccer, Canada
Men’s Lightweight Four, USA
Women’s Eight, Canada
Kathleen Sharkey ’13 Ashleigh Johnson ’17
Katherine Holmes ’17
Women’s Field Hockey, USA
Women’s Water Polo,
Women’s Eight, Canada
“The Olympics were an unbelievable experience. It was so special to be a member of Team USA and to represent our country at the greatest sporting event in the world. Although we fell short of our team’s goal of finishing on the podium, I’m extremely proud of our team’s 5th place finish. Overall, the Olympics were one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I will never forget the memories we created.”
“Every water polo practice can be hard, but when I was younger, we used to go to three two-and-a-half hour practices in a day and think nothing of it.”
“The Olympics is something you dream about and think about for four years and then in a flash of emotions, colors, sights, and sounds it is over in a few short days. Even though the actual event is constrained by hours and days, however, it is something that stays with you forever. Not only the memories and friends you’ve have made, but also the lessons you have learned that will carry you forward both in sport and in life.”
“ Three things that I’m going to bring to Rio are my water bottle, my suit and my Croc sandals, haha.” “My first thought when we qualified for the Olympics was ‘WE’RE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS!!’”
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Glenn Ochal ’08
Tyler Nase ’13
Katie Reinprecht ’13
Men’s Eight, USA
Men’s Lightweight Four, USA
Women’s Field Hockey, USA
Donn Cabral ’12
Julia Reinprecht ’14
Robby Andrews
Women’s Field Hockey, USA
Women’s Field Hockey, USA
Coach, Men’s 1500 Meter. USA
“ I’m most looking forward to lining up and racing for the U.S. at the highest level of the sport. In rowing, to even qualify a boat is a significant challenge … and now that we cleared that hurdle, we are going to give everything to win a gold medal. And that’s the fun part … working with eight other guys and a coach to simply try and out-row the best guys from other countries. I can’t ask for anything more.”
“The Olympics was an amazing, yet humbling experience. I am so greatful to have been apart of team USA. Being here and watching other athletes compete has greatly motivated to continue training for 2020.”
“I feel incredibly lucky to play with Julia on our national team. She truly is my best friend, so, off the field, it’s nice to know I will always have my go-to person. On the field, she is one of the hardest working and smartest players we have. I think I can speak for the team in saying we feel super lucky to have her on the field with us. Having a sister on the team means we get to share so many incredible experiences together and make memories that we can look back on for the rest of our lives.”
Fun Facts from Rio with Katherine Holmes ’ 17
1. There are condom machines all over the village with a special guy whose sole job is to refill these condom machines.
2. There is a McDonalds in the village where everything is free for the athletes and the line is always insanely long.
Priscilla Frederick Coach, Women’s High Jump Antigua and Barbuda
3. The dining hall is the most interesting people watching venue in the world. You have everybody from the 4 ft. 5 in. Chinese gymnasts who appear only to eat vast plates of pineapple to the 6 ft. 7. Polish volleyball players that have trays loaded with plates of pasta, cookies, and ice cream.
4. The amount of swag you get is incredible - they hook you up with Ralph Lauren and Nike fittings and then you role out with two massive suitcases packed to the brim. I probably got enough stuff to wear a different outfit everyday...though some of the stuff like the Ralph Lauren shirt/ dress thing with matching ascot were not quite my style.
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Since 1896, Princeton has had 101 summer Olympians OLYMPIANS Continued from page 1
fencer Charles Lee Shelley ’78 added. Other sports that University Olympians have competed in include swimming, cycling, basketball, shooting, sailing, field hockey and table tennis. “In the US, table tennis and ping pong are kind of seen as an activity that you do with your friends after a couple of beers,” American table tennis player Erica Wu ’18 said. Wu trained in China before she competed in the Games as a high school sophomore, making her one of the youngest Olympians at the University. “Table tennis is a really, really beautiful sport. And it’s a really, re-
ally complex sport because it’s fast,” Wu, now captain of the University’s Table Tennis Club, added. Representing nations other than the United States 14 of the University’s 101 summer Olympians have represented nations and territories other than the United States at the Games, of which six have represented Canada. Canadian fencer Danek Nowosielski ’91 said that the schedule for his national team, which involved traveling to Europe for the weekend nearly every two weeks, often clashed with the University’s athletic schedule; thereby forcing him to prioritize the Canadian National team over the University’s team. “My schedule was mapped out from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed… It was a choice. That was twenty-five years ago, and I wouldn’t hesitate to make it a second time,” Nowosielski said. Canadian rower Thomas Herschmiller ’01 said that it may be a little more complicated to represent nations other than the United States
a short amount of time,” Cotter said. “I think representing the United to go to a good school. and Canada while studying at the American fencer Maya Lawrence States is a little more streamlined University. “Those were the things for me “There were other Canadians that in terms of qualifying meets and that created a sense of responsibil- ’02 said that she treated fencing like were attending college in the US so criteria (at least in swimming), but ity and pressure to do my best. And it was a University course, and even the national team accommodated us it’s more competitive in most sports I felt like making it to the Olympic referred to it as her fifth class. “I dedicated as much time to praca bit for trials etc. Although…in US so therefore more challenging to Games — there’s no better way to say Rowing there’s a pathway to repre- qualify for the USA,” Lennox said. thank you than for people to kind of ticing as I did my university class. I A lifelong dream requiring see that result in terms of me walk- guess you could say I had two majors sent the country in a boat without attending camp, this doesn’t exist consistent effort ing into the Olympic stadium and — politics and fencing,” Lawrence For most of these Olympians, the representing my country. I think — I said. in Canadian rowing,” Herschmiller Pernell noted that the balance she Games have been a life long dream hope that that was a source of pride explained. had to strike between her sport and He added that he loved row- that they consistently worked to- for my family,” Teti said. ing against his college teammates wards. For example, American Thompson added that it is very academics was good training for abroad because that provided more rower Lia Pernell ’03 wanted to be difficult to make it to the Games as life, although she was not very good opportunities to “talk down to other an Olympian since she saw the 1984 a fencer unless one receives proper at this balance. “I could only think of one thing Games on television at a grocery training and trains consistently countries.” “There was definitely a time in store when she was only three years from a young age, since fencing is at a time. You know, if I had a test, I the late 90′ s where Canada wasn’t so old. would forget half my rowing clothes an extremely technical sport. good and the US won a lot, so I got “I remember thinking as I tried “By the time you’re in college, for practice. But you know, you have to enjoy their wins because I was so to peer up [above the grocery store many athletes are already at the no choice when you’re training — close to the guys, there wasn’t any counter] that I would be an Olym- Olympic level. It’s very hard to catch you have to start to figure that stuff out. I’m still working on balancing things,” Pernell said. American field hockey player Katie Reinprecht ‘13 said that while it was difficult to juggle the demands of the University’s academics with the demands of a national team that trains all year long, doing both was manageable as long as she was upfront with professors about her upcoming absence, so that she could complete assignments well in advance. Kirkwood noted on the physical challenges that come with being a University student and an Olympian, explaining, “[qualifying for the jealousy,” Herschmiller added. pian… So there was really no doubt up. The complexities of the sport Games] is a lot of hard work. A lot Other nations and territories rep- in my head that I would try to make make it so that experience is very of times when your body is broken resented at the Games by the Uni- it,” Pernell said. and you still have to train hard and helpful,” Thompson explained. versity’s Olympians include SwitzerSwiss swimmer Nathalie KirkAmerican rower Steven Coppola there’s a lot of yelling by the coaches, land, Puerto Rico, Greece, Iceland wood ’93 said that she swam and lift- ’06 said that it was possible to begin but you’ve got to keep going. And and Haiti. ed weights nearly every day through rowing a little later in life than one this is on top of the schoolwork.” Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson Gis- high school, including the day of would have to begin ball sports to American rower Gevvie Stone ‘07 lason ’69, a runner with dual citi- her prom. On that day, she not only make it to the Games. said that she prioritized her medizenship between the United States went to practice early to be back in “[Rowing] is a true meritocracy, cal school and athletic aspirations and Iceland, said that he was “quite time for prom, but also left her prom where your worth and your value by alternating years when medical pleased” to represent Iceland, the night early in order to make it to an to a team is directly related to how school was the priority with years country of his family, at the Games. early practice the next day. hard you work… It’s not like a ball when rowing was the priority, be“I was not likely to be an athlete “That was the way I wanted to sport where you come in and have cause she thought it impossible to that could have gotten to top three live, which was fine for me. And I ball skills,” he explained. give 100 percent of herself to rowing of the US. I didn’t seek that out. It think I got things out of my life that Cotter, who was also a crew coach and medical school at the same time. wasn’t likely to be something that I other people don’t get. You know, I at the University, said that he would “Princeton’s a great place where would succeed in,” he explained. got to train professionally, I got to work out alongside the undergradu- the athletes that we have are cerDr. Deborah Saint-Phard ’87, a go places… and I would not trade ates he coached to let them know tainly capable of it [qualifying for shot putter who represented Haiti at that for going to the prom all night,” that “they should strive for Olympic the Olympics]. There’s a lot of hard gold.” the 1988 Games, also said that it was Kirkwood said. work that goes into it, which I think “That is what makes Princeton they know how to do and are suited unlikely that she would have qualiAmerican rower Paul Teti ’01 said fied for the American Olympic team, that he felt a sense of responsibility great… whether it is a professor or a to. There’s also some luck that goes since each nation can only take its to work towards qualifying for the coach… they push you to new ways in too,” Coppola added. top three shot putters. Nine University students and Games, because of the opportunity of thinking or new boundaries for Puerto Rican swimmer Douglas he was given by his family, and the your athleticism… training for the alumni have competed in the WinLennox ’09 said that his experience sacrifices that they made in terms Olympics is a step-wise process that ter Olympic Games for a total of of representing Puerto Rico had its of driving him down to the river I tried to bring to campus… mean- eight medals — one gold, four silver challenges, but those were mostly at 4:30 in the morning and certain ing that you can make significant and three bronze. bureaucratic and logistical. financial sacrifices that allowed him jumps in your level of athleticism in
Friday September 16, 2016
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Tiger Olympians Through the Years 1896 Robert Garrett Jr. 1897 practiced with a discus he had built based on history books about the ancient Greek Games and threw his disc using techniques borrowed from hammer throw to win gold.
1900
The entire American team was made up of 12 men from the Ivy League, 4 of which were from Princeton.
Several Tigers refused to compete at the Olympic Games because their events fell on Sundays
1960
Eddie Zanfrini, former head hockey trainer, accompanied the U.S. Olympics hockey team 4 times during his Princeton career. First – and only – Games without Tigers
Robert Garrett Jr., Class of 1897 — first University student to compete in the Olympic games John Allis ’65 was on academic probation and was only allowed to compete in the Games because Harvard and Yale had 2 athletes but Princeton only had 1 aside from Allis.
Peter Raymond ’68 fell in love with a Mexican girl serving Coca-Cola in the Olympic Village; food for the American team was imported
1964 1968 1972 1976
Two African American 200-meter runners stood on the medal stand barefooted and each raised a clenched, black-gloved fist while bowing their heads during the American national anthem in the “black power” protests
On the 11th day of the Games, a terrorist attack took place. Palestinian terrorists killed 2 Israeli athletes and took 9 more hostage.
Princeton’s first female Olympians rowed for USA.
1980 USA led a 60 nation-wide boycott of the Moscow Games
1984 Deborah Saint-Phard ’87 was trained by Princeton’s men’s track and field coach because she “outgrew” the women’s team coaching; Lynn Jennings ’83 ran on her high school’s boys team.
1992 Harold Backer ’85, who competed in these Games, disappeared in 2015. A note apologizing for the “terrible things” he had done to his investor friends was found later.
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15 U. affiliates competed at Rio Olympics in total RIO
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Holmes ’17 was eliminated from the individual epee tournament in the round of 32 when she fell, 5-4, to Estonia’s Erika Kirpu after receiving a bye in the round of 64. Team USA, including Holmes, finished fifth in the women’s team epee event when it beat France, 32-28, in the 5-8th place semifinals and Korea, 22-18, in the fifth place finals match after losing 24-23 to Romania in the quarterfinals. Team USA, including Katie Reinprecht ’13, Julia Reinprecht ’14, and Kathleen Sharkey ’13, fell 2-1 to Germany in the women’s field hockey quarterfinals. In the preliminaries of the event, it had defeated Argentina, 2-1, Australia, 2-1, Japan, 6-1, and India, 3-0, before falling 2-1 to Great Britain. Katie Reinprecht scored two goals, including the first goal for Team USA in the tournament. One goal was against Argentina and the other against Japan. Nate Franks ’07 also served on Team USA’s field hockey coaching staff at the Games. American rowers Tyler Nase ’13 and Robin Prendes ’11 finished tenth in the men’s coxless four event with a final time of 6:36.93. They finished sixth in the heats with a time of 6:05.61 and eighth in the semifinals with a time of 6:26.82. American athlete Donn Cabral ’12 finished his 3,000m steeplechase finals in eighth place, with a final time of 8:25.81. He finished Round 1 of the event in third place with a time of 8:21.96. At the 2012 Games, Cabral had finished eighth with a time of 8:25.91. Lauren Wilkinson ’11 and the rest of her Canadian boat finished fifth in the women’s coxed eights finals with a time of 6:06.04. Her boat had finished fifth in the heats with a time of 6:12.44 and first in the repechage with a time of 6:28.07 before advancing to the finals. Wilkinson also rowed in Canada’s coxed eights in the 2012 Games, where she earned a silver medal. Team USA’s men’s coxed eights boat, which included Glenn Ochal ’08, finished fourth in the finals with a time of 5:34.23. A fourth place finish with a time of 5:40.16 in the heats and first place finish in the repechage with a time of 5:51.13 earned Ochal’s boat a place in the finals of the event. At the 2012 Games, Ochal won a bronze medal when he rowed in the coxless fours boat. Kate Bertko ’06 ended her journey at Rio with a tenth place finish for Team USA in
the women’s lightweight double sculls event with a time of 7:29.96. She finished tenth in the heats with a time of 7:07.37, first in the repechage with a time of 7:58.90 and tenth in the semifinals with a time of 7:22.78 before rowing in the finals. Assistant track coach Priscilla Frederick, representing Antigua and Barbuda, finished 28th at the 2016 Games when she failed to clear 1.92m in the women’s high jump qualifications. Frederick’s final jump height was 1.89m. Assistant track and field coach Robby Andrews was disqualified from the men’s 1500m final because he stepped off the track around the 1,450m mark in the 1,500m semifinal. The American athlete finished third in his heats and 27 overall, with a time of 3:46.97 in Round 1 of the event. A look around the Ivies 66 current or former Ivy League students and coaches competed for and coached 13 countries in the 2016 Games – Bermuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Ghana, Greece, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Uzbekistan, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. If the Ivy League were a country, it would have the 48th largest Olympic delegation out of the 208 present at the 2016 Games. With 13 competitors, the University had the highest number of Olympians amongst the eight Ivy universities. Harvard had 12, Dartmouth had nine, Yale had eight, Cornell had seven, Brown had six, and Columbia had three. The Ivy League Olympians won six medals at the 2016 Olympics – the University had three, Columbia had two, and Brown had one. Katie Meili from Columbia’s Class of 2013 won the 1,000th gold medal for the U.S. when she and her teammates finished first in the 4x100m medley relay. Meili also won a bronze medal in women’s 100m breaststroke. Tessa Gobbo of Brown’s Class of 2013 rowed for the U.S. coxed eights boat, which won gold at the Games. The total medal count for the other Ivies now stands at 100 medals for Yale, 67 for Harvard, 63 for Penn, 34 for Cornell, 25 for Dartmouth, 21 for Brown, and 12 for Columbia. The University has 58 medals thus far – 18 gold, 19 silver, and 21 bronze – from the 109 students and alumni that have made a total of 146 appearances in the 120 years of the modern Olympic Games.
T HE DA ILY
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Kilbourne-Hill: I had lost that one game, but I had won a silver medal MOMENT Continued from page 1
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ist on the bus back to the Olympic Village, only to realize that he could not have been taller than 5’6”. All the rowers had to reach down to congratulate him. Foy then realized that unlike with rowing, being short was an advantage in weightlifting, since having to carry the weights for a smaller distance meant that larger weights could be carried. “It was a funny moment. We all sort of laughed about it,” Foy said. Olympic Bronze Medalist Ross Wales ’69 said that some of the highs of his career include the Olympic Games, winning the NCAA championship wearing University gear and the AAU swimming championship in 1969. For Icelandic runner Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson Gislason ’69, a particularly memorable moment was running the Nordic country junior championship and setting a national record a few years prior to the 1972 Games. Olympic Bronze Medalist Carol Brown ’75, one of the first female Olympians and a member of the first female crew team at the University, said that her favorite moment was during a rowing reunion dinner at Jadwin Gymnasium thirty years after she graduated from the University. At the reunion, the Princeton University Rowing Association recognized the first women’s crew team and the fact that they didn’t have sweatshirts or shirts or anything with “Princeton University Crew” on it to keep. At that dinner, Brown and her teammates were given hooded sweatshirts branded with “Princeton University Rowing” in front of all the rowing alumni. “It was always ‘The men ran the boathouse. The men ran the rowing program.’ And for them to recognize that we were the pioneers in what we had contributed to… [making] women totally equal in the Princeton boathouse. It’s been the most exciting thing to watch. It’s one program, the women have every opportunity that the men do,” Brown said. American fencer Lee Shelley ’78 said that his favorite Olympic moment was the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Games. The American Team had assembled in the Boxing venue to await their turn to march into the Los Angeles Coliseum. As the host country, the U.S. Team would march in last. “There were 110,000 people in the stands and John Philip Sousa’s ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ was playing over the loudspeaker system. As we marched around the track the cheering from the crowd was so loud that the sound had feel. I could feel the vibration of the crowd cheering. It was so loud that you could scream into the ear of the person next to you and they would not be able to hear you. At that moment I experienced what is meant by ‘the roar of the crowd’. I’ll never forget it. Ever,” Shelley said. Shelley and his fencing teammate, Michael McCahey, were the last athletes to leave at the end of the Opening Ceremonies. Shelley added that his favorite University athletic experience was winning two consecutive meets during his sophomore year against Harvard and NYU 15-14. Each meet came down to the last bout, which was won by the University’s Épée Team. “Against NYU I fenced the last bout against their top épée fencer, Hans Wieselgren, who had been on the 1972 Swedish Olympic Fencing Team. I was able to win the bout 5-4 which gave our team the win. I was very proud of those exciting victories,” Shelley said. American shot putter August Wolf ’83 said that he enjoyed getting to know fellow athletes, like when he invited a Russian shot putter to live with him for three weeks in California and train with him. “Going all over the world and meeting people who share common love of this event with me was very special,” Wolf said. Three-time Olympian Lynn
Jennings ’83 highlighted several memorable moments from her career — earning the bronze medal in the 1992 Games in an American Record time, winning three consecutive world cross country gold medals, running a mile in Norway in 4:24.14, setting an American Record in the 3000m indoors in NYC in Madison Square Garden at the U.S. indoor national championships and setting an American Record for 10,000m of 31:06 on the road in 1990, a record that stood until just last year. Haitian shot putter Deborah Saint-Phard ’87 said that her favorite moment was when she was told that she would be carrying the Haitian flag in the 1988 Games’ opening ceremony. SaintPhard was eating breakfast in Newark with three administrators of the Haitian Olympic team before her flight to the Games in Seoul when they informed her that she would be carrying the flag, because she was one of the strongest people on the Haitian team. “There is no greater honor on the planet in my view than getting to carry the flag for your country,” Saint-Phard said. Two-time Olympian Danek Nowosielski ’91 said that he enjoyed making friends and watching the 5 a.m. sunrise at the University. He added that one morning in particular stood out in his memory. “I remember the smell of the fruit trees walking back from Guyot early in the morning after an all-nighter working on my thesis or something. I was on my way to the dorm and just having a blue sky with the sun coming up at five in the morning and the smell of all the cherry trees and all the fruit trees that are on campus. And the calm of the campus before everything gets buzzing,” he said. American cyclist Derek Bouchard-Hall ’92 said that his favorite moment was arriving at the University as a freshman. “I had no idea what was coming, and I loved that feeling of fear and excitement,” he said. Bouchard-Hall added that his favorite moment at the Olympics was the opening ceremony. “I understood what an awesome thing it is that so much of the world comes together for some fun and games. That’s life at its best,” Bouchard-Hall said. Swiss swimmer Nathalie Kirkwood ’93 said that she enjoyed traveling through Europe with her team, and growing into a well-rounded person by comparing European lifestyles to American lifestyles. “Here [in the United States] we’re always thinking about what the next step is, and what the next level is… There [in Europe] people really think of who they are, and who they want to be and what they want to do,” she said. American rower Danika Holbrook ’95 said that she enjoyed sharing the entire Olympic experience with her husband, Ben Holbrook, who also rowed for the United States in the 2004 Games. “Finishing off senior year with amazing teammates, many of whom are still my closest friends, and winning our fourth consecutive national championship,” Holbrook added of her favorite moments at the University. Two-time Olympian Kevin Cotter ’96 said that winning the rowing World Championships in 1999 was particularly memorable. “I remember… thinking that Princeton had helped me get there — the great coaches, the great roommates I had — and small things like the grit of Outdoor Action, even the senior thesis all-nighters… One of my roommates in college [Matt Lawson ’96] even flew to the World Championships that year to cheer me on! That is a memory and connection I won’t forget — you have to love Princeton for those great supportive friends that you make. It was cool after the World Championships or the Olympics receiving emails from Tigers that I had not been in touch with for awhile… and having them cheer me on,” Cotter said. Olympic gold medalist Chris Ahrens ’98 said that he enjoyed winning rowing nationals in his
sophomore and senior years. “Both years we won in the early afternoon and then got back to Princeton at about 6 p.m. on Saturday night of Reunions. Hard to imagine a better way to celebrate,” Ahrens said. Canadian rower Morgan Crooks ’98 said that he enjoyed rowing with his teammates at the University — from the athletes that were in the University’s boathouse for his senior year in 1998, six made it to the 2000 Games, according to Crooks. “As for the Olympics, given that the competition did not go as planned, my favorite moment was the Closing Ceremonies. The pressure was off by then, the event is much less formal than the Opening Ceremonies and the whole night is a great time,” Crooks added. American rower Tom Welsh ’99 said that the Opening Ceremonies of the 2000 Games were a one-of-a-kind moment for him. “Most people watching TV see the athletes walk into the Olympic stadium, but what they don’t see is that before that all of the athletes are seated alphabetically by country in the basketball arena next door, watching the events on the jumbotron, waiting for their turn to be called. The world’s greatest athletic talent is here in one building, and they are all very excited,” Welsh
“Hearing the
judges call your name [after their meeting to decide which athletes will be on the team] is like a combination of something you can’t believe, and combination of being exhausted. ” Tora Harris ‘02,
American high jumper
said. Welsh explained that different sections of the arena stand up and start chanting for their country. However, when someone stood up in front of his section and started chanting “U-S-A, ” the entire arena started booing them. “When it’s our turn to exit the arena and head toward the stadium, my rowing teammates and I are walking behind the Dream Team basketball players and in front of the USA sprinters, and we walk into a stadium with over 100,000 people in it. Looking up from the track, a sea of people stretches toward the sky — way more than I’ve ever seen at a rowing event. We do one lap around the stadium, and right before we turn onto the infield, I pivot toward the stands and give a giant wave to the crowd. Everyone in the stadium just absolutely erupts with thunderous noise like I have never heard before! I turn to my friend and say, ‘Did you see that? Did you see how they cheered when I started waving?’ and he says, ‘Tom, that’s because the Australian team just walked into the other end of the stadium!’” Welsh said. Three-time Olympian Paul Teti ’01 said that rowing in the University’s boat for the 1998 National Championship as a sophomore was one of his favorite moments. According to Teti, the final race was one of the best races in National Championship history, because both competing crews had Olympians or future Olympians in the boat. Olympic Silver Medalist Tom Herschmiller ’01 said that he really enjoyed the bus rides back to the University, and to Cloister specifically, as the crews all sang Bruce Springsteen after nearly every University boat won Eastern Sprints. “My favorite moment with Canada was after years of missing the finals, new coach, ridicu-
lous new training program, 2013 Lucerne Switzerland World Cup final, picking my head up after 600 or 700 meters in and realizing we were up by open water — absolutely shocked. We won the World Championships that year but it probably didn’t compare to that first realization that we were finally in it,” Herschmiller added. Winter Olympian Andrea Kilbourne-Hill ’02 said that her favorite moment of the Olympics was after the final game where her American ice hockey team lost to Canada. “We had just lost the gold medal and we were all upset. But I scanned the crowd and found my family, who were all looking down at me beaming with pride. It was then that I realized I had lost that one game, but I had won a silver medal at the Olympics,” Kilbourne-Hill said. She added that her favorite University experiences were times spent with her teammates and roommates. “With my teammates, we had some great traditions that created a special bond between us. With my roommates, we always had fun even during Reading Period. We would have silly dance parties in our dorm to take study breaks,” she said. Olympic Bronze Medalist Maya Lawrence ’02 said that she enjoyed handing in her thesis and winning her medal, but her favorite moment was seeing the medal tally after her fencing team won a bronze medal for the United States. “I remember thinking, one of those points came from us, women’s épée, the team nobody ever thought could win a medal. After going though so much, I was extremely proud to know that we had helped the US win overall,” she said. American high jumper Tora Harris ’02 said that making the 2004 United States Olympic team was a particularly memorable moment. “Hearing the judges call your name [after their meeting to decide which athletes will be on the team] is like a combination of something you can’t believe, and combination of being exhausted. All of a sudden, people want your autograph and stuff. Just moments before, they weren’t too bothered. And now, they want to take your picture,” he said. American fencer Soren Thompson ’05 said that he particularly enjoyed his victory to make the Top 8 at the 2004 Games by beating and eliminating an athlete who was a favorite for the gold medal at the time. “It was a very surprising and rewarding experience to be able to qualify for the Olympics, to have a fun plan and then execute it later,” Thompson said. Olympic Silver Medalist Andréanne Morin ’04 said that she particularly enjoys crossing the finish line of an importance race. “Hearing the bubbles under the shell of the boat and the horn from the finish official… It’s such a relief when you get there, your body just can’t take another stroke,” Morin said. Olympic Bronze Medalist Steve Coppola ’06 said that every time he was on the awards doc was special. Through all his moments with his teammates, however, his tenth reunion stood out. “Through all that work, I
would say, what’s special is that even ten years later, there are some lasting bonds… my classmates and I still talk about those days and still joke about the funny things that happened at practice,” Coppola said. American rower Gevvie Stone ’07 said that rowing her final at the 2012 Games was incredible. “I had my best race on the biggest stage! I had been upset to be in the ‘B’ final, but it had a major perk in that I got to cross the line first! I got to lead the race and to see my competitors behind me, including a few women whom I had never beaten in my rowing career up to that point. If you look carefully at the race video, in the last minute of the race, you can tell that through my grimace, I’m smiling. Despite the pain, I was able to enjoy the experience as it happened!” Stone said. Puerto Rican swimmer Douglas Lennox ’09 said that his favorite moment at the Olympics was walking into the Bird’s Nest for the Opening Ceremonies and getting hit with a wave of heat. “As my sister, Kristina, and I walked from the air conditioned inside of the stadium onto the track to be officially inaugurated as Olympians we were able to spot my family and best friends cheering for us in a crowd of 90,000 people. That was super cool,” Lennox added. Lennox added that the effort his team put together in a dual meet at home against the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell early in the season of his senior year was particularly memorable. “This was an unusual setting to create such a powerful memory, but we were unexpectedly tested by a team that came ready to rumble in championship suits. We didn’t love that decision, but we rose to the occasion as a team and we swam beyond our normal abilities that day. We all look back on that meet with amazement, I think, because we really stepped up in a way that very few teams could have in that moment,” Lennox said. American field hockey midfielder Katie Reinprecht ’13 said that her favorite moment of her University experience was winning the National Championship in 2012, with a close second being Sunday Fundays at Cottage. “My favorite Olympic moment was walking at Opening Ceremonies with the rest of Team USA and mingling with some of the best athletes in the world,” Reinprecht added. American table tennis player Erica Wu ’18 said that her favorite moment was making the Olympic team. “It felt like I was floating. It’s kind of hard to remember everything, actually. The last point finished, and all I see are faces running up to me and me running towards them. That’s all I really remember,” Wu said. Wu added that she also enjoyed walking in the Opening Ceremony, as it was one of the few times that the entire Olympic team was together. She recalled the chanting of “USA” in the hall, the loud drums and cheering as well as truly recognizing the scale of the sporting event she was participating in. “It was an emotional night. It was fantastic — everything I’d dreamed of,” she said.
Friday September 16, 2016
The Daily Princetonian
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Cotter: Don’t get an Olympics tattoo, it’s too cheesy ADVICE
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but for others they will need to find what that is,” he said. Cotter added that the Olympians should never get a tattoo with the Olympic rings, because “it is too cheesy,” and that it was important to peak on the right day, because “it is a long Olympics week, as crazy as that sounds.” Only drinking bottled water and not experimenting with eating until they are done competing were additional things that Cotter said the Olympians should look into. “Rio should be easy because there is minimal time change to adjust your sleep — use that to your advantage over athletes traveling from 5+ hours away,” Cotter added. Cotter also said that humility is important for Olympians. “Never tell anyone that you were on the Olympic team or won medals blah blah blah… it is not Princeton-like. Be humble — don’t bring it up,” Cotter added. American rower Peter Raymond ’68 said that it was important to have half-hour talks, minimally, with as many people from as many countries as possible, even if there is no shared language.
“On a bus in Mexico, a Russian and I discovered we were ‘enemies,’ both stroke of the straight four. We talked trash at each other the whole way, he without a word of English and I without Russian, and the KGB [the Committee for State Security of the Soviet Union] listening to everything,” Raymond said of a particularly memorable experience at the 1968 Games. American rower Douglas Foy ’69 advised taking advantage of the experience by witnessing other sporting events at the Games. “It really is an extraordinary experience. It’s a chance of a lifetime. You may not come back, or you may, but it’s unlikely. So make the most of that experience,” Foy said. American fencer Lee Shelley ’78 added that the Olympians should try to see other events in person, meet and get to know athletes in different sports and from different countries as well as enjoy some of the local culture while maintaining their training and competitive schedule. “I’d like to congratulate each of you for the tremendous accomplishment of making the Olympic Team. You are now, and always will be, an Olympian… good luck!” Shelley added. American table tennis player Erica Wu ’18 said that Olympians
should make an effort to talk to other athletes at the Olympic Village — “What’s your sport?” functions as a good ice breaker. Wu added that the Olympians should capture as much of the experience as possible. “Take pictures. Take videos. Don’t be afraid of looking touristy, because everyone there is going to be looking touristy,” Wu said. Wu added that the Olympians should remember to bring cell phone, laptop and camera chargers to the Games — she lost out on capturing “two days worth of materials” because she did not have her chargers at hand. Haitian shot putter Deborah Saint-Phard ’87 said that it is a good idea to bring extra things to trade with people from other countries, because Olympians can “get a ton of other stuff from other people.” “So bring stuff to trade, enjoy it, sleep, eat, takes tons of pictures. You’ll remember it forever,” Saint-Phard said. American ice hockey player Andrea Kilbourne-Hill ’02 added that the Olympians should back up their pictures as soon as they return, and that they should keep a journal while at the Games. American swimmer Ross Wales ’69 said that the Olympians should enjoy the experience, without losing focus on
your competition. “Do the best you can. Let what you do give you some satisfaction. Enjoy it,” Icelandic runner Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson Gislason ’69 added. American rower Carol Brown ’75 said that being at the Olympics is a special opportunity that is increasingly appreciated as time goes by. “Focus on the athletic opportunity. There are so many distractions. But be sure to take in the Olympic experience, especially the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. It truly is a global gathering that transcends everything else that is going on in the world,” she added. American cyclist Derek Bouchard-Hall ’92 said that the Olympians should not let the stress of the event stop them from soaking it all in. “You are at the Olympics — love every minute of it,” he said. American shot putter August Wolf ’83 said that the Olympians should take comfort in all the training that they’ve done, relax and then win. Australian rower Sam Loch ’06 said that it is important for Olympians to have faith in their teammates and coaches. “They’ve taken you this far and your best bet is complete trust. Also, have fun. Enjoy the competition. That’s the point after all,” Loch added. Canadian rower Tom Herschmiller ’01 added that the Olympians should just trust their preparation, and that they’ve already done the work to determine whether they can medal. “Focus your efforts and your energies on the things you can control. In a venue like the Olympics, there is much that will be out of your control. Don’t waste time on those things. Remain completely layered in on doing every single thing you can do to maximize your success on the largest sporting stage there is,” American runner Lynn Jennings ’83 said. American rower Chris Ahrens ’98 added that Olympians should be selfish during the Games. “Don’t be distracted by your friends and family, the Olympics hoopla or the media… before you know it, the racing is over and the results are forever,” he explained. American fencer Maya Lawrence ’02 said that if the Olympians plan to cut communication to focus better, they should explain their decision to their friends and family beforehand. “But don’t feel bad about doing it. Remember why you’re there,” Lawrence added. American high jumper Tora Harris ’02 said that if the Olympians have qualified for the American track and field team, then they need only worry about the event’s distractions, since they have already passed one of the biggest hurdles and are in a contingent of their own. “Everybody wants to talk to you and give an interview and all that. But that stuff will wear you down if you’re not careful. Certainly, the parents need to do that and stop calling you and stuff,” Harris said. Harris added that it is important to have fun, continue to “do what you did before” while keeping in mind everything learned during the United States teams’ onboarding process with regards to limiting sponsor events, talking to the media and avoiding questions about things like politics. “Find a way and execute. Excuses and distractions are easy to come by,” Canadian rower
Andréanne Morin ’04 said. Swiss swimmer Nathalie Kirkwood ’93 said that it is important to focus on the competition and the Olympic experience at different times during the course of the Games. “If you’re a U.S. Olympian, then you’re already expected to be a medalist and to be on the top. So you can’t really enjoy everything around you because you’re so focused on the race. But when it’s over, really do explore all your surroundings and people from different countries and Village and the city itself, because there’s so much to enjoy,” she said. Canadian rower Morgan Crooks ’98 said that rowers in particular can use the second week of the Games to take advantage of the Olympic experience, since their races are all during the first week of the Games. “My boat in 2000 was very young and inexperienced, and we definitely lost our focus,” he said. American rower Lia Pernell ’03 said that the rowers “have it covered,” and that they should enjoy their races while knowing that they have worked incredibly hard. “I guess I wish that I had treated the race more like any other race. That I’d been more confident in our preparation; that I’d just been ready to enjoy it and enjoy the racing a little more,” she noted. Pernell added that the Kate Bertko ’06 and Gevvie Stone ’07, who will be competing at the Games this year, are really tough athletes. “I’m excited to see what they’re going to do. And I wish them all the best,” she said. American rower Steve Coppola ’06 said that the U.S. men’s eight, of which Glenn Ochal ’08 is a member, is training hard. “It would be really nice if the eights came back with some hardware… They’ve got a good shot at a medal. That’d be awesome to get the eights back on the podium,” he said. Coppola added that it is important to embrace each moment at the Games. “Don’t get caught up in the big picture. Just have eyes straight in front of you and the big rosy picture is for after racing is done,” he said. American fencer Soren Thompson ’05 said that the athletes should not be afraid to be creative and engage in selfreflection while internalizing information from friends and family. “Use all information, be open to learn from everybody; but to definitely be creative to use information to forage your own way and compete in a way that’s good for you,” Thompson said. Puerto Rican swimmer Douglas Lennox ’09 said that the Olympians should look back and reflect on their Olympic journeys with all their ups and downs. “Thank the people who helped you get there. Close the circle with people who inspired you, gave you tough love and supported you during your weakest moments, and even let the doubters know in a friendly and respectful way that they helped drive you to be your best,” Lennox said. Cotter added that the Olympians should make the University and their countries proud. “When you are sitting on the line about to start your race — know that you have 77,000 Tigers who want you to win gold,” Cotter said.
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Opinion
Friday September 16, 2016
page 10
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com }
Continue hosting Olympics of firsts vol. cxl
Jason Choe
opinion editor
T
his Olympic season was very much one of firsts — ranging from the to-be-confirmed retirement of the most decorated Olympian in history (Phelps may yet attempt another resurgence), to the first U.S. Olympian to compete in a hijab; from the first South American host city, to the first ever refugee team to compete in the storied Games. As classes at Princeton resumed, many of us still coasted on the excitement of the summer’s events, bolstered as we are by the presence of Olympians in our midst. Yet the Games aren’t over — not completely. In fact, they’re still ongoing, and the Paralympic Games conclude in just a few days. In recent years, coverage of this latter class of games has increased drastically — US networks dedicated 60.5 hours to the London Paralympics four
years ago, but are airing 66 hours for the Rio Paralympics this year. Though it represents a promising trend in policy, the figure still pales in relation to that of the actual Olympic games. After all, the 66 hours for the Paralympics over the 12 days of the Games is a sharp contrast to NBC’s policies regarding the August Olympics, during which they aired over 260 hours of coverage over the 17 days of the Olympics a month ago. Some may argue that the Olympics are considered more interesting than the Paralympics, and that media sources must cater to consumer interests out of the necessity for commercial viability. And yet the Paralympians have been proving their mettle (and value) several times over during the past several days. Most notably, just this Monday, the top four Paralympian runners, all of
Do-Hyeong Myeong ’17 whom were visually impaired, ran the 1,500m faster than the first-place able-bodied athlete in August. Yet a cursory investigation of Google trends showed that interest in the search term “Paralympics,” at least among the Google-using community, barely registered at all relative to search queries that included “Olympics.” On a 100-point scale, the 2016 Olympics peaked with a score of 88; the Paralympics have not broken a score of 5. The underlying trends of progressive change, global unity, cooperation, and cross-cultural understanding that define the Olympics are clearly present in force; but they are by no means complete. Hopefully, the next Olympics and Paralympics will be another season of firsts, even more so than now. Jason Choe is an economics major from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. He can be reached at jasonjc@ princeton.edu.
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Donald Trump’s wall against intellect in America (and we will pay for it) Louis René Beres
guest contributor
Editor’s Note: This article does not represent the views of the ‘Prince’.
T
HE DEEPLY anti-intellectual character of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has ample precedent in American history. What is most noteworthy about the Trump campaign’s open disregard for analysis and learning, therefore, is not that the candidate conspicuously knows nothing of any real importance (history, government, literature, the arts, etc.), but that he emphatically wants to know nothing. Why should he think differently? After all, when the Republican candidate routinely draws illogical conclusions and persistently offers nonsensical recommendations, there is nary a murmur of disapproval among his “base.” For his loyal supporters, intellect is literally the enemy. For them, any tangible evidence of proper reasoning would represent only the unpatriotic pretensions of a contemptible national “elite.” In essence, as Mr. Trump apparently fully understands, there are just no ascertainable political benefits to making sense. Still, for candidate Donald Trump, the preferred path for this country’s foreign policy remains detached from even a scintilla of diplomatic wisdom or legal obligation. To wit, apropos of his Aug. 15 speech on this subject, U.S. foreign policy must allegedly involve “work[ing] with” Syria, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah. That this openly-recommended cooperation should follow not from any systematic assessment of strategic or jurisprudential considerations but
instead from an inexpertly cobbledtogether amalgam of embarrassing banalities and empty witticisms is plainly irrelevant to this particular candidate’s calculations. Significant, too, is that although Mr. Trump, in an obligatory throwaway line on Aug.15, had called Israel this country’s “greatest ally,” to actually follow his declared advice on collaborating with assorted enemy forces in the Middle East would only weaken the Jewish state. Israel, Mr. Trump ought to be reminded, is less than half the size of Lake Michigan. Israel, his followers should recall, is not apt to share any recognizable geo-strategic interests with jihadist terrorist enemies, Shiite Islamic regimes, or a Russia that is clearly oriented toward strengthening Syria and Iran. There are certain intersecting legal matters. Faced with a presidential candidate whose very highest ideal of correct reasoning is the argumentum ad baculum — that is, an aggressive and presumptively illegitimate reliance upon threats and intimidation — the American electorate should finally understand that any willful or cultivated disregard for international law would prove harmful for the United States. Moreover, international law, Mr. Trump has yet to understand, is an integral part of the law of the United States. This vital incorporation, he should sometime learn, is codified in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution (the “Supremacy Clause”), and in several corresponding U.S. Supreme Court decisions. It can also be extrapolated from basic writings of the Founding Fathers, who were, for the most
part, authentically learned thinkers themselves, and who read difficult and pertinent writings by Hugo Grotius, Emer de Vattel, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Samuel von Pufendorf, and William Blackstone. Has Donald Trump, a major party candidate for the American presidency, even heard of a single one of these intellectual forbears of the United States? Does he even know, for instance, that Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England represent the jurisprudential beginnings of U.S. domestic law? Virtually everyone already knows the regrettable answer to these easy questions, but only a tiny fraction of Americans are apt to find this response disturbing or perplexing. This is because the Trump candidacy’s unhidden disdain for intellect did not arise in some sort of historical or demographic vacuum. Rather, it was originally made possible by an underlying and antecedent cultural loathing of both true learning and dialectical reasoning. Even in our universities, where I taught international law for almost half a century (at Princeton and Purdue), the collective abandonment of intellect for commerce is accelerating. The problem is not just about a still-growing preoccupation with money. Karl Jaspers, the influential German philosopher who tried to understand and explain what allowed Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, observed in his Reason and Anti-Reason in Our Time (1952): “There is something inside all of us that yearns not for reason, but for mystery — not for penetrating clear thought, but for the whisper-
ings of the irrational.” It is largely this particular “something” that now permits a manifestly vacant presidential aspirant to become a seriously competitive candidate. Naturally, we Americans are not going to recognize, change, or remove this “something” in time for the coming election. But we ought at least to understand, assisted, perhaps, by Jaspers’ distinctly prescient retrospective on Nazism, that Mr. Trump himself is not the real pathology. No, this often incoherent candidate is merely the most visible and dangerous symptom of a much more corrosive malignancy: a social and educational structure that openly frowns upon and consciously suppresses any difficult or independent individual thought. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Trump’s minions always insist upon chanting in chorus. “Trump, Trump, Trump — USA, USA, USA.” For all who have even a minimal acquaintance with modern history, of course, the dark tenor of such ritualistic chanting is all too familiar. Above all else, it is the indisputable hallmark of a desperately frightened and lonely people, one that absolutely craves membership in the “herd” (Friedrich Nietzsche), the “mass” (Carl Jung), the “horde” (Sigmund Freud), or the “crowd” (Søren Kierkegaard). These destructive human collectivities all mean the same thing. All now offer anxious American citizens a conveniently reassuring membership in something larger than themselves. With such membership, any residual voice of reason is quickly drowned out by the vast, almost
primal, rhythmic repetitions. There is more. Mr. Trump’s supporters seem to yearn not only for the warmth of “belonging,” but also for accessibly simplistic explanations. The reason behind this indisputably strong preference should be readily apparent. It is that complexity, by definition, is daunting, intimidating, or indecipherable, and must therefore require painfully serious thought. The Founding Fathers of the United States did not generally believe in democracy. Most, in fact, agreed with Alexander Hamilton’s trenchant observation that the “people are a great beast.” Thomas Jefferson, arguably the most democratic of the Founders, expressly regarded “the people” as refuse from which a small number of prospectively gifted individuals could be culled once each year. Said Jefferson in his Notes on the State of Virginia, contra mob rule, there should be instituted a plan of elementary schooling by which “twenty of the best geniuses will be raked from the rubbish annually.” It would be a very great irony of the 2016 presidential election if “the people” were to choose that candidate who “loves the poorly educated” and who proudly seeks to preside over an obligingly docile American mob. To be sure, the last thing we need now is to elect a new president whose policies would intentionally confirm the Founding Fathers’ worst recorded fears about an American democracy. Louis René Beres GS ’71 is Professor Emeritus of international law at Purdue University.
The Daily Princetonian
Friday September 16, 2016
page 11
Holmes finishes fifth Johnson on her road to gold against tough competition JOHNSON Continued from page 1
FENCING
Continued from page 12
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cure fifth place, their best possible outcome after the loss to Romania. In the first of two consolation matches, Holmes highlighted with a 6-5 victory in the second round against France, regaining her offense after struggling to do so in the individual competition. Teammate Courtney Hurley then grabbed the victory for Team USA with a 10-7 advantage in the final, deciding round. Advancing into the fifthplace match against South
Korea, it was Courtney Hurley who closed the day with a clutch victory. After an unusually slow first eight rounds, Hurley outscored Injeong Choi, 13-9, giving way to chants of, “U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.” The feat, though not ideal, further attests to Holmes’ resilience and prowess as an international competitor. Looking ahead, Holmes has now completed both of her Olympic events, and even though she won’t leave Rio with a medal, she has fulfilled her dream of competing on the world’s greatest stage.
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AJ: Every water polo practice can be hard, but when I was younger, we used to go to three two-and-a-half hour practices in a day and think nothing of it. DP: What are three things you cannot go to Rio without? AJ: Three things that I’m going to bring to Rio are my water bottle, my suit and my Croc sandals, haha. AJ: What is your favorite team tradition?
AJ: My favorite tradition that we do is dancing during warm up with my teammates. AJ: What’s the funniest thought you’ve had while playing water polo? AJ: I don’t have a lot of thoughts outside of what is happening in the actual game. And if I catch myself thinking about something other than the game, I try to bring my mind back to the moment. AJ: What has been your most challenging moment at Princeton? AJ: The most challenging moment for me at Princeton was working to overcome my ten-
dency to procrastinate, especially since I was working for balance with my schoolwork and water polo. AJ: What’s your favorite moment related to the University, or to water polo? AJ: My favorite water polo moment was every time Luis — our coach — came to practice with his Speedo and towel in hand, because it meant that he was getting in with us and that I was going to get some easy shots to block. AJ: What is one thing you’re most looking forward to for Rio? AJ: The thing I’m most looking forward to in Rio is having
A TASTE OF GOLD
STONE BRINGS HOME HARDWARE
PHOTO COURTESY :: GOOGLE IMAGES PHOTO COURTESY:: GOOGLE IMAGES
Ashleigh Johnson ‘17 enjoys her gold medal with the rest of the US Water Polo team.
American rower Gevvie Stone ‘07 celebrates her silver medal.
A LOOK BACK AT LONDON
PRINCETON IN BEIJING
PHOTO COURTESY :: ANDREANNE MORIN
Andreanne Morin ‘06 with some of her Canadian rowing teammates at the 2012 London Olympics.
ANOTHER BRONZE FOR MATHESON
PHOTO COURTESY :: DOUG LENNOX
Doug Lennox ‘09 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
oh, crop.
Join the ‘Prince’ design team. E-mail join@dailyprincetonian.com PHOTO COURTESY :: GOOGLE IMAGES
Diana Matheson ‘08 celebrates her second consecutive bronze medal for the Canadian women’s soccer team.
Friday September 16, 2016
Sports
page 12
{ www.dailyprincetonian.com } ROWING
Gevvie Stone ‘07 Takes Home Silver Medal at Rio Olympics By Nolan Liu associate sports editor
Princeton rower Gevvie Stone ’07 earned herself a spot on the podium after her performance in the women’s single sculls Final A , where she took
home the silver medal for Team USA with a time of 7:22.92. Stone entered the medal race after an outstanding semifinal, where she finished second in her group with a time of 7:44.56. However, she turned out an even better performance in the finals. Stone held a strong position
COURTESY OF PRINCETON WOMEN’S OPEN ROWING
Gevvie Stone took home Princeton’s first medal of the Rio Games in the women’s single scull.
throughout the race and even made a convincing run for gold, finishing just a second off of Australian Kim Brennan’s first place time of 7:21.54. Nevertheless, Stone still came in nearly two seconds ahead of thirdplace finisher Duan Jingli of China,
who had taken first place overall in the earlier semifinal competition. The performance resulted in Stone’s first career Olympic medal. She previously competed in the same event at the 2012 London Games, finishing seventh overall.
Stone, a Boston native, graduated from Princeton in 2007, where she was a standout on the Tigers’ crew team, forming part of an undefeated eight her freshman and junior years. before moving to the single scull.
FENCING
Katharine Holmes ’17 battles to fifth place at team épée finals By David Liu sports editor
COURTESY OF NBC OLYMPICS
Robby Andrews, an assistant cross country coach for Princeton, made the 1500 meter semifinals.
Determination is a word commonly used in the context of Princeton fencer Katharine Holmes ’17. After taking two years off from school, she came into these Olympics with a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. Unfortunately, a stif ling loss forced an unsatisfactorily early exit from the individual épée tournament earlier in the Olympics, setting the stage for Holmes to bounce back in the team competition. Yet, Holmes and her comrades on Team USA had a heartbreaking start to begin the team competition. A 24-23 loss at the hands of Romania rendered Team USA ineligible for medal contention hours
into the day-long tournament. In the day’s first match, it was Romania who jumped to a threatening lead. Six of nine rounds into the competition, the Romanians held a 13-9 edge over the Americans, with Holmes yet to score. Thereafter, the Princetonian narrowed the lead with a clutch 2-0 victory in the seventh round. Unfortunately, two close rounds afterwards forced Team USA to swallow a one-point defeat. The Romanians would go on to win gold later in the day. Despite the major setback, Holmes refused to put her head down. In the next two matches, the Princetonian along, with the Hurley sisters Courtney and Katie, outscored their opponents 54 – 46 to seSee FENCING page 11
TRACK AND FIELD
FIELD HOCKEY
Cabral ‘12 misses the podium for Olympic steeplechase By Claire Coughlin contributor
COURTESY OF KATHLEEN SHARKEY
Women’s field hockey on a roll in Rio, beats India 3-0 By Berthy Feng contributor
The U.S. women’s field hockey team gained even more momentum in Rio after beating No. 13 India, 3-0. The game started rather slowly, as both teams took a while to find their rhythm, until Katie Bam scored the first goal at the end of the first quarter. Bam, who led Team USA in scoring a day earlier against Japan, received a reversestick pass from teammate Katelyn Falgowski to chip the ball into the goal. The Americans picked up their pace from there, with Bam scoring a second goal and Melissa Gonzalez scoring the third. While the offensive players, including midfielder Katie Rein-
precht ’13 and forward Kathleen Sharkey ’13, made the goal-scoring plays, the U.S. defense deserves just as much, if not more, credit. Goalkeeper Jackie Briggs has been on her toes throughout the tournament, shutting out all of India’s shot attempts. Princetonian Julia Reinprecht ’14 also has helped keep the defense tight. Team USA is getting used to its top spot in Pool B and now has 12 points to its name. The ultimate winner will be determined in a matchup between the U.S. and Great Britain, two teams that have been playing exceptionally well in these Olympic Games. The U.S. is ranked No. 5 in the FIH world rankings, while Great Britain is unranked.
Tweet of the Day “There’s nothing more comical than the fullcourt shots taken by some of these dudes on Instagram...” Dan McCord (@ dmccord112), men’s track and field ‘15
Donn Cabral ’12 finished eighth in the Olympic 3,000m steeplechase final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a time of 8:25.81. Cabral, 26, entered the final with the third fastest time in the Games’ qualifying first round. This was a historic race for the U.S.
Track and Field team, as it marked the first time in 80 years that three Americans ran in the steeplechase final. In first place was Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto, who ran 8:03.28 to take home the gold medal and set an Olympic record. Evan Jager of the U.S. team also made history, running 8:04.28 for the silver. Ezekiel Kem-
boi, who previously won the gold in 2004 and 2012, achieved bronze with a time of 8:08.47. In seventh place, right in front of Cabral, was fellow Team USA member Hillary Bor, who ran a time of 8:22.74. Cabral also placed eighth in London four years ago and has been training hard for his success this year ever since.
TRACK AND FIELD
Assistant cross country coach Robby Andrews qualifies for 1500 meter semifinals at Rio By Claire Coughlin contributor
Princeton men’s assistant track and field coach and New Jersey’s very own Robby Andrews, made the University proud at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The coach and professional runner is famed for his kick and for being the 400th
U.S. man to break four minutes in the one-mile event at Penn Relays in 2013. In June, Andrews placed second in the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in the men’s 1500m to qualify for the Games with a time of 3:34.88, just behind world champion Matthew Centrowitz. Ben Blankenship was the third U.S. male to qualify for this event.
Stat of the Day
3 medals 3 Princetonians medaled at the 2016 Rio games.
At the Rio Games, Andrews, Centrowitz, and Blankenship once again lined up with some of the world’s best middle-distance runners. Andrews ran in the second heat, while Centrowitz ran in the first and Blankenship in the third. Placing third in his heat and 27th overall, Andrew represented his country and the University with a
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