http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/08/24/amongst-so-many-gold-medals-lets-remember-the-first-cross-channel-swimmer/ Incisive and topical campaigns and commentary on today's issues and tomorrow's problems Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:05:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/08/24/amongst-so-many-gold-medals-lets-remember-the-first-cross-channel-swimmer/#comment-5442 mikestallard Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:23:56 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=1368#comment-5442 One thing which the English speaking nations have given the world is their sports. Bullfighting and petanque, though interesting, are not world sports. Even Australian rules and American football are not world sports. Even Muslims love horse racing, though their camel racing, spectacular as it is, cannot compete with the Olympic Games where athletes do mainly British sports. And thank you, much maligned Victorian Public Schools, for giving us the rules and the right spirit to play those games which tied the Empire together. I just hope that the sportsmanship of the Victorian Public Schools manages to survive now the Empire and the Public Schools have changed into something else. Soccer anyone? One thing which the English speaking nations have given the world is their sports.
Bullfighting and petanque, though interesting, are not world sports. Even Australian rules and American football are not world sports.
Even Muslims love horse racing, though their camel racing, spectacular as it is, cannot compete with the Olympic Games where athletes do mainly British sports.
And thank you, much maligned Victorian Public Schools, for giving us the rules and the right spirit to play those games which tied the Empire together.
I just hope that the sportsmanship of the Victorian Public Schools manages to survive now the Empire and the Public Schools have changed into something else.
Soccer anyone?

]]> http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/08/24/amongst-so-many-gold-medals-lets-remember-the-first-cross-channel-swimmer/#comment-5441 Bazman Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:25:02 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=1368#comment-5441 This link should work. <a href="http://www.specialistauctions.com/auctiondetails.php?id=1112969" rel="nofollow">http://www.specialistauctions.com/auctiondetails....</a> This link should work.
http://www.specialistauctions.com/auctiondetails….

]]> http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/08/24/amongst-so-many-gold-medals-lets-remember-the-first-cross-channel-swimmer/#comment-5440 Bazman Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:20:50 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=1368#comment-5440 Many people especially those who were schoolboys about 25 years ago know of him because of matches. <a href="http://www.specialistauctions.com/makethumb.php?pic=uplimg/mb108422_7eece1e2e4017073a42c4bc5ce040589_mainpic.jpg&w=500&sq=Y" rel="nofollow">http://www.specialistauctions.com/makethumb.php?p...</a> Many people especially those who were schoolboys about 25 years ago know of him because of matches.
http://www.specialistauctions.com/makethumb.php?p…

]]> http://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2008/08/24/amongst-so-many-gold-medals-lets-remember-the-first-cross-channel-swimmer/#comment-5439 Johnny Norfolk Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:13:50 +0000 http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=1368#comment-5439 In these days of everything instant and for today we often forget our heritage like this. I rember when Captain Webb was cellibrated on boxes of matches, and I am sure at the time many products would have recorded the man and his feat. What happened in the past can be an indicator of the future, regertably left wing school policy does not like competition or remering our great past heros. It may make us proud of our country and undermine changes the left would like to make. In these days of everything instant and for today we often forget our heritage like this. I rember when Captain Webb was cellibrated on boxes of matches, and I am sure at the time many products would have recorded the man and his feat. What happened in the past can be an indicator of the future, regertably left wing school policy does not like competition or remering our great past heros. It may make us proud of our country and undermine changes the left would like to make.

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