The New York Times ran a piece this week about the dramatic fashion in which UC Davis athletes and for the London Olympics on successive nights.
The stories of Weltz and Conley (who had never met each other) were dramatic -- Weltz upset the two swimming favorites and Conley closed a 20-meter deficit on the homestretch to make the Track and Field team. Times reporter Karen Crouse ties the two stories together nicely, looking back on both athletes' times at UC Davis while also looking forward to the Olympics.
The first three paragraphs of her story, however, focus on setting the scene, which in this case is our hometown of Davis. Maybe it's just me, but the depiction felt a bit odd. Do you agree or not:
DAVIS, Calif. -- Paths are a point of pride in this college town. There are its bike trails, miles and miles of asphalt ribbon that cover Davis’s 11 square miles like tape on bicycle handlebars. There is its off-the-beaten-path location, a passing blur for San Franciscans and other Bay Area motorists headed to Sacramento or the Lake Tahoe ski resorts.
Then there is the interconnectedness of the town’s 65,000-plus residents. Every other person in Davis, it seems, has a story of losing a wallet while riding a bike and having it promptly returned with all its contents.
And now Davis will be represented at the London Olympics by two athletes on parallel paths...
What do you think? An accurate depiction of Davis's culture, or not so much?
After the introduction it segues into the athletes' stories, and it doesn't look back. The Times story is nicely told and definitely worth reading. It will excite you about watching Weltz and Conley compete in London.
You can read the full story here, and let us know what you think of the piece in the comments below.
