February 12,1998
Win or lose, Singleton's story worth telling
It wasn’t an out-of-body ex
perience, but Elon professor Bill
Ross certainly had to flash back to
his New Hampshire days the first
time he saw Patrick Singleton in
1996.
The wiry Elon senior, who
was walking the halls of Koury
Center carrying a luge sled, usu
ally attracted some strange looks.
“I thought ‘now that’s some
thing you don’t see everyday,”’
said Ross, who knew some iugers
in college.
Taken in a different context,
Ross could have been referring to
Singleton himself.
Bom in Bermuda, educated in
Scotland and North Carolina,
Singleton is unlike most Elon stu
dents or alunini.
While it is uncertain what
sparked the 23-year-old to' start
competing in the sport wh(lle at
tending Elon; the school has noth
ing but benefited from Singleton’s
presence in Nagano.
For starters, it has given Elon
a reason to watch a Winter Olympics
that, for once, doesn’t have a pair of
made-for-media-hype-heaven-feud-
ing-figure skaters.
Yes, Nancy and Toyna have put
their differences aside. Kind
of.
That combined with the
Jeff Wirick
Special to The Pendulum
fact that most of basketball-
happy North Carolina is en
joying the exploits of Jamison and
Wojo have few eyes left for the chilly
Japanese city.
“I think the kids who know him
are really following it,” communica
tions professor Tom Nelson said of
Singleton’s great adventure.
Singleton carries the torch alone
for Bermuda.
He is also the sole representa
tive for Elon. The first ever.
Elon has a running tradition of
turning out baseball players, more
specifically Padre pitchers.
Elon alumni Greg Harris and
Greg Booker both pitched for San
Diego in the Major Leagues.
Booker is now the Padres’ pitch
ing coach.
Major League Base
ball umpires Joe West
and Drew Coble also
graduated from this
school.
But no lugers.
Singleton’s story is
one that media types, like
himself, often drool over.
Talent vs. experience. David
vs. Goliath. Singleton vs. Georg
Hackl (who won his third straight
Olympic gold medal Monday).
These are a few angles that will be
used.
It’s also a story similar to the
Jamaican bobsled team from the
1988 Winter Olympics: an ath
lete from a warm-weather climate
competing in the Winter Olym
pics.
Singleton, however, is quick
to dispel the “Cool Runnings”
How did
Patrick do?
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1. Georg Hackl
2. Axmin 2k>&g|ebr
3. Jians Mueiler
4. Prock
5. lOdftheinz
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A look M the place and times of the
Olympic men luge
compeUtton (combined four slides)
CQmiEl IIM£
Genna»y 3: J 8.436
ltdy
Germafty 3:19.093
3:19.656
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theory. “I’m not a joke,” he said.
Regardless of the angle, the
story will not end with Singleton
winning a gold at Nagano. He fin
ished the competition 27th with a
time of3:27.095 on his four slides,
more than eight seconds off Georg
Hackl’s first-place finish.
But Singleton said that’s not
why he’s there.
“I’ve always dreamed about
going to the Olympics,” he said.
“(But) I don’t really like the idea
that going to the Olympics is all
about winning a gold. That’s not
the way it was originally intended.”
In many ways, for a society that
judges too many people on gold, silver
and bronze, we need Singleton.
“I’m proud of him no matter what
he does,” said Sarah Shields, an Elon
senior who has known Singleton for
three years. “It’s something he’s
wanted to do for a long time.”
In short, it’s not if you win, or
luge, it’s how you play the game.
Singleton’s story is worth telling'
because of what he did to get to Nagano,
not because of where he finished once
he was there.
Jejf Wirick can be reached at
wirij4d0@numen.elon.edu.
Elon base
ball takes
three from
Asheville
Kevin Bedard cel
ebrates Scott Brendle’s
homeruninDH on Satur
day against UNC-
Asheville.
The Elon baseball team
took three-in-a-row from
UNC-Ashville last week
end, as they opened their
season at Newsome Field.
In a double-header on
Saturday the Christians
defeated UNCA 8-3, 7-2.
On Sunday they beat the
Bulldogs 7-5.
Andrew Brickey/ The Pendulum
I'lon Men's Baskcihall Siiinecs lor 199(S-'99
• l)a\itl Hall C'cntL'ix illo Hi'jli Sc!k>()I. .VA. 6‘4" (Ci/I-)
Aiiclivw I'oole Chi'isliaii Br)IIkms Acaciciiiy. N.I. 6'0" (G)
• l^icndtiii Rowell Pro\ itlciicc l)a\. N.C'.. 6‘,V‘ G)
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