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VOA标准英语2008年-Softball Bows Out of Olympics After Beijing

时间:2008-05-24 00:30来源:互联网 提供网友:sharp   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By Steve Schy
Washington
05 May 2008

The United States Women's National Softball team has won every gold medal since the sport was added to the Olympic program at the 1996 Atlanta Games. They have dominated international competitions like the Pan American Games and World Championships. But as VOA's Steve Schy reports, softball will play its last Olympic innings in Beijing after being removed from the program starting with the 2012 Games in London.

Members of the U.S. women's team have been devastated1 by the International Olympic Committee's 2005 decision to vote softball off the program. Making the ruling even harder to swallow for some was the fact that softball missed getting the two-thirds majority needed to remain in the Summer Games by a single vote.

The success of the U.S. team has spurred a huge growth in softball's popularity in colleges, high schools and youth leagues. But star pitcher2 Jennie Finch3 told VOA Sports the IOC's decision has been decimating to the sport.

"Millions of dreams have been shattered because of it," said Jennie Finch. "You look even at my teammates, Monica Abbot, Caitlin Lowe, Andrea Duran - these are first-time Olympic gold medalists. They can have three Olympic gold medals. And then you look below that, you look at the college athletes today. They could be in the Games for 2012, you are taking away those dreams."

But Finch says the impact goes far beyond the dreams of American players.

"Not only those, but the dreams of the world," she said. "You know, I think Venezuela qualifying for the Olympics, what more does that say about our sport? Cuba, all of these dreams in South America, that is their one ticket out. That is their one outlet4, their ball and their glove and their ball field. So continue to keep that and continue to keep dreams alive. The one thing that gets you every time is you walk in these stadiums and they say, 'The IOC took my softball dreams away.' You know, and that is like a knife to the heart. That is why we play this game, is to continue to build opportunities, and continue to encourage them to dream and believe. But if they do not have anything to dream about, what is there?"

The U.S. softball team hopes to use Beijing as a world class stage to showcase the sport and prove it belongs in the Olympics. Two-time gold medalist infielder Crystl Bustos hopes the IOC decision-makers will actually come out and watch softball in Beijing.

"What we have got to do is ask the people that are voting, that do not really quite understand, to come out, watch the sport," said Crystl Bustos. "Watch the game being played at its highest level and see what exactly it does and what it means to people when we are there."

Team USA has undergone a number of changes since winning the softball gold medal in Athens in 2004, but the Americans' dominance in the sport remains5. They are ranked number one in the world and posted a 24-1 record during the 2007 summer season. The United States captured four titles - the World Cup, the Pan American Games, Canada Cup and Japan Cup, outscoring opponents 183-14.

The 15-person roster6 for the 2008 Olympics combines powerful batting and exceptional pitching, with a mix of veterans and first-time Olympians ready to make an impact.

One of the biggest changes to the team is star pitcher Lisa Fernandez's status change to replacement7 player. The 37-year-old Fernandez has won three gold medals at the Olympics, three at the Pan American Games and four at the World championships. But after taking three years off to raise her son, who was born in 2005, Fernandez was not selected for the main roster. U.S. head coach Mike Candrea told VOA Sports a seven-person selection committee chooses the players.

"This was a four-year process," said Mike Candrea. "We grade all of our athletes, every event. When it came down to the selection process, she was not one of our top-15. She was shocked and disappointed, but Lisa's with us, she is doing everything she can to help this team prepare. And she will always go down in my heart as one of the very best that has ever played this game."

The players say Japan and Australia will be their toughest competition for the gold medal in Beijing, though the host Chinese and Canada could also pose a challenge. The United States will be trying for a fourth Olympic softball gold, while Japan Australia and China each have one silver medal. The Aussies have twice claimed Olympic bronze, while Japan got it once.

Team USA won the gold medal at softball's 2007 and 2006 World Cups, but Japan won the tournament's inaugural8 gold in 2005, while the United States settled for silver. Japan has also won the silver twice, while Australia won two bronze medals and Canada captured one.

It was much the same at the most recent World Championship in 2006, when the United States took gold, Japan won silver and Australia took the bronze.

Jennie Finch says the competition is getting tougher with the U.S losing three games on the way to winning gold in Sydney, but she thinks her team is up to the challenge.

"After that, dropping three games, our goal was to raise the bar even higher, show the world that we are the better team in the world," said Finch. "That was our goal heading into 2004 and that is what we did. You know, and that is again our goal again for 2008. They are creeping up on us, so let's raise the bar again. Let's keep getting better. How good can we be? That is what the Olympic Games are about, excellence9 and amazing things, and that is what we strive for, that is what we work for every day, so that is what we live for."

The American women believe a gold medal will help give the sport the push it needs to get reinstated in the Olympic program.

Softball, baseball and golf are among seven sports under consideration to be included at the 2016 Olympics.

The IOC will make its final decision on the contenders - which also include rugby, squash, karate10 and roller sports - at its October, 2009 assembly in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The IOC has set a ceiling of 28 sports, meaning there will be room for only one or two new additions. A rule change approved last year could make it easier for softball to return in 2016. Under the new formula, only a simple majority is needed for a sport to be voted onto the program. Previously11, a two-thirds majority was needed.

The IOC will also select the 2016 host city during the Copenhagen session, with Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro among the leading contenders.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 devastated eb3801a3063ef8b9664b1b4d1f6aaada     
v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词);摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮adj.毁坏的;极为震惊的
参考例句:
  • The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
  • His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。
2 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
3 finch TkRxS     
n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀,金丝雀等)
参考例句:
  • This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
  • In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚,它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。
4 outlet ZJFxG     
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄
参考例句:
  • The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
  • Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
5 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
6 roster CCczl     
n.值勤表,花名册
参考例句:
  • The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册,想了解今年要教的学生。
  • The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天,他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。
7 replacement UVxxM     
n.取代,替换,交换;替代品,代用品
参考例句:
  • We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
  • They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。
8 inaugural 7cRzQ     
adj.就职的;n.就职典礼
参考例句:
  • We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
  • Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。
9 excellence ZnhxM     
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德
参考例句:
  • His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
  • My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。
10 karate gahzT     
n.空手道(日本的一种徒手武术)
参考例句:
  • Alice's boyfriend knew a little karate.艾丽斯的男朋友懂一点儿空手道。
  • The black belt is the highest level in karate.黑腰带级是空手道的最高级别。
11 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
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