VOA标准英语2008年-US Veteran Coxswain Whipple Primed for Beijing

U.S. Olympic silver medalist Mary Whipple is one of only two coxswains on the U.S. National Rowing Team who will be competing in the Beijing Olympics. Current Olympic rules allow only one coxswain for the women's team, and another for the men. Coxswains will be used in only one event: the women's and men's eights, which are the largest of all the rowing events in Beijing. As VOA's Teresa Sullivan reports, Whipple hopes to steer¹ her team to a gold medal.

Two-time Olympian Mary Whipple won a silver medal in the "women's eight" rowing event at the 2004 Athens Games without lifting an oar². That is because Mary is a coxswain - the person who steers³ and calls out a rhythm for the rowers.

A coxswain sits in the back of the boat, or stern, facing forward, while the eight rowers sit facing backward. They rely on the coxswain to be their eyes, and to safely guide them across the finish line - hopefully in first place. Whipple describes her style as "cool under pressure, calm and relentless⁴."

A coordinated⁶ effort

In talking about teamwork involved in her sport, the 29-year-old California native says her job as a coxswain is to coordinate⁵ all nine minds on the boat to work together.

"I think to be successful, especially on the elite⁷ level, you definitely have to keep your goals in check, and especially in the team atmosphere," she says. "We are all coming together for one goal and that is to execute the best race possible."

There is more to being a coxswain than just sitting in the back of the boat to steer and count out a rhythm. The coxswain acts as liaison⁸ between the rowers and the coach, and manages the equipment. Coxing also requires knowing when and how to motivate the rowers - the wrong word at the wrong time could be the difference between success and failure.

During a race, Mary Whipple can see the other boats and what they are doing. She says she has to absorb and evaluate the situation, and then issue commands to her eight rowers that will put the boat into its best position to win the race.

She praises her Olympic teammates as the most self-motivated group she has ever worked with.

Achieving team's respect

Mary, who lives and trains with her team in Princeton, New Jersey⁹, runs and lifts weights along with her teammates even though she does not row in competition. Coxswains often have to push rowers to their limit in competition. By working out with the team, Whipple earns her rowers' respect and trust, and she learns about the pain and effort she demands of them during a race.

At the 2004 Games in Athens, the U.S. women's eight set a world record in qualifying heats, and won a silver medal in the final, barely edged by the Romanians. Whipple says she expects equally tough competition in Beijing.

"Definitely the Romanians, the Germans, Great Britain, Australia. It is a tight field," she notes. "And I definitely expect it to be six boats across [almost even] coming into the last part of the race."

Disappointment leads to success

Both Mary and her twin sister, Sarah, are coxswains. She says they intended to join their high school rowing club team in California, but quickly realized that at only 1.6 meters tall, and weighing just 48 kilograms they were too small. A coach suggested they would make good coxswains, and the twins took his advice when they learned that coxswains are next in line to the coach in the team's hierarchy¹⁰.

Both Mary and Sarah found success as star coxswains at the high school and collegiate levels. As a nine-year member of the U.S. national team, Mary has earned three World Rowing Championships and five World Rowing Cups in addition to her Olympic silver medal from Athens. Sarah says her sister is "strong willed, but very patient and cognitive¹¹, and quick to act" when she is coxing.

The drug issue

Doping is a big problem in the world of both professional and Olympic-level sports. Olympic officials say they expect a nearly 30 percent increase in positive results in Beijing than in Athens four years ago.

But, according to Mary Whipple, the likelihood of a rower being among the drug cheats is low. She says her sport is relatively¹² free from doping concerns.

"Rowing is definitely an amateur sport, and it is a clean sport," she says. "I think there is a lot of integrity in the athletes, and we definitely like to keep it that way. We are an honest sport."
While they are not known for taking performance-enhancing drugs, rowers and the coxswain do partake in an unusual tradition to celebrate a race victory. Mary says it is one that she would welcome.

"Definitely the coxswain gets thrown in [the water] if you win, so I would not mind that at all," she says.

Soaked to the skin and dripping wet, Mary Whipple would happily accept an Olympic gold medal along with her eight bone-dry teammates in Beijing.

 

1 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

2 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

3 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

8 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

9 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

10 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

11 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。