We have family in town to meet the new baby and just for fun some of us went out and played golf this afternoon. I’m pretty stalwart but it was so hot that I threw in the towel after 14. Cruising along in the cart for those last few holes I kept thinking about a couple of pictures from the Campbell collection. Something about seeing athletes smothered in blankets just resonated today:
Note that it seems to be a little chilly in the image of the relay men above. Not so in the next one:
I have in my house a surprising amount of secondary material about the history of athletic training but I haven’t been able to discover the theory behind this practice. I’ve seen marathon runners covered in those shiny blankets after their races but these are clearly much shorter races in these photos. Any explanation is welcome.
Bonus: Some students built a tree house between Ryon and Mech Lab this spring but today was the first time I had a chance to climb up there. It’s very solidly constructed and there’s a small door for safety.
I was somewhat surprised to see that a quotation from President Leebron is prominently displayed:
Wet clothes and sweat, after exertion stops, can cause a really profound drop in body temperature right after running. Perhaps this is to prevent the runners from getting stiff and cold for later events?
Marty for the win: http://www.livestrong.com/article/461856-why-are-marathon-runners-wrapped-in-a-thermal-blanket-at-the-end-of-the-race/
We have been joking that they are starting construction of a new Abercrombie over there by Ryon.