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Wot next: Nudo toenail clipping?

Discussion in 'Break Room' started by Cameron, Apr 12, 2008.

  1. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

  2. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

    netizens

    The Greeks were the first ancient nation to acknowledge the importance of corporeal exercise. (Guhl & Koner, 1994). Athletic games and religion were the central parts of the lives of the ancient Greeks and a key ingredient of many religious festivals. Distance was important and the human foot was predominant in all measuring systems. The ancient Egyptians used a "step" for a measurement, actually a two step stride was equivalent to two yards. The ancient Greeks adopted this and a distance of 100"steps" (about 200 metres) became a stade. This was a popular distance for foot races. Amphitheatres where foot races were held were called a stadium. Later a miole or mille passum (Latin) meant 1000 double paces or strides and in ancient Rome this equalled about 5000 feet or a little short of the accepted mile (5,282 feet). The 200metre (656 ft), foot race was the only event in the first 13 Olympiads, but as time passed the Greeks added different events. At first longer foot races were added then other physical events. The pentathlon and wrestling were the first new sports and these appeared in the 19th Olympiad. The foot race consisted of a simple race in which the racecourse had to be run over once from beginning to end. The runners used to appear naked except in earlier times when they wore loin cloths. Any tricks bribery, or force employed by competitors to gain advantage upon others were strictly prohibited. After 450BC foot races started from mechanical starting gate. The starter had a whip with which to beat the athletes who started too soon or broke the rules. The stadium's length was 192m long and 32 m wide. Armoured racing featured a gruelling event in which competitors, in body armour weighing an estimated 25kg ran two to four lengths of the Olympic stadium. These and other events were part of military training.

    References
    Guhl E Koner W 1994 The greeks:their life and customs London:Senate
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 13, 2008
  3. Cameron

    Cameron Well-Known Member

    netizens

    :morning:
    In the ancient games the competitors ran barefoot but as the Greek Empire extended more athletes from colder climates came to race wearing sandals. At first spectators and barefoot competitors treated these as a novelty and sign of parochialism. As soon as shod athletes became winners then public opinion changed and the wearing of sandals was viewed with great suspicion and associated with cheats. Eventually once it was recognised the sole of the sandal increased ground traction and propelled the leg forward with greater efficiency most athletes adopted the running sandal. The sole of the sandal needed to be securely attached to the foot and this necessitated leather thongs wrapped to the ankle and sometimes above. Between the Greek and Roman Civilisations there existed a small, almost obscured civilisation known as the Etruscans. They lived in North Italy and were well known for many crafts including sandal making. The Etruscans developed a technique to attach the sole of the sandal to the upper of the shoe with metal tacks. Before this time sandals were flimsy and broke easily. Tacks held the shoes together and coincidentally offered greater sole traction to the ground. This simple innovation was the beginning of the running shoe. The Romans faced another challenge with the crude track shoes could that was how best secure it next to the foot and this was achieved by using tongs (leather ties) wrapped around the foot and leg. After the Fall of the Roman Empire the craft of sandal making was almost lost to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages sports were played in different cultures but it was the British in the 17th and 18th centuries that appeared to keep up the Greek traditions of racing in a straight line. As the influence of the British Empire with its concentration on militaria and discipline permeated throughout Europe and the colonies, many were taken with the idea of competition and fair play. Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin saw a window of opportunity and wanted to bring trading nations together on the field of athletics. This was a good commercial opportunity for suppliers to manufacture sport's clothing and footwear. More recently the athletic sandal has made several reappearances and in different guises. The exercise sandal was very popular during the nineteen sixties and early 70s. It was never very clear weather the shoe 'exercised' the foot by its intrinsic shape, or was the ideal footgear to take exercise in. Shaped like the sole of the foot the shoe combined the properties of a simple sandal with a clog. They remain popular to the present day. With the introduction of extreme sport such as water rafting, the athletic sandal has been given a new lease of life. The trend started by Mark Thatcher, not the male offspring of Baroness Thatcher, but an entrepreneur she might be proud of. After Thatcher lost his job as a geophysicist he dedicated himself to his hobby of white water rafting. A source of continual annoyance to Thatcher and his friends was the flip flops they wore, constantly wash away. He designed a prototype sandal which would not leave the foot. The sandal with a heel strap was called Teva. This is Hebrew for "nature". The natural sandal held fast even in the most trying of circumstances. The new sporting thongs come in a pretty price and would set you back as much as a pair of moderately priced sports shoes. The Teva success was repeated more recently with Crocs. The Melbourne Olympics (1956), was the first televised event and when the Japanese swimming team appeared wearing getas (slip on clogs) prior to competition, the photo opportunity was enough for a clever shoe retailer to start selling jandals to the Kiwi,s and thongs to the Australians. Now flip flops are a world wide phenomenon.

    toeslayer
     
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