Hello? Hello?! This is the Olympics calling…
Unfortunately for German speedskater Patrick Beckert, the call did not get through. Why? Because his cell phone was off!
Who would’ve thought that technology would actually inhibit progress and communication? The 19-year-old was the fourth alternate for the 1000m competition and somehow, the other three alternates could not be found either. Officials even contacted Beckert’s sister, Stephanie, in hopes of reaching the skater.
He called back 17 minutes before the race, but was too late to get to the Richmond Olympic Oval in time.
One German site says that Helge Jasch, manager of the German speed skating team, has taken blame for the mistake because he didn’t tell Beckert to report to the oval. He figured that the chances of the fourth alternate making it into the field were infinitesmal. Ninety-nine times out of 100, he’d be right.
Now it’s nearly impossible to think back to a time without cell phones but it makes you wonder what folks did in similar situations before the invention of this little pocket distraction.
yahoo.com
