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Paul Bragiel tries for the 2014 Winter Olympics (yes, really)

category: offtopic [glöplog]
 
http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/20/bragiel-sochi-olympics/
Quote:
"Some VCs are into kite-surfing. Some do triathlons.

Then there’s i/o Ventures managing director Paul Bragiel, who has spent the last two and a half months in the Nordics, either cross-country skiing for two to four hours per day or doing “swamp training,” where he runs through bogs for several hours.

His dream? To compete in the Winter Olympics, which are just eight months away in Sochi, Russia."
added on the 2013-06-21 10:43:25 by gloom gloom
...and for those who don't know, that'd be Pyro / HJB.
added on the 2013-06-21 12:59:53 by Gargaj Gargaj
he's in haujobb? didn't recall that one.
added on the 2013-06-21 13:36:51 by psenough psenough
dunno what surprises me more, that he wants to compete for olympia or is a well known venture capitalist ;>
added on the 2013-06-21 13:48:11 by wysiwtf wysiwtf
Wild compo gone wild.
added on the 2013-06-21 13:52:47 by Zavie Zavie
Zavie: I don't think there will be many more entries in this particular one :)
added on the 2013-06-21 13:58:56 by gloom gloom
I remember Paul visited Cafe'2003 in Kazan, there was really good booze party with him=)
added on the 2013-06-21 15:21:02 by Raynoa Raynoa
Haha, what a great dude :D
added on the 2013-06-21 17:51:12 by okkie okkie
I'm sure the guy trains his ass off but as a sports fan I hope he fails, just like the 5 Dutch speedskaters who tried to become Kazakh citizens to compete in 2010.
added on the 2013-06-21 19:51:13 by havoc havoc
go Paul go!

I'm wondering how much would it cost to go see him compete :D
added on the 2013-06-22 11:56:58 by nosfe nosfe
Hmm. I think his choice of event is pretty ambitious. Well not quite sure which one it is, probably not the sprint if he can be 10 minutes behind the top guy to qualify.

Then again some professional is giving him a 20-30% chance. That's a chance... The "professional" is being paid to sell him this dream though.

havoc: Yeah it would be cool if he competed for his own country in an event that isn't popular there. Like Eddie The Eagle.
Best Luck pyro! I hope you still read pouet -- we used to talk a lot on #C-64 several years ago, but since then you disappeared from IRC as much as I am aware.

As another geek-turned-into-athlete-wannabe, I suggest you cut out part of your aerob/cardio training so that you can get two recovery days a week and add _anaerobic_ resistance training to your regime. A change like this will give a boost to your hormone production, make both your tendons and skeletal structure stronger, and develop your spatial awareness, all of which will come handy at avoiding injuries. Ohh... and change part of your aerob/cardio regime from constant workload to interval/HIIT -- this will let you get more effective endurance training with less tendon wear.

I know Paul has coaches to advise him, but pro sport coaches seem to be akin to most academics in refusing to acknowledge new evidence and results that partially or wholly make their established theories obsolete. The above suggestions made a positive difference to me and the people I learned them from.
added on the 2013-06-22 19:16:45 by Hoild Hoild
If anyone is in contact with him, please forward the above suggestions and my greetings. Thanks!
added on the 2013-06-22 19:17:43 by Hoild Hoild
Yeah, I'll be sure to do that. I'm sure the nordic skiing coaches have no idea of what they are doing and are offering him really shitty advice :)
added on the 2013-06-24 12:29:30 by gloom gloom
It is common knowledge that Nordic countries can't ski properly.
added on the 2013-06-24 12:51:35 by Gargaj Gargaj
Not without proper drugs, at least.
added on the 2013-06-24 13:44:40 by Preacher Preacher
Now you're confusing the Nordic countries with Finland, Martti ;)
added on the 2013-06-24 13:59:29 by kusma kusma

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