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Joe Jacobi and Matt Taylor
The US Olympians
http://www.canoeracer.com
Joe Jacobi is an U.S. Olympic Gold Medallist in the sport of whitewater canoeing. Along with Matt Taylor, a 2000 Olympian, they are pursuing a gold medal in the two-man canoe event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. To apply high-tech innovations to their athletic pursuits, they are now using PocketMail to keep in touch while training.
We asked a few question of Joe and Matt. Here are the questions and answers:
1. How did you hear about PocketMail?
Matt: While living in Sydney before and after the Olympic Games, I lived in the bohemian neighborhood of Glebe, right near the center of the city. On my commutes to and from Central station out to Penrith -- the outer suburb that hosted the actual whitewater event -- I occasionally saw commuters tapping away on what appeared to be a PocketMail communicator. Due to my minimalist living while down under, I merely coveted such technology.
Joe: I heard about PocketMail from an older gentleman from our small town in Tennessee who lives the R.V. lifestyle and uses PocketMail himself while traveling to keep in touch with friends and family. He, as well as the town's computer club (probably a quarter of the town's 500 residents are
members,) talks about PocketMail and other high-tech innovations at their daily breakfast meeting at the N.Y. Diner on Main Street.
2. Why have you selected to use PocketMail and not something else?
Matt: One of the best features of PocketMail is that it does not try to do EVERYTHING (i.e., it is NOT a Mini PC). I need technology that allows me to attend to critical emails while I travel. The stylus based PDA's are too hard to efficiently write emails, and are not nearly as convenient as PocketMail for sending and receiving email. Moreover, PocketMail carries the other organizer functions. I have rarely heard of anyone using a PDA beyond these applications -- so why have all the luxuries when all you need are the basics?
Joe: In our travels with the U.S. Canoe & Kayak Team, we train and race in metropolitan downtown centers as well as alpine mountain valleys both in the U.S. and abroad. In our efforts to stay in contact with coaches, federations, sponsors, media, and fellow athletes, we were looking for a communication tool that was could work from anywhere in the world and is as easy to use at a sidewalk cafe in Europe as it would be from our home office in Ducktown, Tennessee.
3. How can people interested in your participation in the Olympic games learn more?
Matt: First and foremost, Joe and I are very accessible individuals, and welcome any questions (especially via email) about our sport, the Olympics, and our careers as full-time athletes. Secondly, Joe maintains a very informative website called www.canoeracer.com, and I am reconstructing a more general information site called www.canoeracing.com. These sites contain pictures, narratives, news, and various explanations of whitewater slalom.
Joe: One of our primary goals in our pursuit of Olympic excellence is to make our journey as accessible to as many people as possible. As fortunate as we are to be able to compete on rivers throughout the world with our friends and with the support of our families and partners, training is often not so glamorous and can be quite lonely. Sure, there will be crowds of 10,000 enthusiastic and patriotic spectators on the day of the Olympic race but on the cold, rainy February mornings in southern village of St. Pe, France, trees outnumber the spectators about 200 to one. People interested in following our "Paddle to Athens" can start by checking "www.canoeracer.com" - and start a dialog with us too. We're always happy to answer questions about our racing, your questions about learning how to paddle, or just write us to say hello.
4. How can someone help you during this event?
Matt: Our biggest advantage in racing is the support our friends, family and associates give us while we pursue Olympic gold. Watching races, attending training sessions, keeping up correspondence both via snail and e-mail, and making donations are basic ways people can help us. Overall, the best way to help us is to join our team in spirit, write us a letter, and cheer us on!
Joe: My value in participating and/or winning an event is always based on the value of everyone's participation and not just the other athletes. Participation of volunteers, event organizers, and spectators make the difference at the Olympic games - the pride I take and power I feel in experiencing true and full participation is magical. So, define your involvement and get involved. It could be as simple as writing a letter to an athlete or getting inspired to start exercising and living a healthy lifestyle. Maybe it could be something more involving like attending an Olympic event or getting involved with a city's aspirations to host an Olympic Games (four U.S. cities are bidding to host the 2012 Olympic Games - New York, Washington DC/Baltimore, Houston, and San Francisco.)
5. Any real-world advice for anyone trying/doing the same sort of thing (or something similar)?
Matt: Olympic dreams are hatched -- and dashed -- every day. At the heart of Olympic dreams is a fundamental pursuit of excellence, and the rigor required to maintain such a pursuit. While it is always important to dream, the hard work of making a dream a reality represents one of the great and constant struggles for the human spirit. Specific to whitewater canoe and kayak, my main advice is to find a teacher/coach who will help you understand the fundamentals of paddling. Also, get out there on the whitewater -- that's where the real progress is made!
Joe: A friend who won an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming says the following about dreams: "If you want to reach your dream, you must believe in your dream, you must believe in yourself, you must work hard, and you must keep it fun." I would only add to this that with each incremental step of progress, it started with a small and basic step.
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