From high heels in Paris to dreamy Mauritius
In Holland they have a popular saying: “Toeval bestaat niet” which literally translated means “Coincidence doesn’t exist”. So there is no such thing as coincidence. All very interesting, but it doesn’t help explain all the coincidences that I keep experiencing! Even during the Olympics, I have been having my daily dose of ‘coincidence’. Here is my latest trio.
Dreamy thoughts of Mauritius
As we wave farewell to the family today who are off on holiday to Mauritius, the beautiful tiny island in the Indian Ocean where I’ve been lucky enough to play golf and be part of the Mauritius Open several times in the past, an interesting thought crosses my mind. “Is anyone from Mauritius competing in the Olympics this year?” We make a vow to check it out later. Yet low and behold, within an hour, the BBC are broadcasting an interview with a lovely young Mauritian athlete, Fabienne St. Louis, who is taking part in the Women’s Triathlon today against all odds after fighting a battle against cancer since last year.
Olympic success story for Jamie Spence
A few days ago I was busy planning some interviews for my next trip to England and wrote down the name of Jamie Spence. Jamie is a former Tour player (and twice winner) from my neck of the woods in Sussex and Kent. Many moons ago I was interviewing him on a regular basis. He was really tipped for the top. In recent years, he’d become more involved with the European Tour’s Tournament Committee and has been teeing-up occasionally on the Seniors Tour, I’d heard. But how is life for Jamie Spence, I wondered. Answer: Life is very hectic, so it appears! During the first day of the Women’s Olympic Golf Event in Rio his name suddenly came up as Team GB’s golf manager. Yes, lucky Jamie has landed himself a plum job and is now reaping the rewards of his hard work in Rio. Britain’s Justin Rose has already won gold and now the focus this week lies with Charley Hull and Catriona Matthew. What a coincidence!
Parisian golfers in tight skirts and high heels
On the first day of the Olympic Games, I was drawn to my bookshelf where I pulled out a Dutch book, ‘Rondje Golf – een leidraad voor beginners’, from under a layer of dust. It was a book that I’d had in my golf collection for a few years but hadn’t yet read. Amazingly, I flicked open at a page entitled: ‘Olympische Spelen. Waarom is golf geen Olympische sport?’ (‘The Olympic Games. Why isn’t it an Olympic sport?’) How do you account for that!
You’ll know, of course, by now that golf made its return to the Games this year for the first time since 1904. When this book was published in 1999, golf in the Olympics was not even on the agenda. The author makes a few observations as to why it should become part of the Games again in the future and speculates as to what might have been holding golf back on the Olympic stage. At the end of his Olympic piece, he also refers to 1900 and 1904 when golf was an Olympic sport. And that makes for a fascinating read. This is what he wrote (translated into English):
Golfers with Olympic Gold
“Golf has been part of the Olympic programme on two previous occasions: in 1900 (Paris) and in 1904 (St. Louis). In the Olympic Games in Paris, there were ten women in total who participated, battling it out over nine holes. The winner was the American Margaret Abbott. “I could hardly lose”, she admitted at the end of the Games. Apparently the other competitors were Parisians who turned up in tight skirts and high-heeled shoes. The Olympic Games in St. Louis were of a much higher standard but included only one non-American competitor. And, sure enough, this player, a Canadian by the name of George Lyon, won the Gold Medal.” – Aad Struijk
As I sign-off this blog, I sincerely hope the author, Aad Struijk, is alive and well, still playing golf, and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of golf back in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Maybe he’ll be inspired to publish a new edition of his book too! Or perhaps he is already busy with one … now that would be a coincidence!
Wendy Hoad
PS Don’t you just love coincidences? When checking the Mauritian athlete’s full name for this blog, I discovered it was Fabienne St. Louis. And St. Louis is where the Games were held in 1904. What an amazing coincidence! Guess the circle is now round. Just like the five Olympic rings.
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
‘Rondje Golf – een leidraad voor beginners’
Author: Aad Struijk
Published by Elmar b.v. The Netherlands (1999)
‘Rondje Golf’ is well-researched and contains a lot of useful information and golf jargon for the beginner as well as some interesting snippets and quotes to entertain every golfer. While some of the information in the book is now out-of-date due to the rapidly-changing nature of the game, I’ve the impression that it could be a rather charming read. One day I’ll find the time!