ST's columns from years ago tended to be more like that - battle stories and fun anectdotes from his full-on life in triathlon. However, recently I have noticed he has been getting more philosophical about life, sport, where the two mingle and how he relates to it all. I don't read his column all the time, but everytime I do, it's always dead-on. I enjoy it.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I agree with H34. Especially the current edition. Triathlon serves as a way for me to get 'away' from it all - work, world issues, etc. Its just fun. The last thing I need is his reminiscing and promoting of liberal ideals. I don't respect him as a political/historical/philosophical analyst - just as an athlete. He seems to have caught the disease that others in sport, show-biz, etc. have - the more popular you are, the smarter you become. I believe this month's diatribe will be my last.

I enjoy his column, it seems to be "him" and thats ok with me.:-)

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"on your Left"

I guess it depends on what type of literature you enjoy in general but to have a little bit of philosophy fused into the sport by one of its veterans is refreshing. I think that the perspectives Tinley takes on triathlons, sport, and life are invaluable to the publication and should continue as long as his introspection allows. If you don't like it, just admire the Litespeed ad on the adjoining page.

Daniel

I skip it. In fact, I skip most of the magazine these days because it is so poorly edited. Call me anal, but I can't get past the appalling typos, misspellings and grammatical errors.

"The last thing I need is his reminiscing and promoting of liberal ideals."

Well, I'd rather listen to any liberal over any conservative on any day. And the further right of center that they move, the less time I have for them. But that's just my politics. So let's not go there since this is a triathlon and not politic science forum. However, I just finished reading his article in this months mag. I enjoyed it.

I enjoy his column. I liked what he wrote a few years back a little better but I still find him entertaining.

Scott Tinley is bitchin'!

Maybe it's like the musical stylings of Captain Beefheart - you either love 'em or hate 'em, and even if you love 'em it's still going to be something of a hit and miss process.

Tinley's accomplishments, persona, and writing are definitely part of what drew me to the sport in the first place. So I hope he keeps it up and that Triathlon continues to carry his column.

Now if the man would only update his freakin' web site!

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TonyG

What is Enoch Root?

I agree with H-34. I know there are some great stories.

I heard ST is taking a creative writing class or something like that. Sometimes it seems like he is trying TOO hard to spread his creative wings, so to speak.

ST is one of my top favorite athletes of all time, and I understand that his life/goals/perspectives are changing.

The pattern I seem to notice is about every-other-month he has something worthwhile, and in the middle is... um... experimenting? (Like the farting article.)

It seems like just when I think he is gone for good, he hits me with something that floors me.

i think he's quite funny.

i don't agree with everything he says and he does loose the plot sometimes on the deep and meaningful psychological stuff. however, i find his stuff refreshing and he doesn't take himself too seriously.

the mag is better for his thoughts.

I love reading his stuff. He is what he is and i enjoy it! Try writing an article and makng everyone happy

He gave a talk at our tri club and read something he said he'd been working on in his "creative writing class". I think he aspires to higher author-dom down the road.

He's written some great stuff, though. Funny, poignant, revealing. His bit whacking ITU racing have been hilarious.

He can be too arrogent for my taste, but I especially liked his column "I am an Athlete" a while back

tommy

Who in our sport has better writing skills? (Hitch is very good, IMHO)

If all you want are technical articles, don't read the back page!

I didn't know Tinley is a liberal. I thought all triathletes were right wing, obsessive compulsive techno weenies, but I digress. :) j/k.

-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

It's not just the writing skills - it's the topics.

{Who in our sport has better writing skills?} reply

To name a few? Dan and Tom.

OK, you got me going. I am a huge fan of Scott Tinley. I remember his awesome days with that wild bike at Kona and I still have some of those cotton running shorts. The guy is an icon. He is the archetypical triathlete. However, he may not always be a Pulitzer Prize candidate. Some of his columns are insightful, articulate and inspirational. Some are just OK and some aren't that good. They are always worth the time it takes to read them so I always do. At the risk of sounding like a kiss-ass I enjoy Dan's writing a little more most of the time and expect more from it. I think Dan spends more time thinking. Also, some of Dan's ideas have, in the past, sounded absurd to me, but upon more thorough contemplation, made sense. I like the fact that he challenges current thought sometimes. As for the stuff I write, I don't know- but let me say this in Tinley's defence- it is hard to come up with material all the time. I am ultimately thankful for all of it.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

This is a bit like red heads vs. blondes, but...

I wouldn't put Dan in the same category as Tinley. No knock on Dan. Dan is great at the technical aspect of the sport. Dan needs good editing, and probably receives some. :) This may be unfair to Dan because he's juggling so many balls and really doesn't have as much time as others to dedicate to the creative process.

Tinley gets big points for STYLE. Bigger than anyone else in the tri community from my perspective. But when you go as deep and as far out as he goes, you have to expect a lot of people won't enjoy the ride. Hell, some don't even know they are ON a ride. Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind. Anyway, I think Tinley has oodles of writing talent. Now, I can't stand his line of clothing, but that's another can of worms.... :),

Hitch has Dan's analytical ability, but with the added bonus of actually presenting the product with a pretty bow around it. (I.e., focused/tightly written, syntactically sound, ideas fully developed, etc.) Hitch is a disciplined writer.

Some can dream; some can dream and also tell you the gist of their dream; some can dream, inject you with their opium, and send you off to dream land.



-Robert

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"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank

I have to agree that the ST fables are tending to be more pathetic poo poo liberal trash talk and gee whiz Hands Across America plebian garble than actual story line (Triathlon) columns. I really don’t care to read his undereducated liberal ideals and fantasy social morays that have nothing to do with the sport we all love. I have the same complaint about TV shows of late as well...they can not just put on a TV show, they need to make it a very special "Support our ignorant liberal point of view" show - ER and West Wing to name two.

Tinley has to me sounded as if he was on a campaign trail more than on an "educate the age groupers" mission - and in my not so subjective opinion...his job is to educate the age groupers as to what it "FELT" like to be at the top of his game. I don’t care what he thinks about his politics, I want to know what he thinks about Triathlon, where we are, where we are going and where we have been. Hippie liberal tree hugger crap can be left out.

This in the end has more to do with the fact that seemingly Triathlon has no single good source of non-biased, supportive information (in print) the way that cycling has (in non-Rodale publications). After all is said and done the editors have as much culpability as do the columnists in the subject matter. If they really wanted to be political, I would bet that Iron distance racers would be on my estimate 70% + educated conservative people based solely on the estimation that the average Iron distance athlete has a yearly household income of over $130,000.00 (as according to the news paper in Lake Placid).

But this is not a political site…

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

This post is in regards to Record9ti's statement regarding the demographics of triathlon. While not everyone (including myself) likes ST's rambling on the last page of Triathlete; I fail to see why you feel the need to bash "poo poo liberal trash". I almost didn't write this because I wanted to avoid a political discussion, but just because all of us don't want to drill in Alaska or be yuppies and drive Suburbans, that really has nothing to do with whether or not you like the writing of ST. I also question your theory that "70% of Iron distance athletes are conservative because they make >$130,000 per year" I had no idea that liberal individuals were not financially well off. They (liberals) must be less wealthy than the conservite right due to their lack of (shady)involvement with "big business." ex. Haliburton (spelling?) and Dick Cheney.

Liberal's are sissy boys and Conservatives are Butt wippin brown nosin close minded dummies!!!!!!!
I for one wish that little guy with the big ears would run again and have that rasler from one of the northern states as a vise pres.
Oh and hemp kills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's ironic someone can write about "undereducated liberal ideals" and then in the same sentence talk about "social morays". What are those, friendly eels? Talk about undereducated.....

boy talk about being close minded.....

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"on your Left"

I was once doing an open water swim when attacked by a social moray. Luckily, I make in excess of $130,000 per year, and could afford to have a hired hand along to rescue me.

I prefer "progressive" to "liberal" as a label.

Or, as Dean Martin used to sing (to the tune of That's Amore):

"When you swim in the sea,
And an eel bites your knee,
That's A Moray"

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TonyG

What is Enoch Root?