Al Oerter Almost Dies

[gh]

Thanks for subscriber Dave Grantges for pointing us towards this item from a few months back, which escaped our (and just about everybody else's it would seem) notice.

http://www.news-press.com/news/columnis ... nncol.html

[Guest]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

Kind of makes you think, eh?

[gh]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

Think what? That I don't want serious heart problems? You got it.

[Guest]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

Exactly.

[Guest]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

my god he's nearly 70...that's what makes me think...

[gh]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

And he could still kick your ass! :-)

[Guest]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

If he could curl 345Lbs I don't doubt it for a second!

[MDC]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

I think I'm more impressed that he seems to have five more lives to go . . .

1. Hit by a car when he was about 6 or 7.
2. Slipped on a rock at Bear Mountain in New York and stopped by a boulder from going over a cliff.
3. A sleeping passenger in a car making its way at night over a hilly, two-lane road in Missouri. when the car slams into another car and he's fhrown through the windshield. Doctors told Oerter that the injury came within a whisker of cutting his jugular vein.
4. This incident.

[richardh]

Re: Al Oerter Almost Dies

Nice to think he might have another 5 lives. One of the most respected figures in British athletics was the late Ron Pickering. A fine coach (of Lynn Davies, 64 OG long jump winner, among others), father of Sean (excellent shot putter), TV commentator for many years, and frequent host (with his wife Jean - 54 European LJ winner) to visiting athletes. Revered by many, Ron had few heros - but Oerter was one of them, and I remember hi talking about meeting Oerter on occasional visits to Britain (once in 64 for the London-NY meeting, and after his career on a visit to Wimbledon (for the tennis), where big Al almost melted in the heat. A great athlete, and with his amiability towards other throwers (Rink Babka in particular), a great human being