History
was made today as Kim Rhode received a bronze medal for her extraordinary
efforts which was her sixth consecutive summer Olympics in which she has stood
on the podium dating back to the Atlanta games in 1996. She is the first
athlete, man or woman, in any sport, to do so at the summer games. She is one of the athletes that
you can count on to add to the United States’ total every four years. Unfortunately,
there is little fanfare for her accomplishment as there is a tremendous stigma
associated with her chosen specialty which she has mastered… skeet.
Rhode,
who lives in California, has always been a firm proponent of second amendment
rights and, following her recent victory, let
her thoughts be known regarding the recently proposed legislation in her
home state:
“I shoot 500 to
1,000 rounds a day, so having to do a background check every time I purchase
ammo, or every time I want to bring ammo in or out of a competition or a match,
those are very challenging for me,” said Rhode. “Also, I’ve had guns in my
family for generations that have been passed down, and now I’m going to
register them as assault weapons. And they will not be passed on to my son, or
to me from my father. It definitely does effect me and give me a reason to
speak out more.”
This
is why the media doesn’t mention her dominance at the Olympic games and even
downplays her significant accomplishment as was the case on the NBC Olympics homepage where the ‘reporter’ states: “Many would argue that a
shooter doing this is far less impressive than, say, a gymnast or a swimmer. The
act of shooting requires fewer physical attributes, extending Olympic lifespans...”
Other outlets chose to focus on mass shootings and, as noted by Bloomberg News, “Olympics Sponsors Want Nothing to Do With Team USA Shooters”. Of
course, this is why you won’t see this particular group of Olympians in any of
the advertising spots flooding the television stations every night.
It truly
is a sad state of affairs when our country refuses to support our Olympians
especially those as distinguished and decorated at Rhode. It is sad but it is
not surprising given the segregationist stance that the media has taken in
recent years… after all we now have Olympians and “those other Olympians”. But,
for me, I would like to convey my congratulations to Kim Rhode and to all of
the other members of USA Shooting Team both for their performances and for representing
themselves, our country, and our sport the way and Olympian should represent
the best of us.
