Off Guard: A look at the rule benders
Hosted by two-time Olympian Perdita Felicien, Off Guard provides one unconventional theme each week, considered three different ways.
Check out the this week's episode:
Rule benders
This episode is all about the rule benders of sport. Not the blatant cheats, because really, enough already with Lance and Ben and all of them… No, what we're thinking about is those coaches, teams, and players who earn our begrudging admiration with their ability to test the boundaries of what's allowed. A look at the small c in cheats… the coaches who design plays that the rule makers never considered, the athletes who have a sixth sense about when the refs are watching.
Felicien enjoys a long and lively chat with Canadian professional cyclist Michael Woods. He had a breakout performance with Team Cannondale at the Tour Down Under last year, and before and since, Woodsy has witnessed his share of monkey business in the peloton. He talks with bracing candour about the big concerns, such as those racers who have so-called Therapeutic Use Exemptions…endurance cyclists who develop asthma, and earn the right to use cortisone and ventolin and who knows what else on race day. Hello, Bradley Wiggins? And all the sneaky little ways the world's best cyclists legally chip away at the hundredths of seconds that can make up the margin of victory. Woods began his athletic career on the running track, and so he also shares some dubious tips about running the very inside edge of the lane. Hey, when milliseconds count, it all makes a difference.
This week we feature a very personal essay from Jamie I-was-a teenaged-referee Strashin.
He marshals a whole raft of young women and men to talk about the ups and down of making a living with stripy shirt and whistle. You would think that keeping beer leagues in line is the toughest part of the referee's gig, but not so! We have it on good authority that the absolute worst of the bunch are soccer moms."How dare you suggest my darling Brittany tugged that girl's jersey! Do you have any idea who you are impugning with that call?"
And, before we lose focus on the rules, Peter Mahovlich and Bob Cole take us through their own Hockey Night in Canada memories about some of maestros in the art of gaming the system. They tell us chapter and verse about how coaching legends Lou Lamariello and Roger Neilson played the rule books like harpsichords. If you ever wondered why you can only have so many penalties for too many men on the ice, you can thank Neilson for that one.
To listen to the podcast, click cbc.ca/offguard
To subscribe and tell us what you think, email us at offguard@cbc.ca
