Olympic Banter Looking Up: Rowing Journal is 'Phelan Funny'

One of the 'modified' versions via @RowingJournal
With the Games just 16 days away, the excitement is building, and so is the banter. We're aware that Iain Weir of Rowing Journal knows a thing or two about photography, but the mastery of Photoshop on display in this post, lampooning the recent photo series from The Guardian (UK), is, well, breathtaking. The original, which is part of a series entitled, 'Olympic Bodies: British Athletes - in pictures,' is posted to The Guardian's website, and features GB oarsman Mohamed Sbihi alongside coxswain Phelan (for the U.S. audience, that's pronounced 'feelan') Hill, in what might be called a study in contrast–sitting in the five seat of the GB men's eight, Sbihi is one of the tallest athletes in the squad, and weighs in at 104kg, while Hill maintains the minimum weight for a coxswain at 55kg.

Many of the athletes that will make up Team USA at the Games were gearing up to depart for Europe today, sparking a bit of a Twitter frenzy (searchable via #GoTeamUSA, which is 'trending' nationwide). In the midst of all this, one of the stars of the above photo, Phelan Hill, seems to have successfully pleaded the case for coxswains a place in Megan Kalmoe's famous (infamous?) 'List' for 2012, following Ned DelGuercio's notable appearance last year, checking in at #18. While it may be early to start the nominations, in the words of Hill, "what else is there to do on camp when not training?" 

All of which begs the question, will there be open nominations this year? And further, has Phelan done enough to secure himself a bid for The List 2012?

-RR

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