Splitting the Second: My Wacky Business in Olympic and Sports Timing - Softcover

Cheng, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1434383172 ISBN 13: 9781434383174

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2008

Synopsis

Funny and sometimes shocking stories behind the scenes of major sports events are revealed for the first time in this unusual book. Alex Cheng, president of a company in California that was the North American distributor for Omega Sports Timing, shares his observations in a candid and casual style. His company, Seagull, Inc., was involved in timing systems and scoreboards for the Olympics in Montreal and Lake Placid, Pan Am Games in Mexico City, Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, the Canada Games and many events in skiing, swimming, track and field, car racing, horse racing, rodeos, boat racing, skateboard races, firemen's musters and other sports. This book is sheer entertainment for anyone interested in a variety of sports from a new perspective or how a small company coped with a somewhat frenetic business. At the same time, you will learn fascinating sports facts that will impress your friends. For example: Did you know runners are timed to 1/100 of a second based on the first part of the torso crossing the line? How is this decided with absolute accuracy? Did you know the Montreal Olympics main stadium faced a grid lock of construction cranes and was only half finished when the Games began? And this is common with many Olympics! Did you know the beeping count-down clock next to skiers about to start their race has nothing to do with their actual start time? Have you wondered what it was like in the hockey stadium on the night of the Miracle on Ice victory in Lake Placid? Do you know why Olympic style sailboat racing is amazingly similar to barrel racing in rodeos? (You won't find this anywhere else!)

About this title

About the Author:

Alex Cheng yearned to run a company marketing unusual technologies from Europe. With a bit of audacity, he landed the North American rights to Olympic caliber timing systems from Omega Electronics, a division of the Swiss watch company. Because there were no established distribution channels for such exotic sports timers and scoreboards, he founded and operated Seagull, Inc. with innovative strategies both within and outside his company. The result was eight years of fun, stress and lots of fascinating stories. Alex grew up in California and participated in many sports but never as a ranked competitor like those he met during his Seagull days. He did compete once in the Canadian Nationals in curling but primarily skied and raced sailboats in San Francisco Bay with his wife, Jan, for over 20 years. He and Jan still sail but are now avid snowboarders. Alex is certified as a sailing instructor and plays racquetball regularly. He earned a BS from UCLA and an MBA from Stanford University and roams Silicon Valley as an independent marketing strategist for young companies with unique or leading edge technologies.

About this edition

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1434383172
• ISBN 13: 9781434383174
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 132