It’s the European Indoor Athletic Championships this weekend. I’ve managed to find a few minutes to watch some of the coverage (after a meeting of surname studiers at my place this morning) and it has been a-maz-ing! This is not a topic I regularly blog about but I absolutely love my arthur-letics. Since a young age, I have been a super fan. There are not many youngsters who set their alarm to get up early and watch the Olympics. Showing my age now, but Daley Thompson, Linford Christie, John Regis, Elliott/Cram/Crabb (1,500m)…. I was hooked (Seoul, 1988).
Athletics is one of many sports/professions where you can win accolades. In football (in England), you can win the Premier League and rugby, perhaps the Six Nations (if we are lucky)…. Actors/actresses are awarded Oscars and in the world of music, the Grammys…. Some amazing upcoming talents won medals today, many of whom I had not heard of before. It was also great to hear several GB team members not content with Silver/Bronze medals. Even the Gold medal winner – Katarina Johnson-Thompson – was not happy, crossing the line on the 800m saying ‘Oh no!’ as she hadn’t broken the world record!
So, what is available for genealogists in the medal sense? Well, Superstar/Rockstar Genealogists c/o John Reid and Anglo-Celtic Connections but not a whole lot else! Which made me think…. what should we have? We can’t ‘compete’ in the same sense as athletes, clearly. Some individuals in the field have been awarded MBEs and such like by our monarchy but should we be recognised in a.n.other way? If so, what? I look forward to your thoughts.
