RFT reader to Rams: Tear down that roof

NEWS REAL, MARCH 27, 2008

Tear Down That Roof

Then I'll come watch: I wondered why, in his story "Green Teams," Chad Garrison didn't question why St. Louis and the Rams don't just lift the roof off of the Edward Jones Dome. Wouldn't that save a few watts? It's the main reason I don't attend football games here. A lot of us would rather sit in the cold, like real football fans. We like to save our energy resources for our SUVs, Sea-Doos and riding mowers!
Frank J. Reedy Jr., St. Louis

FEATURE, MARCH 20, 2008

Still Bitter

"The Punisher" demands a rematch: Kristen Hinman's article "Thousand Dollar Baby" is really a nice story about Jamie O'Hare. As for the fight, it was nowhere near close. It's sad to say, but even O'Hare's promoter and matchmaker stated to me and my coach, "Carrine got ripped off." Promoter Steve Smith also stated that I can have a rematch, but definitely not in St. Louis, O'Hare's hometown. That night other fighters and spectators who attended the fight said I was robbed. As for O'Hare having fast feet, that was not true at all. No offense, but she was a slow fighter, and I saw in her eyes that she was scared of the power that came behind my hits. I would love a rematch with her, but I doubt very seriously she would accept it and that it would take place in Georgia. As for the 38-38, 38-37: That was my way, not O'Hare's way.
Carrine Hamlett, via the Internet

Float My Boat

Hey fight fans, don't forget about canoe racing: I enjoyed "Thousand Dollar Baby," but boxing is not the only summer Olympic contest in which women don't get to compete. Women are also excluded from racing canoe in both disciplines: sprint and whitewater slalom. Living in St. Louis, I train regularly in my canoe and travel around the country to race, often against men.

Women have been racing canoes ever since slalom poles were first hung above a river. Currently, a surge of young women are entering the top-level national events and pushing for international recognition. The International Canoe Federation will vote in June to decide if a women's canoe event will be added to the 2010 World Championships. For the women racing canoes around the country, we want a chance to compete in the Olympic Games. Most people I talk to, even people who race canoes locally, are shocked to hear that we don't have an event. It is important that people know. The top female canoeist in the country is a nineteen-year-old from the St. Louis area. She moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area to train at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. With only the Mississippi and Meramec rivers to train on, I am at a disadvantage, but I am determined to catch her. We are both training for the U.S. Slalom Nationals in August. But we both want to be able to dream about Olympic gold.
Laura Egerdal, St. Louis

Errata
In last week's issue, we attributed the Forgetting Sarah Marshall film review to J. Hoberman. It was written by Robert Wilonsky.