I posted the link in the thread pertaining to Charlie’s death; however, I thought it deserves its own here.
The last I was told, the articles page at EFS gets between 1-2 million views per month. As many of the longer time members here probably know, a great deal of the viewership at EFS is different from the one here.
While it’s difficult to consider that Charlie is not a household name amongst anyone involved in sport training, particularly younger up and coming coaches, it is true.
As a result, I would like to think that the more people, previously unfamiliar with Charlie, who review my tribute article via EFS, as well as the comments, the more they may be driven to explore his name, this site, and buy his products here at the store.
Similar to yourself, just about every training related decision I make can be traced back to Charlie and his teachings.
Perhaps I’ve overlooked them, but I’m surprised by the lack of tributes from those with websites, forums, and blogs. Especially those who themselves have profited from Charlie’s influence on their work.
I read that article over on the EFS site last night. By pure chance I was visiting the site, which I don’t do often, and stumbled across it. Well done. I think it gives a hint of just how long a shadow Charlie cast. I think it would help if those lucky few of us who had the opportunity to meet and train with Charlie, if only for short periods, would write down our experiences. I was thinking of suggesting a separate department on the forum for this purpose. As anyone who met Charlie knows, even a short time with him could be transforming.
Ollie, I agree with you with respect to the seeming lack of honorary tribute Charlie has received amidst the sea of sport training websites. Instead, the general sum of my searches to date, since Charlie has been gone, have revealed an inordinate amount of mention regarding the ‘cheating, scandal’ and so on.
The ignorance is polarizing. Anger on end (because people have no clue) and pity on the other (because people have no clue).
While the community here obviously recognizes the incomparable genius of Charlie, it is challenging, for me at least, to overlook the seeming hordes of others in the sport training world who will live their lives oblivious to the fact that Charlie was who he was.
Recognizing true genius takes a significant degree of intelligence, perspective and humility. All of which are in very short supply in this day and age.