Despite the tragic events in Munich, which weighed on my heart, I could not stop thinking about what I had seen during my visit to the East German Olympic training facility in Leipzig. Perhaps it was merely a protective thought process to focus on a positive future rather than the terrible past, but I was determined to find a way to create a system where we can train American athletes and attain higher performance levels for competition against the East Germans and the other Soviet bloc countries. Those countries used a communistic system as the foundation and operational protocol to conduct their programs. The administrators, coaches, and athletes operated under a regimen of total discipline directed from the top down to the athletes. The philosophy of complete devotion to the State governed the people and their system.

In the United States of America, the land of freedom and capitalism, the people would never tolerate such a system. You could never take the children away from their parents and give them to the state. No American parent would allow their young children to be housed and trained in a special “state program”. In addition, Americans athletes are too free in their attitudes and mental perceptions to train in a method with military-type discipline, without flexibility, or in the shadow of “don’t ask, just do it” directions.

In the Western World, our freedom is jealously guarded. What system, then, could work for us? I knew that better technology would help and, in fact, I had already demonstrated the efficacy of my biomechanical motion analysis technique. Not only was it effective within the American system, but I had already discovered in Leipzig that they thought the motion analysis technique was good! However, just having the ability to analyze athletes biomechanically was insufficient for producing Olympic quality athletes. They needed an entire support structure of housing, food, training facilities, and coaching, in addition to the scientific contributions such as physiological and biomechanical techniques.

One area that the East Germans and Russians also utilized was pharmacological agents to augment performances. The US would not engage in these areas for many reasons not the least of which was the illegality and safety issues involved. In addition, it would be an anathema to the Olympic idea of healthiness, the optimization of human performance, as well as human and national dignity to be tainted with drug use. Application of technology and technique improvement could achieve the desired performance goals without having to rely on pharmacology.

Another significant disadvantage that Western athletes faced was financial. All Olympic athletes had to be considered “amateur” in order to compete in the Games. State sponsored programs, such as the East Germans provided, were not considered to be violating this restriction since the athletes were not paid to be there. Apparently, free food and lodging, in addition to financial support for their parents were not evaluated by Olympic officials as “payments” and, therefore, they were able to participate in the Games as amateurs.

Unfortunately, the same situation of state-sponsored athletic “camps” was impossible, at that time, in the United States and other Western countries. The rules governing amateurism dictated that athletes could not be paid to perform their sport. Just as college basketball players are not supposed to receive money to play, these student athletes must leave the university setting and play professionally in order to be compensated. It was the same situation with all Olympic sports: no money for playing. Needless to say, the US athletes were hard pressed to support themselves while pursuing their sport. Many were unable to pay for the mentoring and coaching they needed to excel and often they had to sacrifice their educational goals to find time to work to support themselves while they trained. All too frequently, athletic goals had to be abandon in order to support their lives or remain in school.

In this atmosphere, Bill Toomey, Russ Hodge, and I had meet in Amherst to try to derive a solution to this Western versus East bloc conundrum. The result, with Dr. Dardik and Colonel Miller, were the Olympic Training Centers first in Squaw Valley, California and then in Colorado Springs, CO. Because of personal situations, however, many of the athletes could not live and train in Colorado Springs at the Training Center. Whether the problems stemmed from obligations to school, family, or other reasons, these Olympians needed work to support themselves which did not violate their amateur status in addition to having time and their ability to practice their event.

I pondered the situation while I exercised, drove the car, and when I was supposed to be sleeping. Suddenly one day I had an idea, maybe crazy, but, at least, a possible solution. What if we started a nationwide chain of exercise clubs, with the USOC official endorsement, staffed by Olympic athletes? The athletes would be paid to work with individuals on their own private exercise regimens and the Olympians would be paid for their work. At the same time, they would be able to use the exercise facilities for their own sport training while they earned money to support their existence. This system would not violate their amateur status.

I immediately called Dr. Dardik who was extremely enthusiastic about my proposal. In addition, he was involved with the patients suffering from juvenile diabetes as well as their parents and some related individuals trying to help these afflicted children. The preliminary evidence suggested that children who were active, meaning engaged in strenuous daily exercise programs, were able to reduce and, in some cases eliminate, the amount of drugs they needed to control their disease. Dr. Dardik’s idea was to combine the efforts against juvenile diabetes with the need for suitable employment for the Olympic athletes. Thus, we could provide an environment for the public to become more fitness minded while at the same time, helping Olympic athletes support themselves.

As the two of us expanded the concept, a shape emerged. We would start a corporation which we called “Scientific Life Systems” (SLS). This corporation would create fitness centers in every city that we could find in the United States where there was sufficient interest in the public and enough athletes willing to participate. The athletes would be hired as trainers in the Centers and the men, women, and children of the general public would be thrilled to become members of a gym/health center that provided one-on-one sessions with Olympians. In addition, because Olympic athletes are usually stellar examples of good health, they are frequently idolized by young people. We believed they would inspire children and their parents to train with these Olympians and improve their own health as they exercised.

Dr. Dardik and I believed that this was a perfect solution to many problems. First, SLS would provide legitimate work for the Olympic athletes which would not violate their amateur status. Second, the general public would have opportunities to improve their health and well-being in well-run clubs staffed by awe-inspiring athletes. A third goal was to send ten percent of the revenues to the USOC to help offset the costs of maintaining and improving the Training Center especially the Biomechanics and Sports Medicine laboratories. We planned to obtain usage of the Olympic rings since we were helping Olympic athletes and were sending money to the USOC which would benefit all of the sports. Paying monies to the USOC for use of the rings was nothing new. I had previously forged an alliance between the shoe company and the USOC for opportunity to have the rings on the shoes as had many other companies for their products, including McDonalds and Coke.

In the back of my mind, I believed that there were additional components that could be included in the SLS corporation. I had many product ideas such as the air shoe concept, my computerized exercise machine, as well as the service aspect in areas of product development and liability testing. But I had to start with my idealized training centers as a starting point.

Now that Dr. Dardik and I had our idea to support the athletes as well as encouraging the general public to exercise, the next step was to secure the endorsement and backing of the USOC. We would have to involve the Olympic Committee so we could use the rings and to work with us in staffing the national centers with available athletes who were interested in this arrangement.

The current president of the USOC was William Simon and he was actively engaged in the workings of the Committee. Mr. Simon had served as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury from 1973 to 1974 and was the Secretary of the Treasury from 1974 until 1977. He had been the Chairman of the Economic Policy Board, the Federal Energy Office, and the East-West Foreign Trade Board. In addition to his presidency of the USOC, he was a Senior Advisor to Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, Inc. and to Blyth Eastman Dillon and Co., Inc. He was an extremely busy man, to say the least.

. The subject of Mr. Simon’s book referred to the political system. From my perspective as a former athlete, a member of the Sports Medicine Committee, and as a supporter of the Olympic athletes, I decided to propose my idea to him as a “time for truth” for a national training system which would benefit the USOC, the general public, and the Olympic athletes.A Time for Truth I had met Mr. Simon in Lake Placid when the Winter Olympics were held there in 1976. In one of our subsequent meeting, Mr. Simon gave me an autographed copy of his book,

I decided to write to Mr. Simon and propose my fitness club/Olympic athlete merger idea. I included as extensive a proposal as possible with many reports and articles as background support. Obviously, I included the large contributions to the Training Center which I had secured from Data General and other manufacturers in addition to many of the biomechanical studies which we had done for the athletes. I also outlined the SLS exercise club idea which was designed so that the athletes were able to earn a living, train for their event, and, in addition, to raise funds for the USOC. I worked a long time on the proposal and incorporated a critique of the existing Olympic Training Center system at the time. In addition, I included many of the projects and studies which we had conducted for many of the companies that had hired me and CBA.

In response to my proposal, I received the following letter from Mr. Simon:

Dear Gideon:

Thank you for the recent letter updating me on the Sports Medicine program. I apologize for this belated response, but my schedule has kept me out of the office more than in recently.

I appreciate your forwarding this material to me and I am sympathetic to your concerns regarding the current state of the sports medicine program. As you and Irv know, both Don Miller and I feel strongly that this program can provide a singularly outstanding benefit to our athletes in their preparation for '84 and we are committed to finding the best and most immediate ways to apply it to the existing programs of the USOC.

I will be in touch with you once I have had the chance to take a closer look at the package you have sent to me and can respond in more detail.

With warm regards,

 

I was thrilled to learn that Mr. Simon liked my idea. Now the next step was to meet and try to discover the best path forward. We arranged for Dr. Dardik and I to meet in New York City in Mr. Simon’s office. Also attending the meeting was one of Mr. Simon’s friends and colleague, Mr. William Casey.

.Where And How The War Was Fought This was same William Casey who had been involved with the World War II spy agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement in coordinating French resistance forces in support of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. After serving as associate general counsel at the European headquarters of the Marshall Plan, Mr. Casey returned to the US where he practiced law before becoming the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1971 to 1973 during the Nixon administration. From 1981 to 1987, Mr. Casey was named by President Ronald Reagan to the post of Director of the CIA where he was dubbed by Stansfield Turner as the “Resurrection of Wild Bill”. This reference was to Bill Donovan, the brilliant and eccentric head of the OSS whom Casey had greatly admired. It is an understatement to say that William Casey was a remarkable man and, as I discovered, a very interesting character to know. I was thrilled when Mr. Casey gave me a copy of his book about the American Revolution,

Mr. Casey’s war was on the battlefield and in the world of sleuthing and intrigue. His expertise was beating the enemies with bullets. Where to aim, however, was frequently based on intelligence about what the opponent was planning at the war table which he and his team of spies had obtained. My war was on the athletic field. In my venue, it was possible to spy on your competitors and learn how to beat them with talent and technology. In Mr. Casey’s war, you could lose your life. In my athletic combat, using my system, the worse that could happen to you was to lose an Olympic Medal.

During this initial New York City meeting, Mr. Simon, Mr. Casey, Dr. Dardik, and I decided to embrace the idea and form the Scientific Life System Corporation. It was one of those exciting meetings where everyone becomes enthusiastic and bubbles with ideas. I would not characterize Mr. Casey as actually “bubbling” but he was very interested and participated actively. We left the meeting with specific assignments for each of us. Dr. Dardik and I were to develop the program for the fitness clubs, Mr. Casey’s task was to formally create the SLS corporation, and Mr. Simon was to fly to California to meet Mr. Victor Palmieri, who was the head of the Penn Central Railroad which oversaw Coto de Caza and my new research center there (details about this center will be discussed in a later chapter).

Mr. Simon flew to California on another business but was able to meet Mr. Palmieri as well. They discussed a variety of arrangements for the Coto Research Center (my new California-CBA venture) and the development of the SLS corporations with respect to the Penn Central interest. Mr. Simon returned to New York to report many of the topics he had discussed with Mr. Palmieri.

A subsequent letter to all of us from Mr. Casey summorized the developments as of early 1977. The letter follows:

Dr. Gideon Ariel Dr. Irving Dardik

Hon. William E. Simon

 

As agreed at our meeting on December 23rd, I have formed a Delaware corporation named Scientific Life Systems, Inc. with 1,000 shares authorized. Here are some things we might try to crystallize further when we visit Amherst on Saturday:

 

1. In order to complete the organization of the corporation we will have to determine how the $100,000 which Simon and Casey would invest and the two businesses to be transferred to the corporation should be reflected in the 25% equity interest which we talked about on the 23rd. Should any notes be issued in the capitalization, should the corporation elect under subchapter S with a view toward making it possible for the investors to deduct R and D expenditures on their individual tax returns, etc. In order to make those decision we should have recent financial statements of each of the businesses being transferred into the corporation and a projection of its operations for the current year.

 

2. In order to present a tangible proposal to Palmieri as soon as possible we should work out a pro forma balance sheet and a set of projections for a physical fitness center on the scale which we think would be appropriate at Palmieri's development. We also have to formulate what kind of a combination of ownership interest, management compensation, franchise fee and equipment price or rental we should get for developing, supporting and managing that kind of a center.

 

3. Since a good part of the new money will be going into developing equipment, we should have a patent opinion. I have talked to Greason about this. He tells me he has not yet obtained the information he asked Gideon for some time ago. I think it would be a good idea to bring him along on Saturday so that he can get a first-hand impression of the equipment concepts.

 

 

pilot fitness center, in Englewood, New Jersey. The So SLS began with the four of us and a cash investment of $50,000.00 each from Mr. Casey and Mr. Simon. We opened a Center was equipped with the latest variable resistance exercise equipment and staffed by dedicated and intelligent United States Olympic athletes, offering individualized fitness training programs to suit the needs of its members. Young, old, fit or unfit could work with their athletic heroes in 30 minute training sessions.

Dr. Dardik, as a cardiovascular physician, and I, as a former athlete and devote to exercise and fitness, were concerned about the well-being of all people. We saw these centers as a way of improving the general health of peoples throughout the country by using preventative medicine and fitness programs.

The Center also was dedicated to serving people with specialized medical problems who could not find suitable fitness regimens elsewhere. One of Dr. Dardik’s main concerns was diabetic children. He was aware that diabetes patients are prone to cardiovascular complications that are the most common cause of their early death. One of the most effective ways of forestalling this is by a lifetime habit of exercise designed to maintain the circulatory system in peak tone. Historically, this has been the most neglected aspect of diabetic treatment, principally because of the unavailability of suitable training programs. This struggle is compounded by the difficulty of motivating young diabetic patients, who discourages easily, feels different and, therefore, self-conscious, and are too readily allowed to slip into the attitudes of illness. When working with juvenile diabetics, we found that they responded with enthusiasm and renewed self-confidence to the presence and influence of Olympic athletes.

We also saw the benefits of courting businesses so as to improve the health as well as the level of on-the-job performance of executives and their employees. Our centers could help correct specific physical problems that arise from white collar jobs, such as lower back problems which afflict many office workers.

Physically handicapped and paraplegic patients were another group whose survival and quality of life are especially dependent on a commitment to physical conditioning. We therefore developed special programs for such patients concentrating on body strength and cardiovascular conditioning.

The rationale for the Centers’ was to help Americans regardless of age of physical condition. But the advantages for the Olympic athletes were equally as important. These nationwide training centers were an opportunity to maintain their amateur status, while engaging in a rewarding and useful career and enjoying the friendship of a congenial community of athletes. It was an opportunity to train without financial sacrifice.

There were many benefits that would flow to the USOC including the hoped for enhancement of the performances of these Olympic athletes working at the Centers. In addition, it would increase the USOC’s ability to discover new athletic talent, with outreach programs where Olympic athletes would provide training guidance in community schools and youth centers. Perhaps one of the most important factors for the USOC would be the direct revenues which would flow to the USOC from the SLS program Centers.

We now had two centers in operation. One was located in New Jersey and the other one was situated in Washington D.C. The Washington D.C. center was directed by Mr. Jack Cahill. He was an attorney that we had known and worked with in the past. We had more requests for membership than we could accommodate. Olympic athletes from different events were hired to staff these two Centers. They were practicing for their events and, at the same time, coached young children and conducted fitness programs for the adults. It was a fantastic success, functionally and economically.

We had plans to enhance the USOC/SLS fitness programs and centers. We wanted to make a better defined nationally-oriented corporate executive program as well as our general public and community programs. We also wanted to include within our Center’s options, the ability to secure routine physical examinations, as well as, cardiac stress training, exercise, and nutrition programs that were computerized. We also planned, at some point, to offer a biomechanical analysis of tennis, golf swings, and performances in other sports.

A third division would be related to my work in the development and manufacture of computerized exercise equipment. These systems could be used not only in training centers but in hospitals and rehabilitation clinics for specialized work such as injury rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation, and the like. Although only two CES units were currently available, I had a number of designs and applications for different fitness needs on the drawing board. I was waiting for the money and opportunity to develop the next unit.

During the process of implementing this extraordinary program, we enjoyed the enthusiastic support of Colonel Miller who continued as the director of the Olympic Committee. He saw the tremendous opportunity for both the athletes, who needed financial support, and the flow of revenues to help the USOC with its other programs and Centers.

We arranged for Mr. Casey to come to our CBA office in Amherst to observe how we collected and processed biomechanical data as well as to demonstrate the developing computerized exercise machine (CES). Since I was working feverishly to prepare for his arrival, Ann went to the airport in Hartford, Connecticut to drive Mr. Casey to our office. Accompanying Mr. Casey was a young man from South Africa, Mr. Manfred Stein. Mr. Casey was true to form with his gruff demeanor and he growled during most of the trip. Fortunately, he napped intermittently during the drive so there were the pauses between the growling. Ann, who was in awe of Mr. Casey’s WWII exploits, was perplexed by his behavior but chalked it to up to the quirks of a remarkable man.

After they arrived at our CBA office in Amherst, we presented all of the various biomechanical technologies as well as the early prototype of the CES. Both Mr. Stein and Mr. Casey were impressed with our capabilities as well as the many potential products and services we could provide.

One of the projects we were working on when Mr. Casey came to Amherst was the Dow Chemical case. He watched how we analyzed movements of gymnasts, tested the mats provided, and related the head injury of a severely traumatized gymnast to the response characteristics of the mats which allegedly caused or contributed to the injury. Mr. Casey immediately noticed the potential for our technology in the area of Workmen’s Compensation. We had already done a little in this area but Casey wanted to make it a significant factor in SLS.

Mr. Casey subsequently developed a marketing plan to accomplish this feat of product testing and forensic biomechanical quantification. He saw a future with all product advertising for sports equipment would have a “CBA approved” rating on it in the same way that electronics have “UL” on each device.

In addition, CBA was in the unique position to test the nature of serious injuries. For example, he cited a New York Times' article of April 6, 1978 which indicated that artificially surfaced football fields may be the cause of pronounced increases in foot, ankle and knee injuries. This was a situation that CBA could have settled with research results to demonstrate the answers.

In the products liability area, CBA had already undertaken two types of cases: materials and non-materials cases. The Johnny Carson slant board case (previously discussed) fell under the latter category while the Dow case primarily tested the actual materials involved. We had other projects under both of these categories and we showed the final reports to Mr. Casey.

Mr. Casey and Mr. Simon understood that CBA and I were on to something potentially huge, if handled correctly. Their vision was accurate. Product liability was having a devastating effect on many industries because of the increasing number of court suits, excessive court awards, and spiraling insurance premiums. Product liability cases even today number exceed 4 million and the average settlement of a product liability case is in excess of $300,000.

According to the US Commerce department, the industries hardest hit by product liability are those involved in manufacture of machinery, sporting health equipment, toys, medical equipment, and drugs. Of every liability dollar spent by these industries, 56% of it goes to legal fees and costs. This expenditure, known as the Gross Legal Product (GLP), rose from $2 billion in 1955 to $15.4 billion in 1976. As of this writing, in 2012, the expenditure must be in the $300 billion range.

By 1977, a number of companies had employed CBA to analyze their products and evaluate, from a biomechanical point of view, their liability. The Dow Chemical Company, as a result of the gymnastics-neck injury case, had contracted us to determine impact analysis on all their foam products. In addition, the Riddell Corporation, a leading manufacturer of football helmets in the country, had contracted CBA for a study analyzing the design liability of football helmets.

As Mr. Casey and Mr. Simon began exploring in greater details the entire workmen's compensation area, they realized the gigantic need in this market. The products, personnel involved, and research potential was nearly almost impossible to gauge with regard to potential studies and/or derived income. To date, these claims exceed $30 billion per year and there has been no precise system to measure degrees of disability. As a result, insurance companies have resorted to general formulas to determine the amount of workmen's compensation.

Using biomechanical analysis, the actual degree of a worker's disability can be measured, within a small margin of error. This margin of error can be eliminated if the worker is tested biomechanically before an accident has occurred. The worker's performance can be recorded and used as a standard if an accident occurs. The comparison of a worker's pre- and post-accident movements will determine the extent of the injury. Thus, through biomechanical application, a system can be established that will consistently determine the extent of injury and the amounts for compensation for the worker. The result would be a substantial savings for any company that pays sizeable compensation fees. This analysis system would have similar attraction for insurance carriers who are consistently impacted with accident claims.

The entire products liability and workmen's compensation business, in Mr. Simon and Mr. Casey’s eyes, could evolve ultimately into long term multi-million dollar agreements with insurance carriers. This was highly desirable to me, too, since CBA required an income stream to provide corporate stability. Project by project income was less reliable because of the limited life of the contract.

Mr. Simon and Mr. Casey saw the overall market in excess of $100 billion, but this was admittedly speculation. Even without specifying a particular dollar figure, the financial incentive they foresaw a plethora of companies who would be interested in Product Liability testing. This list could include many of the notables on the insurance scene at the time, including Aetna Casualty and Surety Company, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, Travelers Insurance Company, and many others. There appeared to be a positive and productive future with incredible business opportunities that would benefit CBA and the insurance companies in addition to SLS.

Another potentially product was the Computerized Exercise System (CES) which I and our staff at CBA had invented. (There will be an entire chapter devoted to this device.) I had demonstrated the equipment to Mr. Casey and Mr. Stein during their visit in Amherst. Subsequently, Ann and I drove to Mr. Simon’s home in New Jersey to show him what and how the system worked. We had invented a small computer to control a stepper motor and an angular device to regulate a hydraulic valve/pack which we also had invented. Every component in the system was unique and patentable. We demonstrated the uniqueness of this exercise machine and the computer that controlled it with the expectation that they would also recognize the tremendous potential for making money as well as helping develop fitness. Since our invention was the first, small compact computer, we also believed that it could be manufactured and marketed as a “home” computer which everyone could own and operate.

Both Mr. Simon and Mr. Casey were impressed and took the design to Booze Allen which was probably the most prestigious technology consulting firm in the world. Mr. Simon was working with them at the time so we anticipated a quick response. However, we certainly did not expect the answer we received. Booze Allen reported that “the American public will never buy a computer to have in their home.” I guess that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were lucky that they introduced their Apple idea to the Homebrew Computer Club and could not afford to show their prototype to Booze Allen!!

I think all of us believed that SLS could develop and market this fantastic product but Mr. Simon and Mr. Casey were older and more conservative than I was, at that time. I suspect, in retrospect, that they were willing to move forward in the other areas which showed obvious financial potentials and keep this CES on the “backburner” for the present.

The other situation, with Coto de Caza, turned out to be another aborted project for SLS. Since I had not been able to be in California when Mr. Simon initially met Mr. Palmieri, I do not know exactly what was said and how the discussion evolved. However, during my next visit to California, Mr. Palmieri explained his perspective about the venture. He wanted me, my staff, and all of our biomechanical system in Coto de Caza but he was not interested in including the additional layer of SLS. He felt that it was too early in our relationship to make such a dramatic increase in the dimensions of the Coto de Caza biomechanical research concept. The goal for Penn Central was to sell the real estate and we could help them achieve that goal through the work and publicity that we generated. The SLS structure was more elaborate and Mr. Palmieri felt that this should be maintained outside of a formal, interlocking relationship.

Mr. Simon and Mr. Casey accepted the rationale presented by Mr. Palmieri. We all decided to focus on the SLS centers that were currently operating in New Jersey and Washington, DC and keep these other potentials for future consideration.

Our Olympic fitness program was operating very successfully. We had hired Olympic athletes who happily coached young children as well as working to improve the fitness of the general population. We were exploring other cities since there were a number of athletes who were seeking financial help but were geographically restricted to their home towns. Then, out of nowhere a bomb exploded.

On November 20, 1981, newspapers around the world printed an article by Jack Anderson primarily attacking Mr. Casey. The headline read “CIA head Casey rented Olympic label for a body boutique.” This was another attack by Mr. Anderson who is regarded by many as the “father of investigative journalism.” The article was not Mr. Anderson’s first attack against Mr. Casey but, unfortunately for SLS, it came at an unfortunate time. Mr. Anderson wrote that “another hobgoblin had appeared from out of Bill Casey’s corporate past.” He continued “This is just the latest in a succession of tawdry discoveries” and “I’ve reported on his involvement in other questionable business deals.”

The article continued to name “ex-Treasury Secretary William Simon” as well as Dr. Dardik and me as participants in the venture. The implications were that the USOC and the athletes were being duped and taken advantage of by the dishonest machinations of each and all of us. The article continued with innuendoes and allegations about mismanagement and a variety of other suggested problems. What a shock it was to me to read this attack article!!

I had endured my own “trial by fire” if that is what one would call scurrilous newspaper articles. The most difficult part is that once something appears in the newspaper, the “victim” is always trying to catch up to clear their name and reputation. Sometimes what is printed is true but frequently, as was this Jack Anderson attack, the information was badly distorted and misrepresented the facts. It was true that we were using the Olympic rings but the USOC was receiving money for this usage. It was correct that Olympic athletes were working in the fitness centers but they were paid well for their efforts. It was not correct that Dr. Dardik and I were on the Olympic payroll. In fact, we rarely requested reimbursement for flights to Colorado Springs. But the smears, suggestions of impropriety, resurrection of supposed past evils committed by Mr. Casey, and the knowledge that this was only the beginning of a long series of battles caused all four of us to reconsider the future of SLS.

The article was printed in a local New Jersey newspaper and is shown below:

We each had our individual as well as collective, meaning SLS, selves to consider. At the time, Dr. Dardik and I had heard rumors that Mr. Simon was pondering his chances should he decided to run for president of the USA. Dr. Dardik was a well-respected medical doctor who did not want to have the adverse publicity and lies to taint his reputation. I was still in the early developmental steps with CBA and the new venture in California. It would be a needless time consuming effort to have to engage in trying to win a fight with someone who possessed unlimited and unconstrained access to the public via his own newspaper. It would be like trying to fight a grizzly bear because, even if you win, you are usually so badly wounded, what price is victory? Despite the distorted and inaccurate information in these articles, we decide that SLS would have to be abandoned.

From my perspective, the scandal caused by the lies, misrepresentations, and innuendoes printed under Mr. Anderson’s byline appeared to be normal for him. He thrived on attacking public individuals and, in some cases, these attacks may have been justified. However, Mr. Anderson’s attack on SLS appeared to spring from his personal and special animus against Mr. Casey. The underlining theme for SLS was to help athletes, the USOC, and improve the fitness levels among the general public. This theme was ignored by Mr. Anderson who was bent on destroying individuals regardless of whether his facts and premise were correct.

My background was filled with fights and struggles. I had been publically attacked by my own professors and Mr. Arthur Jones. I had overcome many difficulties to survive in a foreign land where I had not known the language. I would not have backed down from this fight. However, Dr. Dardik was worried about his medical practice and Mr. Simon was considering whether to run for the presidency of the country. Mr. Casey was the most vulnerable since Mr. Anderson was apparently on a quest to destroy Mr. Casey.

Thus, the end came to SLS. It had been a great idea which was tarnished by jealousy of unproductive and misinformed people. However, the destruction of a good idea provided me with more time and energy to direct towards the continuing development of my own company.

My company, C.B.A, and the new Coto Research Center (which I will discuss soon) were flourishing. Our business ventures expanded and I continued working with the American athletes to improve their performances with biomechanical analyses. With the end of SLS, I turned more of my attention to these other ventures.