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The white sands of Omaha may seem like a strange place for a World Masters Champion skier to retire to, but that’s been the choice of philosopher, teacher and author Professor Emeritus Raymond Bradley. After more than 40 years, teaching in universities around the world, Dr Bradley returned to New Zealand six years ago and moved to Omaha in 2001. Next February, at age 76, he hopes to return to Masters ski racing at Silver Star, in Canada’s British Columbia. Before then, however, he will have to overcome a crippling knee injury that has so far stymied his efforts to regain the form that recently saw him ranked second in the world in Giant Slalom, in his age group. Local Matters editor Jannette Thompson asked Dr Bradley how his preparation for next February was going …
I underwent an operation in June, the most recent of many, in the hope of cleaning out a tangle of torn cartilage. My recovery has been slow and my training at present consists mainly of walking and cycling. I’ll begin weight training soon but it remains to be seen whether my knee will take it or not. I had hoped to compete in Canada this year but it wasn’t possible. When I attempted to ski, the pain in my knee was excruciating.
Is the injury the result of a skiing accident?
When I was living in Canada, I owned a 40-acre property, about 120 miles up the coast from Vancouver, where I was teaching at the Simon Fraser University. It was a beautiful spot and I built myself a two storey log cabin on the edge of the water, surrounded by a forest of firs, cedars and hemlock, inhabited by bears and cougar. I bought a Lake Buccaneer flying boat to access the property. On one of my trips I attempted a water landing in “flat-light” but the plane hit the water nose down. The impact broke my seat belt, hurled me through the broken fuselage and across the top of the lake like a skimming stone at about 70km an hour. My passenger survived with only minor injuries but I tore my back muscles, broke both my ankles and virtually tore my left knee apart. The lake was nearly frozen but we managed to swim to an island. Miraculously, we were picked up by a boat of tree planters about four hours later. That was in 1983 and my knee problems stem from then.
What is the attraction of competitive skiing?
It’s tough and exhilarating, and I particularly like the speed events. Even at Masters level, skiers can achieve speeds of about 120kph. But there are perils in the sport as well and I have seen fellow competitors badly injured. I’ve been lucky with only eight broken ribs, a couple of concussions, broken thumbs and sprained ankles. There’s also a wonderful camaraderie amongst the top skiers, many of whom have become personal friends. It’s inspirational to see what skiers can achieve in the various age categories. Some racers in their mid-80s ski faster, stronger and better than most recreational skiers could ever dream of.
Did you learn to ski in NZ?
I grew up in Auckland during the Depression, then Word War II, so expensive holidays were unheard of. It wasn’t until 1955 when I won a scholarship to the Australian National University (ANU), in Canberra, that I had my first taste of skiing, on hills near Canberra. It was pretty primitive, without ski lifts or rope tows, and pre-war equipment, but it became a passion for me. I think it was the combination of the physical challenge, as well as being in the great outdoors.
Did you like to play sport as a child?
I wasn’t keen on team sports but I did like cycling and loved getting out of the city on my bike. When I was 12, I rode to an uncle’s in Paeroa, and three years later up to Waipu.
Were you a good scholar?
I attended Mt Albert Boys Grammar School and was fairly unremarkable academically. But I have always been an avid and reflective reader. I moved on to Teachers Training College while doing a BA degree in the evenings. To my astonishment, I topped the Biology and Philosophy. I completed my Masters at Auckland University in 1954 while teaching primary school, then my doctorate in philosophy at the ANU before teaching in Australia and Oxford. I became Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Auckland in 1964 and stayed six years before accepting a similar position at Simon Fraser. I retired in 1996.
How do you spend your time now?
I spend a lot of time reading and am particularly concerned with issues of global peace and justice. I’m particularly troubled by crimes performed on the international stage and spend two to three hours a day on the internet, reading articles from many different sources, sifting through the propaganda. Anything that is potent and pertinent, I forward to friends and colleagues. I am also working on a book on the philosophy of religion. I haven’t decided on a title but it could be Too Many Gods or Which God? And I have a paper coming out soon called The Rivalry of Religions.
Did you ever believe in God?
I was raised as a devout Baptist and aspired to become a miniter or missionary like many of my forebears. But, when I was about 10, when I started questioning the rationale behind religion. At 14, I participated in a creationists vs evolutionists debate at school. I read every piece of anti-evolutionary literature that the church could heap on me but found that this creationist propaganda only further undermined my faith. My parents were distraught and even resorted to physical violence. When I couldn’t find the answers to my questions amongst the theologians, I started reading what the philosophers had to say.
What is your position on religion now?
In some respects my latest philosophical interests have circled back to their starting point: a careful examination of the reasons for religious, especially Christian, belief. Only my perspective has changed: from ardent theist to unabashed atheist. Philosophy is about the pursuit of truth and wisdom so it is incumbent on me, as a philosopher, to expose the frail foundations of religious faith, formulating the undermining arguments as forcefully and as clearly as possible. Hard core religions, as we know, can be socially and politically powerful and dangerous. Fortunately, this isn’t the case in NZ where the Destiny Church pales by comparison to its fundamentalist counterparts in the US, for instance.
* Dr Bradley has published three books on philosophy and 50 other publications in journals. As a Masters skier, he has won more than 60 medals in national and international events, including three World Championship Gold Medals in the speed event known as Super G.
