Winter Olympics Thread...aka 2010-2011 FIS thread

[pbmax]

From a fellow competitor:


"One Bode Miller is prominent in any discussion of the most talented ski racers in history. Before Monday's downhill, Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who won eight medals (four of them gold) in four different Olympics, said, "At his best [Miller] was the ultimate skier. And probably nobody has been at that level, ever." Notice Aamodt's use of past tense."



Most of the criticism I've seen leveled at Bode come from people not affiliated with the sport. He partied too hard. But that's what skiers do. He's politically incorrect, and that ticks people off who wanted him to treat his Turin Olympic opportunity more reverently. But has he ever gotten in any real trouble?

I believe maintaining that you have skied wasted (and comparing that to driving while drunk) goes beyond political incorrectness and into functional stupidity. Especially when you follow that up with a less than impressive performance.

[MadScientist]

Swedish biathlon skier Björn Ferry has a great solution for dopers:

"If it were up to me I would dish out the death penalty in doping cases," he said.

"Or at least lots of kicks in the balls."

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=423033.html#ferry+drop+hammer+dopers

I'd suggest the second option for NFL dopers, but after doing steroids, could you even find their balls?

[Scott Campbell]

I believe maintaining that you have skied wasted........

Have you been around a lot of skiers? Finding one that hasn't skied wasted is like trying to find a virgin in a whore house.

Bode's not politically correct.

[pbmax]

I believe maintaining that you have skied wasted........

Have you been around a lot of skiers? Finding one that hasn't skied wasted is like trying to find a virgin in a whore house.

Bode's not politically correct.

You don't think that risking your own life, and potentially others on the slope, is more serious than being politically incorrect?

Just because others do it, makes it no more safe. Or admirable.

[Scott Campbell]

I believe maintaining that you have skied wasted........

Have you been around a lot of skiers? Finding one that hasn't skied wasted is like trying to find a virgin in a whore house.

Bode's not politically correct.

You don't think that risking your own life, and potentially others on the slope, is more serious than being politically incorrect?

No matter how much you try to hype it, I don't find it particularly serious. Or unusual. Are you going to condemn Max McGee for doing the same thing?

Have you been around a lot of skiers?

[red]

poor lindsey

i suppose her horribly injured shin caused her to catch that gate and wipe out

[Scott Campbell]

poor lindsey

i suppose her horribly injured shin caused her to catch that gate and wipe out

I expect that'll be her story, and she's sticking to it. Mancuso is a monster in these games so far - eh?

[pbmax]

I believe maintaining that you have skied wasted........

Have you been around a lot of skiers? Finding one that hasn't skied wasted is like trying to find a virgin in a whore house.

Bode's not politically correct.

You don't think that risking your own life, and potentially others on the slope, is more serious than being politically incorrect?

No matter how much you try to hype it, I don't find it particularly serious. Or unusual. Are you going to condemn Max McGee for doing the same thing?

Have you been around a lot of skiers?

Max was usually hung over. But even if still drunk, he wasn't coasting along through the secondary at 40mph on skis. And I don't remember Max announcing before the big game he was going to be sure he was hammered for kickoff.

I know enough skiers and snowboarders to have been skiing with them while some were toking on the chairlift, and others were drinking in the clubhouse. And there were times both needed to be avoided.

But safety aside, I think Miller miscalculated. He clearly was bothered by the attention and expectations going into 2006 and sought to diffuse them by either insisting he wasn't going to change or that he would refuse to conform. That's fine. To do so by insisting he was going to put others at risk or engage in behavior that a substantial portion of the public would think is objectionable or illegal (I do not know Miller enough to know if by wasted he meant alcohol or something else) was calculated stupidity. He wasn't being politically incorrect, he was inviting abuse. And when his performance was below expectations, the reaction was as predictable as sunrise.

One thing I was never clear on was whether he sought to intimate that he skied in an altered state on his own or in competitions.

Every athlete has their own obstacles to overcome and the mental ones may be the most difficult of all. I do not hold that Miller somehow is an underachiever because he did not medal in 2006 (or took a year off), like the author in Patler's link does. He is far too accomplished (World Cup titles, medals in 2 other Olympics, the most decorated American Alpine skier) for such tut tutting of his accomplishments.

He did damage his public reputation with those comments. But the greater harm was the sabotage of his own abilities. Is he even as old as Max was at the Super Bowl?

[red]

poor lindsey

i suppose her horribly injured shin caused her to catch that gate and wipe out

I expect that'll be her story, and she's sticking to it. Mancuso is a monster in these games so far - eh?

hell yeah she is

how tall is the german, like 6-5?

amazing to see that sweed take third after that nasty crash yesterday. busted ass, legs, hips and all. 24 hours after it happened. vonn could learn something about toughness from her, or at least how to shut her mouth and quit trying to make everyone feel so bad for her bruised shin

[Gunakor]

Did Lindsey Vonn kill your dog or something, Red?

You can just watch her ski and tell that she ain't faking the injury. It's bothering her, she's definitely fighting through something. Does that not speak to her toughness? For chryst's sake, if you compete through an injury you've got toughness. It doesn't matter what the final score is.

Besides, you have no idea how bad her injury is. And you've obviously forgotten her training run at Turino 4 years ago, where she was flown off the mountain on a backboard after a horrific crash. She's one of the very last people whose toughness I'd question.

[red]

it took me about 2 minutes of listening to her first interview at the olympics to see that she was a total fake and a massive drama queen

i can't stand either

[Scott Campbell]

I guess if you win a gold, you get to be a bit of a diva.

[Freak Out]

Well.....there goes the Olympics thread.

[Scott Campbell]

How bout the snarky comments made by the Russian skater that took silver last night. That wasn't very gracious.

[sheepshead]

I tuned in like I do every 4 years and I am totally board out of my mind I cant stand it. Commercials, Bob Costas, skating, people falling. I really tried last night to watch but as far as TV viewing goes, it blows. Just me I guess. I have zero interest except the snowboarders look cute maybe except that Vermont chick.