The second "oops" of the Olympic Games

[sunvalleylaw]

I like snowboarding and surfing, but I have a hard time analyzing them and taking them all that seriously as a competitive sport. The judging is so subjective. It not like football where you either put the ball in the end zone or not. One guys awesome trick is another's meh. To me it a fun thing to do and really does't lend itself to scoring. At least with ski jumping you can judge distance an downhill can judge speed. This stuff is just a judges opinion, and their opinion does;t matter much to me.

I don't completely disagree. To compete is human nature, and there will always be contests to see who can jump higher or do the best trick. But of course it is subjective, and efforts to make it less subjective tend to drive the expression and fun out of it to some extent. That is why Sage Kotsenberg's win was so huge. Go back and look at his run. Way different attitude and style displayed.

And also about the subjectiveness, that is true of any sport that is not a race or a goal scoring event of some kind. Surfing, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, mogul skiing, arial jumping (the tricks not the nordic ski jumping), etc. I am not sure it means one can't take it seriously as a competitive sport or that the sports are somehow less than the more traditional meat and potatoes budweiser sports. But I also have some ambivalence about it. The way I look at it, if folks want to step into those waters, then good for them, and I do recognize their athleticism and effort. For me and my family, I would rather keep it fun, and have the 'contests' be more 'sessions" where the kids one up each other for fun. Rail jams, chinese downhills in the off piste bowls in broken crud or powder, Jum;ing off logs and stumps, etc. You know, good ol' fashioned kid stuff, for the young and old kids.

 

[reverend1]

I don't completely disagree. To compete is human nature, and there will always be contests to see who can jump higher or do the best trick. But of course it is subjective, and efforts to make it less subjective tend to drive the expression and fun out of it to some extent. That is why Sage Kotsenberg's win was so huge. Go back and look at his run. Way different attitude and style displayed.

And also about the subjectiveness, that is true of any sport that is not a race or a goal scoring event of some kind. Surfing, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, mogul skiing, arial jumping (the tricks not the nordic ski jumping), etc. I am not sure it means one can't take it seriously as a competitive sport or that the sports are somehow less than the more traditional meat and potatoes budweiser sports. But I also have some ambivalence about it. The way I look at it, if folks want to step into those waters, then good for them, and I do recognize their athleticism and effort. For me and my family, I would rather keep it fun, and have the 'contests' be more 'sessions" where the kids one up each other for fun. Rail jams, chinese downhills in the off piste bowls in broken crud or powder, Jum;ing off logs and stumps, etc. You know, good ol' fashioned kid stuff, for the young and old kids.

When I say take it seriously, I mean I'm not going to be at the bar arguing with someone about the outcome. That isn;t to say a little rivalry isn't a good thing. But at the end of the day ......

 

[B Valley]

 

[shoeless]

Holy cow, check out the abs on Lolo Jones.