Poster: A snowHead
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ah well peoples we'll have to disagree...I agree no one is above the rules but alpine skiing would be the worse if Miller flounces off. Watching a bunch of Austrians share the medals lessens the chance of me setting my video for Ch4 skiing I can tell you...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jake, the "sticking it to the Austrians" is being done by all nations right now... Rocca, Svindal, Beuchel, Rahlves, Defago, Blardone etc etc. This is a great season in that the globes are being well spread and it's going to be difficult to predict the medals in Turin (maybe apart from Rocca).
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he seems pretty level headed for the no.1 in the world
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He's neither right now.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Disagree a little JohnHill, there's a pretty stuffy bunch in charge at the moment - witness the resistance to skierX (I mean, c'mon, freestyle?) and minority sports need their anti-heros. Where would snooker have been without Alex Higgins, darts without Bristowe?
If you'd been at Val d'Isère for the criterium the kids were only interested in one autograph. Forget the Austrian guy who won! Walchhofer, who's he?!
Skiing well isn't enough to generate much needed general public interest in this minority sport. It barely gets any decent coverage as it is on the mainstream tv channels.
Some of the stuff he says makes sense, and certain comments are taken out of context - he makes one aside about quitting the tour in a ten minute interview and it's almost the only thing that's reported. No wonder he's fed up with the press.
Let's do drugs? No that's not what he said. The breakaway tour idea will shake a few of the jobsworths out of their lethargy hopefully, and when you look at the demands on the racers and the risks involved, measured against the return for those just outside the elite (top 20/30) Miller's got a point. Remember one of the reasons he was looking at a breakaway was because he wanted the money spread around more. Pretty unselfish approach imo.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 28-12-05 9:40; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PG, don't get me wrong. His is the personality the sport needed but he should try letting his skis do the talking. My natural instinct when someone says they are going to quit rather than quietly sort things out is to let them quit.
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It barely gets any decent coverage as it is on the mainstream tv channels.
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We do OK over here... Eurosport, BBC and C4 adds up to a whole heap of coverage.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I think Bode is actually suffering from Darron Rhalves' big mouth! I'm not a Bode fan - he's a genius on skis, no question, but I prefer a precise and consistently good skier - and why are you all so against the Austrians? It's their national sport, they do it very well and have some fantastic skiers.. Of course, the austrians are naturally more conservative people than the americans - why should this evoke hostility - they're modest - I like that. If you want personality then look at Rainer Schonfelder - if you want super skiing watch Benni Raich. Sorry guys I really don't understand this attitude. We'd miss Bode Miller, but not that much!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski, just like to confirm that I'm well in favour of the Austrians. They might not be sparkling personalities as individuals (excluding Mr Schonfelder but then funny hats can't do all the work) but their whole team effort over the last 8 - 10 years (the Maier era) has really raised the bar for everyone else.
Let's make this more interesting... I bet Bode has a poor Olympics - ie no gold, no fairy tale Hollywood ending.
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Let's see how he does in the second DH training today in Bormio (fourth yesterday). Second in the overall so far, when he's well under par? I bet the others are praying he doesn't suddenly hit form!
easiski, nothing against the individual Austrians whatsoever. Success is to an extent manufactured though, producing winners through a make or break system that isn't so evident elsewhere. Being such a major sport in Austria they've got enough bodies to be able to afford to lose a few. The French have resisted this and it shows more and more in the lack of results. They tried to temper the need to produce winners with catering for those below the elite, allowing them to pursue other directions if competition was not their thing. Now they are reluctantly beginning to follow suit, excluding the 'also rans' from an ever earlier age, to concentrate on those with the potential to win races. There is immense and increasing pressure on ski club youngsters now and we shall see more and more injuries and other problems following this approach, something akin to the Soviet era Olga Korbut method of producing gymnasts.
The schedule of the French ski academies I thought a little tough, and there's plenty of wastage there. You should see the Austrian equivalent!
JohnHill, Eurosport is fine, I was referring to the mainstream channels, and the lack of live coverage there.
I like Bode Miller because he is not a product of the above-mentioned system, and because he's got the balls to speak his mind. So far a lot of what he's said has made sense with respect to the shortcomings within the sport in general and FIS in particular, and I at least understand his comment on drugs which was deliberately talked up by the media to the point that it sounded as if that was all he had to say.
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PG,
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Let's see how he does in the second DH training today in Bormio (fourth yesterday)
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Looks like a DNF (or maybe didn't start), doesn't appear on the FIS results yet for the training run. Finlay Mickel, meanwhile, got 8th. Lookin' good Finlay.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Just looked again, he did indeed DNF. Rahlves fastest.
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Crashed into the netting seconds into his run, just after the first split, but intends racing tomorrow despite some cuts and bruises (Miller won the World Championship on the Stelvio last season).
He's just behind Svindal in the overall rankings (trailing by 8 points, Svindal out with a broken rib) so if he finishes well up in the points on Thursday he could be back on top after this downhill.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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PG, when did Svindal break a rib? I think I missed that bit of news.
Good result from Finlay. Fingers crossed for him tomorrow!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Canadian Brad Spence out with a suspected broken leg too. Don't know when Svindal damaged a rib, he wasn't on the start list for the first practice run and finished both GS and slalom just before Christmas in Kransjka Gora...
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PG, Svindal broke his rib in the last training run in the last race. Raced in everything since!
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