 Poster: A snowHead
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Hard on the heels of his bust-up with the International Ski Federation over his views on the use of performance-enhancing drugs, Bode Miller has given a TV interview in which he admits to skiing drunk [according to an advance CBS press release, the accuracy of which Miller's agent has questioned], and doesn't dismiss the possibility of this occurring again.
Quoting the Associated Press, who have some advance quotes from the interview to be broadcast on Sunday, this is what Miller said:
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"Talk about a hard challenge right there. ... If you ever tried to ski when you're wasted, it's not easy," Miller told "60 Minutes" for a segment that will air Sunday. "Try and ski a slalom when ... you hit a gate less than every one second, so it's risky. You're putting your life at risk. ... It's like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing."
Asked if the risk meant he would never ski drunk again, Miller replied "No, I'm not saying that." |
This report from Jackson Hole Star Tribune.
Does this 'Charles Kennedy moment' shake Bode Miller's credibility?
Will he get gold in Turin?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 8-01-06 13:46; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As I said on epicski, I know little about the guy beyond the 'scandal' he keeps producing. If he is trying to get an image that will have teenage girls screaming and swooning for his 'badboyness'..... then he is doing well. Within more hormonally stable groups, he is just likely to attract criticism and a reputation as complete pillock.
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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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Bode should change his sponser from that Italian pasta company to the Mooserwirt in St Anton.
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
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| ... It's like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing." |
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I don't think Bode's right about that; go to www.bcf.uk.com/dopecontrol/2005_Prohibited_List.doc and scroll down to page 8 "Substances prohibited in particular sports".
Still, it brings back memories of severely hung-over downhillers showing up at the Kitzbuhel slalom on Sunday morning in an attempt to nick some "cheap" World Cup points in the combined!
But "putting your life at risk" in a slalom is stretching it a little...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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David Goldsmith, I presume he drinks Miller light 
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From what i understand, Bode is maybe causing negative publicity for himself and his sponsors however the knock on effect through the ski industry will be positive. Any publicity is good publicity. Next years Snoop Daddy will have a Budweiser top sheet. Ski'n'Roll. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER,
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Any publicity is good publicity
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Gerald Ratner, Charles Kennedy, Gary Glitter, Michael Barrymore, Fred West... they'd all disagree with you.
Bode is becoming a total pr*t. Attention-seeking at every opportunity and pre-delivering excuses to prepare the world for his upcoming failure in Turin.
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He just DNF'd in first run of the Adelboden slalom. What will the excuse be today... too sober?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think, yet again, Miller is being quoted out of context.
It seemes to me that his stance on performance enhancing substances (let's not use the emotionally challenged "drug" term - most people take "drugs") is (if you read the whole thing) interesting, sensible, forward looking and intended to stimulate rational, adult debate. IMHO, unfortunately, it has been generally reported by "professionals" who are paid to stimulate circulation in the interest of stimulating advertising revenues.
It will be interesting to see the full context of this interview.
JohnHill, I'm curious: how does one get to finish 14th when DNFing the first run. I thought that would disqualify you completely? You realise of course, that I'm just being lazy and not googling the rules myself 
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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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David Murdoch, Today's slalom is literally taking place right now. Think you're getting your GS and SLs mixed up. Baxter just DNF'd as well by the way.
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JohnHill, ooops!! Mea culpa.
Darn about Baxter! (Was he too sober too?
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You know it makes sense.
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| JohnHill wrote: |
SMALLZOOKEEPER,
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Any publicity is good publicity
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Gerald Ratner, Charles Kennedy, Gary Glitter, Michael Barrymore, Fred West... they'd all disagree with you.
Bode is becoming a total pr*t. Attention-seeking at every opportunity and pre-delivering excuses to prepare the world for his upcoming failure in Turin. |
That's bizare, that's my appointments list for this afternoon..............
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Was Bode Miller misquoted by CBS (who are broadcasting the interview) in their advance publicity?
SkiRacing.com has this report.
Miller's agent has requested a tape to check that he actually admitted to skiing while intoxicated.
I've edited the headline above, and first posting, accordingly.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The latest is that two of US skiing's 'chief heavies' are flying out to remonstrate with Miller. These the US Skiing and Snowboard Association's president and CEO. With the two big downhills of the season coming up - the Lauberhorn and Hahnenkamm - this will be a scheduled Transatlantic trip, but it seems that they are travelling a little early to stage this showdown.
This report from CBS Sportsline.
On past performance, anything the bosses say is unlikely to silence Bode Miller, a true maverick.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, I was going to go for a moorland stroll with Ian Brady, but he said he can't stand the kids getting under his feet
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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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| JohnHill wrote: |
| Bode is becoming a total pr*t. Attention-seeking at every opportunity and pre-delivering excuses to prepare the world for his upcoming failure in Turin. |
Know him well, John? "Attention-seeking"? Given his view of the press, I very much doubt it. He seems rather naively honest at times though. Someone I know (a young teenage budding racer) bumped into him across the Pond while on the slopes - asked for his autograph which Bode provided without hesitation, and then to his amazement he was invited to join Bode and friends for a pizza, they were just off for lunch. No ulterior motive, no publicity seeking, that's just the way he is I reckon.
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Can I just state, as a professional drinker who skis a bit, I'm in no way connected to a professional skier of similar talent and looks who drinks a bit. I thank you. My sponsors would be mortified.
Offering free pizza to teenagers, now there's a good idea.
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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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PG,
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Know him well, John?
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Yeah, he's always popping in to borrow beers. Not my job to know him, it's his job to project himself better and that means learning to understand how the media works - he might not like the way the media works but he's stuck with it. I suspect that some of what he says is tongue in cheek. Trouble is, the written word doesn't convey sarcasm very easily and he's playing right into the media's hands by giving them those statements. Journalists record as much as they can to back up what they write these days. If his statements are for real then he really is displaying the kind of arrogance that the press love to put down. The fact the US team chiefs are coming out early says it all really.
His ignorance of media has put his fellow professionals under the wrong spotlight - do they all get wasted before a race? Do they all want to do drugs? etc etc. The facts may be totally wrong but he's creating an image problem where there wasn't one before. That's attention seeking.
He's blown it. Watch Turin.
Meanwhile, the real class act of the season, Georgio Rocca, barely needs to say a word and he wouldn't just buy you a pizza, his mamma would cook it.
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Disagree with virtually all the above. He is targeted by the English-speaking media, unlike Rocca, and if one word in a hundred is slightly controversial the media will report it, often out of context, and invariably without a mention of the more boring, uncontroversial bits. What you describe as arrogance, some might call plain-speaking, honesty. I don't see that it's "his job" to fabricate some kind of image to try to keep everyone happy. He is who he is, and his detractors usually hail from among the vultures who hang around all high profile public figures intent on witnessing their demise, or those 'ordinary' folk that get a kick out of putting people down who have achieved more than they can ever dream of.
If the facts are wrong in any respect then it is the media that has created the image problem, not Miller. And those of the general public who swallow the hype hook, line and sinker. And condemn him without a fair hearing. Let's see the transcript of the conversation first, before leaping to conclusions.
Whether he's on form or not for Turin is irrelevant. What it takes to maintain the level of performance year after year to stay at the very top is something armchair critics cannot even begin to imagine. Anyway, for most people in the know, he demonstrated last year, in the more meritorious World Cup, just what an incredible athlete he is across the disciplines - whatever transpires in the Olympics.
Edit: In fact, this thread is a case in point. A 'journalist', singles out Miller for the treatment, setting the tone for the report in the original headline "Bode Miller now admits to skiing drunk and doesn't rule out doing it again". Previous reports along the same lines. Never a thread such as "Miller, one amazing athlete", or "Miller pleads the cause of the less fortunate racers just outside the elite", etc etc.
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Whether Miller knows how to handle the media or not, he's now in a direct face-off with his bosses. They've been publicly silent up to now (maybe they were happy with his results) but have suddenly emerged from the woodwork.
I recall no public comment from the US Ski Association when performance-enhancing drugs were the 'Bode issue', but they seem to have a big thing concerning performance-depressing alcohol.
Here's a piece from today's Guardian.
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| The head of the United States team yesterday called Bode Miller's remarks on a television programme about being drunk while racing "unacceptable" and "irresponsible" |
Bode Miller's ski performance could easily fall apart with this storm around him - let's hope he can prove he can still excell, with the big month ahead.
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Here's another alleged quote from the same interview.
What would Miller consider to be a perfect Olympics?
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| "If I could put down, you know, unbelievable performances, really inspirational performances that you tugged at people’s hearts, where people got emotional and still not come away with any medals, I think that would be the ideal Olympics for me," Miller says. |
How about quoting some of the many other positive things Miller has come out with, DG?
On the drugs thing, he has been tested at least 100 times. All negative.
Secretly you know, I bet FIS and the IOC love him. With little more than half of the tickets sold for the Olympics, it's thanks to Bode that most Americans have even heard of ski racing, and the Winter Olympics are appearing in front page headlines around the world. Just a shame that the hacks are determined to crucify him. Typical of the mentality though. It's all about muckraking to sell the product, who cares how accurate or representative the reports are.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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As an athlete his job is to make the skis talk. Whether to keep his trap shut is his call.
Has anyone seen the TV interview (it screened in the US on Sunday)? If he said what CBS alleged he said about alcohol, then the press are bound to quote it.
I can't recall any previous occasion on which a ski racer has admitted to skiing while intoxicated. [what CBS reported, which Miller's agent took issue with]
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| I can't recall any previous occasion on which a ski racer has admitted to skiing while intoxicated. |
The few quotes revealed so far don't make it clear that he has raced while drunk. Victim of a hangover, quite possibly. He's certainly no hypocrite. Just about everyone who has put on skis has done so while being inebriated at some point, unless they were teetotal and have never had a glass of wine or a schnapps, during their day on the slopes.
You didn't answer my point about the media's regular failure to quote the positive as well as the negative, unsurprisingly.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Bode Miller's victories and successes have always been comprehensively reported.
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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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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| Bode Miller's victories and successes have always been comprehensively reported. |
... mainly by the specialist ski racing press that few people bother to read.
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David Goldsmith,
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I can't recall any previous occasion on which a ski racer has admitted to skiing while intoxicated
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I can't confirm it but a certain Mr Klammer is reputed to have won a World Cup downhill after having been out all night and being somewhat worse for wear. I'm sure there are an good number of instances a few decades ago... difference is that they weren't daft enough to admit it in a press conference.
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It's all about muckraking to sell the product
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PG, surely he's aware of this. A lot of his bankability as far as sponsors is concerned is the publicity he gets and, certainly over the last few years, he's turned this into piles of hard cash. You can't have it both ways with the press.
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You know it makes sense.
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JohnHill, I really believe he doesn't give a monkey's what the world's armchair pudding athletes think.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I mentioned elsewhere, but this guy is likely to be one of the few skiers a non skier might hear about.... so what might be known? He can ski a bit.... he is pro drugs..... he skis drunk..... oh and he is american.... like it or not, that is the sort of thing which could end up in alot of amusement at the expense of american skiers! It certainly was at our dinner table last night!
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Poster: A snowHead
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PG, but he should, they (or if you were blindly referring to me as well, then We) pay his wages.
On the other side of the fence, I wish our own racers would make just a little more noise. TV seems to have fallen out of love with Baxter, Alcott and Mickel. Not been much coverage this year.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JohnHill, in this sport, no one takes racing up for the financial return. Right up to the fringes of the elite, you don't earn a penny. Somewhat ironic too that there is far more money in a minority sport like alpine ski racing as a result of characters like Bode Miller speaking their mind, making the occasional wave.
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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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| buns wrote: |
| I mentioned elsewhere, but this guy is likely to be one of the few skiers a non skier might hear about.... so what might be known? He can ski a bit.... he is pro drugs..... he skis drunk..... oh and he is american.... like it or not, that is the sort of thing which could end up in alot of amusement at the expense of american skiers! It certainly was at our dinner table last night! |
er, I wouldn't care much about the amusement of people who don't know anything about Bode, skiing, etc but are prone to generalisations like that (oh, and he's American, THE HORROR!). They're free to laugh at him, and he's free to laugh at them, assuming they register on his radar (which is doubtful). I know who I'd rather be.
I find this sanctimonious attitude tiring. If he's racing when drunk he can't hit anyone else. He's achieved quite a bit in skiing and I don't see that he owes the public or anyone else to present the public image of a teetotaller. If his results worsen, his sponsors will drop him...then perhaps he'll end up freeskiing and we'll see him in movies, which would be cool.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I suspect this latest drama is tied up with America's long-standing stress about alcohol.
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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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PG, love is blind.
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I'll defend anyone against blind generalisations, that would be a great deal nearer the mark.
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He has since claimed his remarks were taken out of context and said he only raced with a hangover the day after celebrating his 2005 World Cup title.
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Top American skier Bode Miller has been condemned for admitting he has competed while feeling badly hungover.
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Beeb website today. Slightly different emphasis from previous 'facts' being portrayed. Makes more sense to me too. I seriously doubt that even Miller could get to the bottom of a World Cup course well in the points, at today's speeds, if he was well oiled.
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JohnHill,
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On the other side of the fence, I wish our own racers would make just a little more noise. TV seems to have fallen out of love with Baxter, Alcott and Mickel. Not been much coverage this year.
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That's because they basically aren't good enough. Baxter had the stuffing knocked out of him when they took his medal away; Alcott, very pretty girl but looks don't get you medals I'm afraid, and Mickel may be trying too hard? As usual, last year the sporting press got hold of them (kiss of death) and built then up to be better than they are. Hence everyone was expecting great things bu they couldn't produce. Don't get me wrong it's not that they are not trying their damndest to do better (and good luck to them in Turin) but htey are not winners or even getting close, a big turn off for the TV. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
| Alcott, very pretty girl but looks don't get you medals I'm afraid |
halfhand, have you got the slightest inkling of the level of dedication, guts, determination, talent, sacrifice and physical effort it takes to get the standards Chemmy has reached at elite world class level?
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| htey are not winners or even getting close |
They've been winning all their racing careers. It's not all about gold medals at the Olympics or World Cup podiums. If it is, then the many thousands of superb and gifted racers outside the elite are all failures by definition. Which is obviously complete rubbish.
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But do they know it's being discussed by their mothers?
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FAQ
then 
), he certainly needs some stimulant! Lacklustre - not his usual exciting self. Ill? Or hungover? Whatever it is, I hope he gets it sorted. As his controversy rating goes up as the season goes on, his skiing skills seem to be going down the pan 
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