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A question for Plugboy, or anyone else who knows

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Why have Team GBR not taken a start place for the SG today?
Looking at the start list I see countries like Uzbekistan,Holland, Poland etc etc have fielded athletes, some even 3 or 4 racers at start KAZ have 4!!!
Why was TJ not there?
it is really sad, he has the experience and ability to compete and go top 30 , is it really the funding?

http://www.fis-ski.com/pdf/2013/AL/0160/2013AL0160SLR0.pdf
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Or is our best chance Dave Ryding starting?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
kooky,

According to the list of competitors only Dave Ryding & Chemmy Alcott are entered for the races Puzzled
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kooky, Could be to do with the organisations own internal guidlines about who they enter
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Cynic, yep but TJ is the current NC in SG wink

But yeah, where are our lads?
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stewart woodward, Yes I just think it´s a shame, with Sotchi coming up it would have given them all some invaluable experience at major championships.
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Fattes13 wrote:
kooky, Could be to do with the organisations own internal guidlines about who they enter

Not really... only rule is max. 4 skiers per nation (plus World Champion), and you have to be under 120 FIS points.
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kooky wrote:
But yeah, where are our lads?


and Lasses Puzzled

We have lots of athelets who are performing well at the moment who are under 120 FIS points. Not picking anyone out in particullar but Jack Gower and Alex Tilley seem to be having some very good performances.
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GB selection criteria
http://www.teambss.org.uk/media/94125/schladming_2013_criteria_v1.1%20clean.pdf
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stewart woodward, look at Billy Major, a 1996 YOB with a good few sub 40 points in the tech events .......one to watch wink

Just a thought, 4 of the 5 forerunners were with LB in the same class at Schladming,( all 1995/1996 YOB) now that is some experience they took off the hill today Madeye-Smiley
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The qualifying criteria applied by our own federation exludes all but Dave and Chemmy.

In the words of Paddy Mortimer, the performance director 'My role is to gain medals'

Many are struggling to see how qualifying criteria which excludes most athletes from experience in events such as this will lead to gaining medals.
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Quote:

Many are struggling to see how qualifying criteria which excludes most athletes from experience in events such as this will lead to gaining medals


Good point. Not entering atheletes surely diminshes chances of a medal, rather than increasing it?
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We cannot understand why the selection criteria set by BSS for these World champs has been made much harder than in previous years. It costs nothing for BSS to send the athletes as FIS pay for everyone to go including the hotels!
TJ went to the World's in 2011 as his first ever top class event, he had never even raced at World Cup level before. He came 36th in the DH on the most fearful course (even worse than Kitzbuehel). He is much faster now. He could have started the SG today at Bib 36 (going on seed points)
He is ranked 163 in SG.
The Downhill he would have gone around Bib 54 as he is ranked 121 in the World, actually ahead of Ted Legerty and he is racing for Team USA.
All the USA team who he trains with cannot understand why GB (BSS) have not sent anyone to race in the speed events (DH, SG or SC)
It is total insanity on behalf of BSS! Paddy Mortimer came from a Rugby background and cannot even ski. He knows absolutely nothing about what it takes to be a world class Alpine ski racer. He is destroying Alpine ski racing in GB.
Philbo, Totally agree.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Sorry TJ would have been Bib 38 in SG. He's ranked higher than Ivica Kostalic in SG too.
Great to see that only 44 skiers that are ranked behind him in SG, raced for their country but GB (BSS) decided not to embarress themselves by entering anyone!
Thanks a lot Mr Paddy Mortimer - you really know what you are doing!!
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Plugboy,

I can imagine its really frustrating and its a really terrible situation. Cannot understand why they aren't sending them. It seems totally ridiculous, especially as they wouldn't have to pay.

How on earth does he think people get in a medal winning situations? Surely its by actually entering and then getting experience with race starts?
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If you read & believe this report from Planet ski everything in BSS is rosy & we can look forward to a haul of medals in Sochi

http://www.planetski.eu/news/4638

Plugboy If TJ & others were actually competing, and getting some TV coverage, perhaps it would be much easier to obtain some more sponsorship Puzzled
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unfortunately you have a national governing body (all bow and scrape please to the men in blazers) who seem somewhat seperated from the actual sport as a whole that they are 'overseeing'.

Can someone (plugboy philbo??) explain how Bode managed to run his own 'team' when he had a bit of a disagreement, and was able to enter races without being 'the national governing body'??

is there a possibility that something like that could happen here??

or do we all sit back and let them make a right royal f**k up ?
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Plugboy, stewart woodward, iskar, Is it possible for racers and connections to stage a "coup" and either oust the existing board or form a parallel association just like the darts have. Surely racers who recognise that what is going on is unacceptable would side with the "new" crowd. I'm being very simplistic here and of course there are gigantic amounts of red tape to get through but surely something can be done.
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iskar, he actually didn't Wink Bode was running Team America, but was entered to races under USST, since only national ski federation can enter athletes for FIS races. No Team America (or whatever today's substitute would be) can enter FIS race without consent of national ski federation. And if national ski federation decides you are not starting, you won't start. With Bode things were a bit different at that time... Even though he was running his own team, I don't think there was single person in USA, who would dare not to enter him into race. But let's be honest, it's kinda hard to compare Bode at that time to anyone we are talking about in this thread Wink
But otherwise I agree... not entering racers for WCH is one of most stupid things you can do... and then you even expect to get some sponsors with this kind of managing?
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primoz, Well said !!! I think this type of "management" drives sponsors away rather than attract them.
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As far as BSS is concerned, everything is rosy with the exception of Alpine skiing.

There is funding and medals in many of the other wintersports and the funding gap between them and Alpine is HUGE!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-sports/21281943

The current management/board seem to delight in kicking a sport when it's down.
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As a comparison, Ireland is sending a team of 100 point skiers as they are currently their best.

It's difficult to understand why we can't send some skiers with less than 30 points.
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I think it is a bit contradictory , the Ice Hockey team are currently trying to qualify as one of the 12 Teams for Sochi. They have been given extra funding in January , around £60k , but BSS know that they will not medal even if they qualify , so why send them as it seems they are only interested if there is a realsistic chance of a podium place.

Good luck to the Ice Hockey team all the same , as just to be able to experience competing in an Olympics must be an ambition on all athletes minds.

I wonder what competitive sport would be like if all governing bodies took the BSS stance?? Small fields and very quickly lack of sponsorship , TV money, public interest and competitors.
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briand6868 wrote:
Is it possible for racers and connections to stage a "coup" and either oust the existing board or form a parallel association just like the darts have.

The constitution of BSS is supposed to give votes to current and ex FIS licence holders, I don't know whether this is in force or if it is in limbo because the Scots don't agree with it.
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Open letter from Paddy Mortimer, BSS Performance Director;

http://www.teambss.org.uk/news/latest-news/an-open-letter-from-the-performance-director-bss-alpine/

Quote:
All mountain skiing and play in snow can be replaced by trampoline, gymnastics and judo


I personally cannot understand how you can replace the 'feel & experience' of skiing on ice, powder, slush etc by being good at trampoline, gymnastics & judo.
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stewart woodward, Oh dear we have a management Bulls#itter rugby seems to breed them
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I always find this type of situation interesting especially when the comparison the SAI (Irish equivalent is used), you would not believe the hassle the SAI get from deluded parents who’s delusional perception of their little darlings is all they see rather than a bigger picture. Currently there is a really weird thing going on in Irish skiing that would be funny if it were not so stupid and destructive.

I find it hard to justify not sending a British athlete, then again have the athletes been told NO or have they decided to opt out to focus on other things, like the road to Sochi etc. Have any reasons for not sending athletes been published. Financial constraints etc .

Why does the sole purpose of fundraising rest with the TeamBSS? Most of these athletes are incredibly personable, pleasant and great to talk to in person, a little effort on personal fundraising could go a long way and there are plenty of wealthy individuals who ski, who could be tapped up for support. I am aware some all ready try very hard but there is always alternative and more creative ways out there.

Running any organisation like this is tough and will lead to the kind of discussions we are having here which is good and healthy as long as the feedback is taken on board and applied for the greater good. I think the BSS are on a hiding to nothing with Alpine especially since the granting of Cash is based on success and medals in British sport right now.

Freeskiing and its success will eat into the budget at the BSS, and the Alpine lads will struggle to match the hard earned success of the Free Skiers due to the dynamics of the sports and the training facilities required.
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stewart woodward wrote:
I personally cannot understand how you can replace the 'feel & experience' of skiing on ice, powder, slush etc by being good at trampoline, gymnastics & judo.
Nor can I and he ignores the sports that ski racers actually do in the off season - biking, ice hockey, football etc.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I guess his meetings in Meribel may get a bit lively.
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rjs, Just a tad I would imagine Toofy Grin
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rjs, Forgot to add, I presume he is paying all his own expenses to Meribel ( like the racers and their parents) and showing good example to the athletes and parents by practising what he preaches. Toofy Grin
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I might be wrong but I think that sending skiers to World Championships actually earns BSS money.
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Peter Thorn, Yes you are correct.
Get this. BSS sent a full team of Cross country skiers to the World Champs this week. Lots of young inexperienced skiers who are ranked much higher than the Alpine guys.
They have got it in for Alpine skiing!
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The British cross-country team is pretty much self-funded. The skiers basically pay their own way. Some have managed to get grants from various sources. If you think alpine are having a tough time then cross-country received effectively no funding from SSGB for over 15 years. Then they only grudgingly handed over some money when it was pointed out that they were receiving income from FIS for skiers attending championships.

The team is young but I wouldn't describe them as inexperienced. They all have attended several World Junior & Senior Championships & 3 were at the Vancouver Olympics. Andrew Musgrave has had a top 10 and numerous top 30 World Cup finishes. He has finished 2nd in the Norwegian National Senior Championships. A 4th place in the World Juniors this season (a 5th last season). He skis for a professional Norwegian Team. These guys have all set themselves targets of podium finishes at a major championships. They all have stict progression curves they need to follow. That they do so well with such little support from their national governing body is a huge credit to all the skiers support staff involved.

I'm not particularly impressed by the new BSS management but from a cross-country perspective it is better than the old SSGB, but then that wasn't a hard act to follow.

Sadly with this UK Sport policy of only supporting podium finishes (which by the way is inconstitantly applied) we have a tough future ahead of us in snow sports.
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Plugboy, I saw that, also what happened to us out in Quebec at the WJC? No female athlete sent at all, and no male in the DH.

We certainly have athletes that could have competed, and they are being very badly let down by their sports National governing body Mad
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kooky, Part of the trouble is that people (racing people) are only complaining among themselves and to others in the snowsports family, the BSS need to get bad publicity of the tabloid variety before people (non snowsports) will start to ask questions about why the money isn't going where it should and the other points raised in this thread. If the Sun/Beeb etc were at Heathrow when a medal winner came back from Sochi and this person publicly snubbed the back bottom licking of the BSS welcoming party and shouted his/her disgust very loudly then people would listen but while we keep it to ourselves the powers that be couldn't care less. Can you imagine the carry on in the arrivals hall - silence from the "polotitians of the ski world" in the face of a barrage from a ski racer.People won't give too much grief at the mo cos the powers that be hold a lot of aces ie. if they say your not going then your not going regardless of your form/ability/results so in the eyes of most of us it's better to put up and shut up just in case they make it even harder on us.
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Quote:

we have a tough future ahead of us in snow sports.

Not for your Freestyle team another 2 podiums one male one female at the weekend.
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