Eileen Gu, world’s greatest free skier chooses China over the USA: agreement, outrage, indifference?

Hardloper wrote:

greg kirby wrote:

"I'm not seething! Americans aren't seething! Now excuse me as I've been triggered to blurt out a parroted political, Orientalist spiel that totally isn't the product of superficial knowledge on why she made the wrong choice."

It's almost comedic at this point. Carry on.

Pretty sure TrackCoach is Australian or NZer, not American but carry on.

Greg is a big thinker and knows the ways of the world. Turns out most of us are ill informed “useful idiots.” He gets mad at us children, but mostly he’s just amused I think. Greg, thanks for bearing with us and setting the record straight on China and why nobody should care what Gu does as she pursues her “best life.”

Many Chinese spies live in the U.S. and attend Standard or other U.S. research universities.

cutthatmeat wrote:

Alpine skiing is a serious sport, however. If you’ve ever held a tuck while screaming down a slope of hardened ice at 60 mph, you know how much strength and endurance you need in your legs.

In his heyday, I remember Bode Miller competing against a bunch of NFL players in a series of strength, speed and agility challenges. He kicked their asses. And he grew up in hippie poverty in a cabin without running water.

If any kind of skiing had a claim to be a sport, it would be Nordic. It's accessible enough without having to drive to a mountain and be hauled up a hill by a machine. Ski lifts DQ alpine from real sporthood.

But all winter sports are just too niche to be real. Winter is the sporting offseason, when people laze around and get fat. The except is ice hockey, the only winter sport with enough substance of its own to snub the olympics.

I remember Bode Miller wiping out and losing in one of his latter olympicses, and his blonde trophy wife consoled him by making out with him on camera for about 5 minutes

One event down, one gold. Clutch last jump, went form 3rd to first. Two more events to go. The events to follow are her better ones.

NBC saying little about the citizenship issue. Avoiding any controversy. Waiting to see if she’s interviews.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/02/07/winter-olympics-results-day-4/

She was amazing landing a jump she'd never done in competition before as her final jump to take the gold. So clutch!!

dullard wrote:

She was amazing landing a jump she'd never done in competition before as her final jump to take the gold. So clutch!!

She learned that 'clutchness' in China. Superior mental training.

tai hao lw wrote:

dullard wrote:

She was amazing landing a jump she'd never done in competition before as her final jump to take the gold. So clutch!!

She learned that 'clutchness' in China. Superior mental training.

In the USA it will be mostly crickets, but in China the country must be going nuts.

I do hope people lay off Zhu Yi, however. That was getting ugly and unfair.

Exactly. This guy is clearly intelligent, but his head is so far up his own ass—sniffing, sniffing, sniffing.

The runs from the top two are now on youtube:

tai hao lw wrote:

dullard wrote:

She was amazing landing a jump she'd never done in competition before as her final jump to take the gold. So clutch!!

She learned that 'clutchness' in China. Superior mental training.

Nathan Chen

Bad Wigins wrote:

If any kind of skiing had a claim to be a sport, it would be Nordic. It's accessible enough without having to drive to a mountain and be hauled up a hill by a machine. Ski lifts DQ alpine from real sporthood.

But all winter sports are just too niche to be real. Winter is the sporting offseason, when people laze around and get fat. The except is ice hockey, the only winter sport with enough substance of its own to snub the olympics.

You are extremely confident and self secure. I find you very attractive.

Will you just do yourself a favor and stop? You're obviously a complete tool but not even a very good troll either. I cannot imagine how horrible it would be to be you.

What I don't get is that Gu seems to be making this all about "popularizing the sport for young girls in China" according to the NBC stuff at least. Ridiculous. I would respect her so much more if she would actually have the balls to make it a political stance instead of this empty liberal "girl power" crap.

If the need for childhood access to expensive facilities and coaching defines niche sports, then ice hockey is as niche as they come. Ice time and travel leagues don’t come cheap.

Read this and get back to us….I think she doesn’t care what what you think, and as for “balls,” seriously?   I doubt you could even stand at the top of that run and not pass out.

washingtonpost.com

Perspective | Eileen Gu is an original, and the world is going to have to deal with it

While the world tries to define Eileen Gu, she's busy taking over the Olympics.

Open link

Wise Old Man wrote:

HotPoliticalTakes wrote:What I don't get is that Gu seems to be making this all about "popularizing the sport for young girls in China" according to the NBC stuff at least. Ridiculous. I would respect her so much more if she would actually have the balls to make it a political stance instead of this empty liberal "girl power" crap.

Read this and get back to us….I think she doesn’t care what what you think, and as for “balls,” seriously?   I doubt you could even stand at the top of that run and not pass out.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/02/08/eileen-gu-chinese-skier/

Paywall. Wanna summarize for us?

Sorry about that….

Eileen Gu is an original and the world is going to have to deal with it.   She does this for herself and her own motivations, and she’s the one that put in the work, not  some country or flag.  Haters are gonna hate and she couldn’t care less, plus she can do a double cork 1620 and win an Olympic gold and they can’t.   The author of the piece definitely agrees.  

Me, I’m of two minds.  Fundamentally I agree with her.   As others have said, nationalism in sport is sort of lame. She’s awesome and she put in the work.  No doubt she has “balls.”   On the other hand, haters are going to hate and they have a lot of control and her lofty ideals are not going to protect her on either side of the Pacific. 

TrackCoach wrote:

Wise Old Man wrote:

The seething Americans are met in equal measure by exulting Chinese. Gu may be living her best life, but don’t claim this is a minor decision that nobody cares about.

However it is a story worth knowing about when a highly successful American renounces their citizenship and takes up citizenship in a 'communist country', yet still intends to live in America.

I am pretty certain in time she will regret this decision.

You, and many others, are making a big assumption about her supposedly giving up her US citizenship and you are probably wrong.

She has been representing China for many years but as recently as last year she was definitely still a US citizen.

She has been avoiding the question about her citizenship which is probably part of her deal with China to keep her dual citizenship as long as she doesn't say that publically.

Wise Old Man wrote:

HotPoliticalTakes wrote:What I don't get is that Gu seems to be making this all about "popularizing the sport for young girls in China" according to the NBC stuff at least. Ridiculous. I would respect her so much more if she would actually have the balls to make it a political stance instead of this empty liberal "girl power" crap.

Read this and get back to us….I think she doesn’t care what what you think, and as for “balls,” seriously?   I doubt you could even stand at the top of that run and not pass out.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/02/08/eileen-gu-chinese-skier/

I will not be making an account on WaPo thank you very much. Nor do I have any delusions that Ms. Gu (who really should pursue a sponsorship with the well known energy gel company lol) cares what anonymous sh.tposters on a running forum think. I was under the impression we were here to spout our takes on a famous young skier choosing to represent China instead of the U.S., so that's what I did. In a time where we are basically in a new Cold War with China she had to have known this statement would be interpreted as highly political and a tacit endorsement of the Chinese government. However, nothing I've read has indicated she's spoken on that at all. Just "I'm doing for the girls in China/for my mom/etc."

For the record, I think China surpassing the U.S. is a good thing and I pledge my allegiance to Chairman Xi.