Seems money is all you need to be in the Winter Olympics

Karl Hungus wrote:

All sports that require ice time means you had to have grown up with rich parents in order to afford that. My nephew plays amateur hockey and for the cost of that, his parents could afford a really good cocaine habit.

Europe especially the scandinavians countries aren't like the US you don't have to have wealthy parents to ski

NotPC wrote:

There are only a few events in the Winter Games I find interesting, and even then it's just because they are not sports I pay any attention to at all.

XC Skiing

Biathlon

some of the luge, ski jumping has a fun X Games kinda appeal. The rest of it is just all ice dancing, figure skating and judging people doing flips on skis or snowboards.

I was very enthralled watching the Biathlon the other day.

mountainrunnerrr wrote:

Karl Hungus wrote:

All sports that require ice time means you had to have grown up with rich parents in order to afford that. My nephew plays amateur hockey and for the cost of that, his parents could afford a really good cocaine habit.

Europe especially the scandinavians countries aren't like the US you don't have to have wealthy parents to ski

So what if you did?

Yes in the usa everything is only about money. we already know that. there are other countries where we dont let our poorer people die and where they also have a chance to become olympians

John Utah wrote:

I don't understand this emphasis on equality. Nothing on earth is equal. In nature, things are never "equal". This is life. There are advantages and disadvantages everywhere, in all human activity. Some are tall, some are fast, some are smart, some have insanely high vo2 max capacity, some are good looking, some have natural charm/personality, some have excellent parents and a nurturing environment, some have money, some have drive and ambition, etc. It is what it is. Life is not "fair". Do your best with what you have.

I think, this discussion is less about "equality" and more about the cost of entry for a lot of these sports generating a smaller than ideal talent pool. That's what it's about for me anyway. Like if someone wins the gold medal in something random like 2 person luge, I don't think "those are the best 2 person luge people on the planet!". I'll tend to think "those are the best of the 3 or 400 people who have had the opportunity to try 2 person luge". Probably an exaggeration, but that's the idea. Doesn't mean it's not also fun to watch, that's just a thought that creeps into a lot of people's heads while watching.

John Utah wrote:

I don't understand this emphasis on equality. Nothing on earth is equal. In nature, things are never "equal". This is life. There are advantages and disadvantages everywhere, in all human activity. Some are tall, some are fast, some are smart, some have insanely high vo2 max capacity, some are good looking, some have natural charm/personality, some have excellent parents and a nurturing environment, some have money, some have drive and ambition, etc. It is what it is. Life is not "fair". Do your best with what you have.

Also, chill man

Ray wrote:

I know I'll get crushed for this, but there's a curling center by us and at 65 I'm thinking about reviving the Olympic dream.

Duh. Look at the fatties there now...

Paratone wrote:

Agreed!!

Winter sports are typically those of privalge and or access!

How many nations DON'T compete in Winter Olympics VS how many that do?

Don't let John fool you. I'm the skier in this family. John is more of a "downhill tubing" kinda guy.

Not a Coach wrote:

I think, this discussion is less about "equality" and more about the cost of entry for a lot of these sports generating a smaller than ideal talent pool. That's what it's about for me anyway. Like if someone wins the gold medal in something random like 2 person luge, I don't think "those are the best 2 person luge people on the planet!". I'll tend to think "those are the best of the 3 or 400 people who have had the opportunity to try 2 person luge". Probably an exaggeration, but that's the idea. Doesn't mean it's not also fun to watch, that's just a thought that creeps into a lot of people's heads while watching.

Good post and I agree with your points but when I think about it you probably can say the same thing about every sport lacking a deep talent pool except for perhaps distance running. And even then, when looking at elite distance runners from Western nations many of them seem to come from very affluent backgrounds making them able to afford taking a risk to try training full time for a few years going to altitude etc where those from less affluent backgrounds in the West are less likely to take that sort of risk as they cannot afford it financially.

That being said, I find the Winter Olympics enjoyable to watch and I perhaps naively think that there is less doping in many of the events when compared with track and field.

That's because drugs don't help gravity. That said, the first-ever Olympic snowboarding winner lost his medal because he was a stoner.

The Winter Olympics are a joke. We're watching what is basically the theater junkies at your high school living the Walter Mitty dream. They are Olympians only in that they showed up. Medalists across the sports are only medalists among, at most, a few thousand people. In luge doubles, among maybe 150. On the main US network coverage focuses insanely on all things figure skating because The Bachelor is a popular show, too.

Make me a trust funder or pay me to take a year off and live near Lake Placid or wherever, and I guarantee you I can be on our Olympic team. Not sure I can do that and be on our 400 meter team. Money won't make me fast. Money can make me sit on a sled.

Nordic skier here... cheap sport honestly but you have to live near snow.

The best nordic skiers are freaks. I think at the top they are 100% bad ass.

Norcoaaa wrote:

Nordic skier here... cheap sport honestly but you have to live near snow.

The best nordic skiers are freaks. I think at the top they are 100% bad ass.

You should have seen how cheap it was thirty years ago back when people still gagged at a $45 lift ticket for downhill? I buy skis, boots and poles at garage sales and swap meets all summer long. I buy them up just like a vacuum cleaner, mostly in kids sizes and then sell them off come wintertime, (although the verb "to sell" implies a certain level of effort on my part that's clearly absent here.) A nice cold snap in early December usually cuts my inventory right in half and I've even had people drive 130 miles each way to get them. Once you have a nice assortment of boots and mostly the same bindings on all the skis then the word starts to get around. There was a time when I needed the money but that's very much in the rear view mirror now.

So it really disturbs me that what was first promoted as the dirt cheap winter sports alternative in my own youth now costs $400 per child minimum at 2018 retail. Before trail fees and travel expenses, no less. How on earth did that happen??

Most of the families that I sell this stuff to show up in 8-10 year old cars and they are so grateful that it's downright embarrassing. I've never sold a complete rig for more than $80 and I derive great satisfaction from the fact that the kid probably would not be skiing at all but for my little hobby, even more so when he has two little brothers or sisters to pass the stuff down to.

semenyagoat wrote:

Yes in the usa everything is only about money. we already know that. there are other countries where we dont let our poorer people die and where they also have a chance to become olympians

good for you, now go away

Ray wrote:

I know I'll get crushed for this, but there's a curling center by us and at 65 I'm thinking about reviving the Olympic dream.

What about the sweepers. Imagine winning s gold medal for cleaning the ice!

Seriously though some of those countries are good at skiing because shock horror they have s lot of snow. The athleticism of say ice dancers doing triples etc is amazing and make events like high jump look easy

Ice dancers don't jump, they dance on ice. They are the rhythmic gymnasts of the Winter Olympics.

Chick Sport

Has an African-American ever competed in an Olympic Alpine, Super-G or Slalom event?

That is excellent! Thanks for doing that! Hats off to you, sir...

Nordic is still cheap not many winter sports that can be done on a budget...

It's marginally more expensive than running but can be done cheep, sports aren't free but nordic can be done cheep after initial ski purchase which is still under 1k...and can be done for $200-400 easy.

Wax matters but only So much. If your awesome you can still be awesome.

Alpine no way...snowboarding no way, hockey, etc...