Saturday, February 18, 2006

USA Snowboarder "Hotdogs" To Silver Medal



by Robert H. Kelly

USA’s Lindsey Jacobellis lost the gold medal by pulling a stunt with her board in the final leg of the women’s snowboarding cross at the Winter Olympic in Turin, Italy.

Grabbing her board as she was jumping the final hill, she fell and allowed the second place boarder to pass her and "take" the gold medal.

She was hot-dogging it and it cost her the gold medal. In her interview with NBC after the event, she said she had no regrets.

If you have not noticed in the past 10 years or so, the IOC has been adding new sports and some of them, IMHO, are attempts to gain new viewers and money to the Olympic movement.

Snowboarding was one of these sports. Does the Olympic movement need the influx of this type of sport when “HOT-DOGGING” is the norm? That is a question that some are asking.

Women's ice hockey? OK, I can see it. Snowboarding???? My decision is still out whether that was a good move or not. The USA has won most of the medals, but who else in the world does it as much as Americans.

The kid who won the half pipe seemed pleasant enough, but he is also a skateboarder, and some are proposing adding skate boarding the Olympic program.

NBC is keying in on these newest Olympians, and it may be hurting their coverage.

Bode Miller...GIVE ME A BREAK...He hasn't won yet, and is suppose to be our best skier.

Seems our little girl snowboarder got caught up in the moment! Her moment in the spotlight, and she BLEW IT.

What happened to the days went it was an honor to represent your country in the Olympics. If I had been that young ladies coach, I would have certainly said something to her about her performance and attitude in that race.

Give me the days when the USA and the USSR battled in the Olympics. Could you see any Olympian today refusing their medal like the 1972 USA basketball team did? Very few, I think...Most are only concerned with their own performance and what the Olympic Games CAN DO FOR THEM!!!!!

I will not even comment on Shani Davis’ decision not to skate in the team pursuit, a decision that cost the USA a gold medal. At least not right now.

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