Downhill Skateboarding in the Olympics? Why not?

**melifont monk** · 03-27-2007 07:09 PM

i love the idea...and i hate it...

for every person that watched it on t.v. there would a thousand people who did it to look the part...for every dollar that was poured into the sport, companies would expect 10 out...kinda like what happened to vert/street/ etc...do we really want THAT? that monster, that epidemic taking what we all enjoy and love and filling it with chaff and suits? really? or am i the only one?

as for the "how" of doing it, we are seen by majority society as a problem, the first symptom of the "broken window theory"...so getting even heard would be hard...you could close roads as they do now for events, i mean they do that for cycling/running events, why not us as well...as for carparks, yes they could...no they wont...hmm...i think that if you were really serious about the idea you would have to use roads...then maybe...but again, IF you could prove interest, the income they could bank would seriously make them think...

**Rick Wilson** · 03-30-2007 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by Ky Boy

It's funny to me that a lot of people that I encounter while skating already think that speedboarding and streetluge are in the Olympics. Somehow we're already getting our Olympic coverage lol

However, dh is a boring event to watch, It takes forever to get peeps up and down the hill (though some orgs are better than others) and when the action comes through it's for a very short while and you never recieve word on who won. But hey if they got mother####in waterpolo or curling in the olympics than peeps will watch anything.

Why don't we have our own Olympic style games call them "..Earth Force Games" Why do we need some corporate bull #### tell us what to do? We form a large group and meet ever 2 years someplace. Enter over hundes of Downhill , Streetluge ,Slalom, Gravity Bikes and In-Line. Make it for 7 days.. I know Munnsville , NY would host this..They have the roads, the people.
We start off buy signing a huge entre list of riders who would be in it. Willing to commit 2 years from now. We have to show numbers.. Then approch Munsville with a proposal. I would personally fly there my self and meet with the mayor, towns people and media pitching this idea to start the games in Munsville. Media news and the World would eat this up.. Then Canada ,,Mexico,,,Europe under the Organization called EARTH FORCE GAMES.. WELL?

**Justin Metcalf** · 04-01-2007 09:53 PM

What is it with people and this personal vendetta against the olympics? Yes they're corporate on some levels but how the hell else do you think they're going to pay for all that stuff? Even if we were to make our own games they would end up being corporate on some level because companies would want a hand in them and the organizers would need funds.

I'm am 100% for the Earth Force games though...something along the lines of the Maryhill Festival of Speed layout (but on a much larger scale). If we did do this though I wouldn't want to do it in Munnsville NY. We would need to find an olympic (the adjective not the games) caliber course and I think our best bet would be Brazil, South Africa, Germany, or Switzerland. Maybe Canada or the Western US. I mean, we could do it in Munnsville, but the course wouldn't be quite as challenging and probably wouldn't draw quite as many riders.

**Rick Wilson** · 04-04-2007 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by stinee

What is it with people and this personal vendetta against the olympics? Yes they're corporate on some levels but how the hell else do you think they're going to pay for all that stuff? Even if we were to make our own games they would end up being corporate on some level because companies would want a hand in them and the organizers would need funds.

I'm am 100% for the Earth Force games though...something along the lines of the Maryhill Festival of Speed layout (but on a much larger scale). If we did do this though I wouldn't want to do it in Munnsville NY. We would need to find an olympic (the adjective not the games) caliber course and I think our best bet would be Brazil, South Africa, Germany, or Switzerland. Maybe Canada or the Western US. I mean, we could do it in Munnsville, but the course wouldn't be quite as challenging and probably wouldn't draw quite as many riders.

Some times you have to start off small in order to see if it is really worth doing..Some one will have to do all the organizational stuff, while other show up and ride.. I have nothing against the Olympics. Downhill will never get a chance ever...to bad.. but its like Bull riding great to see but not good enough for a world Olympic game..

**pete..** · 04-04-2007 04:06 PM

it's not really possible to promote a lifestyle or sport whatever you think longboarding is, without people you don't like doing it, but you should be able to choose who you want to be around while riding.

**msk** · 04-04-2007 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by melifont monk

for every person that watched it on t.v. there would a thousand people who did it to look the part...for every dollar that was poured into the sport, companies would expect 10 out...kinda like what happened to vert/street/ etc...do we really want THAT?

I don't think that's likely to happen with downhill. The "thousand people who did it to look the part" can do that with mainstream skating because there is a heavily marketed "look" that doesn't really have anything to do with the activity. How many non-participants walk around looking like cyclists, or baseball players, or gymnasts? I don't think we'd be seeing too many people hanging around in leathers and full-face helmets just because they saw downhill in the Olympics...

**nsc1120** · 04-04-2007 07:58 PM

hey, I sometimes wear my jacket around and if people say anything I tell them that I am either a superhero or a racecar driver. I've only worn the jacket and pants together once or twice just for fun

**melifont monk** · 04-06-2007 04:05 AM

Originally Posted by msk

I don't think we'd be seeing too many people hanging around in leathers and full-face helmets just because they saw downhill in the Olympics...

no, but you would see people with boards or associating themselves with us, who weren't...that is what i am worried about...people love talking about or watching or 'living the fantasy' of MMA or wrestling, yet have never set foot in a Dojo or training hall..Tech skating is the same...so why would longboarding be different if you made it more accessible?

**EBasil** · 04-06-2007 08:23 AM

Personally, I'd be totally fine with people wearing shirts like the saw Riley Meehan, Tyler Wendtland or Russ Weber wearing during the Olympic Speedboard Competion. It would be cool to see a $1,300.00 WeFunk Speedboard in Sharper Image's catalog, that rich people want to buy because it's a precise replica of the one athletes used in the Games, and it would be great to see crowds of non-skaters lining the courses at IGSA races in America.

I could live with all that, but the folks with any movement toward Olympic Skateboarding are looking to make an X-Games ramp and focus the event upon products sold by mainstream corporate skate outfits.

**rawls** · 04-06-2007 08:48 AM

If it goes to the olympics, it will have to be in a format that is self judged. ie, a race format in which the metrics are fully understood, no room for subjectivity. point A to point B, no cones displaced, etc etc.

I was watching a snowboard halfpipe contest on TV once. During warm-ups, one of the contestants, took a real long and floaty fs air, landed in a boardslide and laid back to regain some balance dragging is hand behind him has he came back into the tranny. This completely blew any of the air-air-air-twist-twist-yawn out of the water. the commentators remarked that it was a good thing that the person was practicing because they would have been deducted points. what a joke. at some point style, and the spontenaity have to count for something. As such, I hope no form of expressive skating (vert ramp, pool, street, etc) makes it to the olympics. It will kill it. Races will boost it.

**Justin Metcalf** · 04-06-2007 09:55 AM

I don't think we'll have too many posers...boards just cost way too damn much to afford not using them. I'm more concerned about dealign with questions like

"Did you get that board after the Olympics?! Those guys are totally radical! Like that one dude that slide around the turn without hands! Can you do that?"
Me-"No, I do a drop knee, hand down slide for cornering."
Radical Dude-"Oh, I guess you're still just learning then."

Even that though would probably be at a minimum.

**clarkie** · 04-08-2007 07:32 PM

Though it fits into their new format after the corrupt judging scandal (a clear cut race, timed, first one over the finish line wins) and could probably fall as a discipline to ludge (USA Rollersports doesn't want skateboarding now) I doubt it will happen unless the IOC sees it as a discipline that will attract a young audience. Nearly all of the IOC income comes from TV networks so they have to strive to maintain a viewer audience, which has been declining for years.

But why would you guys want it? Once accepted you do what the Federation wants you to do and have no voice. All the games even the smaller grass roots comps get sanctioned by them. All are subject to drug testing. Even during practice, even in your private home while you are sleeping if they want.

This is why Gary Ream wants to be governing body of skateboarding. If it gets to the Olympics or not, once recognized and IF they recognize his group (they have not yet) he will have total sanctioning power over ALL events. Whoever has the insurance, has the power. Whover has the power gets the money and funds to build training camps (ahem Camp Woodward maybe)?

The IOC is a corrupt business indeed. Why give what you have going to them?

If anyone is interested in signing, we are keeping petitions going until the IOC doesn't want skateboarding either.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/656763888

**layedout72** · 04-08-2007 08:42 PM

Why is it that every "underground" sport has followers that frown upon stepping forward. If you can get kids to do it for the look............I bet you 25% of them would stick to it for at least 6 months. How many people have seen you skate in the last 6 months? Amazing how much publicity the sport could gain from a 3 day event out of a (what is it) month long event.

Why look down on something that, against anyones will, could possibly IMPROVE the sport. You guys want young kids to slolam? Get publicity. Kids watch TV. Kids do what the people on TV do. And some of them MIGHT become the new top slolam guys. Downhill is the same.

**bucksaw87** · 04-08-2007 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by layedout72

Why look down on something that, against anyones will, could possibly IMPROVE the sport. You guys want young kids to slolam? Get publicity. Kids watch TV. Kids do what the people on TV do. And some of them MIGHT become the new top slolam guys. Downhill is the same.

on top of bringing new talent, it would also bring more income to outfits like LBL and MHS, allowing them to develop new R&D to make better products for all of us

**msk** · 04-08-2007 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by clarkie

Once accepted you do what the Federation wants you to do and have no voice. All the games even the smaller grass roots comps get sanctioned by them.

Not true... Rules put forward by the national and international governing bodies only affect those who compete in sanctioned events. And even then, many times they only affect those who are competing at Olympic/pro levels. Anything that happens in the Olympics will not affect anyone who isn't competing, which will be 99% of skaters. As it is, we already have governing bodies like the IGSA and SRA. If we want to do their races,we have to follow their rules. If we don't like their rules, we can race elsewhere.

BMX, which is the newest Olympic event, has two major sanctioning bodies in the US, of which only one is recognized by the UCI and IOC. Not to mention all the smaller regional sanctioning bodies, and unsanctioned grassroots races. Anyone not racing in a UCI sanctioned race is not subject to their rules.

In triathlon, the race format used in the Olympics is only used by pros, and only in certain races sanctioned by the ITU (triathon's international governing body). Follow ITU "pro" rules in an ITU amateur race, and you'll be disqualified. And the most prestigious race, the one that comes to everyone's mind when you say triathlon, the Ironman, is not even sanctioned at all by the ITU. Many of my favorite races are not sanctioned, either. The changes the ITU made in order to fast track Olympic inclusion haven't affected anyone but the pros. The dozens of races I've done since then haven't been any different.

And there's nothing to stop skaters from forming another sanctioning body if they don't like the one the IOC has. Then, if you want to compete in the Olympics, you compete under one group. Otherwise, you can compete under the other. Or just run unsanctioned races. The only time it matters if you want to compete in the Olympics, then you have to do it their way...

**clarkie** · 04-09-2007 12:01 AM

Hahahahh, ask Barry Bonds about that!

**msk** · 04-09-2007 12:25 AM

Originally Posted by clarkie

Hahahahh, ask Barry Bonds about that!

You'll have to fill me in on what sport Bonds participates in as an amateur in non-sanctioned competition, where he is forced to undergo random drug testing, or follow that sport's pro rules. Is it cycling? Or maybe running? Downhill skiing? Tennis? You couldn't be talking about baseball, since he's a pro in that sport. Or is it that you just didn't get that part about "rules put forward by the national and international governing bodies only affect those who compete in sanctioned events"...