New Olympic Events? Uphill Battle for Some of Us

February 9, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Sunday smorgasbord: One of the great joys of the Olympic Games — well, at least for some of us — was knowing the events that occur every four years. Not so anymore. Slopestyle? Obviously, an event designed to attract an X Games demographic. Whatever that demographic might be. Younger, hipper? Whatever. In that an American won the men’s event, most folks in the United States won’t complain.

American snowboarder Clair Bidez does not compete in this outfit.

* As faithful visitors to this site (and even the occasional philanderers to this site) might have figured out, your humble correspondent is not most folks. So, yes, it’s all well and good that Sage Kotsenburg won the gold, the first medal awarded at the Sochi Games in Russia. But if there are going to be new events, there should be others that many of us can more easily identify with. For example, I would urge the International Olympic Committee to add something — even if it just might be an event that would favor the United States: the driveway shovel. And if the IOC prefers to go with something involving more modern technology, might we suggest: the snowblower slalom. Or a variation of some kind. Well, there should be some sort of consolation for many Americans who have had to endure the kind of winter that we had had this year.

* Still speaking of Olympic innovations, just once could we see speedskaters wearing outfits like the figure skaters wear and vice versa? Not sure it would increase interest in figure skating, but it might do something for watching folks go endlessly ’round and ’round the speedskating oval.

* Speaking of figure skating, American Ashley Wagner looked impressive in the team competition. At least until 15-year-old Yulia Lipnitskaya of Russia hit the ice. Maybe they should have age-group competition at the Winter Games to give older participants a chance to medal.

* Let the record show that I think Bob Costas is one of the great broadcasters of all time. With that in mind, there is no malice in what is about to follow here: Wouldn’t NBC be better off minimizing his apparently infected left eye by placing a pirate patch — or better yet, Kotsenburg’s gold medal — over it until the redness, etc. goes away?

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