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10 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

That's what they've been doing with the so-called 'short individual'. They should now also have the balls to say "Nope, that didn't actually change anything, so let's forget that."

Yep, total agreement there. Good to be back on the same side buddy 

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11 minutes ago, Werloc said:

 

Honestly, I just imagined that after I proposed this idea, the other Totallympics members would rally behind me with:

 

"You'll have my staff"

"And my bow"

"And MY AXE" 

Totallympians Assemble

 

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9 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

You're fighting another political war. I'm OUT.

 

Go insult someone else. You have insulted me enough already with the "Poles are racist pricks" comments so I should have known better.

 

Now you're calling me a crying litte bitch. Geez, just how evil are you?

 

You've ruined the thread about the best winter sport there is.

 

You’re the one of made it personal to begin with. Don’t dish what you can’t take. 
 

Also, your recent elections didn’t really prove me wrong...

 

Never called you “a crying little bitch”, I stereotyped it to generation like you did mine. 
 

At least we agree that Biathlon is the best winter sport 

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9 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

And no, get those mass start 60's out of the IBU Cup, thank you. And take the pursuits with you out of the IBU Cup. Sprints and individuals as much as possible there, since it's a qualifying level and one can't qualify through pursuits or mass start 60's or supersprint 85's or whatnot.

Yeah, I’m not a fan of the Mass Start 60.

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8 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

And will that be an actual biathlon weapon, or the by then 'improved' biathlon weapon of choice...AKA a laser rifle?  

Hey, don’t take subtle swipes at my boy @Vojthas like that. Laser rifles can hit targets just the same, and their eco-friendly. (Disclaimer: I’m not in favor of switching to laser rifles, I just see the argument for it)

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7 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

I can't wait for when you're old, federations start messing with the events you like and people go 'they improved it!'. And no, I'm not going to buy the "but I will be different, I will live with these changes and enjoy them! " young people so often seem to think  

There’s different between “I don’t think this change is the right direction, but I’m willing to give it a chance”, and “Run for the damn hills! They ruined are sport and they’ll come for yours next!”

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9 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

I have seen the change already. 10k mass start in cross country. And Johaug still wins. The more things change the more they stay the same

The point of changing an event is to make it more interesting and competitive. At least Johaug’s competitors can see her, and fans can see the actual difference in skills. 

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9 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

They're trying though, and they should also have the balls to sometimes just say "Nah, this isn't it" instead of elevating everything they try to World Cup status anyway "because we can".

Yes, that is exactly what we’ve been saying. We shouldn’t eliminate the individual, but maybe we should modify the format.

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9 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Iron Mountain doesn't even have an elevator along the ski jumping hill and you have to climb the hill by foot. Time stood still there since 1996. But they actually hosted the FIS Cup last weekend.

 

Over in Thunder Bay they have demolished the 1995 World Champs ski jumping hill complex already. It's tough to come there if there is no facility to begin with

Because Europeans throw a fit when winter sports leave the continent. Ski Jumping hills are expensive to maintain, and those little communities don’t have the money. There are actually quite a few hills still in operation though.

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10 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

Slopestyle drags on forever though  

At least we see something different every run though.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Olympian1010

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7 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

I don't watch half-pipe, slopestyle or big air. That's boring for me. I don't know how the scores are made and why one 360 elevation is better than the other 360 twist or whatever. It's just outdoor gymnastics on skis. Very boring. But it doesn't last over 30 minutes so the millenials love it

I do watch fucking cycling time trials or NASCAR races because they’re boring as fuck. They take way to much time out of my day, and there’s literally zero excitement. Same goes for most team sports.

 

Free Ski and Snowboard aren’t that difficult to understand by the way. One 360 is better than another 360 because the grab or method of rotation is more difficult. Aerials is literally outdoor winter gymnastics. It’s one of the best additions to the Winter Olympics. Comps take like 2-3 hours so...

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7 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Wrong. Even 50k time trial doesn't last 6 hours.

 

Like I've said, your generation is all about the short attention span BS. You have nothing to offer beyond that. If any sporting event lasts more than 30 minutes you are bitching about everything.

And if sports changes in the slightest you’re generation becomes a bunch of crying little bitches that preach the end of days! You complain about the younger generation constantly, without even trying what we suggest. I love distance events. The only sports I do are distance events. The 50km still exists, it’s just been improved.

 

The world has changed. People are busy and have less “free time”. It shouldn’t mean the end of distance events, but we have to find ways to cater to new fans.

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6 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Since when getting rid of tradition is automatically an improvement? You will be old one day too and then you will be the one dismissed as pointless IMO

Never said we should be “getting rid of tradition”, but I think tradition can be modified. Everything changes overtime, it’s essentially a “law” even though it isn’t. We can either adapt to change, or continue to live in a lesser age. Sometimes change isn’t good, but we can’t definitively know until we’ve tried.

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4 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

How is there a tangible loss in the sprint and not in the individual? In the latter the penalty is even added to the time literally within two seconds, how can it be more clear?!

Right, but keeping track of who’s doing well is easier in the sprint. It’s tangible because we can see the athletes do a penalty loop, and the time checks are more on the center like statistically. It’s also shorter and easier to watch for fans. I’d also argue that shooting still matters to a degree in the sprint.

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5 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

No! You do not bring goddamn breakdance into the thread of the world's best sport

What if we add a round of target shooting in between the two rounds of dancing...

 

Street biathlon anyone 

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4 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Biathlon is a complete niche sport in USA. You used to be right up there in nordic combined too and it's like Steamboat Spring has fallen off the Earth or something now. The rise of freestyle skiing has killed all the traditional winter skiing sports in USA IMO.

Well, yeah. People here are drawn to those sports because they’re new and they adapt over time. We’ve also had much more success in them, and our ski resorts are tailored to them. Cross Country skiing requires facilities that are hard to keep up in many parts of the US, and world tours for both Cross Country Skiing and Nordic Combined/Ski Jumping refuse to come to the US or Canada.

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4 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

That's the whole idea. The big countries want to create a special environement where only they can dominate. Big nations, big TV markets, big money. Nobody wants someone from Kazakhstan as biathlon's top performer

I do! ?

 

Again, not one person had said we should eliminate the individual.

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5 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

Your generation's ideas are usually short-attention span nonsense tbh. Break dance as Olympic sport takes the cake so far

You’re generation’s greatest contribution to sports was dopped up athletes so...

 

I sorry I didn’t have 6 hours to watch a race 

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1 minute ago, Grassmarket said:

In a time trial over a hundred athletes can start.  In a mass start, 60 maximum.  So they’d be getting rid of all the minor countries.

It has more to do with the format. The sprint works because there’s a tangible loss when someone misses a target.  In individual you really have to be focused on the commentary, skiing, shooting to have any clue what is happening. 
 

Again, @Agger @Wumo and myself are pro-individual, we just think it’s understandable as to why people don’t like it. There may be ways to make it better for fans, but people so set in pointless tradition and old ways like @heywoodu and @Monzanator won’t accept that we should look at improving the event.

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7 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

If there are screens showing the standings - and better, if internet is working fine - it's just not. Plus even the IBU Cups have stadium speakers helping you out, no doubt the World Cup has the same.

 

It's easily possible to keep an eye on live timing if internet works fine (which is a bigger issue in such an event), also with athletes passing by. Just keep the live timing open and you need like 5 seconds to take a quick peek. There's always moments in which no athlete passes by.

We didn’t have speakers or commentary at the Soldier Hollow World Cup (at least not that you could hear). I do agree with @Agger that having to watch a race by looking a TV to see the skiing, looking at my phone to see the shooting stats, and using my tablet to look at the times is highly annoying.

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17 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

Biathlon is heading towards cross country skiing where the fastest skiers will win all the time regardless of missed shots. Slower skiers will have no chance to be rewarded for a perfect shooting. Even now Lisa Teresa Hauser has no chance of a podium finish even if she hits 20/20. Nadezhda Skardino was probably the last of Olympic medallists who was rewarded for her shooting skills while being a mediocre skier.

Which is why Individual should be kept on the program . I’m allowed to say “We should keep this, it’s just not the most interesting event”.

 

By decreeing the end of times, you’re showing your age too 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Olympian1010

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24 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

 

This is the same BS excuse they used to get rid of time trial races in cross country. Now even 10km is a damn mass start there. Totally pathetic.

 

It's 21st century, you got big TV screens in the stadium where you can follow the live results PLUS everyone has a damn smartphone these days where you can follow the live results. IBU's live timing page is a work of art where you can check everything instantly. Don't sell me "people are confused" crap because it's a complete nonsense. It's not 1979 anymore.

It’s more about having a tangible race. It’s not fin to watch something we’re bib 3 lays down the best time, and then isn’t reasonably challenged until bib 103. I love the individual because it makes places emphasis on the shooting for once, but people have a point. Time trial races are annoying to follow. 

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Also, did anyone else put Asian Winter Games, Winter EYOF, and Winter Universaide for “other” under what competitions do you watch? 

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1 minute ago, heywoodu said:

I've only been to IBU Cups so I'd desperately like more screens  (or just...you know, a screen) 

Fan zones for those 6 people would be fun.

 

World cup atmosphere is awesome, fan zone should be like a little festival, and there should definitely be more screens.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Olympian1010

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Yeah, I’m with @Wumo on the schedule. Scrap the gender relays in favor of the mixed gender relays, protect the individual, and limit the amount of sprints.