Biathlon 2019 - 2020 Discussion Thread

[heywoodu 15,141]

1 minute ago, Olympian1010 said:

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.

 

Uhm..

[Monzanator 4,502]

Just now, Olympian1010 said:

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.

 

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

[heywoodu 15,141]

Just now, 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

 

Slopestyle drags on forever though  

[Olympian1010 7,976]

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.

[Monzanator 4,502]

3 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

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.

 

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

[Monzanator 4,502]

2 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

Slopestyle drags on forever though  

 

Then I bet Olympian doesn't watch it

[Olympian1010 7,976]

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.

[heywoodu 15,141]

Just now, Olympian1010 said:

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.

You've got to do a penalty lap after a miss, obvously shooting matters. It's not cross-country skiing.

 

Penalty loops are mostly not even shown by the way, so the misses in the individual are even easier to see the effect of immediately. The only reason the sprint is easier to watch for new fans who aren't yet used to it is that there's less athletes on course at any given moment.

[heywoodu 15,141]

Just now, Olympian1010 said:

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.

 

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".

[Monzanator 4,502]

Just now, Olympian1010 said:

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.

 

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