[GT] Snowboarding Slopestyle

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

I see your point, but hockey, basketball and football rely heavily on judgement calls from referees...

true, but they don't directly assert control over the criteria necessary for a win.

A hooking call is subjective. A touchdown is a touchdown.

Slopestyle might as well be ballroom dancing.

[troutman]

Unless they fall, a layperson like me can't tell when one run is better than another. Great athletes, but this sport seems a bit made-up to me.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by troutman

Unless they fall, a layperson like me can't tell when one run is better than another. Great athletes, but this sport seems a bit made-up to me.

I think that is being lazy, at a minimum you should be able to tell which tricks are more difficult. Number of spins and flips, taps on railing, etc.

People complain that curling doesnt make sense, I think it takes a little effort as a viewer to pay attention tothe details. The best of the commentators go into these details to explain them to the viewer.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by troutman

Unless they fall, a layperson like me can't tell when one run is better than another.

It's pretty easy. Add up the times they touch the big russian nesting doll and the guy with the most touches wins.

[BloodFetish]

I'm with troutman. I can see the difference between a clean ride and someone who touches a hand, but there's no way I'll ever see the difference between a 900-degree or 1080-degree spin, especially when they're also flipping.

Since you brought up curling as an example, it's a very simple sport with regards to the rules and the scoring. Nobody throws the rock "goofy-footed", or if they do nobody cares.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Table 5

It's pretty easy. Add up the times they touch the big russian nesting doll and the guy with the most touches wins.

The IOC needs us to invent new sports. Slide down a railing, touch the giant doll, then do three jumps. Boom, new sport.

#baseketball

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think that is being lazy, at a minimum you should be able to tell which tricks are more difficult. Number of spins and flips, taps on railing, etc.

People complain that curling doesnt make sense, I think it takes a little effort as a viewer to pay attention tothe details. The best of the commentators go into these details to explain them to the viewer.

Curling is less difficult to understand than darts.

Most rocks nearest the centre score points.

It's bacci on ice.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by troutman

Unless they fall, a layperson like me can't tell when one run is better than another. Great athletes, but this sport seems a bit made-up to me.

No different than moguls, aerials, diving, a gymnastics routine, etc.

Also maybe try to respect the sports as some people on this forum might have family members or friends there competing in this or other sports.

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by troutman

The IOC needs us to invent new sports. Slide down a railing, touch the giant doll, then do three jumps. Boom, new sport.

#baseketball

Spoiler!

[CASe333]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Introducing a contentious opinion:
If you have to judge it, it's not athletics.

...

true, but they don't directly assert control over the criteria necessary for a win.
A hooking call is subjective. A touchdown is a touchdown.
Slopestyle might as well be ballroom dancing.

There are many sporting events where the outcome is mainly based on subjective scoring such as mogul skiing, boxing, diving, gymnastics, MMA, half pipe, ski jumping and figure skating for example. In each event the influence of a single judge differs and other factors such as time and difficulty of components are taken into account. You have extremes such as ballroom dancing/ice dancing where the difference between the best can only be detected by those experts who are highly experienced in practicing or judging the event. Its a slippery slope to start lumping all judged sports in with those extremes and the fact that the outcome of a hockey/football game can be influenced by referees would suggest that they aren't that different. For example a touchdown or goal could be called back errantly by a ref, even with video reviews.

And really, in the end are you going to argue darts, golf, bowling, horse shoes, billiards, speed walking, shuffle board are more athletics/sports than mogul skiing, boxing, diving, gymnastics, MMA, half pipe, ski jumping and figure skating?

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

You boys are a treat. The next few weeks should be enjoyable.

Why was I lumped in there? I was not being critical at all. Genuinely happy about the results. I don't follow the sport enough to know who is favored or who isn't. As far as I am concerned, any medal is awesome.

[return to the red]

I'm with troutman on the slopestyle. Seems like every olympics they look at the x-games and think "which one can we hijack and add to the games this time around?" Wouldn't be surprised to see the Crashed Ice stuff added in the next games or one after.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Why was I lumped in there? I was not being critical at all. Genuinely happy about the results. I don't follow the sport enough to know who is favored or who isn't. As far as I am concerned, any medal is awesome.

I think your post was used to show context against the posts that were being critical.

[ripTDR]

I didn't know slope style turned into big air comp times three.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Curling is less difficult to understand than darts.

Most rocks nearest the centre score points.

It's bacci on ice.

I know this, but some people have no clue. If you only watch a sport once every 4 years you have to put some effort in.

While scoring is simple Strategy in curling is quite complex and takes a while to pick up.

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by return to the red

I'm with troutman on the slopestyle. Seems like every olympics they look at the x-games and think "which one can we hijack and add to the games this time around?" Wouldn't be surprised to see the Crashed Ice stuff added in the next games or one after.

They need to add events where people are flipping snowmobiles and other vehicles. It would be a heck of a lot more exhilarating and equally athletic than horse jumping or dressage.

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

They need to add events where people are flipping snowmobiles and other vehicles. It would be a heck of a lot more exhilarating and equally athletic than horse jumping or dressage.

They can start a separate redneck olympics with snowmobiling, change biathalon to shooting out the window of a truck while driving, maybe introduce Olympic slo-pitch... I'm sure there are lots more possibilities.

Ya totally on horse jumping... Realizing its subjective, not an Olympic sport to me when the horse is the real athlete.

[Ducay]

Loved the mens slopestlye, which made the ladies finals brutal to watch. It was like watching peewee hockey vs. NHL. Should have had the ladies first.

Enjoy the event, even if unorthodox.

[19Yzerman19]

^Wait until you see Women's ski pipe. It's even worse.

[SebC]

Yeah, certain events really highlight how much better the men are and slopestyle was one of them. Hockey is that way too for me.