The X-Factor of Canadian Success

[troutman]

Canada has only one medal in the traditional Olympic Sports, but many in the newly introduced X-Sports. Is this a long term concern? What happens when other nations commit to the X-Sports the way Canada has? Why isn't Canada competitive in the mainstream events? The depth of talent pool in the X-Sports is not as deep so far.

The X-Factor of Canadian success

Field of Play blog: Canada owning the podium, but timing has helped


http://olympics.cbc.ca/blogs/author/...n-success.html

On the surface this looks like Canadian athletes are in for a bonanza in the south of Russia, given that there are still a dozen days of competition to unfold.

Still, all of the medals that Canada has scored to date have come from sports which have come onto the Olympic program since the Albertville Games in 1992.

Conversely, the long standing sports such as alpine and cross-country skiing as well as long track speed skating have seen Canadians struggle in the early days. These are events which afford the bulk of medal opportunities at any Olympics because there are races of multiple distances involving myriad disciplines of the same sport.

But cause for concern is the drought in alpine skiing, which has seen Canadian athletes fail to win a medal since the Lillehammer Games of 1994 when Ed Podivinsky claimed downhill bronze. The chances to erase that dry spell are rapidly disappearing in Sochi.

Long track speed skating has produced 33 medals in Canadian Olympic history, more than any other sport at the Winter Games. But there is the daunting prospect here that Canadian athletes could be shut out.

That worries Gaetan Boucher, who won three Olympic medals including two golden trips to the podium at Sarajevo in 1984, while inspiring a generation of speed skating greatness in Canada.

[Northendzone]

they need to make some of these sports more extreme - like for speed skating, they should let the competitors joust or something as they circle the track.....

[Burke Salad]

It is a concern, but I tend to think this stuff is cyclical. As long as we are properly funding these athletes, we will have good showings in all types of sport.

[Kelekin]

In Men's Moguls, Canada had only won one medal (1994) until Bilodeau's gold in Vancouver, the 6th time it was in the Olympics. The sport was dominated by France, Nordic countries, and the USA.
In Men's Aerials, Canada dominated in its' inaugural run in 1994 but has struggled since.
In Men's Ski-Cross in 2010, we didn't medal.
In Women's Moguls, we didn't win a medal until 2006 with Jennifer Heil, the 5th time it was in the Olympics.
In Women's Aerials, the only year we won medals was 2002.
We did win Gold in the inaugural Women's Ski Cross, and two medals this year in Women's Ski-Cross.
We have never won a medal in Men or Women's snowboard half-pipe.
We have medaled in two of four Snowboard giant slaloms.
We have a silver in one of the two snowboard cross events.
Our only women's medals in snowboard are in snowboard cross.

So let's look at total medals before this year:

Snowboarding - USA 19, SUI 9, FRA 8, CAN 5
Freestyle Skiing - USA 14, CAN 9, NOR 8, FRA 7

I'm really not concerned. By these metrics, it has helped USA significantly more than anyone, and sports that Canada have been better in recently, such as moguls, were not sports where we started out being dominant.

The only real disappointment to me is that the long-track speed-skating program does seem to be getting worse, but we've also had such amazing talents in the past.

[troutman]

The problem in my mind, is that as other countries concentrate more on the X-Sports, the Canadian medal hauls will decline. Canada is benefiting from a shallow talent pool.

[Kelekin]

Originally Posted by troutman

The problem in my mind, is that as other countries concentrate more on the X-Sports, the Canadian medal hauls will decline. Canada is benefiting from a shallow talent pool.

Maybe. Speed skating is in decline, Alpine has been terrible for years. I'd even argue Bobsleigh is in slight decline right now. We've made great strides in Luge, we -finally- have a ski jumping program, we continue to be good in figure skating, short track, etc. The question is, does having more competitors make it tougher, or do we continue to have more talent in certain events? Like I stated previously, a lot of our medals are not coming from being the first nation to be in an event. Many of them have become events we have done better in later on.

Anyway, speed skating is the only sport where we have a serious decline. Short-track might be looking that way slightly for 2018 too. I really do think it is silly we don't have more venues for speed skating in Canada.

I would like to see more money going into skiing too. There is no reason we can't win medals on anything that involves skis.

[Byrns]

Our best start ever for an Olympics, and we're already hand wringing for the future? Our medal totals have only been going up since 1980. (Winter Olympics)

Canada sucks at soccer too, but I'm not concerned.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by troutman

The problem in my mind, is that as other countries concentrate more on the X-Sports, the Canadian medal hauls will decline. Canada is benefiting from a shallow talent pool.

Why is it a shallow talent pool though? These sports didn't just pop up for the Olympics - they are X-Games events that have existed for many years. Which countries do you expect to just come out of nowhere and start dominating because Canada is taking advantage of weaker events?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by JayP

Why is it a shallow talent pool though? These sports didn't just pop up for the Olympics - they are X-Games events that have existed for many years. Which countries do you expect to just come out of nowhere and start dominating because Canada is taking advantage of weaker events?

How many countries really participate in these events, at a significant level? These are still very much emerging sports.

I think we will eventually see the Scandanavian/Alps countries, and China/Japan/Korea, start winning the events we are winning now. We probably got a 10 year head start compared to most, plus the boost of "own the podium" for Vancouver.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by troutman

How many countries really participate in these events, at a significant level? These are still very much emerging sports.

I think we will eventually see the Scandanavian/Alps countries, and China/Japan/Korea, start winning the events we are winning now. We probably got a 10 year head start compared to most, plus the boost of "own the podium" for Vancouver.

You mean as opposed to Luge, Biathlon, ice dance, Nordic combined, or any of the other 'giant' sports that are traditional Olympic events?

[JayP]

Originally Posted by troutman

How many countries really participate in these events, at a significant level? These are still very much emerging sports.

I think we will eventually see the Scandanavian/Alps countries, and China/Japan/Korea, start winning the events we are winning now. We probably got a 10 year head start compared to most, plus the boost of "own the podium" for Vancouver.

Like was said below, how many countries really participate in luge and cross-country at a significant level? Norway is dominating the podium in cross-country and the Dutch in long-track speed skating - do those sports have shallow talent pools too?

I can understand some of the Asian countries closing the gap simply given their populations, but why exactly are the Scandinavians going to start winning snowboarding medals?

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by troutman

How many countries really participate in these events, at a significant level? These are still very much emerging sports.

I think we will eventually see the Scandanavian/Alps countries, and China/Japan/Korea, start winning the events we are winning now. We probably got a 10 year head start compared to most, plus the boost of "own the podium" for Vancouver.

I think it just shows our political clout more than anything. There are 20+ medal opportunities related to cross country skiing and biathlon. If we pulled that back to 8 the Nordic countries wouldn't do as well. Now the sports our kids are interested in are being represented.

As long as kids are getting the chances to try all the sports and if they're good we give them more dollars to pursue those passions, Canada can out perform the Scandanaivan countries easily. The alps countries will be harder to displace, but we will be competative with them.

We're a nation of 30million people, with the wealth to pursue these sports and a capitalist "put in the work and see the results" attititude. We're only going to get better.

Own the podium is $89 million ($2.70 per canadian)...it should be closer to $1billion in funding. I can pop an extra $100 to Canadian athletes on my taxes. Put it in as an opt-out levy when you file your taxes...tick this box if you don't want to give $100 to Canadian athletes.

Sending medal table updates to the Americans and Norwegians I know is worth every penny.

[Bunk]

The number of cross-country and biathalon events is a bit absurd. We need to either become better or lobby for fewer of these events! Damn Norway.

We have a proud tradition in Long Track Speed Skating too, which we need to revive.

Overall, we have one of the most well-rounded teams. The likes of Norway, Netherlands, even Germany are mostly one-trick ponies.

[Aeneas]

I really enjoy the cross country and biathlon events. Instead of cutting back on those medals, we should try to figure out how to give more medals for curling and hockey!

[Kelekin]

Originally Posted by Bunk

The number of cross-country and biathalon events is a bit absurd. We need to either become better or lobby for fewer of these events! Damn Norway.

We have a proud tradition in Long Track Speed Skating too, which we need to revive.

Overall, we have one of the most well-rounded teams. The likes of Norway, Netherlands, even Germany are mostly one-trick ponies.

To be fair, I think if they just dropped the pursuit things would be much more even. Biathlon has 11 events and Cross-Country has 12, and again, different distances bring out different contenders. Some people are sprinters, some are distance. It's no different from speed skating; usually the same people can compete in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m but they aren't usually amazing in all three, and then they surely aren't able to do the longer distances.

I just don't think we can really complain considering short-track. Instead, let's just replace the C-Train line with grooves for cross-country skiers.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

You mean as opposed to Luge, Biathlon, ice dance, Nordic combined, or any of the other 'giant' sports that are traditional Olympic events?

I get your point, but there are perhaps a dozen countries that have concentrated on those sports for a long time, whereas it is mainly the USA and Canada that jumped all over the X-Sports in the beginning.

I can understand some of the Asian countries closing the gap simply given their populations, but why exactly are the Scandinavians going to start winning snowboarding medals?

Because far more Scandinavians will get into the X-Sports as they grow in popularity.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by troutman

I get your point, but there are perhaps a dozen countries that have concentrated on those sports for a long time, whereas it is mainly the USA and Canada that jumped all over the X-Sports in the beginning.

I can understand some of the Asian countries closing the gap simply given their populations, but why exactly are the Scandinavians going to start winning snowboarding medals?

Because far more Scandinavians will get into the X-Sports as they grow in popularity.

To be fair, "X-Sports" are already popular in Japan and parts of Scandinavia, and athletes from those areas do quite well. They're about as serious about them as Canada and the US, so I don't really share your concern that there will be a sudden shift in medal opportunities.

You literally listed the two general areas that are nearly as proficient in those sports as Canada is.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by troutman

Because far more Scandinavians will get into the X-Sports as they grow in popularity.

Originally Posted by troutman

How many countries really participate in these events, at a significant level? These are still very much emerging sports.

Trust me when I say this there is no shortage of Scandinavians in the "X-Sports". Canada is doing well this year largely because of stand-out performances from our athletes. In Snowboarding many of the world's top athletes are from countries outside of North America. There is no shortage of Norwegian and Swiss teenagers that are as passionate about jumping off things as there are Canadians and Americans. If anything Canada is doing comparatively well in these sports because they are surprisingly some of the most accessible sports in the Olympics. ie, The X-Sports, more than most other sports, do not require special infrastructure.

Sliding sports, Ski Jumping, Speed Skating, etc. all require special venues. Any kid, or adult, can put on a Helmet and go ride a park at the local ski resort. It doesn't require a race team, coaching or even a mountain to participate in these sports. All of these sports will only continue to grow in popularity both inside and outside of Canada. If you were an impressionable kid today watching the Olympics which sports honestly look the most appealing?

People that don't acknowledge the popularity of the X-Sports are completely out to lunch when it comes to people's recreation. They're only going to get more popular in Canada too as time goes on.

Originally Posted by troutman

I think we will eventually see the Scandanavian/Alps countries, and China/Japan/Korea, start winning the events we are winning now.

Like the Swiss, Japanese, Japanese Mens Snowboard Halfpipe podium from this year?

[JayP]

Originally Posted by troutman

Because far more Scandinavians will get into the X-Sports as they grow in popularity.

Like was said above, they're already interested in the event.

Either way, Canada has tens of millions of more population to draw from that the Scandanavian countries - even if they improve there's no reason to suggest they will start dominating the podium and Canada will decline to mediocre finishes given the popularity skiing and snowboarding have in this country.

[nfotiu]

It will ebb and flow. It used to be that we didn't do well in most other sports because everyone with athletic ability was playing hockey. Right now we have a bigger chunk of people participating in x games sports vs traditional sports. If that trend follows overseas, they will have a smaller pool of traditional sports, and we'll be on a more even playing field in those sports. Also, head injuries and other issues are taking a toll on hockey participation that may help us too.