Jungle Jim Hunter blasting Canadian Olympic team on 960

[jeremywilhelm]

Unfortunately that 648,350$ is not a true representation. I would say the government funds maybe 30,000$ per athlete at best. I'm not sure where the rest of the money ends up.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Schmidtyboosh

A majority of our athletes are just happy to be there, and dont put in 100% effort in their training like other countries do.

I would absolutely love to hear you explain this statement.

How do you know this?

[LockedOut]

For a home Olympics we should at least be more successful than the previous Olympics in Turin of 24 medals for it to be considered a success. I don't think we're anywhere close to that pace. If we're not close to that I wouldn't call it a failure but I also wouldn't call it a success.

US had 25 medals at Turin for comparisons sake and right now they're way ahead of us.

[Schmidtyboosh]

When all you have to do for 4 years is train and mostly everything else is taken care of, and you can't crack the top 20? That's explanation enough.

[Hammertime]

Originally Posted by Schmidtyboosh

When all you have to do for 4 years is train and mostly everything else is taken care of, and you can't crack the top 20? That's explanation enough.

Umm.. no.

Alot of the athletes have careers, go to school, etc.

[Schmidtyboosh]

So do all the other countries athletes!

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Schmidtyboosh

When all you have to do for 4 years is train and mostly everything else is taken care of, and you can't crack the top 20? That's explanation enough.

Explanation of what? Explanation that they don't get enough funding? Explanation that we're simply not a talented enough country? Explanation that we're not competitive on a world stage? Explanation that our world class training facilities aren't actually world class?

I don't get it, what's your point? You're upset that _____.

[Dogbert]

Originally Posted by LockedOut

For a home Olympics we should at least be more successful than the previous Olympics in Turin of 24 medals for it to be considered a success. I don't think we're anywhere close to that pace. If we're not close to that I wouldn't call it a failure but I also wouldn't call it a success.

US had 25 medals at Turin for comparisons sake and right now they're way ahead of us.

... And they're *way* ahead of us because the sports we're stronger at come later in the Games.

Look at the prognostications on the first page: We're one medal short of where we should be. That really isn't anything to go nuts over.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Schmidtyboosh

My proudest moment as a Canadian this Olympics was to see how upset Jen Hial was for losing the Gold medal. It was clear that she wasnt there to "try her best" or be "happy to just be there and enjoy the experience." More of our athletes need her winning attitude.

Jennifer Heil was disappointed when she didn't get Gold because she had a legitimate chance of winning gold. That said she had a good run, evident by her arms pumps, and was simply outdone by a stronger competitor that day. She didn't "choke" or "blow it" the other skier was simply better.

However, who was just "happy to be there" and in reality should have been terribly upset for not winning gold? I've heard reference to our Alpine team but none of them were legitimate gold medal contenders, they were "feel good contenders". I heard reference to the two male snowboarders that didn't qualify being "happy to be there" and honestly I don't blame them. When you stand NO CHANCE at a gold medal why would you get down on yourself for not winning?

Being mad at an athlete ranked 40th in the world for not winning gold is like being mad at the Norwegian hockey team for not winning gold. It's a nice dream, but it's not going to happen! Just because they're on "home soil" doesn't mean they automatically become the best in the world...

[BandWagoner]

Originally Posted by MJM

What is stopping a Canadian from going out and getting sponsored by Red Bull? Shawn White didn't always have a half-time in his back yard. He worked hard for it, got noticed for it (virutally unknown prior to the 2006 Olympics), and is now reaping the benefits. Again, excuses.

True enough. Companies gamble on a horse and hopefully that horse comes in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd so they can exploit them. Or they pay higher once they actually have come in those positions. Mind you, if other people's arguments that Canada has 1/10 of the funding Americans due because of the population, the Americans also should reap some kind of increased rewards from sponsorship/promotions if they do get some success.

I'm dissappointed in one of the athletes that our company sponsored. We kept hearing how she'll do really well in the Olympics and she didn't make it past qualifications. Should I have a right to be dissappointed?

Originally Posted by troutman

Further, every Aussie between 18 and 25 is currently residing in Whistler and Banff.

People abroad will reside here. However, if they are athletes, I'm sure it's because they want to train at good locations around the world. I've seen other athletes go abroad to receive their training because Canada does not have the adequate facilities or coaches to push them to the next level.

I think the only sport the Canadian population truly cares about is the Hockey Men's Gold. If they don't get Gold, it'll probably leave a sour taste in our month. Especially since its the last event.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Schmidtyboosh

When all you have to do for 4 years is train and mostly everything else is taken care of, and you can't crack the top 20? That's explanation enough.

So you made it up.

I thought so, just wanted some clarification.

[JiriHrdina]

Here's my take.

A goal was set to win 30-35 medals and finish in the top 3, if not at the top. You have to be held accountable to the goals you set. Hunter didn't set those goals...he's just now assessing how our athletes are doing in terms of reaching them.

I think we should hold our olympians to a high standard. I'm sure they are all trying their best, but trying only gets you so far. You have to deliver.

[Brad Marsh]

Canada excels in the wrong sports.

Hockey: a total of two potential medals
Curling: a total of two potential medals

Compare this to sports like cross-country skiing and speed skating, both of which award medals in 12 different events, and more than one athlete from each country could win. So let's say Canada poured all of their resources into just speed-skating and they completely dominated the rest of the world, they could win as many as 36 medals. The same could be true if Canada excelled at cross-country skiing - as many as 36 medals up for grabs there too. But in hockey, the most any one country can win is two medals.

And Canada was on Turin's pace heading into today, but by the end of this day in Turin, Canada had 8 medals, so it looks like Canada will be one medal behind the Turin pace at the end of the day today.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Here's my take.

A goal was set to win 30-35 medals and finish in the top 3, if not at the top. You have to be held accountable to the goals you set. Hunter didn't set those goals...he's just now assessing how our athletes are doing in terms of reaching them.

I think we should hold our olympians to a high standard. I'm sure they are all trying their best, but trying only gets you so far. You have to deliver.

Um, if they are doing their bests and not medaling how do you hold them accountable? Tell them to be better than they are? Even if they're doing their best?

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

Canada excels in the wrong sports.

Hockey: a total of two potential medals
Curling: a total of two potential medals

you'd rather excel in the speed skating than hockey?

Sure it sucks medalwise, but Canada gets Gold in men's hockey and the olympics will be a huge success in the eyes of most Canadians.

[Brad Marsh]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Um, if they are doing their bests and not medaling how do you hold them accountable? Tell them to be better than they are? Even if they're doing their best?

I think it's the goal setters that should be held accountable in this case, not the athletes.

I don't see many Canadian athletes dramatically underperforming. With very few exceptions, many are doing as well as expected and some have exceeded expectations.

There's a big difference between being a medal hopeful (which I interpret as being in the contention: a top 10 raning heading in to the event and hoping you have a good day and land on the podium) and being likely to win (which I interpret as being top 3 all season long heading into the games).

Honestly, how many Canadian athletes so far have come in with a top 3 or 4 ranking in world cup events or world championship events and completely bombed? Not many.

On the other hand, there have been several that had a chance, and in the end it didn't happen for them. I'm sure the goal setters were counting on of a few of these to come up big and it just hasn't happened.

[Schmidtyboosh]

[quote=Brad Marsh;2344846]Canada excels in the wrong sports.

Hockey: a total of two potential medals
Curling: a total of two potential medals

Compare this to sports like cross-country skiing and speed skating, both of which award medals in 12 different events, and more than one athlete from each country could win. So let's say Canada poured all of their resources into just speed-skating and they completely dominated the rest of the world, they could win as many as 36 medals. The same could be true if Canada excelled at cross-country skiing - as many as 36 medals up for grabs there too. But in hockey, the most any one country can win is two medals.


Take into consideration that the OWN THE PODIUM money 100% isn't going to the Men's Hockey Team, and I doubt much if any at all is going to the Men's and Women's curling teams since they are deemed professionals. Most of that money went to skiing, speed skating etc.

[Brad Marsh]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

Uhhh, you'd rather we excel in the biathlon than hockey??

No of course not.

I'm just saying that if finishing first overall in total medals earned is the goal, then Canada would probably be more likely to accomplish that goal if they did excel in something like biathlon instead of hockey.

Own the Podium isn't working out, but let's face it, Canada does pretty well compared to other nations when you consider the per capita population base and the funding structure for Canadian Athletes.

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Brad Marsh

No of course not.

I'm just saying that if finishing first overall in total medals earned is the goal, then Canada would probably be more likely to accomplish that goal if they did excel in something like biathlon instead of hockey.

Own the Podium isn't working out, but let's face it, Canada does pretty well compared to other nations when you consider the per capita population base and the funding structure for Canadian Athletes.

Sorry, I edited my post as biathlon was a bad example. Ha

[transplant99]

I think it's the goal setters that should be held accountable in this case, not the athletes

.


Yeah I think people need to seperate what officials/media/talking heads expected to see happen and what the reality of what does happen. People hear "35 medals", "own the podium" and they assume that Canada is favored in way more events than they really are.

I think finishing 3rd in Torino was a remarkable accomplishment, and as BM has pointed out, if Canada was stronger in X-country as an example, the medal count would be substantially higher. In fact, with the facilities at Canmore, it is disappointing that Canada cant find some elite athletes to make that sport a higher profile one.

If Canada comes close to 24 medals or surpasses it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and a huge accomplishment as they are facing the best in the entire world in these disciplines. With the Canadian population being what it is, the vastness of the country that makes identifying potential athletes more difficult, and the lack of funding (comparitively) to other countries, we should be very proud of what is happening now and what has happened in the past.