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Feb. 13th, 2010 10:08 pmI heard an interesting, tiny, snippet of news this morning, connected with the death of the Georgian luger at the Vancouver Olympics. The reporter mentioned briefly that, as a safety precaution, all competitors were starting their training runs from the lower, women's starting gate, so as to take the course at a slower speed.
A lower, women's starting gate - I never knew the luge had such a thing. A curious segregation, given that I'd say the sport needs skill, co-ordination and a healthy dose of raw insanity, rather than strength and stamina.
It couldn't possibly be to make absolutely, positively, damn-sure, certain that the gold-winner of the women's competition comes in slower than the gold-winner of the men's competition?
Just a thought.
It's worth noting that there is no womens' Olympic ski jump. And that ski-jumping is a sport in which (a) there is a of a bit of a macho image and (b) it helps to be smaller and lighter - elite jumpers focus on weight control, avoiding exercises that put on muscle bulk{{cite:web}}.
All in all, I'm glad I snowboard. It means I only need to watch the half-pipe, the four-cross and the parallel giant slalom, and can avoid watching the skaters and those people who slide rocks across a patch of ice whilst frantically brushing it - events that are getting the big coverage because somebody-or-other involved in them is apparently that something called a "British medal hope". Vast media expectation that I, personally, could give a shit is always annoying.
P.S. I managed a tail press today. < grins >
A lower, women's starting gate - I never knew the luge had such a thing. A curious segregation, given that I'd say the sport needs skill, co-ordination and a healthy dose of raw insanity, rather than strength and stamina.
It couldn't possibly be to make absolutely, positively, damn-sure, certain that the gold-winner of the women's competition comes in slower than the gold-winner of the men's competition?
Just a thought.
It's worth noting that there is no womens' Olympic ski jump. And that ski-jumping is a sport in which (a) there is a of a bit of a macho image and (b) it helps to be smaller and lighter - elite jumpers focus on weight control, avoiding exercises that put on muscle bulk{{cite:web}}.
All in all, I'm glad I snowboard. It means I only need to watch the half-pipe, the four-cross and the parallel giant slalom, and can avoid watching the skaters and those people who slide rocks across a patch of ice whilst frantically brushing it - events that are getting the big coverage because somebody-or-other involved in them is apparently that something called a "British medal hope". Vast media expectation that I, personally, could give a shit is always annoying.
P.S. I managed a tail press today. < grins >
