04/20/24
February 21, 2010
Bode collects the set: : a bronze in the downhill, a silver in the super G, and now gold in the Olympic super combi. Trailing Sweden's Aksel Lund Svindal by .76 seconds after the downhill portion of the race, Bode made up the difference and then some to finish .33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Ivica Kostelic of Croatia. Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen claimed the bronze.
posted by lil_brown_bat to olympics at 04:31 PM - 22 comments
Fucking Canadian Alpine ski team. Way to really own that podium. I mean NOTHING?!? The Euros are laughing at us. Again.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:02 PM on February 21, 2010
Fucking Canadian Alpine ski team. Way to really own that podium.
As I understand it, the podium is made from some nice B.C. wood, so maybe they get to take it home with them after the games and use it for shelving.
posted by grum@work at 09:58 PM on February 21, 2010
Congrats to him. I didn't really think he had much of a chance after his downhill, but his slalom was great. But, what's the deal with him saying that the medals aren't important? Can't he just enjoy the moment?
posted by bperk at 08:03 AM on February 22, 2010
The part of the moment that I'm sure he's enjoying most is getting people off his back about the Olympic medal thang, and not having a big sponsor breathing down his neck. Beyond that, if the medals aren't the most important thing to him, should he lie and say that they are?
The slalom was great...for an old man. His second run of slalom at SLC in '02 was much better, as was his second run at the Worlds in St. Moritz in '03. Compared to those, yesterday's run looked like a knife fight in a phone booth. That's to be expected -- you need young reflexes to excel at slalom on a regular basis.
Good article titled US Winter Olympian Bode Miller Was Right And I'm Not Being Sarcastic.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:03 AM on February 22, 2010
Beyond that, if the medals aren't the most important thing to him, should he lie and say that they are?
No, he should just evade. It's a great moment for U.S. skiing blah blah blah. I'm going to give this medal to my father for all he has given me blah blah blah.
Good article titled US Winter Olympian Bode Miller Was Right And I'm Not Being Sarcastic.
I don't think athletes get judged within their sports solely by their Olympic performance, but athletes are usually required to perform well in the pinnacle events to reach one-of-the-best ever status.
I don't understand complaints that people only pay attention to certain sports during the Olympics. If it weren't for the Olympics, most people would never pay attention. Once every four years, athletes get to compete on a much larger stage.
posted by bperk at 09:51 AM on February 22, 2010
No, he should just evade. It's a great moment for U.S. skiing blah blah blah. I'm going to give this medal to my father for all he has given me blah blah blah.
So, you're saying he should lie. Those are lies.
I don't think athletes get judged within their sports solely by their Olympic performance, but athletes are usually required to perform well in the pinnacle events to reach one-of-the-best ever status.
Can you name me one sport where winning an Olympic gold medal would make people in the sport all stand up and say, "Yup, that's it. That was the missing piece. Yesterday, he/she was not one of the best ever, but today, he/she is, because of that medal."? The idea is pretty laughable.
I don't understand complaints that people only pay attention to certain sports during the Olympics.
As the article makes clear, people who only pay attention to certain sports during the Olympics should stfu when it comes to passing judgment on the best athletes in that sport.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:56 AM on February 22, 2010
I liken this to the phenomenon of athletes in team sports being considered to be great (or in the conversation of best ever) on the basis of whether they win championships. It's quite arbitrary in that participants in team sports often do not win championships despite being some of the best ever due to fluky circumstances or circumstances outside of their control. I appreciate that participants in individual sports are more in control of their own destinies in Olympic events than athletes in team sports, but Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Dan Marino and others are inner circle guys (at least to my reckoning) despite never winning championships.
posted by holden at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2010
Can you name me one sport where winning an Olympic gold medal would make people in the sport all stand up and say, "Yup, that's it. That was the missing piece. Yesterday, he/she was not one of the best ever, but today, he/she is, because of that medal."? The idea is pretty laughable.
"Bode has now done everything you can in skiing," U.S. teammate Will Brandenburg said. "He's won World Cup races. He's won World Cup titles. He's won medals in every color and now he's got the gold. That's big. He's one of the best skiers of all time now and no one can discredit that."
So, you're saying he should lie. Those are lies.
Actually, I was attempting to list statements that wouldn't require him lying at all. If the medal doesn't mean that much to you, then you list the people for whom the medal does matter (i.e. U.S. Skiing). I am not promoting anything sinister, just a little bit of diplomacy.
posted by bperk at 10:17 AM on February 22, 2010
On edit: Of course, bperk finds an exact quote for the exact subject of discussion, so I'll just remove my lengthy useless response.
posted by grum@work at 10:29 AM on February 22, 2010
"Bode has now done everything you can in skiing," U.S. teammate Will Brandenburg said. "He's won World Cup races. He's won World Cup titles. He's won medals in every color and now he's got the gold. That's big. He's one of the best skiers of all time now and no one can discredit that."
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:59 AM on February 22, 2010
>No, he should just evade. It's a great moment for U.S. skiing blah blah blah. I'm going to give this medal to my father for all he has given me blah blah blah.
>>So, you're saying he should lie. Those are lies.
Sheesh.
As for Bode, yay for him. And as for Svindal, double-yay for saying to Bode, "I'm so happy for you" after the last racer finished and sounding sincere.
posted by Uncle Toby at 11:00 AM on February 22, 2010
"Bode has now done everything you can in skiing," U.S. teammate Will Brandenburg said. "He's won World Cup races. He's won World Cup titles. He's won medals in every color and now he's got the gold. That's big. He's one of the best skiers of all time now and no one can discredit that."
Consider the source.
He's a World Cup skier. That's the perfect source.
posted by grum@work at 12:02 PM on February 22, 2010
He's a World Cup skier. That's the perfect source.
Eh, I dunno. He's skied (and DNF'd) in two World Cup races. He had his shot at the majors and did nothing -- it wouldn't surprise me if he goes right back down to Norams. Do you consider a guy who came up from AA for a couple of games to be a "Major League ballplayer"? Now, somebody like Svindal, or one of the Didiers, that's the perfect source.
(in fact, I suspect that what Brandenburg meant was not "he wasn't one of the best yesterday and he is today," but "after today, not even the haters can claim that he's not one of the best". Seems he was wrong either way)
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:15 PM on February 22, 2010
Of course, bperk finds an exact quote for the exact subject of discussion...
Don't you just hate that?
posted by BornIcon at 01:06 PM on February 22, 2010
Can you name me one sport where winning an Olympic gold medal would make people in the sport all stand up and say, "Yup, that's it. That was the missing piece. Yesterday, he/she was not one of the best ever, but today, he/she is, because of that medal."?
Now, somebody like Svindal, or one of the Didiers, that's the perfect source.
So you need to be one of the best ten skiers in the world to pass judgement on other top skiers?
I guess that completely invalidates the need for sportsfilter.
posted by cjets at 01:35 PM on February 22, 2010
oh, and by the way, Congrats to Bode!
posted by cjets at 01:36 PM on February 22, 2010
So you need to be one of the best ten skiers in the world to pass judgement on other top skiers?
I guess that completely invalidates the need for sportsfilter.
You don't seriously believe that there is a "need" for sportsfilter to "pass judgment" on the elite athletes of the world?
As I said, I don't think that Brandenburg meant what bperk assumes he meant, because, frankly, it's a silly thing to say. This is Bode's fourth Olympics, and this was his first gold medal, and I've never heard anyone who knew a flush from a delay say anything like, "Bode Miller is not one of the greatest skiers of all time, because he hasn't won an Olympic gold medal". The Olympic gold medal as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport exists only in the minds of people who don't know the sport.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:40 PM on February 22, 2010
You don't seriously believe that there is a "need" for sportsfilter to "pass judgment" on the elite athletes of the world?
Maybe pass judgement is too harsh (but probably not), but what is Sportsfilter if not a place to discuss and judge athletes and athletic endeavors every day?
The Olympic gold medal as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport exists only in the minds of people who don't know the sport.
Really? Because pinnacle of achievement seems like a good description to me. That being said, it doesn't invalidate years of success at world cup races (Holden's comparison to Marino is a good one) but it is once every four years and it is an enormous event.
I think athletes are defined, in part, by how they react under pressure. The Olympics, it seems to me, is the definition of performing under pressure.
The athletes that can deliver in the clutch, when the whole world is watching, are the best of the best.
posted by cjets at 03:04 PM on February 22, 2010
This is Bode's fourth Olympics, and this was his first gold medal, and I've never heard anyone who knew a flush from a delay say anything like, "Bode Miller is not one of the greatest skiers of all time, because he hasn't won an Olympic gold medal". The Olympic gold medal as the pinnacle of achievement in the sport exists only in the minds of people who don't know the sport.
Statements that you think don't exist are all over the place. Billy Kidd, an old-timer, claims that the greatest athletes are at their best when the pressure is the greatest and winning a gold in the Olympics is a determining factor. Ligety, winner in Turin, says that the gold medal was missing from Miller's resume. You don't have to spend much time googling to find such sentiments.
posted by bperk at 03:57 PM on February 22, 2010
Outstanding performance on the highly visible stages seems to be the definition of greatness in all sports. Think how statements such as "Peyton Manning isn't the greatest QB of recent times because he's only won 1 Super Bowl.", "Joe Thornton has never led his team close to a Stanley Cup, so how good is he really?", or "Ted Williams never won a World Series" reflect this. Bode Miller has had a long and highly successful career in alpine skiing, but until these games he was known for his few failures rather than his many successes. Is it fair? I think it is. To use a show business analogy, what you do in New Haven doesn't matter when you hit opening night on Broadway.
posted by Howard_T at 04:47 PM on February 22, 2010
I think it always looks bad for one's legacy to be recognized as top in the field and then when on the biggest stage with the pressure on, not to succeed. This is precisely why Shaun White is so great. While he is widely recognized as the best in the world, when the real pressure is on, and all eyes are watching, and he is expected to win, he nails it. America loves a winner like that and yes, that is what gets you the elite best of the best status.
I think some greats like Dan Marino in a team sport cannot be faulted for not winning the big one, but in individual sports, being the best when the pressure is on, is part of what makes an athlete great.
posted by Atheist at 06:47 PM on February 22, 2010
Fun fact: the slalom course was set by Ante Kostelic, Ivica's father.