Beijing - 1st Olympics 100% man made snow

[deadheadskier]

Yesterday wasnt a "choke", that could happen to anyone, and did to several other skiers in the exact same patch of snow. Today? Yeah, this is a mind **** from yesterday. Total mental jobber.

The reason why I quoted "choke" is because history is harsh on the great ones when they fail on the biggest stage and many will call it that. She herself will think that and that's the biggest challenge for her moving forward competitively. You're right, the GS blowout could have happened to anyone. The SL slip seemed more "chokey?"

I'm sure she feels the same about both results though

 

[BenedictGomez]

they wanted Snowbird but we're blocked by environmental concerns

Environmental concerns from holding a DH race? I'm really scratching my head here, and a GOOG search isnt being helpful. What was the issue(s)?

 

[abc]

never lived a day in her life in China

She's an snowboard instructor in Nanshan. Spent just about every summer of her childhood in China. Speaks fluent Chinese...

So much for Mr. know-it-all!

 

[BenedictGomez]

She's an snowboard instructor in Nanshan. Spent just about every summer of her childhood in China. Speaks fluent Chinese...

Like I said, never lived a day in her life in China.

Speaks the language? Who cares. She's American. And a traitor - solely for money.

Not that you dont know all of this of course, Mrs. argue-at-all-costs!

 

[deadheadskier]

Does anyone know the prospective income advantage of Gu competing for China vs the US?

I haven't read that estimate

Before I pass judgement on the choice, I'd need to know the dollars involved

 

[abc]

Speaks the language? Who cares.

Right!

Einstein was a traitor from Switzerland. Fermi a traitor from Italy. (for those who don't know, those were physicist, who were instrumental to the Atomic bomb). Von Braun a traitor of Germany, without him the man on the moon probably never would have happened. But of course, he was captured at the end of the war, a POW. But he should have just said his rank and offers nothing...

And Gu's mother? She was born in China, educated in China. But she makes a whole lot more money in the US and she's changed her citizenship from Chinese to US. Should have sent her back! So her offspring would have stayed in China!

And for that matter, half of the US fgure skating team's parents were "traitors" from China, in case you haven't noticed all those short last names!

 

[BenedictGomez]

Does anyone know the prospective income advantage of Gu competing for China vs the US?

Staggering.

China's market size is about 500% larger than the US. But it doesnt end there. In the US she'd still make millions and be rich, but she'd be one of many female athletes competing for dollars, and not even unusual among winter athletes. Chloe Kim anyone? Mikaela Shiffrin? Lindsey Vonn? etc, etc... In China, she's the only game in town. It gets even more complex though. Given she's competing for China it's "okay" for all those Chinese firms to toss money at her. Gu will be used by XI's communist regime to milk every last ounce of political propaganda from her choosing China & rejecting America.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Right!

Einstein was a traitor from Switzerland. Fermi a traitor from Italy. (for those who don't know, those were physicist, who were instrumental to the Atomic bomb). Von Braun a traitor of Germany, without him the man on the moon probably never would have happened. But of course, he was captured at the end of the war, a POW. But he should have just said his rank and offers nothing...

And Gu's mother? She was born in China, educated in China. But she makes a whole lot more money in the US and she's changed her citizenship from Chinese to US. Should have sent her back! So her offspring would have stayed in China!

And for that matter, half of the US fgure skating team's parents were "traitors" from China, in case you haven't noticed all those short last names!

Nope.

 

[deadheadskier]

Staggering.

China's market size is about 500% larger than the US. But it doesnt end there. In the US she'd still make millions and be rich, but she'd be one of many female athletes competing for dollars, and not even unusual among winter athletes. Chloe Kim anyone? Mikaela Shiffrin? Lindsey Vonn? etc, etc... In China, she's the only game in town. It gets even more complex though. Given she's competing for China it's "okay" for all those Chinese firms to toss money at her. Gu will be used by XI's communist regime to milk every last ounce of political propaganda from her choosing China & rejecting America.

You are presenting theories that certainly make sense and I don't disagree that what you suggest happens.

But what I'm asking for is dollars / contracts / sponsorships.

What did a Chinese agent promise this 18 year old girl to have her make that decision?

 

[abc]

What did a Chinese agent promise this 18 year old girl to have her make that decision?

15 year old! (she became a Chinese citizen when she was only 15)

Whether that decision was hers or of her mother's is anyone's guess.

 

[BenedictGomez]

But what I'm asking for is dollars / contracts / sponsorships.

I read the other day her recent Chinese deals are worth something like $15 Million, which is huge for a young, female athlete who frankly hadnt accomplished much before last year. Luckin Coffee (basically Chinese Starbucks) is one of the bigger ones. In any event, obviously she wouldn't be pulling $15M in US endorsements; that's more than Tom Brady makes per annum. Forbes Magazine had a very tongue-in-cheek way of phrasing her bizarre decision to represent China, "it turned out to be a great financial choice", LOL.


EDIT:

And the plot thickens. Just hearing on TV now someone asked her a few hours ago if she renounced her US citizenship & she wouldn't answer the question.

 

[Slidebrook87]

Don’t know if it’s been posted yet, but this pretty much sums up the state of things over there… a ski jump next to a bunch of coal-fired plants.

 

[djd66]

I read the other day her recent Chinese deals are worth something like $15 Million, which is huge for a young, female athlete who frankly hadnt accomplished much before last year. Luckin Coffee (basically Chinese Starbucks) is one of the bigger ones. In any event, obviously she wouldn't be pulling $15M in US endorsements; that's more than Tom Brady makes per annum. Forbes Magazine had a very tongue-in-cheek way of phrasing her bizarre decision to represent China,


EDIT:

And the plot thickens. Just hearing on TV now someone asked her a few hours ago if she renounced her US citizenship & she wouldn't answer the question.

China does not recognize dual citizenship. So unless President Xi made an exception for Gu, she must have renounced her US citizenship to get her Chinese passport - which is required for her to compete for China.

Personally, I think it’s a complete joke. She grew up here, benefits from every thing our country has to offer - and then dumps the US so she can represent the corrupt communists,…. But plans to come back here to continue her schooling at Stanford.

Something just doesn’t sit right for me.

 

[drjeff]

China does not recognize dual citizenship. So unless President Xi made an exception for Gu, she must have renounced her US citizenship to get her Chinese passport - which is required for her to compete for China.

Personally, I think it’s a complete joke. She grew up here, benefits from every thing our country has to offer - and then dumps the US so she can represent the corrupt communists,…. But plans to come back here to continue her schooling at Stanford.

Something just doesn’t sit right for me.

Agree 100%

There is a ZERO percent chance that she'd be an Olympic gold medalist right now had she grew up entirely in China. It's even highly debatable if she would of ever clicked into a binding now had she grew up in China.

The innocence of youth thinking that she may become a roll model, which in her mind I am guessing that she can speak out, for women's athletics and rights in China if she was to suddenly permanently reside there. Just look at what the Chinese Government has done with their star women's tennis player (I will totally mess up her name here, so sorry) Pung Xuai.

Probably the best thing Ms Gu could do right now is to get out of China and back to CA ASAP

 

[Mum skier]

Congratulations to Lidnesy Jacobellis. I’m not even American but good to see someone win on their 5th try. A tough event to stick around that long in.

 

[djd66]

Agree 100%

There is a ZERO percent chance that she'd be an Olympic gold medalist right now had she grew up entirely in China. It's even highly debatable if she would of ever clicked into a binding now had she grew up in China.

The innocence of youth thinking that she may become a roll model, which in her mind I am guessing that she can speak out, for women's athletics and rights in China if she was to suddenly permanently reside there. Just look at what the Chinese Government has done with their star women's tennis player (I will totally mess up her name here, so sorry) Pung Xuai.

Probably the best thing Ms Gu could do right now is to get out of China and back to CA ASAP

My theory is the Chinese gov’t made her “an offer she couldn’t refuse “. She has family there, and it is not crazy to think they (PRC) told her mom that they would make life difficult for her family if she would not compete for China.

She has completely dodged the questions on her U.S. passport,… the whole thing is a complete joke.

 

[deadheadskier]

Very well could have been her mother who pushed her in this direction. She likely witnessed extreme poverty in China and saw the opportunity for her daughter to become a multi millionaire and could have pushed her in that direction.

I suspect she stays in California and goes to Stanford and continues to compete on the X Games circuit.

One thing is for certain is she should be prohibited from trying to join the US team in the future.

 

[abc]

One thing is for certain is she should be prohibited from trying to join the US team in the future.

That's entirely irrelevant. She wouldn't have been invited.

But, if she's dominating the circuit, it's silly to "ban" the US Olympic committee to consider her.

 

[Smellytele]

There are other skiers from the US skiing for other countries as well. Saw a woman skiing for Hungary yesterday from the US.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

There are other skiers from the US skiing for other countries as well. Saw a woman skiing for Hungary yesterday from the US.

this. its super common for people to compete for their country of ancestry and not their home country. this 18 year old phenom is getting her money and i don't begrudge her for it. she has 165k followers on Instagram, she has 2M on weibo. freeskiing isn't exactly the most monetizable sport. get that paper girl. if there's more of it in china, get that china paper. and she prob doesn't even care about being on ski teams long term, as this seems almost like a lark for her, and she'll be back to being a stanford prodigy and supermodel next month. fuck nationalism.