Hannah Kearney FTW!

[Greg]

I was actually impressed with the mogul coverage this year. I think they spent close to 30 minutes (with spots) on both qualifying and finals. The fact that Hannah was the first and so far only gold medalist for the US is good for the sport.

 

[midd]

you bump fans lucked out with the crappy weather at whistler.

if not for the postponements, the alpine events would have played a prominent role in the primetime broadcasts and likely shifted the mogul runs to the back burner.

 

[Greg]

you bump fans lucked out with the crappy weather at whistler.

if not for the postponements, the alpine events would have played a prominent role in the primetime broadcasts and likely shifted the mogul runs to the back burner.

Yay for us.

 

[bvibert]

I wasn't counting at the time, but I feel like they showed about 15 runs from each competition... A lot more than the 5 or 6 I feel like they normally show.

However, figure skating still rules, and they showed the entirety of all routines. I lucked out and slept through the first set of routines (fell asleep right as they started and woke up just as they were going out to Cypress for the mens qualification runs.

-w

I was actually impressed with the mogul coverage this year. I think they spent close to 30 minutes (with spots) on both qualifying and finals. The fact that Hannah was the first and so far only gold medalist for the US is good for the sport.

Like I said I don't normally watch the Olympics, so I have no basis for comparison. I felt the coverage was a little weak though.

 

[midd]

Yay for us.

Pardon my apparent condescension, but I think we both know that it would have been all-Vonn all the time if not for the delays.

I bet NBC was envisioning the following.


Saturday night coverage: Men's DH and Vonn practice reports
Sunday night coverage: Vonn Super-Combined runs and Pairs short program.

 

[thinnmann]

There was a pretty good interview with her last night before the mens comp.

That was an awesome interview. She speaks really well - not full of "um" like when Lindsey Vonn interviews. She mentioned that being a commentator was maybe her future job when Bob Costas said she did a good job explaining her run. I'm in love.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=23af87b2-dd9c-4bdc-a944-4f20393ce572.html

 

[Greg]

Like I said I don't normally watch the Olympics, so I have no basis for comparison. I felt the coverage was a little weak though.

Well, like anything else mogul-related, it's just not as appealing to the masses as it is to those of us that enjoy skiing bumps. Especially the mens with the D-spin being the most common air. It's kinda like the aerials event. I have no interest in watching that over and over despite the obvious skill required to do it. I could've easily watched all the mogul qualifying and all 20 finals, but I could see how that might be repetitive for most people. Given that I thought the coverage was good.

 

[Greg]

That was an awesome interview. She speaks really well - not full of "um" like when Lindsey Vonn interviews. She mentioned that being a commentator was maybe her future job when Bob Costas said she did a good job explaining her run. I'm in love.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=23af87b2-dd9c-4bdc-a944-4f20393ce572.html

Indeed. Great interview. She is very well spoken.

 

[jack97]

I'll never get tired of watching this run:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/as...tml#womens+moguls+kearney+wins+first+u+s+gold

Ever since I saw this vid, I thought she had the best turns. Going into comp, the wild card was the air; level of difficulty and whether she could stick the landing.

 

[deadheadskier]

Ever since I saw this vid, I thought she had the best turns. Going into comp, the wild card was the air; level of difficulty and whether she could stick the landing.

Here's a question I've pondered.

What has driven the 'World Cup style' from having hand/poll position much wider years ago to so tight together today?

Look Hannah's hands and look at Beasted's video from 'way back'. I still ski with my hands fairly wide. I'm old school I guess :lol:

 

[SIKSKIER]

I don't get it

Any of these athletes would kick my ass in the mugul comps but I just for the life of me can't understand the attraction to this event.Every run looks the exactly like the other with the exception of a wait,break in the knees,or a,ooh,pole plant out of place.I had to laugh the other day when the color commentator says "she carved some nice turns there".What?There is zero carving in moguls competition.While I can truely appreciate the great skill it takes to be at this level and get down that run in such fast speeds,for me it has about as much to do with real alpine skiing as does the aerial competition.I guess more than anything I don't like events that are judged.At least they time the run and score it for 50%.Flame away!

 

[SkiDork]

That's why I like Roark's airs so much. The 720 up top and Bronco at the bottom was AWESOME. Maybe there's a degree of difficult chart and Hannah's are considered more difficult, I don't know.

From the official scoresheet:

KEARNEY T&L: 14.2
ROURKE T&L 5.9 (this was because of the fall)

KEARNEY AIRS:
Back Lay DOD: 1.2 SCORES: 2.2/2.2
360 DOD: 1.2 SCORES: 2.3/2.3

ROURKE AIRS:
720 DOD: 1.43 SCORES: 1.4/1.5
360 with position (category the Bronco falls under) DOD 1.2 SCORES: 2.2/2.2

 

[SkiDork]

i feel the US Olympic Committee should tell the athletes that when they are on the podium regardless of place, they need to put their hand over their heart...even if they dont want to sing or mouth the words, it would be a classy gesture.

hand over heart only necessary during Pledge of Allegiance because you are "pledging allegiance". Not necessary during National Anthem. For some strange reason its become a fad of late because all the sheople see others doing it,.

 

[Trekchick]

VT girl brings home the Gold in Women's Moguls!

Way to go, Hannah!

BMM, I am just now checking in here on AZ.
I gotta say, I have been glued to the Olympics this year and especially the Mogul Competitions.........
I'm inspired!

 

[mondeo]

Any of these athletes would kick my ass in the mugul comps but I just for the life of me can't understand the attraction to this event.Every run looks the exactly like the other with the exception of a wait,break in the knees,or a,ooh,pole plant out of place.I had to laugh the other day when the color commentator says "she carved some nice turns there".What?There is zero carving in moguls competition.While I can truely appreciate the great skill it takes to be at this level and get down that run in such fast speeds,for me it has about as much to do with real alpine skiing as does the aerial competition.I guess more than anything I don't like events that are judged.At least they time the run and score it for 50%.Flame away!

 

[oakapple]

Any of these athletes would kick my ass in the mugul comps but I just for the life of me can't understand the attraction to this event.Every run looks the exactly like the other with the exception of a wait,break in the knees,or a,ooh,pole plant out of place.I had to laugh the other day when the color commentator says "she carved some nice turns there".What?There is zero carving in moguls competition.While I can truly appreciate the great skill it takes to be at this level and get down that run in such fast speeds,for me it has about as much to do with real alpine skiing as does the aerial competition.I guess more than anything I don't like events that are judged.At least they time the run and score it for 50%.Flame away!

It's really no different than any other olympic sport that has a subjective component (figure skating, boxing, synchronized swimming, gymnastics, diving). Unless there is an obvious slip, the results may turn on very subtle errors that the average person simply can't perceive. This event at least shares with ski jumping the fact that part of the score is a number that is unarguable, and that we all can grasp (in jumping, it's the distance; here, it's the time).

This sport is probably easier for us to relate to than most, as all of us have skied moguls at some point, and can appreciate these athletes' absolutely flawless technique. I appreciate that for figure skating too, but that's a sport I have never tried nor would try.

 

[jack97]

Here's a question I've pondered.

What has driven the 'World Cup style' from having hand/poll position much wider years ago to so tight together today?

Look Hannah's hands and look at Beasted's video from 'way back'. I still ski with my hands fairly wide. I'm old school I guess :lol:

Getting forward, another way of saying getting the center of mass over the center or front of the ski. Having them to the side makes you late in the poling or keeps the shoulder pushed back. Nowadays, poiling is more of a timing thing and not a mechanism for a blocking pole plant or crutch.

Over at Sunapee, I have seen the mogul coach make the kids go down bump field with no poles or holding the poles with two hands with the poles level to the ground. This vimeo clip shows Chuck Martin going down with no poles.

http://www.vimeo.com/3067901


That said, it the new approach, hacks like me need every advantage out there. Beasted is just that, a beast, the guy can rip irregardless of hand position.


In terms of a time line, here's Moseley at the 02 Olympics, check out how short his poles are at the starting point, I think the Fins have something to do with this too.

 

[powbmps]

2nd air seemed further back in '02. Less turns between and more after.

 

[deadheadskier]

I noticed that as well.

I often wonder if they should even bother having bumps after the second air. The quality of turns for most goes down as most just try and straightline to the finish for the best possible time. It often appears that the bumps are condusive to this as well......farther apart, smaller

 

[jack97]

It often appears that the bumps are condusive to this as well......farther apart, smaller

I don't think the spacing change, more like how skiers approach them.The reason for this is three words... Dale Begg Smith. IMO, he changed the sport in the same the way Moseley did with the dinner roll.

Before Smith, turns were made higher on the shoulder of the bumps, for the extension part, most skiers would contour the shape of the backside. Smith comes in around 06 with those turns in the troughs and scores some of the highest points in turns. The reason being, the FIS rulebook said that pressure from the ski shall be apply equally on the absorption part as well as the extension part. He basically did what the rule book said and more importantly he had the skills to pull it off. Silver and Bronze medalist; Mikko and Toby Dawson contoured on the backside of the bumps and the turn judges gave each lower points.