Why Are Women Being Left Out in the Cold?

ABC News ^ | 2/16/06

[dervish]

Brother and sister skiers Anders and Alissa Johnson have trained together in the ski jump for their entire careers, and both are considered among the best jumpers in the country. But at the Olympics today, Alissa will be on the sidelines while her brother goes for the gold.

"I'm here [only] to support unfortunately," Alissa, 19, said. "I wish I was here to train and jump, but I'm here to support Anders."

The International Ski Federation has ruled that ski jumping is too dangerous for women, making it the only winter Olympic sport that has male competitors and no female counterparts.

'snip'

[dynachrome]

Oh, oh the dreaded double post

[Jeff Chandler]

See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1581969/posts

[xzins]

Since they measure it with a tape measure, it is a real competition.

Or do they also give points for form? I don't need another olympic event where judges ooooh and ahhhhh over some young lady's form.

[digger48]

Why are women being left out in the cold?

maybe they double posted

[Triggerhippie]

Being left out in the cold once is seriesly bad.

Being left out in the cold twice, however, is stuning.

[LibertarianInExile]

I think we should include women in the ski jump, just as long as we include men in rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, and give men a heptathlon and 800m speed swim.

[Billthedrill]

Sometimes the danger thing is justified, sometimes not. You don't, however, see any male balance-beam competitions in the Olympics for, er, obvious reasons.

[Pox]

Hmm, I wonder how popular that "agony of defeat" clip would have been if it was a woman tumbling off that ramp instead of a man.

[Billthedrill]

Sometimes the danger thing is justified, sometimes not. You don't, however, see any male balance-beam competitions in the Olympics for, er, obvious reasons.

I just had to post this twice... ;-)

[dervish]

I agree with you entirely. The sport is judged on distance and style. Style is very subjective and belongs in something other than sports.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/skijumping/inside.html?ch=1

[Richard Kimball]

Shouldn't she have like, checked to see if there was an Olympic event before spending years training for it? Of course, I did the same thing with juggling. 10 years, starting with bean bags and working up to chainsaws, went to sign up for the Olympics and BAM, no event. What a let down.

[dervish]

okay, okay mea culpa on the double thing. I alerted the authorities and expect to be carted off shortly. Be gentle.

[xzins]

They can fly upside down with a crash helmet....I don't care....so long as they measure the longest jump.

If the rules are you've got to land on your feet without falling, then fine. The longest jump where they land on both feet without falling.

[freedumb2003]

there bebers freeze up and leave a trail on the ramp ;)

[LibFreeOrDie]

"The International Ski Federation has ruled that ski jumping is too dangerous for women"

Pairs skating is dangerous for the female, too. Those Death Spirals and throws can go bad, and cause serious head injuries.

[jazusamo]

Life is hard and then you die. :)

[SamAdams76]

I wouldn't mind seeing women do the ski jump so long as they didn't dress like men. I'd like to see them do the jump in the same type of outfits they do the figure skating in.

[dervish]

Your tag has me laughing.

[lesser_satan]

I don't need another olympic event where judges ooooh and ahhhhh over some young lady's form.

The bulky attire worn in the ski-jump event obscures the young lady's form too much to induce any ooooh-ing and ahhhhh-ing from me. Figure skating, on the other hand...OHHHH! AHHHHH!

[xzins]

The could spin in a burka for all I care. If they can't measure it, clock it, or score points against an opponent, then I'm not interested.

BTW, if they fall once they should be disqualified.

[anymouse]

Or flying with a Kennedy for that matter.

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

Since men have no inherent style capabilities women would clean up. There must be a fairness factor...

[rawhide]

[Lunatic Fringe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinko_Bogataj

[SamAdams76]

Does this mean we have to set up another "kiss and cry" area?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Tanith Belbin.. Grrrr...

[joonbug]

"Left out in the cold"??

Impossible. We are in the midst of global warming, at least according to the Internet inventor.

[taxesareforever]

Psst, psst, Alissa. Go for curling. Only 30 minutes training necessary to toss and sweep. With any luck they will make shuffleboard a summer Olympics event and then you can go to it also.

[Richard Kimball]

If that's the MasterCard commercial, the only way it could be more stupid is if they put the Burger King in it.

[rjp2005]

Good! I'm glad the Ski Federation said no and is sticking with it. Frankly, they need to start looking at other dangerous downhill skiing events as well. How many times have we seen women completely wiping out downhill this Olympics? Meanwhile, the dancers continue to graceful and remarkable.

[supercat]

It's probably reasonable to require that only women can enter the Women's Biathlon, and only men can enter the Men's, but for events without separate categories I don't see any particular reason why women who would otherwise be able to compete on the same footing as men should be excluded.

I think there's only one non-segregated event in the Summer Olympics, however, and I don't know of any in the Winter Olympics.

[lesser_satan]

Now that's nice form. It would be better if I couldn't count her ribs, but that's nothing a roast and a few potatoes can't take care of.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

They need to modify the tagline to this:

" Hunting with Cheney still safer than driving with a Kennedy, and more respectable than hunting with Kerry "

[A CA Guy]

Seems women ski jumpers must really suck at getting sponsors.
If they were a basketball team or soccer team, they would have a sponsor if some other one didn't want to finance it.

Why had they not found other sponsors?

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

I'm still trying to figure out how rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming qualify as "sports," but softball and baseball don't.

Can someone please explain the logic that compelled the IOC to make that decision?

[LibertarianInExile]

Yes. America would regularly kick ass and take names in softball and do darn well in baseball, too. There are actual scores in those sports. The other 'sports' involve employing swishy judges and the IOC loves that type of sport where the only score is based on how much a judge swoons over your faaabulous routine.

[SFC Chromey]

That requirement eliminates 90% of the figure skaters!

[LibertarianInExile]

Why are Women being left out in the cold?

The male Italians are entertained by it, I bet.

[xzins]

Yes, disqualification in that trial for falling down would change the nature of figure skating, wouldn't it?

What happens in gymnastics when the performer crashes and burns?

There should be a different name for events that are judged and those that are measured or scored.

The second are sports; the first are ___________???

[weegee]

Bush's fault?

[dervish]

Given that women's figure skating and gymnastics are women's sports with the highest number of prepuscent girls who are fequently anorexic, I think those so called sports are more dangerous than ski jumping.

The logic appears to be the popularity among viewers who like to watch girls.

[Constantine XIII]

That wouldn't make it stupid. Just creepy. :)

[kevkrom]

I think there's only one non-segregated event in the Summer Olympics, however, and I don't know of any in the Winter Olympics.

As far as I know, equestian events are the only Olympic sports where men and women compete equally.

[kevkrom]

I'm still trying to figure out how rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming qualify as "sports," but softball and baseball don't.

Um... softball and baseball are Olympic sports. The only major team sport not in the Olympics is (American) football.

[kevkrom]

For the record, in Athens:

• Baseball: GOLD - Cuba, SILVER - Australia, BRONZE - Japan
• Softball: GOLD - United States, SILVER - Australia, BRONZE - Japan

[kevkrom]

Ok... now I see the stories about baseball and softball being dropped after the 2008 games. (Being the first sports since polo dropped from the Olympics.) I get conflicting info -- some say the sports are being dropped because they are "too American" and another that says they're dropped because MLB won't let players on major league rosters compete in the Olympics.

[Rakkasan1]

it was way below zero in MN this past week and I saw very few women (or men) out in the cold

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Not regular gymnastics-I don't have a problem with that-but rather, this thing:

I'm not saying that these women aren't athletic-they're definitely very flexible-but I don't know if they should be described as "sportswomen," and have an Olympic-sanctioned event.

Figure skating makes some sense-in the Winter Olympics-but some of the other events are a bit absurd.

Curling, for example.

Isn't that what a zamboni is for?

[ozarkgirl]

You don't, however, see any male balance-beam competitions in the Olympics for, er, obvious reasons.

Because men have no sense of balance?