It's not only because snow and ice bring both aesthetical value and an added adrenaline kick to sports. Winter Olympics are just cool to watch. Well, not every type of winter sport. I mean the curling isn't even a sport, it can really only be described as a housewives or witches' sport, after all it consists of people waving a broom on the floor. Bobsledging and luge are more a thrill ride than they are a sport (they must be going 'wheeeeeEEEEE!' in their heads while they plummet down that icy tube) - although I shouldn't say this for respect to the recently deceased Nodar Kumaritashvili, may he rest in peace. As for skeleton - let's all admit it's a sport for those of us who wish they were superheroes, but because of the sad fact of laws of physics, can't!
By 'cool' sports I mean something like freestyle aerial skiing. Imagine it, 'Hi, I'm Jack, and yes, I get paid to flip and turn in the air like a clown'. It's kind of like gymnastics with skiis on their feet, which is very inventive of the sportsmen! I had to wonder how you train for aerial skiing, does it not end in a heap of broken bones and cracked skulls bobbing upside-down a few metres above air? I found the answer on the Olympics website, and I recommend you watch it here (trampolines and water are involved!).Skicross also belongs to the 'cool' category. It's the newest winter sport added to the Olympics. I get a massive kick from watching people fly effortlessly down mountains, with a quartet of skiiers all racing to the goal. This is again being thanks to my mirror neurones, given that I'm myself sat on my behind on my home sofa.
The snowboarding version of skicross is even cooler, of course. Simply because it's snowboarding, which is always going to be cooler than skiing. This is the reason why I'll never be cool, namely because I can not master boarding. I've tried a few times in my life in Norway and Germany, but even with lessons I constantly end up with hip bruises and a wet bum. Which would be fine, if there would be even the slightest hint of improvement. But there never is, so I have given up and stick to good old, boring skiing, where your feet are free to move, as opposed to being glued to a weird piece of plastic. You can see why I respect snowboarders so much - they can do something I can't!
Meanwhile, Korean figureskater Kim Yu Na always makes me cry, mainly because she cries and my mirror neurones go berserk and empathy kicks in. But also because she simply is the most graceful and elegant performer on ice I've ever seen. She lives in her movements and perfects every twirl and landing like she was born on skates. Although I know that figure skaters get technical points for their lutzes and quadruple jumps, but honestly, isn't ice skating more of an artform than a sport? The judging can't avoid subjectivity, surely.
I'm going to end this blog on a sad point - no, nobody died (had enough of those lately) - except for perhaps a smudge of my national pride. Finland got beaten by the Americans 6-1 in the ice hockey semifinals last night. It was painful to watch. On the first goal I let out a disappointed sigh. At 2-0 it was just annoying. The third one was significantly embarrasing. 4-0 was a moment of despair. Five down I wanted to cry. And by the sixth, my mind had gone blank - it was pure disbelief. I was hoping the Lions (the Finnish national emblem is a golden lion) would score just one pity goal, so they wouldn't get quite so drunk tonight when drowning their sorrows. This they managed, thank God. Tomorrow I'll be watching the bronze match against the Slovakians, who funnily enough have a player called Satan in their team.Alas, in 2010, I can't take pride in my athletic kinsmen, who stem from the land of snow, yet fail to impress when moved a few thousand kilometres westward. So instead I turn to my cultural kinsmen, the Norwegians - who are currently at 4th place in the competition, overall. Heia, Norge! After all, it's sometimes better for your self-esteem to cheer for the winners, than the losers.
No comments:
Post a Comment