Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Ted Ligety vs the Austrian Ski Federation (OeSV)

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

We thought that our band of intrepid reporters and researchers were sucked into a black hole because they all disappeared. They have come back to us, but who knows for how long. Hey, we will take them for as long as they are willing to stay. Anyway, the men's giant slalom race in Soelden was cancelled due to bad weather. Ted Ligety accused the OeSV of engineering the race cancellation because superstar Marcel Hirscher was unable to compete there due to an injury. The Austrians thought that Ligety's comments were over the top. We wanted to talk to both Ted Ligety and someone from the OeSV to get both sides of the story, but Ted was not available. But OeSV president Peter Schroecksnadel was willing to talk to our intrepid reporter. Let's find out what he has to say.

BB: As everyone knows, Sunday's race in Soelden was cancelled due to high winds, rain, and fog. Why was it cancelled at 6:45 and not closer to the 10:00 race time?
Schroecksnadel: It was already very windy and rather foggy at 6:45 and the forecast was for the weather to get worse as the day went on. It also would not have been safe to bring shuttle buses full of athletes, servicemen, trainers, and fans up the hill to the race area. The wind got up to 150 kilometers per hour. Athlete safety is important.
BB: Ted Ligety tweeted that the race was cancelled before any course inspection, which is not normal. Why was the race cancelled without an inspection?
Schroecksnadel: Again, it was not safe to bring buses up the mountain to the race area. We watched the weather forecasts all night and knew that the weather would get a lot worse throughout the day before it would improve in the evening. I'm sure that Ted would have been upset if he was doing a course inspection and then was stuck on the hill in a raging storm because the shuttle buses were not running to bring him down. As far as I am concerned, we made the right call to cancel the race.
BB: How far in advance did you know about this storm? It seems like the week before the race, the forecast was for nice weather.
Schroecksnadel: We knew about the storm three days before the race. The women's race was given the green light because the forecast was for moderate wind. There were no major problems on Saturday except for some wind later in the day. But the Sunday forecast was for stormy weather that would have been unsafe for the racers.
BB: Ted Ligety accused you along with the FIS for pre-planning to cancel the race several days in advance. Is this true?
Schroecksnadel: Of course not! Sometimes the weather man is correct and other times he is not. We were hoping that the storm would come later, or even not at all, but it was not to be. Everyone was hoping that there would be a race.
BB: The OeSV is also accused of cancelling the race because Marcel Hirscher was not competing due to a fractured ankle. There was suspicion because a race in Austria was cancelled because Austria's big superstar was absent and this could help him in his quest for a 7th consecutive overall title.
Schroecksnadel: Marcel is not our only good skier. There are three other Austrians in the top 16 on the World Cup start list. We would not win the Nations Cup every year if we only had one ski racer. (short pause) Let's say that the race was in the USA and Ted was out due to an injury. If the race were cancelled due to the weather, would people be suspicious that it was being cancelled to protect Ted? No! Ted is naturally upset about not getting to compete, but he is being a big baby about it. He needs to go to a safe space with his new baby's teddy bear.
BB: Did the OeSV and the FIS conspire to create this storm? 
Schroecksnadel: What???
BB: A week before the race the forecast was for nice weather. Suddenly, three days before the men's race, the weather man is predicting a big storm to hit Soelden. What happened in those four days?
Schroecksnadel: A storm front materialised. It was a big one that affected all of Austria and a lot of Germany.
BB: So you are saying that the OeSV did not create this storm for the purpose of cancelling the first men's race of the season?
Schroecksnadel: No. The OeSV can control its ski racers, but we cannot control the weather.
BB: What about hiring a witch doctor to conjure up this storm?
Schroecksnadel: We don't need witch doctors! We are Austria! Remember who wins the Nations Cup every year. Austria is not like those wimpy countries who need witch doctors and their potions to help them win. We win because ski racing is in the Austrian DNA!
BB: Yes Austria is the mighty Power Team. We thought that the OeSV is using Austria's super powers to create a storm big enough to warrant cancelling a race.
Schroecksnadel: People can't control the weather, not even witch doctors from what I hear. At the World Cup finals in 2011, the FIS and German Ski Federation were accused of creating weather bad enough to cancel the last women's giant slalom of the season and give the overall globe to Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Of course they did not control the weather, but conspiracy theorists and Lindsey Vonn's fans still believe it.
BB: Did the OeSV pay off the weather gods to bring this storm?
Schroecksnadel: There are no such things as weather gods. People can't control Mother Nature.
BB: Oh yes they can! The Indians in the US do rain dances and the next day it rains. By the way, was there a group of Indians in Soelden doing a rain dance?
Schroecksnadel: I did not see any Native American Indians doing any rain dances in Soelden or in the nearby area.
BB: What about your racers dressing up as Indians and doing a rain dance? I saw that Roland Leitinger was reading a book about Colorado Indians and their traditions. Perhaps he convinced his teammates to dress up like Indians and do a rain dance. After all, Halloween is just around the corner.
Schroecksnadel: I keep a close eye on my athletes and I would have known if any of them snuck out to do a rain dance. Roland was reading the book to learn about Colorado. He will be going to Beaver Creek for the giant slalom at the end of November and wanted to learn the history of the area.
BB: What about FIS and OeSV officials dressing up as Indians and doing a rain dance?
Schroecksnadel: There were no Indians in Soelden. Nobody dressed up like Indians and did a rain dance to try and influence the weather! Can we move on?
BB: Okay. Did anyone from the OeSV find a magic lamp with a genie in it who granted him the wish of a big storm on race day?
Schroecksnadel: No! The race was in Austria, not Arabia! People find Yetis in the mountains here, not magic lamps with genies.
BB: Fair enough. Ted Ligety mentioned in one of his tweets that there was possible Russian collusion with the OeSV to cause this storm and cancel the race. Is that true?
Schroecksnadel: No, no no! Nobody in the OeSV, nor anyone on the FIS Technical Committee, is Russian. There was a Russian racer on Sunday's start list, but that's the extent of Russian involvement in the race.
BB: Are any of the Austrian trainers really Russian spies who are working undercover?
Schroecksnadel: We do not have any Russian undercover agents masquerading as Austrian ski trainers. It would have been easy to pick out foreign agents working as ski trainers because we test their DNA as part of the process to become a trainer. We would have found that a foreigner did not have the special Austrian ski racing gene and he would not have been hired.
BB: What about your racers? Is it possible that Marcel Hirscher is really a Russian agent who had a gene transplant to fool the DNA testers? After all, Marcel and Russian slalom specialist Alexander Khoroshilov have trained together in the past. Maybe he and his fellow Russians were the ones who caused the storm.
Schroecksnadel: Now you are getting really absurd!
BB: Of course I am getting absurd. We at the Blickbild ask the absurd questions that nobody else dares to.
Schroecksnadel: Marcel Hirscher, and the rest of my racers, are 100% Austrian. We do not have any Russians on the Austrian team! All of the athletes in Soelden really wanted to race. Manuel Feller even posted on his Facebook page that everyone wanted to race on Sunday. The Russians had nothing to do with the decision to cancel the race.
BB: So you are saying that the storm and ensuing race cancellation were not caused by: the FIS, the OeSV, a witch doctor, Native American Indians doing a rain dance, Austrian ski racers or FIS officials dressing up as Indians and doing a rain dance, a genie from a magic lamp, or the Russians? 
Schroecksnadel: That is correct. Ski racing is an outdoor sport and the athletes know what they are signing up for when they become ski racers. Cancellations due to bad weather are part of the game and not part of a grand conspiracy to favour certain racers.
BB: So who caused the storm?
Schroecksnadel: Nobody. It just happened. How many times do I have to repeat that the OeSV does not have the power to control the weather?
BB: There are rumours that Ted Ligety is planning to sue the FIS and OeSV for mental anguish because of this race cancellation. Have you heard anything about it?
Schroecksnadel: No, but I am not surprised. It is the American way to sue people for any little thing. If he wants to sue someone, it should be Mother Nature.
BB: Ligety versus Mother Nature would be an interesting lawsuit indeed. Well, it looks like we are out of time. Herr Schreocksnadel, I want to thank you for this interesting interview. We at the Blickbild wish the Austrian team a successful season. Oh, watch out if you hear Marcel Hirscher suddenly using Russian phrases. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview.

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: We need to find that book about Colorado Indians so that we can learn a rain dance.

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild.







Monday, July 3, 2017

Life On Other Worlds

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

This is a slow time for ski racing fans. We are halfway between the end of last season and the start of the next one.  Ski racers are taking holidays or starting their dry land training. Because there is not much news, we are going to take a break from ski racing and talk about astronomy. The planet Zorkon in the Andromeda Galaxy has been mentioned many times in our articles. Both Anna Veith and Henrik Kristofferson have been recruited to compete for Zorkon. But what is Zorkon really like? Would exiled ski racers really like it there? To answer these questions, and more, one of our intrepid reporters went to the University of California Berkeley astronomy department and talked to one of the astronomers, who wanted to be identified as David. Let's find out what he has to say...

BB: Your department was the first to identify the planet Zorkon. How did you discover it?
David: My colleagues and I have spent many years researching other galaxies and trying to discover if there were other planets were capable of supporting life. About two years ago my partner Miroslav Zorkowicz--
BB: Are you two--
David: Yes, we work together and share an office, and no we are not gay.  We are both researching stars in other galaxies to see if there are any other planets with life on them.
BB: So Zorkon was named for Professor Zorkowicz. I can see why it was called Zorkon instead of Zorkowicz. Can you imagine a solar system with Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Zorkowicz? 
David: Pluto is no longer classified as a planet. It is a dwarf planet. Our solar system has 8 planets and 1 dwarf planet.
BB: I was alive when Pluto was still a real planet and it will always be one to me. OK, so you and Dr. Zorkowicz were looking for other worlds with life on them. It looks like you found one in the Andromeda Galaxy. 
David: We found the star AN17325CX and noticed that it had six bodies orbiting it. We figured out that they were planets. Calculating the star's brightness, the distance of Zorkon from it, and Zorkon's atmosphere, Dr. Zorkowicz and I figured out that it could support life. It was he who made the determining calculation, but it should have been me.
BB: What do you mean it should have been you?
David: I was late to work on the day that Miroslav made the final calculations about Zorkon's atmosphere. I am usually in the lab before him, but not on that fateful day. My bike got a flat tire and had to stop to patch the inner tube. The patch did not work, so I had to put on the spare inner tube.  In the time I was fixing my bike tire, Miroslav had his "Eureka moment" and told the rest of the department. By the time I got to work, the planet had already been named.
BB: Sometimes fate plays cruel tricks. I could have been a reporter for the New York Times, but ended up at the Blickbild. I missed my interview with the Times because I took a local subway train instead of an express. They have no tolerance for lateness. But enough about me and my failing career as a reporter.  Can you pick one of those other five planets to be named after you? After all, you were part of the dynamic duo which discovered them.
David: I suppose I could, but it would not be the same as being named for a planet that actually has life on it.
BB: Jupiter and Saturn don't have life and they are pretty cool. Jupiter is large and has the mysterious Big Red Spot. Saturn has rings. I would not mind having a ringed planet named for me. You said earlier that Zorkon's atmosphere could support life. Is is similar to Earth's?
David: We analysed data from Zorkon and found that its atmosphere is very similar to ours. It has slightly more oxygen and helium and less nitrogen. But humans could probably survive there without having to wear space suits.
BB: Do the Zorkonians talk with squeaky voices from the helium?
David: I don't know. We haven't seen any Zorkonians or recorded their voices.
BB: And the Zorkonians could theoretically survive on Earth?
David: Yes.
BB: Not to take away from Professor Zorkowicz's discovery, but we at the Blickbild already knew that there was life on Zorkon. After all, someone had to recruit both Anna Veith and Henrik Kristoffersen to race for Zorkon. 
David: That is true. If ski racers were to compete for Zorkon, there is the matter of getting there. The Andromeda Galaxy is almost two million light years away. They would never survive the trip, even if we had spaceships that could travel at the speed of light.
BB: When you look at Zorkon, you are seeing it as it was two million years ago. Let's suppose that life evolved on Zorkon between two million years ago and now. And also let's imagine that the Zorkonians are extremely intelligent and discovered a way to travel through space from one point to another in an instant. 
David: You mean like the teleportation device in Star Trek?
BB: Exactly! Do you think that Zorkonians could have discovered the Earth and are on it right now?
David: Anything is possible, but I haven't seen any alien beings on Earth.
BB: You could be looking in the wrong places. Who do you think built the Egyptian pyramids or made those weird crop circles in England? They were not made by ordinary men. Perhaps the Zorkonians have been traveling to Earth thousands of years ago.
David: This is starting to get a bit absurd.
BB: The Blickbild specialises in the absurd. But the way I look at it, neither you nor Professor Zorkowicz should claim credit for discovering life on Zorkon. OK, maybe he was really the first to find it---
David: We both found it! Together! He just got the credit of having it named for him because of my bloody flat tire! I would have been on time to work if it wasn't for that tire! That planet would have been named for me and not that publicity hound!
BB: Let me rephrase the question. Maybe the Zorkonians don't look like alien beings because they have been on Earth for so long and have evolved to look like us. You have seen enough TV programs and movies where space aliens look human. 
David: Of course I have. But they are science fiction and not based in reality. There is one question though: why are the Zorkonians interested in recruiting ski racers to compete for their planet? That does not make sense.
BB: Of course it does. If Zorkonians were on Earth, chances are some would have made it to Austria and seen a ski race or two, either live or on TV. We all know that the only thing on Austrian TV is ski racing.  Who knows, the Zorkonians could have brought an Austrian TV back to their home planet and showed it to their comrades. Next thing you know, everyone on Zorkon wants to become a ski racer.  
David: Wait a minute! You know nothing about how television works. A TV signal cannot travel two million light years from Austria to Zorkon. This is getting more and more ridiculous.
BB: There is one more question. Some of our current ski racers, like Marcel Hirscher, or Mikaela Shiffrin, seem almost superhuman because they are so consistently good. Do you think they are really Zorkonians? 
David: They certainly seem human to me, but I am beginning to wonder about you. I have never been asked such outlandish questions in my life. You certainly seem to know an awful lot about Zorkon that was never published.
BB: Of course I do because I work for a ski racing site. It is my responsibility to know everything that goes on in the ski racing world. I knew about Zorkon before you and Dr. Zorkowicz. By all rights that planet should be named after me, or at least after the Blickbild. We could have named the planet Intrepidus instead of Zorkon. You and Dr. Zorkowicz should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to steal our work.
David: How were we supposed to know that a ski racing parody site discovered a planet before we did? You don't exactly have a lot of followers.
BB: If you were paying any attention, you would have followed us. Well, it looks like we are out of time. I want to thank you for this interview.  Perhaps the next time you find a planet, you will check with us to see if someone else already discovered it. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview. 

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: We really are human, though we have been mistaken for alien beings.

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild.




Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Meet the World Cup's Latest Power Couple

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

It is all over the Internet that French giant slalom specialist Mathieu Faivre is Mikaela Shiffrin's new boyfriend. Just like Benni and Marlies and Aksel and Julia in past years, Mathieu and Mikaela are the new Alpine skiing power couple. We would normally avoid ski racing celebrity gossip like a nudist avoids clothing. But we could not resist this story. One of our intrepid reporters caught up with Mathieu and Mikaela while they were on holiday together  in Paris. Let's find out what they have to say. 

BB: How are you two enjoying Paris?
Shiffrin: It is a beautiful city. And very romantic. 
Faivre: I am also enjoying Paris and my time with Mikaela.
BB: Mikaela, is it true what they say about French men?
Shiffrin: Yes. French men have such great accents. I adore Mathieu's accent when he speaks English.
BB: We all know that the French like to eat snails. Mathieu, have you made Mikaela eat snails?
Faivre: No. She seems to prefer her Barilla pasta. 
BB: What about mixing some snails into Mikaela's pasta? They are a good source of protein.
Faivre: I eat snails but have not snuck any into Mika's pasta yet.
Shiffrin: Would you really do something like that?
Faivre: Of course not, cherie
BB: Mathieu, a lot of people in France eat organ meats. Have you ever made pig kidneys or cow brains for Mikaela?
Faivre: Not yet. But if things become more serious with Mika, I will give her my mother's recipe for sheep spleens. Nothing says amour like Maman's sheep spleens in red wine sauce. 
Shiffrin: I'm sure they are very good. But I think I will stick with my pasta. 
Faivre: You are not very adventurous. France is the home to the world's best cuisine and you only want to eat pasta. 
Shiffrin: I'd rather eat pasta than weird animal organs! Who in their right mind eats animal spleens anyway? Do you eat gall bladders too?
BB: Mathieu, I'm sure that your maman's sheep spleens are the world's best. Maybe one day Mikaela will come around and enjoy them as much as you do. And Mikaela, you remind me of Julia Mancuso. She really caused a scandal when when she refused to eat ojlmsfjaegger at Akel Lund Svindal's brother's birthday party. One of the reasons that Aksel and Julia broke up was that she refused to learn how to make ojlmsfjaegger. Things could end very quickly between you and Mathieu because you won't learn how to cook his favourite sheep spleens.
Faivre: I happen to have some of Maman's sheep spleens with me. She made some especially for this interview. Would you like to try some?
BB: I'd really love to, but I'm a vegetarian.
Faivre: No you're not! Nice try! You are not intrepid at all.
BB: Wait a minute! The Blickbild has the most intrepid reporters in the business. Bring on those sheep spleens!
Faivre: I guarantee, you will love them as much as I do. 
BB: OK here goes...one....two....three....(short pause)....Interesting. I think you have to be French to truly appreciate them.  Onto the next topic....It is hard for ski racers to maintain a relationship because they are separated for practically the whole season. What makes you think that your relationship could last? It did not work so well for Aksel and Julia.
Shiffrin: It worked out very well for Benni Raich and Marlies Schild. They ended up getting married and she has a second baby on the way. 
BB: But it did not work out so well for Aksel and Julia.
Shiffrin: Aksel and Julia were together for four years. That is a long time. 
BB: But Julia refused to learn how to make one of Aksel's favourite foods. Marlies regularly cooks schnitzel for Benni. Do you see the difference?
Shiffrin: I see where you're going. This has nothing to do with being separated for a good part of every year, but it's all about Mathieu's mother's sheep spleens. 
Faivre: How do you know what they taste like when you have never tried them? Even our interviewer tasted them. 
BB: Let's move on to another topic. Mathieu, Mikaela has mentioned that she would like to race against men. How would you feel if she beat you in a race?
Faivre: That is a silly question because she would not beat me. 
Shiffrin: How do you know? You and I have never raced against each other, though I am very fast on my roller blades. I could probably beat you roller blading. 
Faivre: We will never know because the FIS does not allow men and women to race against each other. It's just like how do you know that you dislike Maman's sheep spleens when you refuse to try them?
Shiffrin:  I bet you can't go the rest of this interview without mentioning Mom's sheep spleens. Isn't it enough that I enjoy French croissants, cheese, pastries, and wine? 
BB: Let's get off the subject of food completely, since it seems to cause a lot of tension. Mikaela, it seems like you only date ski racers. Is that really true?
Shiffrin: A fellow ski racer knows what it is like to be one, so we have that in common. It makes it easier to deal with everything when your boyfriend has the same experiences as you.
BB: That is understandable. Mathieu understands what it is like to be a successful ski racer because he is one himself. You could use your relationship with Mathieu to promote your sport in the States. 
Shiffrin: I don't think that having a French boyfriend will help promote ski racing in the US.
BB: Sure it will. Lindsey Vonn thinks that she is promoting ski racing by posing in a bikini or nude with a painted-on swimsuit. But how many kids have taken up ski racing because of Lindsey posing half-naked?
Faivre: Men and teenage boys like seeing Lindsey in a bikini, though I personally prefer Mika.
BB: Good save. But here is my logic. If Mikaela will only date ski racers, and boys would do anything to have a chance with her, what will they do? Take up skiing and become racers. A select few will make it to the World Cup, where they would have a real chance of dating Mikaela. But in the meantime, a lot of boys who would have otherwise played baseball, football (soccer to our North American readers), or basketball would be taking ski lessons and learning how to race. The sport gets a big boost and there could be some new stars on the US Ski Team. 
Shiffrin: I thought that winning World Championship and Olympic gold medals helps to promote ski racing. 
BB: That concept is so 2010. Same with posing in a bikini. Now the best way to make ski racing grow is to date a fellow racer. Boys will become ski racers in order to woo Mikaela.  Mathieu, the men's World Cup future stars will thank you for inspiring them to take up skiing. 
Faivre: Wow, I never thought that I would help to promote ski racing in America.
BB: And you would not only help ski racing grow in the States, you could also start a new culinary trend with your maman's sheep spleens. Now that is what I call a win-win situation. Well, it looks like we are out of time. I want to thank you both for this interview and wish the two of you success in the coming season. We at the Blickbild look forward to watching you race. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview. 

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: Our reporters have eaten organ meats and lived to tell the tale.

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild. 







Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Henrik Kristoffersen Saga Continues


A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

Norwegian technical ace Henrik Kristoffersen has been dismissed from the Norwegian ski team. He is not allowed to train with the team or steal ojlmsfjaegger from the team's training table. The official reason is that he wants to be like his teammate Aksel Lund Svindal and have Red Bull as his head sponsor instead of Telenor like everyone else on the team. But, according to the Norwegian federation, Henrik also violated team rules and needed to be taught a lesson. What will he do? Will he train independently or join another team? How will this affect him being able to compete in the upcoming Olympics? The whole ski world is waiting for answers. Well, wait no more. We have all the answers. Our very own Answer Man, who is really one of our intrepid researchers, will tell you everything you need to know about Henrik's situation. Let's find out what he has to say....

BB: Last season Henrik also got in trouble with his federation for wanting to have Red Bull instead of Telenor as his head sponsor. He also alienated his teammates by trying to get all of them Red Bull sponsorship but without all the perks that Henrik alone would get. 
Answer Man: That's right. Henrik would have had his own personal trainers, massage therapists, private gyms, private jets, and his own Mafia hit man and witch doctor to help eliminate the competition. His Norwegian teammates would have been stuck with the regular team trainers and having to fly commercial. 
BB: Taking Henrik's side for a moment, Aksel Lund Svindal has Red Bull as his head sponsor. Henrik said that he wants to be like Aksel and also have Red Bull as his head sponsor. Both Henrik and Aksel are big stars, so why shouldn't they have the same privileges?
Answer Man: Aksel had Red Bull as his head sponsor before the new contract with Telenor was signed and was grandfathered in. And the argument that Henrik wants to be like Aksel does not work with the team. Every boy in Norway wants to be like Aksel. He is a national hero. 
BB: Last season Henrik had the same problem with the Norwegian federation and even sat out the race in Levi as a protest. He had to complete 12 Labours in order to rejoin the team. Did he complete all twelve? (see this story
Answer Man: He did all but the alligator hunting and finding the Holy Grail. It turns out that Henrik is deathly afraid of alligators and refused to perform that task. As to the Holy Grail, it will remain unfound. He did not get a slalom globe last season, which also displeased the Norwegian federation. If he couldn't find the Grail, the least he could have done was win a small globe.
BB: True. It seems that despite completing 10 out of the 12 Labours, Henrik still violated team rules. What did he do?
Answer Man: Henrik violated several team rules. One night he snuck out of the team hotel because he was having trouble sleeping. According to Henrik, he wanted some fresh air. He thought that he would be clever and put a blow-up doll in his bed to fool the trainers who were conducting the bed check that night. Needless to say, the trainers were not fooled.
BB: That hardly warrants being thrown off the team. 
Answer Man: But wait, there's more. Before a big team meeting with Erik Roste, the head of the Norwegian Ski Federation, Henrik snuck into the meeting room. He drew a stick man on the white board in that room, wrote, "Erik Roste is a dope," and drew an arrow pointing to the stick man. Henrik refused to confess to this act, but his teammates all knew that he did it.
BB: What else did he do?
Answer Man: He is also demanding that the Norwegian Ski Federation provide him with his own separate ojlmsfjaegger. Grandma Jansrud makes them for the team, and makes them with love. But Henrik feels that he warrants his own separate ojlmsfjaegger.
BB: I can see why the rest of Henrik's teammates would be upset with him. Grandma Jansrud makes the best ojlmsfjaegger in Norway. OK, I only tasted hers, but I lived to tell the tale. The rest of the team, Aksel Lund Svindal included, seems to thrive on it. 
Answer Man: That's right. At least he doesn't want tinned ojlmsfjaegger, which is terrible. But he wants his own separate ojlmsfjaegger chef. He was told to either eat the same thing that the team eats or be kicked off the team. He opted to leave the team.
BB: Wow, Henrik's story has more twists and turns than a Brazilian soap opera.
Answer Man: It does. He not only alienated himself from his teammates, but he also tormented racers on other teams. My intrepid colleagues have found out that he has been sending Mikaela Shiffrin, Tina Maze, and Marcel Hirscher reindeer meat recipes under a fake name. But they figured out that it was Henrik.  Mikaela, Tina, and Marcel all won reindeer in Levi. It is beyond unsportsmanlike to torment fellow racers like that.
BB: That is terrible! Mikaela, Tina, and Marcel all love their reindeer and would never think about eating them. So what will Henrik do? This is an Olympic year and he needs to be part of a national team in order to compete for a medal. 
Answer Man: Performing 12 more Labours is out of the question. But some other ski teams have offered to take Henrik so that he can compete in the Olympics. They are offering some terrific package deals.
BB: Really? Which countries? As far as I know, Henrik is 100% Norwegian. He would have to sit out a year in order to compete for another team unless the federation releases him. But would the Norwegian federation release him?
Answer Man: My fellow intrepid researchers found out that Henrik could join other teams without the one year waiting period. Four teams have made offers, and they are very impressive.
BB: Are you going to tell me or leave our readers in suspense forever?
Answer Man: The first is Tanzania.
BB: Tanzania is not exactly a big ski country.
Answer Man: That is the point. The FIS wants to expand ski racing into new markets. Africa has a lot of people who could be potential ski racing fans with the right star on its team. The waiting period would be waived so that Henrik could compete for Tanzania immediately. The combination of the FIS breaking into the Africa market and a new country competing at the Winter Olympics is hard to beat. Henrik could get instant citizenship because of his Tanzanian ancestors.
BB: Wait a minute! What Tanzanian ancestors?
Answer Man: The fossils of the first humans were found in Olduvai Gorge, which is in Tanzania. They were our common ancestors, so he can honestly say that he has a Tanzanian ancestor. The Tanzanian government would also develop a special training area on Mt. Kilimanjaro just for Henrik. Since he would be the only Tanzanian ski racer, there would not be any problems with alienating any teammates.
BB: What other countries are willing to take Henrik?
Answer Man: Antarctica has put in a bid for Henrik. He would have the benefit of every day with winter conditions and being able to train on snow all year. He won't have to apply for citizenship because there are no Antarctic citizens. If he got homesick, he could visit a Norwegian research station.
BB: Isn't there something in the FIS' Big Book of Rules about competing for Antarctica since nobody owns it?
Answer Man: No, and that is a benefit for Henrik. No waiting period means that he could be eligible for the Olympics and win a medal for Antarctica. He could also wear a racing suit with a penguin design in addition to a Red Bull helmet. You can't beat that!
BB: I think I would go with Antarctica. No traveling to train and a penguin racing suit. 
Answer Man: Henrik also has an offer to compete for the planet Zorkon in the Andromeda Galaxy. Since there is no specific prohibition against ski racers from other planets in the Big Book of Rules, Henrik could compete without having to wait a year. He could be the first ski racer from another planet to win an Olympic medal. That would bring him glory on both Earth and the whole universe. He could wear anything he wants on his helmet. The Zorkonians would come to Earth to work with Henrik, so he could stay on Earth. The International Olympic Committee is also looking for athletes from other planets to expand the field in the Winter Olympics. Zorkon would be a real win-win situation.
BB: That sounds like a great deal. Henrik would be crazy to pass that one up. 
Answer Man: There is one more offer. It is from Team Freedonia.
BB: Do you think that Henrik could make the Freedonian team? He is not a Mafia hit man.
Answer Man: Vinnie "The Shark" Razzovelli is the team captain and would welcome Henrik with open arms. Henrik would help the rest of the team of Mafia hit men get a chance to actually compete in the Olympics. The FIS Big Book of Rules also does not mention ski racers from fictional countries, so Henrik could carry on racing this season and qualify for the Olympics. I think that this is the best offer for both sides. The Mafia needs a place to launder money and putting that money into Henrik's trainers and ski equipment would be a perfect cover. Red Bull offers Henrik one Mafia hit man. But being part of Team Freedonia means that Henrik could have a whole team of Mafia enforcers. Nobody would mess with him.
BB: If you were Henrik, which offer would you take?
Answer Man: That is a tough one. They are all good. For me personally it would be a tossup between Antarctica and Freedonia. I'd love to have a racing suit with penguins on it, but would also think it cool to be part of a team of Mafia hit men. I'm sure that Henrik would make the right choice for himself if the Norwegians don't take him back.
BB: I agree. It will be interesting to see which offer he takes. Well, it looks like we are out of time. I want to thank you for another interesting interview. Let's hope that Henrik gets his problems with the Norwegian federation sorted out. Races are more interesting when he is part of the field. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview. 

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: We don't have a motto today.

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild.

Monday, June 12, 2017

FIS Summer Meeting

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

The FIS wrapped up its annual summer meeting earlier this month. We have always wondered what really goes on at those meetings. Some of the proposals that they come up with are okay, but some are downright crazy. We wonder what drugs everyone is taking or if the sun has baked everyone's brains. Now we can wonder no more. One of our intrepid reporters attended a session of the summer meeting and recorded it on his iPhone. We finally finished transcribing the recording. We will refer to each delegate by his or her country. Let's find out what it says...

FIS: Item number one on today's agenda is the proposal to limit the number of athletes in every World Cup race to 50. The motion is now open for discussion.
Germany: This is a very good idea. There are now so many sports taking place in the winter and not enough time or TV channels to show all of them. I am always in favour of more football on TV. Having fewer racers would open up more TV time for football. 
USA: I noticed that there is only one NFL game on German TV per week. I am in favour of showing more football on TV. 
Germany: Not NFL football, real football. Or what you Americans call soccer.
Sweden: I am in favour of more curling on TV. 
Norway: And more cross country races!
United Kingdom: Let's not forget cricket.
FIS: Cricket is a summer sport that nobody outside the West Indies understands. We are talking about World Cup ski races, which take place in the winter. 
Austria: I am against limiting the number of racers. We Austrians produce the best racers year after year. If you limit the field in a race, the number of Austrian racers will be reduced. 
USA: I always thought it was unfair that Austria got so many athletes in a race. Maybe it will be a good thing to have fewer Austrians in a race to give the other countries a chance to win once in a while. 
Austria: Wow, first you take our trainers, then you have the nerve to complain that we are being unfair. Maybe if you treated all of your racers equally and didn't give your superstars preferential treatment, you would have more athletes in a race. We are the best ski nation in the world and earned those World Cup start places. 
Croatia: My country has a small team and you don't hear us whining about how many athletes we are allotted per race. Maybe you need to go to a safe space with your teddy bear. 
FIS: That is enough. The motion under discussion is not the number of Austrians in a race, but reducing the number to 50. 
France: I don't like this idea, especially in technical races. It happens in almost every race that someone with a bib in the 50s qualifies for the second run. Limiting the field would take that away.
Switzerland: Let's not forget Carlo Janka, who had a 2nd place finish with start number 65. If there were only 50 athletes in his race that day, nobody would have heard of him. 
Slovenia: Our legendary Tina Maze also won a race with a start number in the 50s. 
USA: I am against reducing the field to 50 because I think that is still too many. I make a motion to reduce the field to 30 racers. 
FIS: We just heard a new motion to reduce World Cup race fields to 30 racers. Let's discuss it. 
USA: I will start. Only the top 30 athletes in a World Cup ski race earn points. The 31st place finisher gets nothing. If we reduce the field to 30 athletes, then everyone will earn points.
Germany: What a stupid idea! But what do you expect from a country that gives out trophies to last place finishers?
Austria: Giving everyone points in a race would totally devalue them. Why try your best if you know that you will get a point just for showing up?
Switzerland: At least do the math. Let's assume that the average DNF rate is 15%--
Croatia: Fifteen percent is an average for a course that is set by mere mortals. It is higher on an Ante Kostelic course. 
Switzerland: Ante Kostelic doesn't set courses anymore because your country doesn't have any racers in the top 30 except for Filip Zubcic. And yes, I took his course settings into account with the 15% figure. In order to have everyone be able to earn points in a race, the field should be increased to 34 racers. 
USA: But what if all 34 finish? The 31st to 34th place finishers will be without points. How do you think they will feel?
Germany: Like they will have to improve to make the top 30. 
Italy: They can always do what our football players do--flop to the ground and then convince the referee to give the opposing player a yellow card. Or in the case of a ski race, influence the referee to give him points. 
FIS: The only referees we have at ski races are the gate judges. I don't think that flopping to the ground and pretending to be injured will influence them. The artistry judges could be another story. They could interpret diving as an original move and give the racer an artistry bonus. But let's get back to limiting race fields to 30. 
USA: I was just thinking...30 racers is too many. After all, only three racers, or sometimes four, are on the podium. Those who did not make the podium probably feel terrible. Therefore I propose reducing the field to three racers. It would have the dual purpose of making races short so that there is more TV time for other sports, and everyone would get a podium place. 
Austria: That has to be the stupidest idea I ever heard! Have you even given this proposal any real thought--like who would be picked to be the 3 racing that day? 
FIS: Let's not call each other's ideas stupid, even if they are. 
Germany: Do you really think that the FIS is going to spend all of the time preparing courses, closing the off to the public, setting them, and letting the racers inspect the course for a 3-person race? 
USA: Maybe we could have ten separate races with 3 athletes each. That way everyone not only earns points, they also get onto the podium. It's a win-win situation for everyone.
Slovenia: This is getting more and more ridiculous. I thought that the Blickbild was absurd, but you just surpassed it. In my country only the winners get trophies and the others get certificates. Nobody is traumatised for life because they got a certificate instead of a trophy. 
Austria: It is the same in Austria. Our young ski racers have to earn their trophies and medals. They don't get a medal just for showing up on race day. Not everyone can be a winner.
USA: Oh yes they can! I propose a new motion to limit World Cup ski races to one athlete. That way the racer who starts automatically wins. After all, the second place finisher is really the first place loser. I even propose that the only racer allowed to start would be Lindsey Vonn so that she can easily break Stenmark's record for World Cup wins.
Switzerland: Don't you think that Ms. Vonn would actually wish to beat somebody instead of winning by default because she is the only athlete in the field?
USA: No. She will take a win any way she can to beat Stenmark and have another record. Her records are her legacy after all.  
FIS: I think we have had enough discussion. Time to vote on all of these motions. All in favour of a one-person race with just Lindsey Vonn say, "Aye!"
USA: Aye!
FIS: All opposed say, "Nay!"
Everyone else: Nay!!!!
FIS: The nays have it. The motion for a one-person ski race is defeated. All in favour of a three person race say, "Aye!"
USA: Aye!
FIS: All opposed say, "Nay!"
Everyone else: Nay!!!!
FIS: The motion for a three-person ski race is defeated. All in favour of limiting the field to 30 racers say, "Aye!"
USA: Aye!
Everyone else: Nay!!!!
FIS: All in favour of limiting World Cup race fields to 50 athletes say, "Aye!"
Austria: I move that we keep race fields as they are this season and postpone voting on this until next year. 
Switzerland: I second the motion.
FIS: All in favour of Austria's motion to postpone discussing limiting race fields say, "Aye!"
Everyone: Aye!!!
FIS: The motion passes to leave race fields as they are this coming season and table the discussion until next year. Now onto the second item on today's agenda...
Well, it looks like our intrepid reporter ran out of recording time. But it looks like we will hear more about reducing World Cup race fields next year. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive story. 

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: We are offended that someone is actually more absurd than us. 

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild. 








Saturday, May 6, 2017

Athlete Profile: Felix Neureuther

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive


Germany's Felix Neureuther is one of the most-liked ski racers in the World Cup. Nobody has a bad word to say about him, even though he has broken women's and men's hearts all over Europe. One of our intrepid reporters caught up with Felix during a break in a ski camp in Austria that he was conducting and had the chance to chat with him. Let's find out what he has to say.


BB: A very belated congratulations on winning a bronze medal in St. Moritz.
Neureuther: Thank you.
BB: Also congratulations on expecting your first child. Will the baby be a boy or girl?
Neureuther: You will be the first to know. Well, the first after family, friends, and the rest of the media.
BB: Fair enough. Your son or daughter could be a third generation ski racer. It will be interesting to see him or her racing against little Maiers, Raichs, Kostelics, and all of Bode Miller's kids. But we will have to wait about 20 years for that. (short pause) Let's talk about your childhood in Garmisch-Partenkirchen as the son of famous and successful ski racers. I assume you learned to ski at an early age.
Neureuther: Yes. My parents were my first teachers. In fact, I was on skis almost as soon as I could walk. That is pretty normal growing up in a ski resort. I was skiing down the Kandahar downhill course while still in kindergarten.
BB: It is well-known that the German star footballer (soccer player to our North American readers) Bastian Schweinsteiger beat you in a ski race when you were kids. How did it feel to be beaten by a football player?
Neureuther: Bastian did both ski racing and football when he was a child. It was the only time he ever beat me. Afterward, he was more interested in playing football.
BB: Did your parents bribe young Bastian to start playing football so that he would not beat you in ski races anymore?
Neureuther: Uh...no. Basti and I were friends as kids and are still good friends to this day. Our friendship has nothing to do with him changing over to football after beating me in a kiddie ski race.
BB: Would you say that your parents encouraged you to be a racer, or did they force you into it?
Neureuther: My parents have always been very supportive and encouraging. They never forced me to race. I did it because I enjoyed it. Anyway, it is natural for a child to go into his parents' profession. A lot of doctors are sons of doctors, lawyers are sons of lawyers, and kids grow up being groomed to take over a family business. Even the oldest sons of witch doctors become witch doctors.
BB: Lindsey Vonn claims that her father used to beat her, shock her with a cattle prod, and send her to bed without dinner when she lost races. That is why she always wants to win. Did you parents ever punish you like that for not winning races?
Neureuther: Never. As I said before, they were very supportive. I could not ask for better parents.
BB: They even gave you milk and cookies when Bastian Schweinsteiger beat you? Even when you disgraced the family by getting beaten by a football player?
Neureuther: How many times do I need to say that Basti and I were kids at the time? He only beat me once. I evidently got over it because we are good friends now. You seem to be the one who keeps bringing it up. Didn't you ever get a higher score on a math test than the class nerd?
BB: Yes, one time.  In third grade I got a better score on a math test than Thomas Finnegan, who was the smartest kid in my class. 
Neureuther: And what did Thomas Finnegan grow up to be?
BB: A mechanical engineer. 
Neureuther: There was one time in your life that you got a higher math score than the class genius, yet he is a mechanical engineer and you are a reporter for the Blickbild. And yes, my parents gave me milk and cake even when I lost races as a child.
BB: Let's say for a moment that you did not want to become a ski racer, but an accountant or a biologist. Would your parents still have loved you as a child?
Neureuther: Of course they would have loved me! What kind of question is that?
BB: We at the Blickbild ask the questions that nobody else dares to ask. What about your child? Suppose he or she has no talent for skiing and the only Olympics that he or she will compete in is the Math Olympics. Will you still love your child?
Neureuther: I will love my baby no matter what he or she wants to do in life.
BB: Even if he or she becomes a biathlete like his or her mother instead of a ski racer like you?
Neureuther: Yes!
BB: Suppose you have two children. One child is a talented skier and outstanding junior racer. The other wants to be a nuclear physicist and has zero interest in ski racing. Would you favor the child who is a ski racer over the one interested in physics?
Neureuther: I would hope that I would love both children equally. After all, my parents did not disown my sister because she stopped racing. They still love her.
BB: It sounds like you will be a very good father even if your kid doesn't turn out to be a ski racer. Now let's talk about the famous Austrian TV incident in St. Moritz with Manuel Feller. You crashed Manuel's interview to tell him that he was lucky for winning a silver medal. Was he really lucky, or did he simply have his best race that day? (see this link, which is in German). 
Neureuther: First of all, Manuel and I are friends and he knew that I was joking around with him. We were both laughing through the interview. He had a good race and I was happy for him. He picked a good time to get his first podium place.
BB: But your bronze medal was because of your skill and speed?
Neureuther: That's right. By the way, is this your first job?
BB: What?
Neureuther: Is this Blickbild job your first job in journalism? You really got lucky working for the Blickbild!
BB: Wait a minute! I earned my job because I am very intrepid. We have the most intrepid reporters in the business!
Neureuther: I think that you had some really good luck to get your job. You Blickbild reporters seem to spend more time on holiday than you do writing stories.
BB: The editor was impressed with my writing and interviewing technique.s And of course my intrepidness. Getting this job had nothing to do with luck.
Neureuther: So you are saying that the more respectable publications would not take you, but the Blickbild did? That sounds like luck to me.
BB: Someone here recognized my talent and hired me. Just like Manuel Feller got his silver medal because of his talent.
Neureuther: What would you have done if you were not hired by the Blickbild?
BB: Hey, wait a minute! I'm supposed to be the one conducting the interview. But you seem to be good at it. Would you be interested in a job with the Blickbild? I'm sure you would be hired instantly.
Neureuther: I think I will stick to ski racing for now. But maybe after I retire...
BB: Will we see you in the Olympics next year?
Neureuther: I hope so. And yes, I hope to win a medal or two.
BB: One more thing. In a video that you posted on your Facebook page, you were doing some snazzy ski ballet moves. Are you thinking about taking up ski ballet?
Neureuther: No. I will stick with the technical events.
BB: You would have received some high marks from the judges for your one ski work.
Neureuther: Maybe so, but I still think I am better at slalom and giant slalom races.
BB: Think about the ski ballet and getting a job with us. Well, it looks like we are out of time. We at the Blickbild hope that your baby is healthy. Maybe we will see him or her on the World Cup circuit in about 20 years. We also wish you a successful 2017/18 season and hope to see you on the medal stand at the Olympics. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview.

The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: Our reporters are talented and not simply lucky, although they are lucky to be working for us. But of course they are the most intrepid in the business.

The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild.


Sunday, April 16, 2017

Summer Meeting Preview

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

The FIS's summer meeting in Portoroz, Slovenia is coming up soon. It's a real miracle that the powers that be actually get any work done at their summer meetings. They always go to cool places like Cancun, Dubrovnik, or Portoroz. Or maybe that's how they come up with some of their crazy ideas--their brains get baked by the sun. One of our intrepid reporters went to FIS headquarters in Switzerland to try and get a sneak peek of what the FIS will come up with for next season.  We know what you are thinking. We have not put out any stories for a long time and have lost count of the number of reporters we fired because they were more interested in watching the ski races rather than reporting on them. But now we have a new batch who will hopefully do some actual work. Enough complaining about our  former reporters, who made sloths seem energetic. One of our new reporters (who is not quite as intrepid as our original reporters) had a chance to talk with Bob, our favourite contact at the FIS. Let's find out what he has to say. 

BB: We heard through the grapevine and smoke signals that the FIS has several exciting new changes for next season. 
Bob: Yes. I think that ski racing fans will be pleased. After all, TV ratings are very important to us. 
BB: Of course they are. Tell us about the first thing. 
Bob: The men will be going back to the old giant slalom skis.
BB: You mean wooden skis?
Bob: No, the previous type that was replaced by the current type, which was the previous type before being replaced. 
BB: So the previous GS ski, which is the future type of GS ski, will become the current GS ski. And the current skis will become the old, obsolete ones. Got it. What is the purpose of changing the skis so much?
Bob: We switched skis because of injuries. But it seems like the racers were injured more with the current, soon-to-be-past, GS skis than they were on the skis they used before them. But we switched anyway because we didn't realize that there would be more injuries on the new skis. 
BB: Maybe injuries happen because of course settings or making courses icier than ever before. Just a thought.
Bob: The fans want to see the racers pushing their limits. We think changing back to the previous skis should let the athletes go fast and reduce injuries. 
BB: Why not really challenge the racers and go back to wooden skis? 
Bob: I don't think any of them know how to handle wooden skis on a modern giant slalom course. Nobody would even finish a race.
BB: But everything comes back into style after a time. Maybe wooden skis will become the standard in a few years. But I guess we will have to wait and see. We heard that the next thing on the agenda is to increase the number of parallel races. 
Bob: That's right. Fans love parallel races. But we are working on a way to make them even better. 
BB: Really?
Bob: Yes. Instead of two athletes racing side-by-side, we will have eight. 
BB: In current parallel races the athletes take a turn racing from each gate. Will they do the same if eight are racing side-by-side? If a certain gate course is faster, it would keep things fair.  Would there be eight runs per heat? And how would you track all of the times?
Bob: People love watching ski cross because the athletes are racing head-to-head against each other. They don't do multiple runs because one side of the course might possibly be faster. Think of this new format as being a hybrid of  the current parallel racing format and ski cross. It should be a real winner with the fans.
BB: How will you calculate the points? And how many athletes would be allowed with this new format?
Bob: We will figure out how to calculate the race points at the summer meeting. The new format would allow more than the current 16 men and women. Half would be eliminated in each heat until only the final two are left. 
BB: I see. How will you prevent crashes? Even with the two-at-a-time format, there have been cases of racers crashing into each other. Eight athletes on a ramp would increase the chance of crashes.
Bob: The people who set up ski cross races don't worry about crashes or racers tackling each other, like Filip Zubcic did to Felix Neureuther in Schladming. It is all about seeing the racers compete directly against each other as well as the clock. Falls and tackles are part of the game.
BB: Some of the racers who have won parallel events feel like they did not win a "real" World Cup race. How will you change that perception?
Bob: We are talking about increasing the number of parallel races and giving a globe in that discipline. Then the races would seem real to the athletes. Get used to parallel races because they are the future of ski racing.
BB: Just like changing from old skis to new ones and back again.
Bob: Exactly!
BB: The FIS always talks about wanting to expand its audience. One way to get more Europeans and Americans interested in ski racing is to involve guns. Europeans love biathlon and Americans love their guns. 
Bob: I don't think we would have any ski racers left if they all carried guns.
BB: Imagine you are one of eight racers on a parallel slalom course. You not only have to ski fast down it, making all of the gates, but you need the ability to hit a moving target while avoiding being hit yourself. That would get great TV ratings!
Bob: I'm sure it would. But how would the athletes carry both their poles and a gun?
BB: By going back to basics. Young children learn to ski without poles, right?
Bob: Yes, but--
BB: Exactly! The racers will carry a gun instead of poles. 
Bob: But beginning skiers also go down the hill in a snowplow. Ski racing fans want to see the racers go fast, not in a snowplow.
BB: Winning a race by having the fastest time, whether it is head-to-head against others, or by beating the clock, is so 20th century. It is time to bring more excitement into ski racing. Thus the guns.
Bob: But they will end up all killing each other! Each race would be total carnage!
BB: The racers would not be using real bullets. They would either use paintballs or a laser tag system to record the hits and misses. Think of the excitement of watching the athletes ski down a ramp, shoot at a moving target, and dodge bullets. Bring it up at the summer meeting. I bet the others at the FIS would love this idea.
Bob: I'm not so sure, but you never know.
BB: Are there any more changes that ski racing fans can look forward to next season?
Bob: We are talking about getting rid of Super-G.
BB: Wait a minute! As of now, there are already more technical races on the calendar than speed races. How can a speed specialist possibly compete for an overall globe if approximately two-thirds of the races are technical?
Bob: He or she will have to be very consistent or not lose the technical skills. Super-G is basically a shortened downhill, or as we like to call it, Downhill Lite.
BB: I think that the fans will protest getting rid of Super-G. A lot of racing fans love it.
Bob: Super-G is the newest discipline, introduced to the World Cup in the mid-1980s. It is not one of the classical disciplines. But we at the FIS understand that a lot of fans like it. Therefore, we will replace it with something that the fans will appreciate just as much.
BB: Are you going to tell us or leave us in suspense?
Bob: You don't have the world's biggest readership, so I feel safe telling you this secret. We are going to replace Super-G with ski ballet. There will even be a globe for it! Imagine...our best ski racers can not only go fast down a race course, they can dance on their skis. (see this video)
BB: Ski ballet? Seriously? I thought it died back in the early '90s.
Bob: As you recently said, everything old becomes new again. We would modify it to make it even more exciting, like requiring the ski ballet dancers to throw their poles in the air and catch them after doing a spin or other acrobatic maneuver. There would be deductions for dropping the poles or not catching them. Think rhythmic gymnastics on skis. Imagine Mikaela Shiffrin dancing in a tutu or Aksel Lund Svindal doing ski ballet in a sequined suit.
BB: Who in their right mind would want to do this?
Bob: Anyone who wants to earn World Cup points, especially speed specialists when we get rid of Super-G.
BB: Next you're going to tell me that there will be a ski ballet globe.
Bob: Wow, you really are psychic! We will be increasing the number of small globes to six:  downhill, giant slalom, slalom, super-combined, parallel slalom, and ski ballet.
BB: One more thing. This is a bit awkward, but won't people be turned off by ski ballet because it would be perceived as being....well...gay?
Bob: I think that ski racing fans will appreciate the athletic ability required to spin, do flips, and do artistic things with poles while on skis and the perception of it being gay won't be an issue. If macho-looking men like Dominik Paris or Aksel Lund Svindal start doing ski ballet, then that perception will go away very quickly.  Anyway, several ski racers, for example Felix Neureuther, have a large gay following. If ski ballet helps to increase the number of gay people watching ski races, then we will be happy. TV ratings are very important to us and we want as many people as possible all over the world to enjoy our wonderful sport. It doesn't matter if our fans are gay or straight.
BB: Are you gay?
Bob: No. What does it matter anyway?
BB: It doesn't. But I thought I would ask because our readers might like to know.
Bob: And now they do. Shall we move on to the next question?
BB: Okay. What about giving ski ballet a more macho image by requiring the athletes to use guns?
Bob: What is it with you and guns?
BB: We are talking about changes that will make ski racing more exciting. The most exciting movies and TV programmes always involve guns. It is time to bring them to ski racing. Imagine two athletes doing ski ballet at the same time. One does a triple spin and then aims his gun at his competitor, who tries to dodge the bullet by doing a flying camel spin on skis.  That would certainly be more exciting than watching someone in a shimmery costume simply doing spins and flips on skis. 
Bob: I don't know.
BB: Are there any other things that will be discussed in Portoroz?
Bob: No. Those are the main ones.
BB: Oh, there is one more thing. Why are the FIS summer meetings always on the coast? How much work really gets done at these so-called summer meetings?
Bob: We at the FIS work very hard to bring fans the races that they want to see. Therefore, we deserve a little holiday too. You would be amazed at the ideas that are generated after spending 8 hours lying in the sun.
BB: Judging from our interview, and past ideas like three-run slaloms and short course downhills, I can easily imagine what goes through everyone's minds at the FIS. As they say, idle minds are the devil's workshop.
Bob: The expression is, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."
BB: Same thing. Well, it looks like we are out of time. I want to thank you for another interesting interview. Ski racing fans are definitely looking forward to all of the changes next season. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview.


The Boston Blickbild. Our motto is: Idle minds are the Blickbild's workshop.


The Boston Blickbild is on Facebook. If you enjoy our unique perspective on World Cup Alpine skiing, please like us on Facebook. We are also on Twitter as bostonblickbild.





Thursday, January 19, 2017

What to Do, What to Do....

A Boston Blickbild Exclusive

Lindsey Vonn stated in an Austrian TV interview that she would not know what to do with herself if she could not race. We at the Blickbild are not professional career counsellors, but we decided to do a good deed and help a damsel in distress. One of our intrepid reporters convened a group in a town hall style format to help Lindsey figure out her future. OK, the offer of free ice cream, chocolate, cinema tickets, and Amazon gift cards also helped us get people. Let's not forget how we got the teenage boys--we showed them a photo of Lindsey in a bikini and told them that they could see her in person. Nothing is too low for us! Lindsey appeared with her dog Lucy in this unique town hall forum. Let's find out what she has to say.

BB: Lindsey, there will eventually come a time when you will have to stop racing. Have you thought about that time and what you will do?
Vonn: I just don't know what I would do without being able to race. Ski racing is my whole life. Maybe there is a senior circuit where I could race when I am older. Or I will just stay in the World Cup until I am 80.
BB: Why not become a trainer? You would be on skis and passing on your knowledge and wisdom about racing to the next generation of ski racers. That could be very rewarding to see one of your pupils have a successful career. 
Vonn: Oh hell no! What if one of my students breaks my records? That would be devastating! My records are my legacy and nobody should ever be able to break them. 
BB: What about becoming a writer? Your first book was a success and there could be many more in your future.
Vonn: That was a lot of work to write my book. My sister Laura is still mad at me because I didn't choose her to ghost write my book.
BB: What about being a dog trainer or kennel owner? You have three dogs, so you have experience handling them.
Vonn: I don't know. That seems like hard work. I had a hard enough time training Lucy on where to pee.
BB: I may lose my reputation for intrepidness here, but I give up. It's time to ask our audience to provide suggestions. 
At this moment, Lucy starts barking furiously.
Vonn: Lucy! Stop that barking now! Bad dog!
While Lindsey is trying to stop Lucy's barking, an audience member speaks up.
Audience Member 1: I am a dog trainer and also a canine-to-English interpreter. Lucy is telling us something. Let's listen for a moment. 
Everyone is silent while Lucy barks for another minute, then stops.
BB: Okay Dr. Doolittle, tell us what Lucy just said.
AM1: This is strange...a squared plus b squared equals c squared...that is the Pythagorean Theorem.
Vonn: The what?
AM1: Now she is saying minus b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus 4 a c over 2a. That is the Quadratic Formula.
BB: Wow, it seems like Lucy is a very intelligent dog.
Vonn: Of course Lucy is very smart. She is my dog!
Lucy (speaking through AM1 as an interpreter): Thank you. I know that Lindsey likes to make excuses for when she does not win races, but she had a valid one last weekend in Zauchensee when she said that the snow was different between training and the actual race. It was. Because of the weather over the course of the day, the snow's coefficient of friction changed. Her service man did not take that into account when waxing her skis and that is why she did not win.
Audience Member 2: I thought it was because the snow during the race was a different shade of white than the snow in the training run.
Lucy: It sounds like someone needs to go back to school to learn some basic physics. Next question.
Audience Member 3: Lucy, I can tell that Lindsey loves you very much.
Vonn:  I really do. Lucy is the best dog ever!
Audience Member 3: Why doesn't Lindsey put you into her speed suit when she races so you can be with her all the time?
Vonn: That would not be legal and I would be disqualified.
Lucy: That is technically incorrect. There is nothing in the FIS's Big Book of Rules which specifically prohibits racers from putting animals inside their speed suits. But having me in Lindsey's racing suit would change her center of mass and affect her skiing.
BB: Come on, Lucy. Did you really read the Big Book of Rules?
Lucy: Of course I have. When Lindsey is racing, I need to do something to occupy my time. Hanging out with the service men can be rather boring. I do a lot of reading. In fact, I just finished reading War and Peace in the original Russian.
Audience Member 4: Lucy, is it true that space aliens can compete in FIS-sanctioned races?
Lucy: Again, there is nothing in the Big Book of Rules mentioning beings from other planets. So the answer would be yes.
Audience Member 5: Lucy, what is the capital of ancient Assyria?
Lucy: It would be the capital of modern-day Syria--Damascus.
Audience Member 5: What is the velocity of a laden swallow?
Lucy: An African or European swallow?
Audience Member 5: Oh I don't know. I thought they were all the same.
Lucy: You need to learn about swallows. They most certainly are not all the same. Next question.
Audience Member 6: You are a real genius about physics and FIS rules. So why did it take you so long to learn the proper places to weewee?
BB: That is a very good question. Lucy?
Lucy: I am helping Lindsey generate publicity for the sport of ski racing. Every time I pee in the wrong place, it puts Lindsey, and therefore ski racing, in the news. Lindsey thrives on being in the limelight, and I help to keep her there.
Vonn: Lucy! You just peed on me! Bad dog! Look what you did! I'll have to throw away these pants.
Lucy: You made me wear that awful sweater for one of your press conferences. I was so embarrassed to be seen by other dogs in that thing. What were you thinking? Now I have my revenge for that sweater. I hope that Leo or Bear chewed it up so I'll never have to wear it again.
Vonn: I will have to leave you home with Leo and Bear and find another dog to replace you for peeing on me.
Lucy: I'm surprised I lasted this long with you. Leo and Bear were thrown over for younger models rather quickly. I knew my time would be coming.
BB: Whoa! Let's not get into a fight here. Lindsey, I can see why you don't want to become a dog trainer. It takes a special person to be one and you are obviously not it. Well, it looks like we are out of time. Lindsey and Lucy, I want to thank you for this interview and I also want to thank the people who came to our little town hall meeting.
Vonn: Wasn't the purpose of this town hall meeting to help me figure out what to do with my life? You certainly failed because I still don't know what I would do except race some more.
BB: We did not fail because our readers got to know you and Lucy a little better. But everyone is ready to go home and so am I. We are done here. And that concludes another Boston Blickbild exclusive interview.

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