Bode Miller Ski Racings Alpine Skier of the Year.

[Papasteeze]

"but there was a reason youngsters flocked to Miller like no other racer at the US Nationals - he's the greatest this Nation has ever seen"

[DHarrisburg]

This isn't going to end well.

[mbike-ski]

[Ski]

Just for the record, Julia Mancuso was the best American skier this year.

[sexkitten]

Just for the record, Julia Mancuso was the best American skier this year.

 

S. Kitten was better. You should have seen her performance down Razors late in the season. Inspiring.

[Papasteeze]

Male skier.... but hey I thought that was obvious

[sexkitten]

Male skier.... but hey I thought that was obvious

 

Well...I... ummmm... can't help you there.

[First Grade Teacher]

Bode sucks!

 

[Ski]

BTW, who named him skier of the year? Sh*t, I'm hereby officially naming Doug Vertical Man of the Century.

 

Hey, maybe it was to make him feel better for the 2 guys that beat him in slalom at Nationals; the 11 guys that beat him in downhill; or, maybe the 49 US guys that beat him in GS.

 

That his nearest teammates only finished 11th and 26th in the Overall, it was kind of a no-brainer.

 

All Bode bashing aside, let me ask any parents a real question: if your kid finishes one second behind in the first of a two-run race, then screams that you did a lousy job prepping his/her skis and storms off in a huff and refuses to finish the race, what would your reaction be? Okay, so I'm the only person on the planet that thinks that was a shithead way to end the season.

 

But, hey, it's fine that some people still get down on their knees for Bode...Ligety smoked him at US Nationals, but had a crappy year. Of course Bode would be named as the best US male...who else? Nyman?

[Papasteeze]

if your kid finishes one second behind in the first of a two-run race, then screams that you did a lousy job prepping his/her skis and storms off in a huff and refuses to finish the race, what would your reaction be?

 

 

Find out what he thinks should have been diffferently?

[Ski]

Find out what he thinks should have been diffferently?

Or, as you watched him blow out of three turns, you'd know to tell him to stop blaming other people and take responsibility for a lousy run and tell him he's not four years old anymore. But we all handle our kids differently...I suppose there's no totally right or wrong answer, though...

[Ski]

BTW, who named him skier of the year?

?

[Papasteeze]

?

 

You didn't get the latest issue of Ski Racing Magazine?

[Ski]

Ha, I guess they were too embarrassed to post it on their website.

 

On a related note, have you been reading any of the stories about why all the comp skis have been taken away from the kids? Sponsorship for all but a very few elite junior racers is gone, according to reps from each of the top ski makers, to pay the salaries of World Cup racers. Bode broke the mold by hiring a cut-throat sports agent and other top racers followed suit. Now the money has dried up for the kids. That's cool, right?

[DHarrisburg]

On a related note, have you been reading any of the stories about why all the comp skis have been taken away from the kids? Sponsorship for all but a very few elite junior racers is gone, according to reps from each of the top ski makers, to pay the salaries of World Cup racers. Bode broke the mold by hiring a cut-throat sports agent and other top racers followed suit. Now the money has dried up for the kids. That's cool, right?

 

Hahahahahahaha that's a stretch, even for you

 

P.S. I love capitalism.

Edited May 10, 2007 by DHarrisburg

[Papasteeze]

^^ I dunno, big companies are saavy, sounds like a convienent excuse, maybe they are allocating more to freestyle? Why do ski companies give gear and travel expenses?... to get thier name out, if there is no return on the investment then they will put thier advertising $$ somewhere else where they feel they get a better return on the dollar. Sucks for the kids that need the gear that can't afford it, but then I have heard many times that racing is 10% gear 90% athlete. Rather than companies dumping thier old gear to Ebay re-sellers, maybe they should be giving them to the racers?

 

 

 

edited cause the syntax and spelling sucked.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Papasteeze

[mbike-ski]

all those poor underprivelaged inner city ski racer kids...i heard from al gore that bode's beer farts started global warming...

[Ski]

^^ I dunno, big companies are saavy, sounds like a convienent excuse, maybe they are allocating more to freestyle? Why do ski companies give gear and travel expenses?... to get thier name out, if there is no return on the investment then they will put thier advertising $$ somewhere else where they feel they get a better return on the dollar. Sucks for the kids that need the gear that can't afford it, but then I have heard many times that racing is 10% gear 90% athlete. Rather than companies dumping thier old gear to Ebay re-sellers, maybe they should be giving them to the racers?

edited cause the syntax and spelling sucked.

 

Racing is 100% believing in yourself and in your gear. There's no separation. And I'm just guessing that your disdain for eBay is because you couldn't figure out how to use it like the rest of the planet. That's okay...I don't fill my own cavities because that's beyond me, too. But the gear on eBay---just so you'll know in the future---is RARELY real race stock or customized gear that they would have given to junior racers. EBay is filled with overstocks and three year old models. You can find the exact gear to fill the needs of a top junior racer, but you have to really know what your doing. But, yeah, there's lots of great deals for recreational and other lower lever racers.

 

You think ski companies are cash cows, eh? You somehow have concluded that despite all the problems the ski industry as a whole has endured in the last decade, Head and Atomic are thriving?

[Ski]

all those poor underprivelaged inner city ski racer kids...i heard from al gore that bode's beer farts started global warming...

 

Why the beef with racer kids? First off, companies don't give freebies based on 'need'...they give them based on talent. The want to build brand loyalty, which is a waning concept. It isn't about being rich or underprivileged.

 

The demographic of the typical racer kid at the top academies might surprise you. In fact, the top female prospect that was profiled in Ski Mag two years ago lived with her mom in a one bedroom apartment near Waterville Valley. The mom worked full time in PR and had a part time cleaning job. The girl's job was to get straight A's and win a college scholarship, while also skiing the Junior FIS circuit.

 

Kids like this are all losing thousands of dollars worth of gear because every spare dollar is going to pay World Cup racers. What will that do to the future of ski racing?

 

And, btw, where would Bode be if K2 didn't sponsor him as a kid? Nice how he's giving back by destroying the future of the sport.

 

Hahahahahahaha that's a stretch, even for you

 

P.S. I love capitalism.

 

I'll bet you $50 my post is 100% accurate and 0% "stretch". Oh, wait, you're just being a troll. Nevermind.

[DHarrisburg]

I'll bet you $50 my post is 100% accurate and 0% "stretch". Oh, wait, you're just being a troll. Nevermind.

 

The "stretch" of your post is you trying to make Bode come off as an asshole because he wants the best deal he can get. You said yourself that there are plenty of other top-tier racers who are doing the same exact thing that you're trying to use against any Bode supporters in this thread. He was the first to do it? The most easily identifiable racer in the world hired an agent so he can make the most amount of money possible while he can? SHOCKING!

 

You're really missing a key point in your argument, though. You're telling us that junior racers are missing out on sponsorship deals because Atomic is paying Bode too much money. This sucks, but it's Atomic's choice to choose a household name over junior racers because it's going to make them more money. Atomic is choosing Bode over junior racers, and I can't blame them. If Atomic really cared so much about junior racing then they can garnish the yearly profits made to start a ski scholarship program, but I can't see bigwig executives at any major company taking a pay cut so that Skidude can build "brand loyality."

[First Grade Teacher]

I agree. The whole "Bode is a money hog" argument is crap. You could say that about any pro athlete. Poor kid can't afford golf balls because Tiger has to eat.

 

The reason the ski companies are pulling sponsorship is because there is no brand loyalty. When the kids get good they go after the money. At that point the manufacturer decides if they should pay the kid. Why should they give him equipment if they are going to have to pay him big bucks later? He's going to jump ship anyway.

 

Just so you know............Bode races on Head. I'm sure Ski will jump all over you for not knowing what you were talking about. Been there!

Edited May 11, 2007 by First Grade Teacher

[DHarrisburg]

Just so you know............Bode races on Head. I'm sure Ski will jump all over you for not knowing what you were talking about. Been there!

 

News to me, a quick wikipedia visit said something about a seven figure deal with Atomic and I thought that was still binding. Oh well.

[Ski]

Well, I guess the reps from Head, Volkl, Atomic, Rossi, K2, and Nordica are full of shit and you two know better. Yeah, those companies have had layoffs and have had to pull sponsorships as a sinister campaign just to hurt kids.

 

Have you guys ever heard of Major League Baseball? It's an amazingly rich sport, but is being destroyed by the players union. They fought for free agency (I don't have time to explain what that means), but the fallout is that the seats and snacks that cost a family of four $60 in 1979, now cost $490 in 2007.

 

Believe it or not, there are things going on in sports that you don't understand, yet real fans are talking about on MB's every day.

 

Let me try to help you with this, since you seem to care so much:

 

The difference between Michael Jordan making $10 million and Bode Miiller making $10 is this: the NBA is an American sport. World Cup racing is not, nor are most ski manufacturers. MJ brought fans to the venues, while Bode Miller does not. Example: MJ sold out every game for the Chicago Bulls; no American ski areas really want to bother with the hassle of World Cup races. MJ and ARod and even all the asshole bad boys of the NFL create tremendous revenue for the sport in America, while Bode is a leech.

 

DH, I've said Bode is an asshole for quitting and acting like an asshead to his teammates. Did you miss that? Bode is a terrible deal for AMERICAN ski racing. He might be fine for Austria, but I'm not raising Austrian ski racers. You say I missed the point, but I guess it's you that missed that.

 

Pro athletes in America have commanded astronomic salaries in the last few decades. They have a unique talent, just like the best, IDK, brain surgeon. But do you understand that because a second string NBA player makes $6.5 million dollars, YOU cannot afford to go to a game.

 

You seem to celebrate Bode saying "Show me the money", but the fallout is that US junior ski racing suffers tremendously because of his greed.

 

Look beyond your trolling, DH and 1st Grade, and really think about the facts.

 

 

 

News to me, a quick wikipedia visit said something about a seven figure deal with Atomic and I thought that was still binding. Oh well.

 

K2, Fisher, Rossi, Atomic, Head...I think that's the order. No sweat.

[Papasteeze]

Are the sponsorships levels in racing similar to freestyle?

 

proform - heavy discount

grass roots - buy one discount get one free plus accessories

flow - gear as needed

amatuer - gear + some travel

pro - full on - podium cash, fees, travel.

 

Aren't teams typically sponsored, like I thought I saw Summit all on Rossi last season. What is an example of a sponsorship for a racer, I mean what are we talking about, and what about this disqualification thing I hear if you accept gear or money?

 

 

I think it is overly harsh to say that BOde is bad for American racing. whether it be bad or good the fact is he brings a lot of attention to the sport and that in itself is good.

[Ski]

I agree. The whole "Bode is a money hog" argument is crap. You could say that about any pro athlete. Poor kid can't afford golf balls because Tiger has to eat.

 

Wrong. Tiger brings 50,000 spectators to PGA venues. Tiger is a classy man that sets an amazing example for aspiring junior golfers. Tiger has used to success to bring golf to inner city youth, as well as middle class white kids. Tiger led a resurrgence in a sport, wherein Bode has made it harder for American kids to ski race.

 

Bode is no Tiger Woods.