Downhill skier Lindsey Vonn.
Last week I was watching a game show on which
they asked a contestant what they thought was
the most physically demanding sport.
I didn't have to think longer than about 5 seconds.
In my opinion the most physically demanding sport
is men's and women's slalom, giant slalom, and
Super-G downhill alpine skiing.
Imagine it: Going down the side of a mountain
at a 45 degree grade over ice on a run that often
hits 90 miles an hour, negotiating sharp cuts
around the flags as you do so, with only a pair
of thin skis and a couple lightweight poles and
using every muscle and bone in your body to
maintain — jeez, that's pretty much just crazy.
Indy car drivers go very fast, but except for
arm and legs they don't use all their body.
Tennis players wear their body out, but don't
run over the court at 92 m.p.h. Football is
also a very physically demanding sport. But
football players if they pull a muscle can get
temporarily replaced and sit on the sidelines
for a while. Downhill skiers don't have that
advantage. It's not as if they can get halfway
down the run and say, "Hey, you know I think
I strained my knee a little bit making that last
cut; I think I'll have somebody come in for me
for the next 150 feet and rest up."
Back in the old days here in the U.S. you could
see professional and amateur skiing on a regular
basis on ABC's Wild World of Sports. But since
the show went off the air in 1998 there has been
virtually no skiing shown on American television.
ESPN, which has 2 cable channels, doesn't bother
with "European" sports like downhill skiing.
But you can get it on the Olympic broadcasts.
That's the one time a fan of the sport can binge
out. I don't see skiing enough to know all the
current stars of the sport, but it seems the U.S.
has a definite star in Lindsey Vonn. Whether she
will be able to overcome a recent injury and do
well remains to be seen.
If you would like to see some of these events,
check out the Olympic alpine skiing schedule.
And by the way, yes I still have the hots for
skier Picabo Street, winner of the gold medal
in Super-G at the 1998 Olympics at Nagano.
A built-like-a-horse redhead, with a crazy name
like that one? Oh yeah, you gotta go for that.
Picabo Street.
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I really love watching the skiing and admire them all. And I do remember Picabo. A really cute name. Skiing is amazing and really does use all your muscles and every ounce of energy. You wouldn't believe how much I ate at the ski lodge breakfast buffets. I think if the cold hadn't affected me the way it did the last time I skied (there was a blizzard and a white out), I'd still be skiing. Now, I'll just watch it. I tried cross country skiing…sort of…like across a field, and I was amazed how exhausting that was. Then one time I tried a Nordic Track which simulates the same thing. If I ever have the room for a piece of exercise equipment, a Nordic Trak it'll be for sure.
Pam I think a Nordic Trak would be very good. I have my own exercise problems as you know. I couldn't do the Nordik Trak but can see its advantages. I would imagine that skiing burns tons of calories. And then you have the cold weather thrown in, which makes a body need even more. I'm not surprised you hit the breakfast bar. I don't even eat breakfast, but I'm sure I would be hitting it too! :yes:
I love watching skiing,yes the athletes are special,bu I have to add more to the group…as we speak I do watch the Nascar I have to say it is not only their hands and feet, i admire their ability to go that fast and stay alive, their mental calculation , their eyes, their whole effort makes them special too. I am not disagreeable, I just add that, every sport requires special skills. Athletes like Federer in tennis have not only physical but mental abilities that not many possess ..
Originally posted by edwardpiercy:
:lol:and you know that the butt is the boss of the body!"WHEN THE LORD MAD MAN, ALL THE PARTS OF THE BODY ARGUED OVER WHO WOULD BE BOSS.THE BRAIN EXPLAINED THAT SINCE HE CONTROLLED ALL THE PARTS OF THE BODY, HE SHOULD BE BOSS.THE LEGS ARGUED THAT SINCE THEY TOOK THE MAN WHEREVER HE WANTED TO GO, HE SHOULD BE BOSS.THE STOMACH COUNTERED WITH THE EXPLANATION THAT SINCE HE DIGESTED ALL THE FOOD, HE SHOULD BE BOSS.THE EYES SAID THAT WITHOUT THEM, MAN WOULD BE HELPLESS, SO THEY APPLIED FOR THE JOB.THEN THE ASS HOLE APPLIED FOR THE JOB.THE OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY LAUGHED SO HARD THAT THE ASS HOLE BECAME MAD AND CLOSED UP.AFTER A FEW DAYS THE BRAIN WENT FOGGY, THE LEGS GOT WOBBLY, THE STOMACH GOT ILL, THE EYES GOT CROSSED AND UNABLE TO SEE.THEY ALL CONCEDED AND MADE THE ASS HOLE THE BOSS.THIS PROVES THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A BRAIN TO BE BOSS….JUST AN ASS HOLE."So :p there! you have the demands of the chess mastering ! 😆 it is all in the a$$ :p
:lol:Well most of these Grandmaster chess players seem to assholes, that's true enough.
I just watched Germany win the gold medal in luge competition; I believe Italy was bronze, and a Russian name as silver. They each went 90 MPH the winner went 91.something. I love to watch it but that's too fast for me without a steel body around me
@ Linda. Luge reminds me of the snow sledding I did as a kid, except on crack. :pI'm glad they got the course worked out.
Oh yeah, no don't mind you adding stuff at all — the mental is certainly a part of it. You know just thought of this — those chess players, all that mental concentration and then having to move their hands and stuff and sit for hours and get a sore butt. :pAnyway, every sport does require its own things of course. I just think that downhill is particularly grueling.
I've never snow-skiied, but I tried water-skiing. Once. Got up on the first try. Skied maybe three or four miles or so. Hit a wave. Fell. Forgot to let go of the rope.Swallowed half the lake.When I got back in the boat, decided to stay there. Never did that again.:lol:
😆
Well at least you got the opportunity, yeah? 😆 Me, I can't swim.And I don't like being in the water. And I don't like sunbunny types. :p
Tried skiing once in my life, in Romania 1982. Never tried it again. So much of my success to learn it :lol:Originally posted by Stardancer:
😆 😆
@ Linda. Thank you very much. A very nice card!
7TRUE.COM
Snow skiing, on south-west Carpatian mountains. Never tried water skiing in my life 😀
@ Darko. Was that snow skiing or water skiing? 😀
Picabo-Street? What housenumber? 🙂 I have to confess that I never tried skiing and am not interested in winter sports at all. Indeed I am tired of that snow, ice, winter, everything. Btw the Italian skiers are usually members of the german speaking minority in the former austrian parts of the country.
And the Milano Italians are all models. :p
I was in Milano. Kind of, but indeed we passed the city on a motorway. So I remember only a truck before us, loaded with milk products, the backside showing a girl wearing only a slip. I try to imagine this truck on a highway in the USA.
Skiing? Nah… This, however…
@ Pineas.I think that here that would cause some major accidents. :)@ Martin.I've been snowmobiling a couple of times. It's a blast!
I think I would love snow mobiling.