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Who wants Shaun White to win halfpipe gold?

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spaz - 10 February 2014 09:32 AM

From what I’ve read Americans aren’t that fussed on SW but what country says no to adding a medal to their tally.
In Australia we accept other nationals to win for us.

If SW rode in green and gold I would be happy for him to win.
At least the USA celebrate tall poppies instead of cutting their heads off.

I don’t really care what he wins. He doesn’t have a lot of respect in snowboarding community basically because he’s an arsehole. Danny Davis is my pick because he embodies are good vibe and it’s about Frends!

 
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spaz - 10 February 2014 09:32 AM

From what I’ve read Americans aren’t that fussed on SW but what country says no to adding a medal to their tally.
In Australia we accept other nationals to win for us.

If SW rode in green and gold I would be happy for him to win.
At least the USA celebrate tall poppies instead of cutting their heads off.

The only time they get the “Tall Poopy Syndrome” flack, here in Australia, is if they are full of themselves and act like complete knobs!!!!!

Only have to look at the Aussie Open and how Tomic was berated for his “injury”!!!!! Had he been a humble person, that didn’t act like a wanker, they wouldn’t have boo’d him off the court when he was injured!!!!! They bring it upon themselves!!!!!

So yeah, Shaun would’ve copped a hidin if he were to represent our nation!!!!! I reckon there would’ve been calls to bring him home, and not even let him compete in the pipe, for his actions regardin slope style!!!!!

 
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bkrtron - 10 February 2014 09:37 AM
spaz - 10 February 2014 09:32 AM

At least the USA celebrate tall poppies instead of cutting their heads off.

I don’t really care what he wins. He doesn’t have a lot of respect in snowboarding community basically because he’s an arsehole. Danny Davis is my pick because he embodies are good vibe and it’s about Frends!

It’s true that if White was an Aussie he’d be slaughtered - but that’s a good thing, because he deserves it. Unlike in the US, most Aussies wouldn’t completely ignore his many faults simply because he’s a strong medal chance.

 

 
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chucky - 09 February 2014 03:09 PM
Andy Aitken - 09 February 2014 02:56 PM

My question is: What do you think of Billy Morgan?

Pretty much meh on Billy Morgan. His path to the Olympics appears to be kind of like that of Alisa Camplin. It’s not a direction I want to see snowboarding going in.

OK, time for a complete 180. THIS interview really changed my entire opinion on Billy Morgan. It’s easy to disregard his unconventional origins when in his relatively short time on snow, he’s apparently become more of a ‘real snowboarder’ than Shaun White has ever been.

 

 
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This reply alone make him twice the snowboarder white will ever be (attitude wise)


when talking about mark not really chatting to him, and the reason being that mark might see him as a threat..

“No, I meant like a competitive threat?
Well there’s no reason why you can’t be competitive and get along with someone. I like to have as many friends as possible and be as nice to as many people as possible.”

 
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What exactly about that interview with Billy made his appear to be more a snowboarder than SW has ever been?

oh, and for the record, Shaun pulling out didn’t EXACTLY cost Brandon Davis a place. The US team only planned on 7 spots total for pipe and slopestyle, so Shaun would have had to have pulled out of both events for a spot to free up. Davis made a last minute appeal, which was denied because it was less than 24 hours before the start of the qualifier. However, there’s no indication that his appeal would have been favourable if there had been more time.

Not saying White should get a pass for treating the Olympics like an x games, just getting the facts straight.

 
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MarcD - 12 February 2014 02:04 PM

What exactly about that interview with Billy made his appear to be more a snowboarder than SW has ever been?

Love of the game, not just the payoff.

MarcD - 12 February 2014 02:04 PM

oh, and for the record, Shaun pulling out didn’t EXACTLY cost Brandon Davis a place. The US team only planned on 7 spots total for pipe and slopestyle, so Shaun would have had to have pulled out of both events for a spot to free up. Davis made a last minute appeal, which was denied because it was less than 24 hours before the start of the qualifier. However, there’s no indication that his appeal would have been favourable if there had been more time.

Not saying White should get a pass for treating the Olympics like an x games, just getting the facts straight.

C’mon mate, seriously?! This is the US Olympic Team! Had there been time to do so, they’d have filled that spot for sure!

 

 
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I’d guess that they would need IOC approval and I doubt they bend the rules for people. You know, stuff about deadlines and official alternates etc.

Look, living in Japan, I don’t get exposed to the media going on about Shaun did this bad thing or that bad thing, so I can be more objective. I see lots of “DD says that Shaun has no friends and doesn’t enjoy snowboarding” and it just gets blown up when it’s just one guy’s opinion (obviously not his friend).
Then, when there’s an interview with Shaun himself, and he says, he loves snowboarding, all these internet punters cry that he’s so full of it. Of course he’s lying - he can’t love snowboarding!!!

I don’t mind people talking shit about SW, but at least make it valid and not just from hearsay.

I really don’t care about him as a person, same as Lyndsay Lohan or Paris Hilton or whoever. They’re celebrities and I don’t even read articles when they crash their lambos or check into rehab. I mean, who cares?????

There is no denying SW is perhaps the most talented pipe rider out there. In the qualifiers, the level between him and the others was not even close. NO ONE boosted out of the pipe like he did.
Ipod is his only real rival, because of that yolo flip - but SW has super tech tricks down too - and more of them than Ipod - and goes higher - so head to head SW would win everytime.
Hiraoka and Hirano were lucky that SW buttchecked because their runs didn’t stand a chance.
I had to admire SW when he buttchecked but kept going, somehow pumping enough to get his run back on track. Not sure anybody else out there could have recovered so well.
But he couldn’t get his run down which is a shame - a shame because it would have been better for ipod and sw to have both stomped their runs and had the better man win. (just like all the people lamenting DD’s runs in the final).
If you hate SW, that’s got to be better - to have him beat fair and square.

and for the record, I don’t think DD’s run was gold medal potential. Everybody talks about how his switch method is saving snowboarding, but look at the rest of his run - on some of his hits he didn’t grab all the way through - just a half rotation grab and then the next 1. 5 a ballerina spin.
If you want style imo, check out markus keller’s qualifying runs at this year’s Burton euro open. That was sick!! He announced he was not going to rotate more than 720 at any point. He unfortunately fell in the final.

 
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chucky - 12 February 2014 02:32 PM
MarcD - 12 February 2014 02:04 PM

What exactly about that interview with Billy made his appear to be more a snowboarder than SW has ever been?

Love of the game, not just the payoff.

This!!  Thanks Chucky!

(and I was talking attitude wise.  Snowboarding should be about having fun with friends.. Or making new ones!!  (why did you join boardworld? - presumably for advice and to meet people that share the same interest I. Boardsports - and this shouldn’t just be limited to snowboarding in anyway..)

sure you join competitions and want to win.. But look at Billy.. Or the girls final.. They are all still friends at the end of the day…

 
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SW came back to congratulate ipod on making the final and after his 4th place score went up, he immediately went over to Ipod and congratulated him

 
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I don’t get when people say Shaun doesn’t love snowboarding. You guys don’t even know him. Sure he might get burnt out snowboarding or do just only contest, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love snowboarding. A regular guy can snowboard 5 days a year and still loves snowboarding. And Shaun did explain why he is alone in the snowboardermag interview.

I’m not defending Shaun here, I always say there’s 2 sides to every story. Anyways, congratz to I-Pod for winning gold. I do think he can do another hit after the YOLO though. Sucks for Shaun cuz he can’t land his tricks clearly.

 
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@ozgirl: Maybe some people are just not happy go lucky and be friend with everyone like others (in this case Shaun)? I mean if everyone talks bad about him, how can he be close friends with them? And to think he can handle all the critics, the “insult” by the media, and stuff like that while still performing at a high level and not be cocky (selfish, ya maybe you can say that with the private pipe and stuff) and a jerk (at the very least not in the public eye), I’d say he’s handling it pretty good.

*before anyone say I’m Shaun White fanboy, my favorite boarders are Terje, Nico, Craig, Travis, and Jake.

 
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@MarcD: That was a really good article Marc. Thanks for sharing it.

 
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MarcD - 12 February 2014 03:24 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/shaun-white-olympic-moments-and-mettle-without-a-color/2014/02/11/94fa0968-9354-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

article on Shaun

I don’t see that as a big deal at all. Firstly, I can’t think of anyone I know who wouldn’t have done the same thing or better - and secondly, none of us have paid personal assistants whose job descriptions include reminding us to appear more personable in the public eye.