Lindsey Vonn to compete in Mens WC Downhill?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

American female skier (one of the most successful women ever in the women's World Cup downhill event) is asking the FIS for the right to compete against the men in an upcoming Downhill race at Lake Louise in November to raise the profile of female skiing.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/06/lindsey-vonn-asks-to-compete-in-mens-downhill-at-lake-louise/

Lindsey is an awesome skier (not to mention she is hot) but come on Lindsey, is this more of a publicity stunt to raise your profile? I used to patrol at Lake Louise back in the 1990s and I also dabbled in some ski racing myself (only at the club level as I did not have the money to pursue the sport at a more serious level). When the men and women came to the Lake for their World Cup races, I naturally volunteered to work the courses as it was a great opportunity to see the best in the world up close and rub elbows with them and during the free ski opportunities I could pretty much keep up to the women (don't get me wrong I could keep up to them but they were still better skiers). But there was no hope whatsoever in trying to keep up to the men when they free skied. It was not even worth trying. I would likely kill myself if I tried to go as fast as they could ski.

On the surface I say "Knock yourself out Lindsey" let her try. We know where she will be finishing. But there is also a rule that states "No racer is supposed to ski on a race course a week prior to his or her own competition". The men's downhill at the Lake starts on the summit and they build tons of speed on the Headwall while the women start just below the Headwall. But from that point on they are pretty much skiing the same slope though the turns on the two courses will differ. So yeah Lindsey would be getting an extra week of training at the Lake prior to the rest of the women showing up.

Publicity stunt? an extra week of training? Both or something else?

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[kelpdiver 2]

well, we know how it worked out for Bobby Riggs. And we've seen Michelle Wie give it a go. In this case, Vonn is pretty well established as the queen on the women's side. She may just be looking for a challenge. Now is the difference in times just come down to body weight, or is it the muscle strength in the legs needed to turn at the speeds they reach?

As for the following week women's event, I would expect that she would have to sit out that Downhill.

[lawrocket 3]

I say let her. It’s not a matter of whether women are faster or slower but if she wants to compete against the dudes then let her. I’d certainly be interested in seeing how she’s doing.

As someone who has never been on skis, how much can changing conditions affect her from one week to the next. i.e., she was on some fresh powder the first week but the next week is icy?

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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how much can changing conditions affect her from one week to the next. i.e., she was on some fresh powder the first week but the next week is icy?

The World Cup skiing events for men and women are always on ice.They purposely scrap down the course and put down a fertilizer like chemical to make the course as hard and as icy as possible. Not only for speed but also to limit the amount the course will deteriorate from one skier to the next. The only real noticeable difference between the men's and women's courses at Lake Louise is where they start from. The men start at the summit and build up tons of speed on the Headwall.

I would agree with Kelpdiver here. Let her race with the men if she is willing to skip the following week when the women race. Of course she would be giving up the chance to win valuable World Cup points if she skipped the women's event.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[lawrocket 3]

Things I learn on here.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Another thing to factor in here if she was allowed to compete in the Men's race, is what start position would she be given? Every race is different as the conditions are never the same, but the optimal starting position for a Downhill race is usually somewhere between #10 and #20. On most days start position #1 is not the best because the course is not at it's fastest, it is not glazed over enough. But when you get a later start position after the 30s, the course could be really chewed up by then and impossible to set a good time on. On the World Cup they put all the top rank skiers into a hat and their start positions are randomly drawn. But if you are not one of the top ranked racers, your start position is your current World ranking. Because Lindsey is not ranked on the Men's circuit where would she start? She will definitely not do well in the race if she starts last where she is ranked, but does she deserve a top 20 starting position? Maybe they would compromise and let her start around 25th? Who knows ... will she even be allowed to race? Only time will tell. If she does race, I might have to head up there to watch it. I am less than a two hours drive away from the resort.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[kelpdiver 2]

seems improper to bounce a current circuit participant for her, so she probably should go last. or first. If she were to perform well considering the position, then it could be reconsidered for another event.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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seems improper to bounce a current circuit participant for her, so she probably should go last. or first. If she were to perform well considering the position, then it could be reconsidered for another event.

If she was to start last they would be setting her up for failure seeing as it is impossible to set a good time on the course after it is chewed up. Plus it could be dangerous given the higher speeds the men's course obtains. Having her start around 25th might be best but many people might not understand why this would be, so yeah maybe letting her start 1st would be the way to go.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[jackwallace 3]

Suzy Caffee did this in the 70's. She got a job as Suzy Chapstik from it.

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[kelpdiver 2]

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seems improper to bounce a current circuit participant for her, so she probably should go last. or first. If she were to perform well considering the position, then it could be reconsidered for another event.

If she was to start last they would be setting her up for failure seeing as it is impossible to set a good time on the course after it is chewed up. Plus it could be dangerous given the higher speeds the men's course obtains. Having her start around 25th might be best but many people might not understand why this would be, so yeah maybe letting her start 1st would be the way to go.

this makes me think about the Robert Redford movie.

[ryoder 1,384]

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Lindsey is an awesome skier (not to mention she is hot) but come on Lindsey, is this more of a publicity stunt to raise your profile? I used to patrol at Lake Louise back in the 1990s and I also dabbled in some ski racing myself (only at the club level as I did not have the money to pursue the sport at a more serious level). When the men and women came to the Lake for their World Cup races, I naturally volunteered to work the courses as it was a great opportunity to see the best in the world up close and rub elbows with them and during the free ski opportunities I could pretty much keep up to the women (don't get me wrong I could keep up to them but they were still better skiers).

Sure, I'd like to rub...uhhh...elbows with her: http://www.google.com/search?q=Lindsey+Vonn&hl=en&prmd=imvnsuo&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=okxzUKicCcTdyAH2jIDIDQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1109&bih=1058
But seriously, unless she wears enough weight to match the guys, I don't see how she thinks she could compete with them.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[pirana 0]

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But seriously, unless she wears enough weight to match the guys, I don't see how she thinks she could compete with them.

I find it hard to believe she thinks she would be a serious threat to win, so wondering what her motivations are. (It's not like she walks away from all the women every stop on the tour - I'd have to look, but don't think she wins even half the races she's was in).

Highly suspect it is just for the publicity. Too bad really; it'll become more of a circus than a genuine competition, a real distraction to the serious competitors to have a gender controversy bomb dropped on their race.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[AMax 0]

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American female skier (one of the most successful women ever in the women's World Cup downhill event) is asking the FIS for the right to compete against the men in an upcoming Downhill race at Lake Louise in November to raise the profile of female skiing.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/06/lindsey-vonn-asks-to-compete-in-mens-downhill-at-lake-louise/

Lindsey is an awesome skier (not to mention she is hot) but come on Lindsey, is this more of a publicity stunt to raise your profile? I used to patrol at Lake Louise back in the 1990s and I also dabbled in some ski racing myself (only at the club level as I did not have the money to pursue the sport at a more serious level). When the men and women came to the Lake for their World Cup races, I naturally volunteered to work the courses as it was a great opportunity to see the best in the world up close and rub elbows with them and during the free ski opportunities I could pretty much keep up to the women (don't get me wrong I could keep up to them but they were still better skiers). But there was no hope whatsoever in trying to keep up to the men when they free skied. It was not even worth trying. I would likely kill myself if I tried to go as fast as they could ski.

On the surface I say "Knock yourself out Lindsey" let her try. We know where she will be finishing. But there is also a rule that states "No racer is supposed to ski on a race course a week prior to his or her own competition". The men's downhill at the Lake starts on the summit and they build tons of speed on the Headwall while the women start just below the Headwall. But from that point on they are pretty much skiing the same slope though the turns on the two courses will differ. So yeah Lindsey would be getting an extra week of training at the Lake prior to the rest of the women showing up.

Publicity stunt? an extra week of training? Both or something else?

I suggest you discuss this with top female skydivers, if you have a chance (those competing alongside men in open 4-way, 8-way, 16-way, FF and CP).

[kelpdiver 2]

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I suggest you discuss this with top female skydivers, if you have a chance (those competing alongside men in open 4-way, 8-way, 16-way, FF and CP).

Why? It's not the same thing. Though it is a skill event, it still biases bigger bodies with stronger leg muscles. The article itself suggests a 5-6 second differential, and this is on what is commonly a 90-120 second race.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Update: the FIS might let her race. They will discuss it during an upcoming meeting in November.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/10/28/fis-to-discuss-lindsey-vonns-request-to-compete-in-mens-world-cup-downhill-at-lake-louise/

But if she is allowed to race in the Men's Downhill, it is pretty apparent that she won't be allowed to race in the Women's Downhill race on the following weekend.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[jakee 1,255]

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I find it hard to believe she thinks she would be a serious threat to win, so wondering what her motivations are.

I'd like to have one chance in my life to race against them, Annika Sorenstam did it in golf and paved the way for women. I'm not asking for World Cup points. I just want the chance to compete.

There are some commentators who think that I would be far outside of the men. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I'd like the chance to compete against them and see where I stand. I'd definitely like to be inside the points, in the top 30.

This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always tried to push my skiing to the next level. I’m always trying to find a new challenge, and this is definitely that challenge.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

The FIS have ruled that Lindsey Vonn will NOT be allowed to compete in the up and coming Men's Downhill race at Lake Louise. Basically they ruled that men race in the Mens Downhill while women race in the Ladies Downhill.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/skiing/story/2012/11/03/sp-skiing-lindsey-vonn-lake-louise-decision.html

However it is important to note that the FIS did leave the door open for Ms Vonn to apply to be one of the race Forerunners (a number of Forerunners are sent down the course prior to the start of the race to ensure the timing system works). This is what she wanted isn't it? She wanted a chance to compare her time against the men? As a Forerunner she would have been one of the first peeple down the course, the course would have been in great shape without any ruts. But apparently Ms Vonn has rejected the idea of being a Forerunner. All along she keep saying she wanted to race in the Mens Downhill and still be allowed to compete in the Ladies Downhill the following week (which is against the rules, being allowed extra training time that the other women would not get). So at the end of the day, it was all about Lindsey. If she can't have her cake and eat it at the same time, she does not want to play.

I would have liked to see her ski, but come on Lindsey you know the rules. Why do you think you are entitled to extra training time the other girls would not get?

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[ryoder 1,384]

If you like Lindsey Vonn, check out the cover of the new issue of "Outside" magazine!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Remster 24]

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If you like Lindsey Vonn, check out the cover of the new issue of "Outside" magazine!

(not that pic) Never been a fan of fuzzy boots, but I'll let that one slide. http://stephaniematsumotostyle.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/lindsey-vonn.jpg

Remster

[rushmc 18]

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If you like Lindsey Vonn, check out the cover of the new issue of "Outside" magazine!

(not that pic) Never been a fan of fuzzy boots, but I'll let that one slide. http://stephaniematsumotostyle.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/lindsey-vonn.jpg

What fuzzy boots?

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[ryoder 1,384]

Ugh.
She just crashed and tore a reconstructed ligament.

http://news.yahoo.com/vonn-partially-tears-repaired-knee-ligament-205655799--spt.html

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.