I would guess that there are not many top level athletes, with any age on them competing at 100%. It is difficult for me to believe that the team doctors are not very aware that most all their older athletes are competing with active injuries.
Consider that “follow the money” might be the primary reason that Lindsay was allowed to compete. How many more eyes were watching the Olympics just to follow the Lindsay Vonn saga that might stick around for more of the Winter Olympics? Pretty inexpensive ad money, wouldn’t you say?
I am simply questioning the US Team leadership. This team is having problems we should not have. Below is an article on 2 man Bobsled, we are only going to have 1 sled. Why? They didn’t get the minimum 5 races in. Come on, 7 Billion dollars? Seems to be a slew of bad or no decisions that make me question. Vonn was just one of them.
I am going to take a position that the athlete is also responsible for this failure. I know it is difficult for this “hand holding” generation to depend on themselves to make things happen.
I cannot imagine that the athletes didn’t know that they had to have at least 5 races into qualify a sled. Why weren’t they alerting those who schedule their races?
So why do we have an Olympic Training Center, Olympic Trials, and all the Administration and cost that goes with it if it is up to the athletes to decide if they want to race, up to the athlete to waste taxpayer dollars just to not be able to race. How do we pick the athletes? Themselves, self-poll?
Sorry, that is wimps way out dressed as a “responsibility”. Someone had to have the balls to say, you don’t ski. You don’t make the team unless you get the pre-requisite races in. It is like asking a pitcher to take themselves out of the game. Not happening.
I detest that you seem to know that Lindsay Vonn should not have been allowed to compete. You don’t have enough information to make an informed decision.
You can just whine and believe that is the way it should be.
Thats a mess. An old buddy of mine did something very similar on a snowboard. Snapped the head of the tibia and simultaneously separated his fibula at the top behind the patella.
Giant freakin mess that took like a dozen different procedures with pins and screws and all the hardware. Putting it all in, back together and taking it out, etc.
Get it. As I said, my comment is not about the athlete. That is why they are who they are and we love watching them. They are the best at what they do.
My comment is at the Coaching staff. Being the Coach means you have to deliver bad news and it is not always to the people being cut or the lower end athletes. It is to your best. But, hey we are all entitled to our opinions. It is a discussion board, so I discussed.
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