Thursday, February 18, 2010

Vancouver 2010: Snowboarders of All Kinds

Apparently snowboarders get what's coming to them at this Olympics.

For some reason NBC has decided that Lindsey Jacobellis is a sad story of a young unlucky woman, looking for redemption and some reassurance that all is fair in the world. Well, it is fair--when you let go of an exceptionally unique opportunity because you were complacent, then you don't deserve another chance. I guess she missed that stage in life where you read Aesop's fables. That she missed qualifying for the medal run of her first event is exactly what she deserves.

An even worse story is Kazuhiro Kokubo. I honestly just cannot understand where and how he was raised. My problem is not with his dreadlocks and nose ring, as it is with my dad's, but rather his completely indifferent and too-cool-for-you demeanor at the following press conference. This whole thing would have been fine if he'd just apologized for looking like a mess in the airport, which isn't the most serious of offenses anyway (actually, how many countries other than Japan would get so angry?), but instead he disrespects everything possible and makes international news. For a while I wanted him to be sent home--which he almost was, prompting an "actual apology"--but now that I think about it, losing spectacularly is even better. So was losing the support of his home school. How embarrassing that not even the Olympics can instill in him a sense of representation. A medal would have been nice for Japan, sure. But not for him. I hope his parents are hiding their heads in shame right now.

As for the rest... watching snowboard cross is like watching a video game.

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