Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.

 

29 January 2014

Slopestyle skiing is art, not sport

Maggie Voisin, a 15-year-old high school freshman in Whitefish, MT, specializes in a skiing event called the Slopestyle. She’s a gifted athlete, the youngest American competing in the Winter Olympics, and the pride of her community. Everyone wishes her well and hopes she returns to Whitefish without injury in what could be the experience of a lifetime.

But is she competing in a sport, or in an artistic competition that requires athletic ability?

I believe her event, slopestyle skiing, is an artistic competition, not a true sport.

In a true sport, there’s an objective measure of victory: the first runner to finish, the fastest speed skater, the highest pole vault, the longest put shot or discus or javelin throw, the first boat past the last buoy.

There’s no objective measure of victory in the slopestyle. Like figure skating, it’s a judged event where the competitors are at the mercy of subjective opinions. Mike Doyle at about.com describes slopestyle this way:

Slopestyle tests a skier’s ability to handle a variety of terrain by executing freestyle maneuvers down a course. Each course is filled with features including rails, jibs, hips and a variety of jumps allowing riders to combine big air and technical tricks into one run. Competitors are scored in an overall impression judging format on amplitude, execution, difficulty of line, landing and use of the course. Each run is scored by a team of judges to determine the winner.

Slopestyle combines speed, excitement, fearless youth, and dangerous stunts. Like NASCAR racing, it will make great television: someone might crash, suffer terrible injuries, or even die. And that’s why it’s part of the Winter Olympics — the possibility of spilled blood always draws the most interest.