Lindsey Vonn Male circuit for WC

Anyone wish to jump into the frey of whether Lindsey should/should not jump into the mens WC races?    She wants to do it to push herself, which most atheletes definitely want to do.      Have not read anything from the men on the circuit about this (likely staying out of it for political reasons...sort of like, "do I look fat in this dress")  but the women allegedly do not want her to compete and are pressing her team in that direction.    

Apparently there are no rules against it.  

I say, go for it.    I have many reasons for the YES vote, but the number one reason is publicity.   Our sport needs it, especially TV time.   The nation loves Lindsey, the race would surely get on TV, prime time. Some argue that this is the sole reason she is floating the idea.   I would like to think otherwise.    Rather, she wants to feel that competitive surge on longer, steeper runs against some of the fastest in the sport.    We all have experienced it.....think, top dog in middle school and then scrub in highschool.      Bad analogy for Lindsy becuase she is top dog, period.   But a good analogy for some of us, non-atheletes, and there I only speak for myself.      

Lindsey Vs Miller...Birds of Prey.   Tune in.

she will come in last!  

I:)skiing wrote

Lindsey Vs Miller...Birds of Prey.  

Who will end up at the top?

The race she is petitioning to ski is Lake Louise.  She selected that race because the women race on the same course as the men.  She won't likely try to race one of the really hard men's tracks like Beaver Creek, Wengen or Kitz.  The issue is going to be ruled prohibiting practice on the same hill as she will be racing on the next week.  I saw somewhere else that she would likely come in somewhere between 25 and 40 based on how her times in training stack up vs. the men.

FIS women’s race director Atle Skaardal told reporters in Zurich this month that Vonn’s request was “complicated” because the women’s event at Lake Louise takes place a week after the men’s. Under the world body’s rules, no one can ski on a race course a week prior to competition.

Colorado resident Vonn last week said in an interview, also in Soelden, that she’d made the request to test herself against the men because she beats them in training and wants “to try to push the limit.”

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Vonn-s-Request-to-Race-Men-Is-Put-Forward-by-3993759.php#ixzz2AuhsQ3Qa

I would like to see this happen. Last year at Lake Louise Vonn won the first dh race by about 2 seconds and 2nd thru 30 were all within 1.5 seconds. It is an easier course that she has won multiple times.

Besides the 1 week rule there are some other questions - Where would she start? If she started at the end she would have a difficult time on the course as she is used to getting her choice of the better starting slots. Would she just forerun? Would you have to bump a US male skier? How will the other male racers feel if she starts in the top 30 and bumps them down ? I would be pissed if she bumped me off a start.

I think with the right start number she might crack the top 30. She is light at 165 lbs for the mens field, but she has been on men's skis for years.

How do you guys feel about the reverse?  Granted it probably wouldn't ever happen but what if recently retired guys decided to try the women's circuit  like a senior tour in golf?

How much money is involved?

If it's the same course as the womens circuit what happens if every woman wants to try qualify for it?

x10003q wrote

Would you have to bump a US male skier? How will the other male racers feel if she starts in the top 30 and bumps them down ? I would be pissed if she bumped me off a start.

Yes.  USA would have to bump someone.  

Harvey44 wrote

How do you guys feel about the reverse?  

I would say no.  

Start another world cup race series if its so damn important.  

This makes me so much more a Mancuso fan!  

They are both little snots

Pants wrote

They are both little snots

that may be true but i'd snuggle with them

O, Yeah CampManCandy!  

ScottyJack wrote

O, Yeah CampManCandy!  

0 sure, now you want to hang

you can be in the tribe.  you have good hunting skills.    

Cool inside comments like 1) causing a necessary bump of a tride and true USA male skier, 2) what starting position would be or 3) that she would get to ski the course a week earlier....are what I was looking in posting this thread.    I have read many of the world ski articles but they are mainly fluff and when the get into facts, its usually over my head, or boring.    

Lets assume the WC felt like I did...."that the sport could use some publicity" and allowed the race to occur.  The stipulation would be that her time/position  did not count, they just let her have a run or two, for fun.      Should she?   I say YES!   Appears the US female ski team says No...from what I read.    They give lots of reasons, but I think it is just because they think it might lower the status of a currently high status event....   I obviously do not feel it would lower the status of female racing skiing one bit.   However skiers like Lindsey have,in my view, really elevated the sport to lunch table talk.     Is it because someone thinks that if she lands 10th, 20th, 40th in the standing that somehow people will forget woman's WC?   I think not.    She's tops and weighs only 165 lbs.    Weight/muscle mass matters at this level.     I get it, but would the non-skiing world.     I think that the publicity raised would far outweigh any possible downside.   Remember the Billy Jean King/Bobby Riggs match?  Granted that was purely a publicity match where as what we are discussing would be in the heat of a WC battle.       Also current Number 1 against a long retired champ.    Battle of the Sexes.     I was a 10 yr old kid who never played tennis, our family was not one who sat and watched TV or followed popular things...however I can remember the vibe this created in my neighborhood of mid to lower class families.    The girls rooted for Billy, the boys Bobby.  We (boys) knew we had it in the bag....oops !!!!  LOL.  But the winner was tennis.   After the match we all wanted to get rackets and play our own battle of the sexes, or just play.  

I get that this is people's profession and messing around in the sport should be avoided to keep the sport professional.   But hey, its a sport, a game, lets not lose sight of that.    

I:)skiing wrote

Cool inside comments like 1) causing a necessary bump of a tride and true USA male skier, 2) what starting position would be or 3) that she would get to ski the course a week earlier....are what I was looking in posting this thread.    I have read many of the world ski articles but they are mainly fluff and when the get into facts, its usually over my head, or boring.    

 Lets assume the WC felt like I did...."that the sport could use some publicity" and allowed the race to occur.  The stipulation would be that her time/position  did not count, they just let her have a run or two, for fun.      Should she?   I say YES!   Appears the US female ski team says No...from what I read.    They give lots of reasons, but I think it is just because they think it might lower the status of a currently high status event....   I obviously do not feel it would lower the status of female racing skiing one bit.   However skiers like Lindsey have,in my view, really elevated the sport to lunch table talk.     Is it because someone thinks that if she lands 10th, 20th, 40th in the standing that somehow people will forget woman's WC?   I think not.    She's tops and weighs only 165 lbs.    Weight/muscle mass matters at this level.     I get it, but would the non-skiing world.     I think that the publicity raised would far outweigh any possible downside.   Remember the Billy Jean King/Bobby Riggs match?  Granted that was purely a publicity match where as what we are discussing would be in the heat of a WC battle.       Also current Number 1 against a long retired champ.    Battle of the Sexes.     I was a 10 yr old kid who never played tennis, our family was not one who sat and watched TV or followed popular things...however I can remember the vibe this created in my neighborhood of mid to lower class families.    The girls rooted for Billy, the boys Bobby.  We (boys) knew we had it in the bag....oops !!!!  LOL.  But the winner was tennis.   After the match we all wanted to get rackets and play our own battle of the sexes, or just play.  

     

I get that this is people's profession and messing around in the sport should be avoided to keep the sport professoinal.   But hey, its a sport, a game, lets not lose sight of that.

I hear what your saying, and agree with some of your points. However, I remeber when Annika Sorenstam teed it up with the BIG BOYS a few years back (05 i think) and it created massive controversy. Personally I didn't take issue with it, but I could see where some guy who makes his living (to some 'regular" tour players this really is a job) playing golf and getting bumped for a publicity stunt getting really pissed. I get that. Why I say that is because Annika was given a sponsors exemption, had she qualified for the tourney (like everyone else does) nobody could argue, nobody. So, imo, IF Lindsey qualifies on her own (not bumping anyone) I say go for it. If not, well she should stick with the chix.

How would you feel if you were busting your arse all summer and fall to get into WC shape and then for a publicity stunt (as you say) you get bumped from your start.  This is one, well the easiest DH, of the season and guys (guys from WF) are trying to get top 30 finishes so they can get FIS points!  

So if she bumps one of our guys, well, we'll be pretty ticked off about that.

Make her the forerunner.  Problem solved.  

She should just go in penthouse.  problem solved

I agree that forerunning would seem to be the answer.  She doesn't take anyones spot and I don't think she can earn FIS points in two different catagories anyway.  But post her time unlike the norm of not posting a forerunners time

Unless she went to go run mens Noram's or Europa Cups I don't see how she could qualify for a mens race

Might be a mute issue - just watched the Solden GS and Lindsey took a wicked fall.  Looked like she really messed up her wrist or forearm.

What idiot in the FIS decided to change the skis back to no side cut.  The women that were finishing worse than 10th looked like they were J2's.  These new skis are so slow that these excellent skiers are not passing the eye test.  Why would you want to make the best skiers in the world look bad - not going to help TV ratings at all.  Next year maybe they will mandate that the GS is skied with only wedge turns.

Andrew was face posting he doesn't like the new GS skis.  Ligety didn't seem to mind...

Forerunning and posting a time as mentioned would seem to solve the problem.   If any men get their egos beat up by Lindsey topping them, they could use the excuse "she got to run the course a week earlier, that's why she beat me"   All parties win.    


Assuming Lake Louise does not allow her to race,  what about a publicity stunt only race between Lindsey and any men who want to attend a race, somewhere, where they would not violate WC rules of qualification/disqualification.   What men would "man up".    Might they be discouraged from the team coach or sponsors as risking injury for publicity.      


I want to see this happen.   Don't really know why, but I do.    Is it the car crash thing where you just have to look?