Surfing as an Olympic sport
Indoor wave machines make it possible. And Rob Dougherty of The Inertia outlines some more reasons:
In addition to the improving wave pool technology, surfing has lots of other attributes that almost ensures its success at the Summer Games. First, it’s a sport pursued by people all over the world. The Volcom Pipe Pro in January, for example, featured surfers from seventeen different countries. Surfing already has a structured judging system in place that looks for and rewards tactical surfing like carves, barrel rides and airs. While the judging is far from perfect, the same can be said for any sport with subjective scoring. Third, surfing is more popular than ever, and has ties to lots of adjacent sports like body boarding, body surfing and even SUP’ing that the Olympic committee should also consider.
Personally, I'm hoping that one day competitive eating will be given its rightful place at the Olympics.
Comments
Frankly, if you can't measure who won, but need a jury to judge how prettily the contestants performed, then it isn't a sport, it's a performance art. And we have too many of those in the Olympics as it is. I say kick them all out and replace them with rugby and cricket. Now those are sports.
Posted by Richard Bos on 03/01/14 at 09:04 AM
Rugby? Cricket? Pshaw!
The only real sport is Calvinball!
The only real sport is Calvinball!
Posted by Phideaux on 03/01/14 at 10:19 AM
If Men's Synchronized Swimming isn't allowed then surfing shouldn't be either!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 03/01/14 at 10:19 AM
Forget about new sports. Let's make the sports we have now better. Think how much it would improve things if the gymnasts had to sing their own music during the floor exercise.
Posted by crc on 03/01/14 at 10:33 AM
Improving existing sports:
Biathlon -- you ski, shoot a wild hare, gather wild veggies and herbs, and cook up a decent stew. Bonus points for making a dessert.
Nordic combined -- carrying full military pack, you make three jumps (walking back uphill after each) and cross-country through an area laced with landmines and booby-traps.
Every swimming event -- do it four times, once as now done, once in a business suit/dress, once in a pool with sharks, once in a pool with piranhas.
I'd rather see a paintball competition introduced before surfing.
Biathlon -- you ski, shoot a wild hare, gather wild veggies and herbs, and cook up a decent stew. Bonus points for making a dessert.
Nordic combined -- carrying full military pack, you make three jumps (walking back uphill after each) and cross-country through an area laced with landmines and booby-traps.
Every swimming event -- do it four times, once as now done, once in a business suit/dress, once in a pool with sharks, once in a pool with piranhas.
I'd rather see a paintball competition introduced before surfing.
Posted by Phideaux on 03/01/14 at 01:20 PM
Can't we just finally have an Olympic event that involves sex or nudity ? .. It's what we all really know we want.
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 03/01/14 at 01:35 PM
Strip poker at -40? ... With chill???
Posted by BMN on 03/01/14 at 03:04 PM
Add WWE to the Olympics, that'll increase interest!
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 03/01/14 at 08:05 PM
Phideaux: I'll see your Calvinball, and raise you Poohsticks.
crc: that would require two juries, one to give points to the prancing, and one for the singing. And Simon Cowell would want to be in the latter. Or Paula Abdul. Or Kylie. *shudder*
Phideaux and BMN: combine your ideas: strip biathlon! With paintball guns and bonus for hitting certain targets. (Yes, I'm evil. But notice that this would still be a measurable, non-jury sport: either you hit closer to The Spot than your opponent, or you don't.)
patty: isn't there enough bad acting in the opening and closing ceremonies as it is?
crc: that would require two juries, one to give points to the prancing, and one for the singing. And Simon Cowell would want to be in the latter. Or Paula Abdul. Or Kylie. *shudder*
Phideaux and BMN: combine your ideas: strip biathlon! With paintball guns and bonus for hitting certain targets. (Yes, I'm evil. But notice that this would still be a measurable, non-jury sport: either you hit closer to The Spot than your opponent, or you don't.)
patty: isn't there enough bad acting in the opening and closing ceremonies as it is?
Posted by Richard Bos on 03/02/14 at 06:46 AM
Don't forget this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43-Man_Squamish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43-Man_Squamish
Posted by Paul on 03/02/14 at 10:33 AM
Surfing is awesome.
It takes a lot of skill to essentially "dance on moving water".
Choosing the right wave and knowing how to handle it -- that takes skill.
An indoor wave pool would defeat the purpose in my humble opinion.
Nature is random, the ocean is powerful. Navigating the waves (and around the other surfers) is an art form.
Standardized waves in an indoor pool??? No way.
It takes a lot of skill to essentially "dance on moving water".
Choosing the right wave and knowing how to handle it -- that takes skill.
An indoor wave pool would defeat the purpose in my humble opinion.
Nature is random, the ocean is powerful. Navigating the waves (and around the other surfers) is an art form.
Standardized waves in an indoor pool??? No way.
Posted by GirlgeniusNYC on 03/02/14 at 10:34 AM
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Category: Sports