Fido the Yak

My heart soared watching Kelly Clark throw down her final run in the Olympic halfpipe event, and it crashed when she fell coming down off her final trick, a frontside 900. The stuff of legends? Memorable for sure.

I don't disagree with the judges who awarded medals to Hannah Teter and the others, and I don't think the scoring system is unfair. In fact I like it because it rewards grace and punishes ostentation. But I really like the way snowboarders push themselves to the limits anyway, knowing full well that any minor dust up will be heavily penalized.

So what defines excellence in sports? Watching the snowboarders on the halfpipe, just seeing gifted athletes fall on their butts helped me appreciate how hard it must be to throw down a winning run like Hannah Teter or Shaun White. It helps me see what they're striving for. Then again, the same might be said for Clark's huge airs.

posted by Fido the Yak at 5:33 AM.