taken directly for legs of steels facebook page:
"DNS – DID NOT START. These three letters where standing behind 42 Athlete names on the starting list of 84 Athletes in total of the FIS Slopestyle Worldcup in Sierra Nevada Spain on the 23. of March 2013. Including the Number one and two of the Worlcuplist James Woods and Johan Berg. And most of the top 30 riders according to the Worldcuplist. What happend?
Basicly the weather conditions have been really bad. More than 50kmh wind and due to snowy and windy weather (up to 100kmh) the previous day the cours was in bad shape. Nobody was feeling comfortable with the cours. So we decided up on to let the Athletes vote weather to run the comp or cancel it. Clearly more that half of the riders where voting for cancelling the competition. The desicion was going back and forward with the organizers weather cancelling the comp or to run it anyways. After a second riders vote where again more than half of the riders were against competiting the FIS desiced to run the comp anyways...
Were does this leaves us... The decsion of the majority of the riders had no impact on the organizers what so ever. The conditions where dangerous and saftey should be number one priority. Which shows that the safety of the riders is not a big issue for them.... The event staff said who ever wants to compete can compete it is the riders call if he wants to go...
But thats the Problem.
You have to see the bigger picture. If we look at the Top 15 on the Worldcuplist. Most of them can make a living from skiing by themself. They are not depending on the support from there National Skiing Organization. Which means they dont need to do Worldcups or go to the Olympics to be a professional skier. Most of them pulled out of the Competion today. On the other hand there are Athlets who now have the chance to become preofessional Skiers because of the Olympics. They have funding from there goverment and can so afford to be skiing all year long. But these Athletes are depending on the FIS contest... You can't blame them for skiing in dangerous conditions but the point is you cant showcase Freeskiing at ist highest level when the conditions are dangerous. Everybody who was there could have done a easy run and by doing that risking the rest of there season, but thats not how anyone of us wants to represent Skiing. Or should be represented anyway.
And that is were the Skiers have to stick together. If you want Freeskiing to be the Sport it is today and stay the Sport it is today. We have to make the desicion whats good or bad for the Sport. If we dont do that the Organizations gonna come up with strict rules becaus they dont want 3h discussions at the Start Gate weather to run the Comp or not... And if thats gonna happen we gonna get closer and closer to become like Mogul or Arial skiing then you think in no time. For FIS comps and Olympic anyways. And i think no one wants that!!!
Thank you to all the Athlets who stood up today spoke their mind and DID NOT START. It was a way to make a point that we are still a free sport. Especially to you Woodsy and Johan."
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