I ONLY found time to watch a bit of the Winter Olympics but at least I got to see Lizzy Yarnold win her second gold medal and Laura Deas take the bronze in the Skeleton.
Does that make me one of those people who, according to a recent survey, has little interest in the Winter Olympics? I think this survey is a little misleading because, after all, the number of skiers and snowboarders in the UK is increasing.
Eddie with former American ski racer Hilary Lindh in Whitefish, Montana. See story below
I think a lack of people watching the Winter Olympics has more to do with the amount of sport that is now available on TV. When I was a kid, we only had three or four channels. Now there are hundreds of channels, including sports dedicated channels such as Sky Sports, that are showing many different activities 24 hours a day. So, I don’t think it means less people are interested in watching winter sports, it’s more to do with the amount of choice they now have.
And we mustn’t forget, we are not a winter sports nation so the people in charge need to work a bit harder to get people interested. But the people in the ski and snowboard Federations seem to think that only the athletes that win medals are the inspiration for people to go out and have a go at a sport.
This is totally wrong and promotes elitism. Most people don’t think they can get to the highest level, but if they see people just having a go and doing their best I think this is a lot more inspirational.
For example, if we are given four places in the Olympics for four downhill racers then we should send four downhill racers and not just our top one or two. It shouldn’t matter if they are ranked number 10 in the world or 10,000th in the world. It might make people think ‘I could do better than that’ and therefore encourage more people to have a go.
Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards waves to the crowds from the back of a float in the Whitefish Winter Carnival Grand Parade. See story below.
PHOTO: Whitefish Pilot
Mind you, I yearn for the old days when I could just turn up at a ski jump and ask if I was OK to do some jumping. Now all the jumps have got caging or fencing around them because of health and safety issues etc. It would drive me nuts trying to conform to all the bureaucratic nonsense that goes on. It’s all box ticking these days.
I can’t believe that we have spent double the money on our British athletes at this year’s Winter Olympics than we did four years ago at Sochi. Many of the athletes and trainers I speak to say they didn’t see any of this money, so where has it gone?
But let’s not take anything away from our medallists. It is fantastic what they achieved. They should enjoy the moment and make the most of it. My advice is that if they are asked to do something, go and do it as this can lead on to other things or open doors to other exciting things in the future.
* Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards is writing for the Skier & Snowboarder throughout the season. The column is being supported by skiweekends.com who are also making a donation to the charity Ski 4 Cancer – www.ski4cancer.org
You can read Eddie’s column in the magazine and every month on the Skier & Snowboarder website at: www.skierandsnowboarder.com
It’s carnival time for Eddie in Whitefish
Eddie Edwards was invited to take part in the recent annual Whitefish Winter Carnival in Montana, USA where the motto this year was ‘Fly Like An Eagle’.
On parade in Whitefish, Montana.
Eddie was invited to be the Grand Marshal of the 59th annual Winter Carnival and took part in the town’s Grand Parade.
This was just one of many attractions held during the event and others included a King and Queen Coronation when King Ullr LIX and his Queen of the Snows were unveiled, a disco, ski joring, a gala, and a Penguin Plunge when carnival goers took a dip in Whitefish Lake’s icy waters to raise funds for Special Olympic athletes in the Whitefish/Kalispell area.
Eddie has a go at ski joring during the Whitefish Winter Carnival.
But one of the highlights for Eddie was taking advantage of the fantastic conditions in the ski area when he met and skied with former World Cup American alpine ski racer Hilary Lindh who also competed at the 1988 Calgary Olympics where ‘The Eagle’ made a name for himself.
There’s always some weird and wacky outfits on show at the annual carnival in Whitefish.
Categories: Skiing with Eddie