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Lindsey Jacobellis flew into the frigid Italian atmosphere as a
celebrated and admired snowboarding superstar but, after an
adrenalin-fueled grab at her board in mid-flight, she returned
to earth in a meteoric flameout destined to make her a lock for
membership in the sports Bonehead Hall of Fame. But her gaffe
also represents a watershed moment for a sport once typified by
such actions.
Snowboarding is a serious sport populated by serious athletes.
Participants in competitions throughout the world work and train
and sacrifice to race and win and be recognized as the best in
their sport. But the ascension of snowboarding from a wild,
rebellious and carefree winter activity to a
corporately-sponsored, mainstream, Olympic-level competition has
resulted in attitudes and expectations that are radically
divergent from the once-radical personality that dominated the
sport.
Lindsey Jacobellis began snowboarding in rural Roxbury, CT when
she was 10-years old. Coached by her older brother, Ben, Lindsey
was forced to compete against boys since there was no girls'
division for the sport. This co-ed racing helped her develop a
highly competitive spirit. Leading up to the Olympics she
trained with the American men since she is the only U.S. woman
competing in snowboard cross. She is, quite simply, the best
women's snowboard cross racer in the world. But, as a result of
her fall in the Italian Alps, she will not be an Olympic
champion in 2006.
What Lindsey Jacobellis will be, to many, is a showboating hot
dog. She will be derided for being cocky, over-confidant and
foolish. One television reporter stated that Lindsey had left a
"blemish on the sport of snowboarding." Another said that the
"nation's hope for a gold medal" in this event rested "solely on
her shoulders." Her agent is probably on suicide watch after
seeing his dreams of gold medal endorsement deals get swept away
in an avalanche of shattered dreams.
And how does Lindsey feel about all of this? "I went for the
jump because I was having fun," she said. "Snowboarding is fun,
and I wanted to share that with the crowd. ... I was caught up
in the moment and forgot that I had to race."
Poor Lindsey. Doesn't she realize that competing at this level
is not supposed to be fun? That getting "caught up in the
moment" was a reckless, selfish and careless demonstration of
naïve exuberance? How could Lindsey have been so irresponsible
that she would have allowed the thrill of flying down a frosty
hill, free, fast and in first-place by a snowboarding mile, to
be manifested in a flamboyant maneuver for which snowboarders
used to be hailed?
"Used to be..." That is the operative phrase at the moment.
Snowboarding has come of age. Millions are watching world-class
athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze. Fame and fortune
await the winners. Only memories of a temporary place on the
world stage await the rest. But Lindsey Jacobellis will forever
straddle the chasm between Olympic winners and Olympic losers.
She now carries the weight of Olympic silver around her neck and
the stigma of Olympic failure on her competitive resume.
By her self-inflicted disaster, Lindsey Jacobellis has elevated
snowboarding to a premier winter sport. No longer will the
freewheeling, high-flying, "hey dude, watch this," X Game-style
mentality apply to competitive snowboarding. It's about winning
and money and national honor and endorsements. Getting ramped up
and having fun are no longer permissible attitudes for the
sport.
Dude, this is serious!
About the author:
J. Terrence (Terry) McDermott does not ski nor can he snowboard.
He does, however, manage a website that offers tons of ski and
snowboard equipment at SnowboardsandSkis.com
. If he did snowboard, he hopes that he would share the same
healthy perspective that Lindsey Jacobellis has so far
demonstrated.
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