Date: Dec 5 1998 2:44PM
Author: BaLAnCe60.5
eMail: [email protected]
hi, i just finished reading the interview with that FIS guy, whatever his name is. I think that he's a skier at heart and wants to make dough off snowboarding. I think snowboarding should be it's own sport without help from those fruit boots, we need young entreprenuers in this industry to come up with bangin ideas for snowboarding without selling out like Devun Walsh, Peter Line and the boys. I'm coming out of Canada and ride mostly on the East Coast, and snowboarding is blowin up out here but I still like keeping it real and positive and would love to see better things arrive in the industry with true snowboarding heart behind it instead of what a skier likes to see happen.
Date: Dec 4 1998 9:01PM
Author: SuChick
eMail: [email protected]
does Kasper and the FIS have snowboarding's "best interests" at heart ? In a word.... no.
If "best interests" equates to global marketing, control and conformity, then I guess he does. But I don't think "best interests" lie there.....
I always loved the fact that boarding was a sport that deeply, deeply honoured the unquiness of individuality. Unfortunately, the "Golden Age of Snowboarding" is over. It's a giant cash grab now. It's not special anymore. It's being assimilated into the mainstream Big Money Machine. It's had the kiss of death bestowed upon it -- the world thinks it's "cool". And in it's rush to embrace coolness, youth and relevance, the world -- and the FIS -- is stomping on the soul of the sport.
Having said that, I'm sure Mr. Kasper is a very nice man and does not swing his legs over the edge of his bed every morning thinking, "hmmmm... How can I subvert and subjecate snowboarders to the iron fist of the FIS ?" He's well-meaning. But mis-guided.
In any case --- who cares ? It's all about the vibe of riding. The more it's packaged and marketed like the latest MTV one-hit-wonder, the more I want to turn off the X-Games and head to the back country and just ride, ride, ride.. far from the maddening crowd.
Date: Dec 5 1998 4:39PM
Author: greyness
eMail: [email protected]
i wish my server was called electricbean like suchick's.
Date: Dec 3 1998 3:14AM
Author: Free Board
eMail: [email protected]
Make money, take money, no matter where from - we're FIS!
If anyone would take into consideration what happened to the ski-freestyle association about 10 years ago when FIS swallowed this federation, the question of trusting the FIS would be a clear NO! Today they found themselves with having only 4 World Cup races worldwide throughout the whole season, no sponsors and no possibilities to change or implement anything, because of FIS dictatorship.
"FIS would like the industry's inputs" - of course, because Caspar is (again and as always) talking about generating FIS incomes: Why is there an IRT (Ski producers interest group to fight the FIS pool system) if the industry would feel comfortable in the FIS' mandatory pool-system, mostly used to provide these functionists' best friends some nice equipment and not for grassroots work? Why is the FIS interested in bringing Snowboarding to the Olympics? Simply because they get a lot of money from the IOC forexecuting these demands.
"No olympic Snowboarding without the FIS" - just a joke, the IOC was asking for this discipline, because of the (ISF proven) youth communication impact this Sport has. FIS just has to follow in order to give their national Ski-clubs an up to date possibility to get a grip on the youth. (With Skiing, they can't attract anyone young any longer ...) Despite the fact that the qualification criterias (at least in Europe) were very unfair towards PSA members, more than 2/3 of the medal winners came from the ISF side. FIS Snowboard contests are simply the second league ...
additional thought: FIS and the Sport of Snowboarding Just imagine getting told which board you'll have to ride, which uniform you're forced to wear, with which trainer you'll have to work with and having no chance to bring up any inputs in a Sports that's develloping every day. Is this Snowboarding? No, it's Skiing.
Don't trust these guys, they give a sh.t about our unique sport!
Date: Dec 2 1998 4:01PM
Author: Peggy Wong
eMail: [email protected]
I've only skied a few times and I haven't touched a snowboard before (although I am interested in snowboarding), so I'm probably the least qualified to post about Kasper trying to control and sell out snowboarding. What I can say, though, is this: Kasper is a hypocrite who sticks his foot in his own mouth. First, his critique of snowboarding's debut in Nagano was: "That was really a bad start,". I mean what was he thinking? He thinks he's dissing somebody else and doesn't realize that he's really dissing himself because FIS runs Olympic snowboarding. Also, what does he mean by "something like halfpipe snowboarding and freestyle skiing are very close in principal"? They may both have tricks but their roots are different. Finally, according to Kasper, "In the beginning all snowsports were done through national ski clubs that grew to include the various disciplines". Hello, does Kasper have anything besides elite snowsports competition in mind? I thought all snowsports, be it skiing or ski-jump or snowboarding or whatever, were all done by a group of enthusiasts who love the sport not just for competition. Just my $0.02 on the issue.
Date: Dec 1 1998 2:34PM
Author: Gr8 Scott
eMail: [email protected]
I haven't read up on this subject excepting the interview just posted today. Given what I have read in the interview, I cannot see Gian Kasper as anything but a leader of FIS. He is not evil, nor is he stupid. He seems to be a guy that is trying to do his job in the best way he can. I understand that snowboarding has a rich history of counterculture/gen X angst, but the sport is already headed to the mainstream via ESPN and MTV. It doesn't seem like most current snowboarders want to see the sport go mainstream because it would no longer be a strictly Gen X sport. While I do like the sport just the way it is/was, it would be nice to see snowboarders treat each other like human beings instead of obstacles. The same goes for skiers also. It seems that most people on the slopes are too self centered to help someone else up regardless of who wrecked who. I have also seen quite a few boarders take chances with my health and safety by not waiting until I have moved away from a hit.
Date: Nov 30 1998 9:39PM
Author: Tim
eMail:
Actions speak louder than words. From the beggining the FIS has tried to make snowboarding conform to its rules. Screw the FIS. Support organizations and companys operated and owned by SNOWBOARDERS, not skiers who used to diss snowboarding until they figured out they could make some cash off of it.
Date: Nov 30 1998 9:30PM
Author: miles
eMail:
His name is Gian and so was the winner of the halfpipe comp? Hmmm.
Date: Nov 30 1998 7:06PM
Author: Kaiser Wilhelm
eMail: [email protected]
We all look for the enemy. He lays in our own division. It will always be about organization. Power to Planet Snowboard
Date: Nov 30 1998 5:22PM
Author: Snowboarding Online
eMail: [email protected]
You've read the Kasper interview, now what do you think of the man and the FIS? Is it good for snowboarding? Tell us.
Date: Dec 1 1998 12:17PM
Author: Uncle Grumpy
eMail: [email protected]
The FIS seems to be in the best interests of elite athletes. FIS (as indicated in a TWS Rob Kingwell interview) takes care of its athletes and organizes competition better than competitors. This is good for the few dedicated individuals who have their sights set on athletic perfection, but it doesn't seem to be good for those who don't need to do anything and rule anyway. I'm not any of those people. I don't compete and, aside from a bordercross now and then for fun, I never will. So who am I to say? One point sticks out though; the FIS (not unlike K2, rossi or Salomon) runs its snowboarding department with snowboarders. They do this for credibility and effectivness. Sure, the events are designed by boarders, but within a mold that has little to do with the original ideals of snowboarding. With that mold come the puritan ideals of elite international athletic competition, and that is not good for snowboarding as a whole. Like so many have said in interviews, snowboarding now has potential to become the little league of the mountains, parental pressure and all. But like I said, it doesn't affect me or most other boarders. The idealeology of the FIS and elite athletics just doesn't translate to everyday freeriding and it never will.
Date: Dec 9 1998 8:01PM
Author: disgusted
eMail: [email protected]
Let's get one thing straight--
I am a friend of Rob Kingwill and we rode on a daily basis right before he started competing. I know that he saw the FIS tour as a better deal... who wouldn't?
But just like Microsoft gave away it's browser to destroy netscape, FIS created it's own little circus to destroy the ISF.
It is too bad that there was no organized industry protest or boycott at the time the FIS started their tour, or Rob, Zach, Ross... they wouldn't have gone. Also remember that none of these guys- with the exception of Lael Gregory- could come close to standing up to the top ISF riders in those early days. Rob, Zach, Ross... they all came a long way from training and WINNING FIS style. At the time, nobody in the industry was coherent enough to organize a protest.
Just like the American political machine after Watergate, the PR game gets better after any possibility of loss of control. So the FIS may be impossible to stop in their assimilation attempt.
I don't know what everyone knows about ski culture and training, but it's the opposite of snowboard culture. The regimentation, nazi discipline.... come on folks, let's face it, skiing is a psuedo country club sport where everything is overpriced- from your chairlift ride to your mittens- and a part of a traditionally exclusive society. How many afro-americans or asians do you see on the slopes? About the same ammount you'll see in the Sentate.
Snowboarding emerged as the opposite. Any random psycho could move to the mountains, and become the best... that's all changing now. The Academy kids snowboard now, and they're the ones who are winning the regional series. Because THEY CAN AFFORD IT.
So any of you who think this is a nice old guy doing his job needs a serious reality check. As someone who has worked with the FIS, I have to tell you that these people have no business governing or controlling the future of snowboarding.
That honor should go to Chuck Barfoot, David Dowd, Chris Pappas, Tim Windell, Steve Graham, Tom Nordwall... the list goes on and on. While our sport's founding fathers went broke, the FIS boys rode their limos around in Olympic style.
BOYCOTT FIS NOW AND STOP THE ASSIMILATION
Date: Dec 1 1998 10:55PM
Author: Robert Conradt
eMail:
Interesting point! I guess that you`d say now we have a split agenda for our sport from now on. With the good ol` boy elitist group and then the right on laid back on the hill purests. My vote goes for the freeriders anytime! I can see the reigns tightening down on the FIS side even more. I`m happy to see USSA finally getting with reality a little and giving in for the future of boarding. If we have an agreement then lets get on with the season and rip it up on whatever tour you do. After reading Giancarlo`s canned form comments i can see that there never will be a meeting of minds with FIS. Their agenda is straight ahead and never varies. The FIS took control of the sport but they have no history in the sport to fall back on and reflect. We`ve been at it since day one and never look back but with pride in the job we`ve done to always keep the sport moving forward, but, vering off every now and then to keep the freshness there at all times. Snowboarding has a ways to go before it reaches that stail level . We`re still in the pre-adolescents stage and about to become the reverred adult. I don`t it`s just my point of view and i could be wrong
Date: Dec 1 1998 1:00PM
Author: greyness
eMail: [email protected]
Well said Mr. Grumpy.
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