Anthony Boronowski on halfpipe being in the Olympics

Trennon,

I was going to communicate with you privately but I thought perhaps it is best i clear this up on here so there's no more misunderstanding for anyone.

What I meant by "motivated by money" wasn't directed at the athletes. You, as I, know that if you want to make money your best bet isn't to become a professional skier. I know that the skiers who compete have the truest intentions in mind and are not in it for the cash.

What I meant was that there's agents, broadcasting networks sponsors, and even some magazines who are pushing to make this happen for their best interests.

I would never question the athletes, or their skill, dedication and commitment to the sport, I simply wanted to open a dialogue about the implications of skiing in the Olympics. I wouldn't ever question my peers intentions like that...

Sorry if we got mixed up. I hope we're still cool.

Anthony
 
A.B.- I like how your name ain't orange. Keeping it real. As for the points given, so true. Although... the only thing that is important- is money in this world- and that is why I hope skiing does go to the olympics and...
 
Hey Anthony.
We're definitely still cool, you've always been a good friend and I respect your opinions. Thanks for clarifying that statement, maybe I was too quick to take it the wrong way.
I just wanted to make sure that people understand why it means so much to the athletes involved, and that despite all the political bullshit that can surround the Olympics, as far as an athlete is concerned, the Olympic experience, and the motivation to go, is generally as pure and true as it gets.
You are looking at it from different angles than I. I will readily admit that I am really only looking it from the perspective of a participating athlete (or coach, now), and whether or not agents, networks, sponsors, or magazines, gain or lose from it really doesn't affect that perspective, so I don't put a lot of thought towards those things.
Props for speaking your mind buddy, it's a very interesting debate and I do think it's good to get all the opinions out there, even if they aren't all in agreement.
Let's grab a beer and talk about it sometime. Peace.
 
I'm still in support for slope/halfpipe skiing in the olympics. The opportunity to represent your country on that big of a stage is huge, and it's an opportunity that any athlete should be able to pursue.
 
The "interview" format of the OP is extremely misleading, and ruins some of the otherwise good arguments in the text.
As I said, there are good arguments in there. I agree with the fact that the current head-over-heels support for halfpipe in the olympics perhaps is not the most desirable way to go about it. We need to make demands, in order to shape it so that it aligns with the visions we share for our culture. No matter what the motivation for the individual athlete is (and i believe it is by large not money related), it is a fact that the Olympics is one big money machine. Claiming otherwise is ignorant. I personally struggle with that fact, and I personally have issues with the corporatism and politics surrounding the Olympics. These are all facts that need to be taken into consideration when thinking about the Olympics, and in that respect the OP raises some interesting questions, but in my opinion not in a very constructive way.
Just think about it, it is alot more complex than one might think.
 
Hey Tone
I really liked your article. You made great points and you also didn't bash the possible olympic freeskiing inclusion.
Here's my two cents. When halfpipe skiing gets into the 2014 Olympics in Sochi Russia, I will be competing. It will not be for money because thats not what skiing is all about. It will be for the once in a life time opportunity to become an olympian and potential medalist. Simple as that.
Can't wait to shred pow with you very very soon.
Marg
 
look at scotty lago when he got that pic of him with his medal down by his dick with some chick kissing it. He had to give it back. If skiing goes to the olympics stuff like guys smoking and drinking in ski movies will all change. Guys wont be able to live there lifestyle how they want. but my biggest fear is that FIS will put rules on progression of tricks like how they did to moguls. Its a huge game changer for the the comp.

And on a second note marg how do you no you will be going to the olympics only a few and the best pipe skiers will go from each country. there is bunch of pre good pipe skiers in canada.
 
I think that this is actually pretty dumb.

Snowboarding has been in the Olympics since what? 98? Guess what, there are still hundreds of board companies out there, Burton hasnt taken over the world. And it hasnt eliminated snowboarding's freedom either. Look at people like Bradshaw, or LeBlanc, or Scott Stevens, and tell me that snowboarding has gotten stagnant or that the freedom is gone.

Will there be divisions in skiing? Sure, there will be more of a pipe-jock versus other guys deal going on, but that already happens. Youve got people like Jacob, or Jon, or Dumont who train and train to get gnarly dub corks, but you have your Will Wessons, and your Phil Casabons as well. Sure it might accentuate the divide, but the divides already there.

When it comes down to it, pipe skiing will increase exposure, and thus get more money into the industry, but anyone who doesnt want to get affected by it wont be. People will continue to do their own thing, whether its training quad corks in the pipe, or tailpressing urban rails.
 
Ever since Thony's part in 1242 in his flannel destruction with Styx playing in the background I have always respected him, he was spinning unnatural rodeo 5s just doing his thing way back in the day getting two spread pages in Freeze as an AM for "what skiing will become". Then him (and maybe a few others I cannot remember) started Joystick which has always had a good vibe and positive outlook on skiing.

After reading this article, i have even more respect for. It is always a good thing for you to state what you believe in. I agree with almost everything he said in the article. It was a great read to see someone say what is on their mind and how they feel. As far as changing the sport and having skier stop partying and changing their image and lifestyle....nothing is going to stop me (and I am sure thousands of others especially Ager) from buying the 40 oz of PBR, pack of smokes, and skiing deep powder in the mountains and being free.
 
He didn't have to give his medal back don't be such an idiot. He did get in a bit of trouble and ended up leaving early, but that's a completely different thing than giving a medal back.
So was it cool that the US freaked over something little like that? No. But you can guarantee that Scotty is still pretty damn stoked that he got to go to the Olympics and win a medal even if he did have to deal with a little controversy and a slap on the wrist thrown in.
 
To me it boils down to freeskiing. I quit moguls because I was tired of the rules, the training, everything. Nobody wants to step a course when theres a foot of pow and everyone else around your course is enjoying it. The reason the older guard isn't totally pumped on this huge event? They enjoy the freedom of getting to do whatever it is they want to do.

Freeskiing was founded on the stoke you get from brushing trees on a pow day, sliding rails, airing off a catwalk as big as you can with a 180 and hoping you don't eat shit, cutting ropes and dropping cliffs because the stoke you receive from doing it outweighs the risk.

Oh, and I don't care if snowboarding has done alright with having the olympics in the sport. Look at the tools it's spawned in front of a global audience. If I remember correctly, Shaun White is only in the sport for the money? I'd rather not watch my heros fall for the corporate bullshit that will ensue and then become the face of the sport.

In my opinion, the explosion of freeskiing recently has gone a bit too far. It used to be fun supporting any random kid that happened to be in the park the same day you were. Sessioning a jump line, or rail with a complete stranger used to be a lot more fun. I used to love park but my passions been really fading recently. I still love skiing, but miss the old days.
 
Really the only "jerk pipe jock guy" out there is shawn white, and while he certainly might not be the face of the "core" snowboarder, i dont think you can say hes in it for the money only. like it or not, he clearly loves what hes doing, it just happens to be he loves winning contests and pushing himself in the pipe, not being "core" out on urban rails.

I think its amusing that its being portrayed like the FIS is going to break into your house and steal your pow skis, and force you to ride pipe. That clearly isnt going to happen.
 
that was a good read, and I appreciate anthony's opinion and his influence on the sport--- but, I think the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
most people in the world take pride in the athletes representing their country in the olympics, and it would be pretty dope to have millions of people around the world supporting our sport and celebrating with us as we watch guys from our community progress. I do agree that there is potential for skiers and companies to focus only on pipe-- but, almost all pipe skiers out there right now are pretty well-rounded. Maybe more exposure of these athletes would lead to more public interest in the other aspects of the sport as well. As long as Mike D announces, we get ex-pro or very well trained judges, and make sure FIS doesn't ruin everything by limiting progression, it could be a great thing for our sport. Maybe creating a new governing body, run by skiers, is a good solution for keeping FIS in check.
 
Why hate on Shaun White. He has never come across as cocky in any interview I have seen. Is it jealousy? He has been very fortunate with endorsements. He jumped on opportunities that were given to him. I got into the sport because he loved it, everything else came afterwards. Yeah, he is not the most "core" athlete, but who cares? He loves it just as much as anybody else and shouldn't be hated on for that.
And for the halfpipe discussion - for those competing I see why it could be controversial, but for everyone else, why do you care so much? I have fun when I ski, that will not change whether or not skiing is in the olympics or not.
 
plus, how are the "athletes" supposed to blaze and compete? I'm sure all of you have seen "Like A Lion"
 
"Let's say skiing had made it into the Olympics in Vancouver. Would someone like Tom Wallisch, who is undoubtedly a phenomenal talent, have devoted his time to being what Tom Wallisch is today, or would he have spent more time trying to be a well judged halfpipe skier?

Put it like this. What do you think Sean Pettit would do? Do you think we would have Sean Pettit as a bigmountain skier? Because undeniably Sean has a God-given talent, although I don't really believe in talent, but he has the ability and the opportunity to become one of the best skiers ever. Ask yourself, would Sean be skiing the [game-changing] way he is now?

Quite possibly not. Remember how good he was at halfpipe?

And that's fucking sad to me. Look at how good he was at halfpipe. Don't you think he would have kept doing that? And what if we didn't have Sean?"

That right there is scary enough....just the pure motivation of the way kids try to progress would be unfortunate.
 
I think it's total bullshit to say that the best skiers are freeskiing, not skiing moguls. Who are you to say that? I'd like to see a lot of the big mountain skiers jump into a mogul course and hold there own against guys like travis cabral. That's like comparing apples to oranges. You have NO room to say those guys and girls aren't the best skiers. You have NO idea... Skiing moguls for that many years makes you an incredibly good skier.
I skied moguls till I was 16.. I HATED it, hence why I switched over.. but thats completely shit saying they're not that great of skiers.
 
Do you see Mountain Dew Parks? Or ESPN learn to ride clinics?
No, you don't, so by that logic you must be against Dew Tours and XGames too, right?
 
Dumb argument, Travis Rice used to be really good at Halfpipe too (hell, his Oakley ad was a pipe shot), it's not like the Olympics came and stole him away from his big mountain backcountry destiny.
 
thats an awful lot of speculation.

and again, look at T-Rice. He slays slopestyle and big air, and look at TITA. there was one park segment, the rest was bc. People are going to do what they want regardless.
 
anthony actually made me change my mind about the olympics

I feal like the only ski companies able to put skiers in the olympics would be solomon and atomic and k2.

All the super ill companies like on3p, bluehouse, coreupt, and moment ect. would be screwed.

I also dont want the skier douche bag stereotype to be as shitty as the snowboarder douche bag stereotype!
 
kind of off topic about the skiing halfpipe, but you should probably read shaun white's interview in rolling stone last year. in the interview he said many things, one that i can remember off the top of my head is something along the lines of him not being able to be friends with his competitors because he cant respect people that he competes and wins against..

and i honestly dont know how i feel about pipe skiing in the olympics, after reading comments from both sides i would say we really have to wait and see what happens, i dont think snowboarding pipe in the olympics was bad for snowboarding, it brought more exposure to the sport and brought more money into the sport, but at the same time it turned snowboarding pipe more into something you train to do. not to mention turned a pretty cocky douchebag into a national hero, not that i really see anyone in our sport to be that cock, but it is something that could happen.
 
this is a good post, and I agree with most of it, although I am sort of against what the modern olympics have become. I live in vancouver and I felt alienated, and I felt that the IOC was rather corrupt. personally I didn't get the feeling that it was about celebrating sport at all. in fact, the resort I worked at had a drop in patronage over the olympics, even though it was the only ski hill open to the public in the city.
anyhow, I'm not particularly against freeskiing being in the olympics, as it will not change how I ski.in my opinion, since halfpipe snowboarding is in, halfpipe skiing should be as well, and those skiers who want to participate should have the opportunity to try.
 
watching shaun whites victory run in the olympics was one of my top 10 TV sports moments ever. i would love to watch and get the same feeling from skiing in a olympic halfpipe. hopefully more competition between the skiers than what shaun white had.
and as far as mogul skiing goes, well apples to oranges for that one. also, where would moguls be without the olympics, my guess, not very far? if you don't like the olympics, dont watch, if you don't like the people competing in the olympics, don't like them. i truly fail to see how the olympics is so "dangerous" to the sport of skiing. from my eyes, simon will be exactly the same, kevin will be exactly the same, and so on. you can still smoke weed, get the flush system, you can still party like bode miller. when terje boycotted the olympics he started up the Arctic Challenge, it has gone bankrupt 4 times. I truly think Terje sits up at night wishing he had a Gold Medal, cuz you know what, Shaun White has a couple and he sure doesn't seem that bummed.
PUT HALFPIPE SKIING IN THE OLYMPICS, IF YOU DON"T LIKE IT DON'T WATCH IT. IM SURE NO ONES LIVES HERE WILL CHANGE THAT DONT SUPPORT THE OLYMPICS IF HALFPIPE SKIING IS IN!
 
I want it as much as I dont want it.
I want the exposure... I want to show people who dont get it (and believe me theres tons who DONT get it) what it is that i'm most interested in and why...
I want people to get into it more... the more people who are into skiing, the more people understand what i do and why... and the more friends I'll likely make and the more parties I get to enjoy.
Imagine the athletes that could get into skiing if it had a broader audience... Shit could get insane... Shit, it already is.
But at the same time, I dont want people who dont get the culture to invade and screw with it by throwing mainstream things into it to higher levels...
That, and I dont want companies like Salomon, K2, and Rossignol to absolutely own the entire industry, and kill smaller brands with overexposure - either by buying them up, or squashing them out.
Shit happens - Look at the auto industry in the 50's. Look at it in the 70's. Look at it in the 90's. Look at it today. Every 20 years, it shrinks exponentially.
Shit could potentially happen with skiing. That would suck... I like having wayyy too many companies, with WAY too many decisions, and WAY too many choices - because theyre all pretty freaking awesome. The innovation and technical progression of skis has exploded in the last 10 years... shit's become INSANE, and I love it... But if the olympics makes the industry very top heavy, It wont be as fun.

 
I read this again and it just reminded me that the ridiculous boot grabbing and 1 second ski touch shit should NOT fly! EVER!
 
Bad comparison
The auto industry has a high cost of entry with huge r&d costs to stay relevant. There are a billion little ski and snowboard companies because ski technology barely ever changes and there are no real patents on any of it (apparently Armada has one but thats beside the point), so any improvements benefit all companies through technological spillover. Clothes are even worse because people just doodle some shit in class and decide they should sell it on an oversized t-shirt.
The real problem is that there are already too many companies out there for the small ski industry to support. That's why we need things like the olympics to grow skiing as a whole. That way there is an even bigger market for college dropouts who "just want to make money doing what they love" to make skis in their plywood home ski presses and sell them for $600 a pair to people who want to ski, but are only willing to purchase "core" products that "support the industry".
Bottom line, there will always be plenty of new small companies to choose from. Many of them will go bankrupt because they suck, and the rest will help to push the bigger companies to improve their products through increased competition.
 
I think this is being blown a little out of proportion. I really don't think that the money made from the olympics will be brought down to a low enough level that companies directly involved with the skiing world will make bank.

As a competitor in the 2010 olympics, I know a little bit about the going's on of advertising and product placement. They do honestly try to regulate the showing of sponsors on the athletes. You notice Shuan White wasn't wearing his red bull helmet? you notice he wasn't wearing a jacket with a huge Burton logo on it?

Don't get me wrong, there are huge corporations that make incredible amounts of money for sponoring the olympics. VISA, Macdonalds, etc. These are massive companies. It's unrealistic to say that a clothing brand or goggle company is supporting halfpipe skiing for ulterior motives.

I will close by saying that I completely agree with everything Trennon posted, and also have mad respect for Anthony and all he has done to broaden the perspective of freeskiing over the years.

 
just look at what has happened to snowboarding. it has gone from rebellious and badass to fully mainstream. everybody in north america knows who Shaun White is. anx nobody knows about the lesser guys. as anthony said, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.
 
except not. we already have the same thing in skiing. Dumont and a handfull of others make bank, while others have to work non-skiing jobs in the summer just to get by.

plenty of dudes still make a living in snowboarding, without the excessive paychecks of someone like Shaun White. And look at someone like Magoon, or LeBlanc, or Gus Engle and tell me they arent being rebellious or that they are mainstream. Its laughable.

This inevitably happens with every action sport, the same concerns were raised when snowboarding entered the olympics, and the same concerns were raised when Tony Hawk was "selling out" with all his mainstream exposure and the X-Games explosion. Yet in every sport, while there are a few dudes in the mainstream limelight making a ton, there is still a massive core following of dudes being rebellious and doing what they want. Yet the influx of "non-core" money allows their sport to grow.
 
thats a great point. however, i dont think that the guys who will become the face of our sport are the right ones to do so. look at kevin rolland and xavier bertoni. they arent an accurate representation of our sport to the public.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with Boronowski. I have always felt the olympics might do this to our sport. I tink we are lookingat it in too much of a "what can we do for IS to get it there" POV instead of "what is FIS going to do for our sport?" POV
 
yes its speculation, that's for sure, but there's some truth to the thought, you can't just play devils advocate and ignore the idea.

using travis rice as an example for everything doesn't work, the guy is a machine and completely unlike any other snow sport athlete there has ever been. you can't say "well that's not true or likely because look at t rice". hes one in a million and should not be the example for a debate of some kind.
 
why the fuck not?

i'd much rather rather the general public saw these 2 kids who work hard to be the best they can be and get fucking excited when they fulfil and exceed their dream, than some pseudo-thugged-out wigga trying to act gangsta despite being from exactly the same background as the aforementioned dudes.
 
Jealousy? Do you think I'd like to be called the flying tomato on tv? haha. Why hate on Shaun White? The dude breathes Burton. Personally I don't support any companies that actively dislike skiing- but you know its up to you if you're down with that- feed that empire right?

He has been very fortunate with his endorsements and is a very gifted athlete- that is undeniable. I remember there being an interview though where he basically said he's in it for the money, not snowboarding. Personally, I'm not a big fan of that stance.
 
Whats really amusing is how one sided this debate has gotten. Everyone wants to watch cool skiers do cool tricks in a halfpipe! A lot of really good skiers from all disciplines will lose interest in pushing their side of the sport. Its hard to bust your ass towards a lower pay check when you could be busting your ass towards Olympic pipe. Sponsor pressure for pipe jocks is about to skyrocket. Long term effects? FIS essentially is breaking into peoples houses and trading their pow skis for pipe skis.

The olympics will be great for the athletes, as it should be. As Tony mentioned though, it'll have different impacts that the general NS population disregards.
 
i totally agree with that article, the problem is not the olympic itself it`s all the other aspect
Then you,re gonna get olympic programs of pipe and it`s going to be pipe 24/7 10 hours a daynothing else, because if you want to get good that`s what you'll need to doNothing less nothing more...
The example of Tony Hawk doesnt really get it because I got nothing about athlethes getting mainstream.Nowadays everyone know what skateboarding is do they had to get in Olympics?not at all!So it`s same for freeskiing, let`s keep it a corporate sport. This way we won`t get all FIS/National program problems that will kill the sport like nothing else can do. That`s my main concern. If anyone knows someone with a high competitive level of olympic/national federation. He'll uderstand, when you get to state,provincial,national level it`s all about your coach telling you what to do to move up. Nothing too creative, just things to get more points. Yes there will be still progression but it won`t be the same kind of stuff. I was so glad we were out of FIS, no getting in again will only add problems to the whole thing.

Other than that for the freesking world what he says is trueThe funds for freeskiing will move toward that segment and everything will need to be worked over to bring back money to backcountry and urban skiing. Now, and that`s cool every kid can go to a big level with a nice lil park at home and a lot of urban dedication.

 
I believe the reason most non-competitive skiers want skiing in the olympics is for exposure. But yet this is the reason i do not want it, i do not want skiing to be exposed to the way the olympics will expose it. I do not want people to think the best freestyle skiers are those to do a double right twelve in the pipe. I would almost rather skiing be a small underground community where those who do it have the same views as anthony or I. Skiing halfpipe is definitely one of my favorite things to do in life, and i never competed or plan on competing in a halfpipe contest. I would like new creative hand plants, slashes, taps in and outs, and twenty foot english muffin grabs to be how our sport is represented, not double corks. and i feel everyone who skis has different opinions in what is cool, but the general public does not, and they will base what is cool on what the judges think is cool. so i do not want the olympic judges to represent our sport to the public, thus i do not want freestyle skiing in in the olympics.
 
he was the first example that came to mind.

but look at tony hawk. he made skateboarding what it is today, yet how many kids just ride vert now? zero, verts practically dead.

same with matt hoffman in bmx

just because the exposure is in a specific discipline doesnt mean thats all people will want to do.
 
You seriously need to think before you post. The same shit happens in skiing, just on a slightly smaller scale. Target and Toyota sponsor Simon Dumont, Jeep sponsors WM

E, Adidas sponsors Kevin Rolland, the list goes on and on and if you want me to give more examples then I gladly will.

The point is that these big companies who contribute nothing to a sport besides sponsoring athletes are already in skiing. The Olympics might bring a few more of them but not much of a difference would be made.

Skateboarding went through this years ago, and the sport is still true to its roots. Sure a couple more goofs are now involved in the skateboarding but that goes hand in hand with popularity. Same goes for snowboarding.

As for my opinion, I am neutral. My thoughts on the sport won't be changed on whether or not it's included in the Olympics, I'm just hoping that if it is, it doesn't change the attitudes too many people involved in the sport. Skiing already has enough attitude problems as it is.
 
First of all, saying this is just straight ignorance. It's just like when T-Hall had his little rant awhile ago (minus the individual call-outs). This one boils down to “don’t hate the player, hate the game”

Now back when a lot of guys wanted to switch from bumps to freeskiing, did the Olympics stop that from happening? Sure maybe it did for a few, especially until 2002. Still it did not stop the majority of people from doing what they wanted to do. I just basically don’t see why you think there will be a “gnarly focus on pipe.” Using that logic, why is there not still a gnarly focus on moguls, or aerials?

Saying that it boils down to money is absolutely absurd. I can tell you for a fact that guys who are skiing bumps in the Olympics are doing it mostly for the love of the sport. It's still fun sport, there needs to be rule changes but that is an internal issue. Frankly if they were interested in money, freeskiing would be a better option. It would not be any different for pipe skiers. You can make money skiing halfpipe now, but no kid is going to put in the effort to get to that level unless they truly love the sport.

As for any commercialism issues just look at these two podium pics. How many logos do you see in each? I’m not saying that commercialism and money is bad for the sport, actually I think it is really good for it. Just saying that it’s pretty flawed to say the Olympics are worse than what we already have.

Podium.jpg


podium.jpg


Having skiing in the Olympics does not boil down to money. It is truly about the sport and the athletes. Nothing would get me more stoked than seeing Canadian pipe athletes up on podium alongside our mogul skiers (and Shouldice if he is still jumping). Trying to take this opportunity away from these athletes, based on what you think skiing should be, is pretty much selfish.

 
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