Denver Post rips T-Hall

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http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~114~2700216,00.html

Hall's influence going wrong way

By Scott Willoughby

Denver Post Snow Sports Writer

The topic of poise is hardly uncommon in the sporting world, yet the reality of it appears to be increasingly rare in the skiing world.

There is a certain irony in the definition that means everything from balance, stability and composure to self-assurance, ease and dignity of manner. And never was it more apparent than during last week's Winter X Games in Aspen, when superpipe skier Tanner Hall put on an inspirational display of catlike balance and stability in the pipe, only to follow it with the dignity and composure of a puppy that hasn't been housebroken.

No one can question Hall's superior skills as a freeskier. Despite coming away without a gold medal for the first time since 2001, he nabbed two silvers as a perennial threat to establish himself as the best skier at the X Games. And if you follow the new-school cyber-babble on the Internet, some of those kids are convinced he takes that title a step further as the best park and pipe skier in the world.

While that may be true, even some of Hall's chat-room devotees have started calling out his behavior as a sore loser who claims the judges hold a grudge against him, by disparaging the slopestyle winner's skiing skills by calling him a 'Rollerblader' and making a mockery of his post-pipe interview with ESPN's Chris Davenport.

'The executives at ESPN were flabbergasted that he had the spotlight on him and chose to act like a 10-year-old,' Davenport said. 'As much as I like the kid person to person, I think he is totally missing the beat as a professional. He's in a position as a superstar of the sport to do a lot of good, influence a lot of kids in a really positive way and be a great role model, and he's not doing any of that. In fact, he's doing the opposite. The weekend before, he got arrested in Vail at the U.S. Open. Then he shows up in Aspen and continues his bad attitude at the world's foremost freeskiing competition while all the media around the world has its eyes on him.

'Instead of acting like a professional, he chose to be a sore loser.'

Davenport and the ESPN executives are not the only ones in the close-knit skiing industry to note the shortcomings of new-school superstars. Perkins Miller of Warren Miller Entertainment recently pointed it out during an industry panel discussion, saying it's difficult to get Olympic-level spotlights shining on new-school athletes like Hall because they lack the poise of ski racers.

I'm not saying Hall owes me or anyone else in the media any more than what they offer, really. And at some level, I actually appreciate his honesty. Maybe he can't relate to the media because we want him to be humble and thankful and polite and speak in clichés like 'Nuke' LaLoosh from 'Bull Durham.' And that's just not who he is.

But I do believe he can do more for the young skiers who soak up his every action like a sponge. And I'm convinced that if freeskiing is to sustain itself as a sport - and people like Hall - its disciples are going to have to learn some respect. Seriously, if it weren't for ESPN and the X Games, he's just another kid in baggy camo and a crooked cap who happens to rip in the halfpipe. Because of them, he's famous - at least for a few more minutes, anyway.

Scott Willoughbycan be reached at 303-820-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com.

 
that guy writes articles all the time about how much freeskiing sucks and racing is better. hes a fag

----------------------------------------
-Jonathan
Jibij Pro Shop
'jibij is the dope steeze. go there for all your core ski needs'
 
good article....i think Tanner did need a wake up call...he was acting really childish at X

____________________________________
i'm 16% gay. that's pretty gay.-EastCoastPride

Fuck thats homsexual.....are they proud of it?-Mike 2.0
 
This article has been posted already, but for the most part i think the writer was actually intelligent about his points this time and backed them up with legitimate info. I cant say i disagree with him

jibba jabba
 
I agree he is a good journalists in the fact that he states facts and backs them up with proof, can't argue with the guy.

Except reading other articles of his looks like he has a personal vendetta against freesking and wants to race with a structured regiment. This makes him looked closed minded and not free thinking at all.

So basically this guy is just a tool.

 
I havent seen any of his other articles but i do agree with what he says, except the part about ski racers having more 'poise' than newschoolers. Now i not quite sure the definition of pise because im havent even started highschool but I'm assuming that it has something to do with maturity. if it doesnt ignore all of what im about to say.

Scotts generlizing in the asssumption that all freeskiers are like tanner hall and all racers are like (insert square racer name here.) This couldnt be less true. Theres tons of people who dotn act like a 2 year olds when they lose and even more who dont need pot and wigger style to be cool. Also I dont like how davenport says Tanner was actin like a 10 year old. I was ten not too long ago, 4 years to be exact, and i sure as hell didnt cry when i got silver, even if i were the best skier in the world. Id be damn proud. It would also tell me that skiings progressing because if i didnt get worse, to lose, that must mean that someone got better.

So i guess thatthe real problem im getting at is stereo typing and why it happends so much in freeskiing so, it be nice if everyone treatded everone else equally

----------------
live freeskiing or die trying

don't do drugs
 
tanners doing more for the sport over the past few years than anyone who cares if he has a bad additude he skiing speaks more than how big a role model he is

 
yea he seems super biased.

----------------------------------------

i nailed a chick on saterday night, well sunday morning. then at 815 her friend ran into the room say we are late for church. we need to go. haha i love catholic high school girls

-skiingpimp

im native *beats a drum*

-ontarioskiingsucks

and i'm the government. *beats native over the head with drum and kicks him off his land. serves you right motherfucking shitty drummer

-EastCoastPride

TMC, JC, S3p
 
that guy is a jackass belive me im not a big tanner fan at all but that artical is just stupid freeskiing will evlolve nomater what the attitudes of ceratin pros are. saying we lack the poise of racers. racing is gay there is no need to be structured and super focused on just skiing like racing. i personly enjoy seeing the litle bits of personality out of the pros through there acctions, it just adds to the entertainment. tanner can do whatever the fuck he wants so can all the other pros like look at other sports the attitudes of those pros is much worse in most cases in baseball. why bitch cause one guy acted like a little girl its just not needed and makes the situation look worse when its really not that bad.

what happined to drugs, sex, & rock and roll...now adays we have aids crack and techno.......

GNR

 
he is gonna have a lot less attention next year and its gonna be a slap in the face for him

SMITH-OBERMEYER-FIJI-4FRNT

Poppin' them thangs!
 
i believe that tanner has just as much talent as any of the ski racers out there. its just in different areas. personally, i think that the racers and race fans are jealous of the fact that freeskiing is actually featured in things like the xgames, and the fact that kids on skis these days are more interested to screw around in the park adn have fun raterh than scrape down a sheet of ice all day trying to shave one more hundredth of a second off their time. i try my best to respect racers, what they are doing is really hard and i respect them for that. i get frustrated when they diss all of us as punks who cant ski when one person does anything that is the slightest bit wrong in their eyes. bode gets plastered all the time, but they dont care about him partying

'They sell 'Professional' jump ropes at the sporting goods store. I did not know that jump roping was a career option. I should have paid closer attention during those job planning courses in high school. Anyway, I went there intending to purchase a rifle, but i forgot my wallet and the cashier wouldn't accept my middle finger as collateral. - random internet person quoted by apple
 
I agree that Tanner Hall has done a huge amount for the sport over the last couple years. But that is exactly why he can't act like a fool. Being great at skiing doesn't give him the excuse to act like an idiot, but instead puts more responsibility on him to represent a sport; I personally don't wanna be represented by Tanner Hall.

We'll have you dead pretty soon.
 
this whole thread pisses me off. when any skier lands any trick over a hundred foot gap, there is this feeling of dominance. i think brain sergents feel this way after a successful surgery.i know jordan doesnt get the feeling when he dunks and neither does a racer at the finish line. when you put your life on the line daily you deserve respect. tanner knows he deserves it because he created this sport and this website and that includes all of you. you pussies should keep rollerblading and racing alpine cuz you dont even know what the sport is about. and as far as the article goes, tanner made a mockery of YOU, ESPN, and any doubters cuz you will never touch what he has done. learn the lifestyle, or your not worthy of twins.

 
maybe he shoudl quote tanner instead of telling us about how he said bad stuff, let us decide if it was bad...

'While that may be true, even some of Hall's chat-room devotees have started calling out his behavior as a sore loser who claims the judges hold a grudge against him, by disparaging the slopestyle winner's skiing skills by calling him a 'Rollerblader' and making a mockery of his post-pipe interview with ESPN's Chris Davenport. '

QUOTE HIM!

-Michael Lifshitz-
dfp
Jibberishradical
www.absoluteskishop.com
 
Read the article from a spectator side. You see bode talking on TV, you see Tanner on TV. Big difference in general language.

>>> Matty
 
scott willoughby, in the words of the immortal michael bolton, is a 'no talent ass-clown'.

please quit journalism, forever.

-Joel

~Phunkin Phatt Phreerider~
Capital City Rider, DFP
Silent Army

'Everybody calls me a zero. But I'm an internet hero.'
 
I think Tanner is finally growing up little by little, and will be a respectable face for our sport.

He is cluing in, trust me. Now, about that whole interview comment... ANYBODY would be pissed if they just threw down the pipe run of a lifetime, and was robbed of a rightfully owned title... then, to add insult to injury, Davenport shoved a mike right in his face seriously like, 26 seconds after the final scores were posted. Did they think Tanner was gonna be happy that he didn't win? Honestly...

'Ear me nah, bloodclot lickle rude bwai, nahmesay, ya knaw?
 
did tanner really rip on Garneir after slope. Thats really lame

MMM MMM BITCH

candide is a pimp, and the ski companies are his hoes.- blackcat

Does the money-factor come into play here?

Of course!!! Realistically, my career is short and I want to prepare my post-skiing career as best as I can.- Candide Thovex on the rumors that he changed to rossi for the money

 
Good Article....This guy seems to have a little more maturity than the average crowd here at Newschoolers.com.....Tanner can be a clown sometimes, when you're at his level and are influencing so many kids, you are expected to behave a certain way. Once he comes to realize how much of a public figure he has become at the Xgames maybe he'll clean his act up

 
i completely agree with the guy. tanner did act like a little 10 year old at X because he came second and yes he does lack the poise of professional ski racers such as bode miller. personally, i respect bode miller much more than i do tanner because of the fact that if miller doesn't win an event, he doesn't get all teary eyed and wimper like a dog that just shat on the floor.

tanner needs to realize that he's living the dream of most people in the freeskiing scene and is making a shitload more money than anyone else. if nothing more, his perfomance at X should serve a as wake-up call that maybe he isn't 'the shit' and maybe he needs to concentrate more on his skiing than partying and his whole 'yo yo yo' image.

SKIER'S IRRESPONSIBILITY CODE

1.ski FAST at ALL TIMES

2.take MAX air at EVERY opportunity

3.POACH everyone's favourite lines

4.IGNORE all posted signs

5.EVADE patrol at all costs

6.SMOKE big fat stinky ones

7.DRINK to excess

'Stupid fucking Americans!' - Jon Olsson

Truer words never spoken!
 
hahah, chek the other thread about this, we OWNED this guy and a buncha us emailed his ass and chewed him out. He said he is done ripping on freeskiing, we'll see if its true.....

SITZEN
 
^conceptkiddie you didn't OWN anyone. You simply don't have the skills necessary to own. Plus, you only own if someone else claims that you owned, which didn't happen when you posted your weak ass letter.

 
tanner has built his whole reputation on attitude and ability. if anyones seen scandalous hes yelling at the photographers and smoking joints int he trees. How can you honestly think freeskiing is going to fall if one pro has a different not neccesarily worse attitude then other pros. davenport is an old man, he represents and entirely different ski community. who cares what he thinks. If athlete behaviour really is any indication of how big a sport is going to get then why dont we take a look at surfing. although the image portrayed by surfing is layed back and easy going its WCT 3X world Champ Andy Irons, has one crazy mouth and spout some uncalled for stuff. What has this done for surfing. It has psarked one huge rivalrey and put a huge spotlight on the competitive tour.

The article is bullshit. Its completley bias, FREESKIING IS NOT RACING. The sports compariable to free skiing are in the extreme sports relm not the FIS industry. Compare Freeskiing to Snowboarding, Skateboarding and Surfing. Check out names like Occy, Andy Irons, Bam Margera ect. these guys have built there carrers on insane ability and a short temper. Fuck that article.

WHERE ARE YOU HOIET
 
Well, though you make a somewhat valid point RMM (^), I think you're attributing one sport's set of circumstances to another's when they're not necessarily the same. Just because poor behavior has supposedly helped the surfing industry doesn't mean that it will help the free skiing industry. That's like saying this container is made of glass, therefore all containers are made of glass.

Now, aside from whats good for the industry, I've made my point before in regards to Hall's behavior. Here's what I think and no offense to anyone who thinks differently:

1. He IS a role model, whether he asked to be or not. He has been made one. Most of the people in this sport are highly influenced by him, which leads me to my next point.

2. He has the opportunity to be positive or be negative, mature or immature, and he has consistently chosen to be negative, arrogant, and immature.

And I'm sure I'll get at least two or three posts saying 'why do you give a fuck?' To those I say this: I care because I get labeled as a bitch because Tanner acts like a bitch. I don't like that. I think he can do better and I expect him to.

I'm also sure I'll get at least one or two 'he can act however he wants, get over it' comments. To those I say this: Ok, well if we all acted how we wanted all the time, the world wouldn't be that great of a place. If we all acted on our emotional impulses and desires we'd be no better than animals. Tanner is smarter than that and he has the capability to be more mature. He can be and he should.

Sorry for the long post, I'm gonna try and make this one my last on this issue...but no promises :)

_________________________________________

We are more than just shadows and dust
 
Yeah, I have the feeling, based entirely on the...well...strength of their arguments, that all the people on this thread supporting Hall and his attitude are the fucking middle school, 'I'm a gangsta skier punk from a rich suburban family' kids. They actually want to act like Tanner Hall and be 'bad ass.' News flash kids...when you are 21 years old and act like a little jerk, you have some hardcore growing up to do. I am comparing the SPORT to no other sport. Simply, that any representative of a sport whos face is everywhere has to act with a certain digree of maturity. Being a great skier is no excuse for acting like a little bitch.

We'll have you dead pretty soon.
 
I had always thought that part of being a superstar was being an asshole in interviews. Anyone ever see how bitchy Robert redford was in ski racer. Primadonna.

 
i agree with what the writer says, and the only everyone is ripping on Tanner is not because he is Tanner and we need some one to make fun of, but rather because he is an ambassador to the public from our sport, and i think he should either try to change his image and atitude to better represent a better attitude, or step out of the spot light and let some one else assume the role as ambassador. However to Tanner's defence i think it was very dumb for ESPN to stuff a mic right in his face, right after losing.

I'd rather be skiing
 
this guy is a FUCKING idiot. I dont even want to go into this shit. Tanner can be who he wants, and thats that. This writer is ripping on our sport and on tanner who has done a lot more than most people would for it. He is so tricking with his lame ass article that he is making you guys believe the bullshit that he's writing.

 
fuck that shit, this guys an idiot and saying that tanner is famous only for a few minutes is fucking gay, tanner has been aroudn for quite a few years, and hes not going anywhere.. plus just because hes a pro doesnt mean he has to change who he is, he can chose who he wants to be without a thousand kids telling him how to act, or at least i think he should be able too... u guys gotta see that

___________________

I HATE NEW YORK PRODUCTIONS

i hate new york trailer

LOGIC HEADWARE> A WAY TO KEEP UR HEAD WARM LOGIC HEADWARE

 
i sent the writter a strongly worded letter.ass

________________________________________

No Coast Productions
 
i believe most people are missing the point of tanner being a whiny little bitch!

SKIER'S IRRESPONSIBILITY CODE

1.ski FAST at ALL TIMES

2.take MAX air at EVERY opportunity

3.POACH everyone's favourite lines

4.IGNORE all posted signs

5.EVADE patrol at all costs

6.SMOKE big fat stinky ones

7.DRINK to excess

'Stupid fucking Americans!' - Jon Olsson

Truer words never spoken!
 
yup, no talent ass-clown, biased... oh wait, you forgot a puppet for Vail. oh wow, he did some research, so does Dan Brown. Neither of those two are good writers though... oh wait, I shouldn't be so hard on him. he's just a lame ass opinion columnist

There's a desperate need of blood for what's been uncovered under the rubble
Some of them dug for answers in the mess...but the rest were looking for trouble

Makeshift Patriot
The Flag Shop Is Out Of Stock
Hang myself... Half mast

Makeshift Patriot
 
Dyna rider, i think he is exaggerating, about how short lived tanners fame will be if he keeps up the attitude he has. and this writer has not 'tricked' me into believing anything, i totaly agreed with him before i even saw this thread, which is why i started my own, way before this one, but anyhow, if you guys actually read the article you would see that he is not telling tanner how to act, he is simply stating that he isnt representing our sport to the fullest. i dont think eveny one on this site is a wigger would show the lack of respect that he showed act the x games. This article is not telling tanner he should act diffenert, but rather carry himself in a different manner. for example looking at someone when your talking to him, or at least making an effort to talk like a person who made it past the third grade, neither of which are actions, but rather simple easy ways to improve the way one carries them self.

I'd rather be skiing
 
thats some bullllshit .. if he steps in the wrong side of compton hes gunna get a taste of my HEAT

SKI FOR LIFE!

If it was easy it would be called snowboarding.
WHITEWATER

'Its not so much that i want to kill her its just.. i want her not to be alive, anymore.'

THE BLACK WALL STREEEEEEET.

N-UNIT IN THE HOUSEE, BADD NEWS
 
Why do you guys keep addressing 'bias?' It's not an news piece, it's an editorial, hence his opinion and BIAS. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. THAT'S WHY THEY PAY HIM TO WRITE THIS STUFF.

Stop trying to destroy his credibility through attacking his bias. Everyone has bias so he, or I, or anyone could use the 'bias argument' anytime. It's worthless.

Person 1: 'I wanna go to the mall'

Person 2: 'Well you're just biased cause you like the mall.'

Person 1: 'Yeah, no shit'

And someone said Tanner has done so much for the sport. Yes, he has. No one in the NS community should think overwise because it's impossible to deny it. I'm just askin T Hall to act like an adult when the cameras are on. That's as far as it goes.

_________________________________________

We are more than just shadows and dust
 
Tanner was cool but now is a bit of an ass.

Why put down who you loose to?

This sport is still new, kindof, why give it a shitty name

when sooo many people are whatching.

 
tanner is tanner this jounalist is a fukin fag and chris davenport is a fag racer still clibngying to fame yeh hes a sick skier but his x games comenting is sooo shit shut the fuck up.. im so over all these american comps and all this bull shit in freeskiing who cares if tanner got arrested who cares if he acts like a bitch its his life he has won the x-games 4x in my mind this gives him the right to act how ever the fuck he wants all you kids need to grow up get off your fukin computer and go get laid and stop worrying about what some kid you dont even know is doing. Appreciater tanner for the skier he is not the person he is.

ulta-matum

'You know the world has gone crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black, the Swiss hold the America's cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, and Germany doesn't want to go to war.'

 
I really don't like when people say 'tanner has done so much for the sport' etc etc etc. If you mean that he has done so much in terms of influencing the behavior of younger kids trying to emulate him, then yes. ButI would like to venture that the sport would be in the same place it is today and would have evolved there without Tanner.

 
I really don't like when people say 'tanner has done so much for the sport' etc etc etc. If you mean that he has done so much in terms of influencing the behavior of younger kids trying to emulate him, then yes. ButI would like to venture that the sport would be in the same place it is today and would have evolved there without Tanner.

 
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