"Hall's influence going wrong way"

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A_T_K

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Article Published: Wednesday, February 09, 2005

scott willoughby

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.

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support the shop that supports you
 
Haha, this is so out of control. I hope he keeps acting flagrant, it's great, at least he isn't selling out. He's still acting like the cocky kid he is, even after being in the spotlight for so long. I really respect T for that, he represents for the skiers that smoke, party, and don't give a fuck. If he does quit smoking and clean up his public image, then I'm no longer a fan. Just my opinion.

I dont know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
 
He right though. Jon Got ripped off too, but he didn't make a fuss (he look disappointed, but no tantrum), maybe cause he had a hot girl waiting for him.

The smart man does not know everything, rather the smart man admits when he knows nothing.
 
'it's difficult to get Olympic-level spotlights shining on new-school athletes like Hall because they lack the poise of ski racers. '

Half the time I watch ski races they dont even speak english when they interview the winners...What is poise? Being gay, and given them the same generic answer that they're looking for? Snowboarding has done a fine job in the olympics, and just because hall was pissed when he lost..and possibly rightfully so, doesnt mean we can't handle ourselves as skiers.

 
i think that it was funny when he told davenport how it is. but he shouldnt have disparraged gagniers skills.

-CCR-
'every day should be a good day to die. dont lose your dreams'
--Dave Matthews
 
'poise of a racer'? that's bullshit. I can't count the number of racers I've seen throw poles and random accesories around because they fell or got a crappy time. a lot of the time when I see freeskiers fall, they get up and laugh it off. I hate when people compare racing to freeskiing.

->Colleen

I love r5tommy
 
fuck racing poise, and fuck him just reading thall haters on NS for his 'cyber-babble'...god leave the man alone he fucking good

ta
 
last sunday there were the world champ. races on TV (DH and GS)...and I believe it was in the downhill, and one girl fell. She got back up and started slamming her poles around and shouting in a different language. this doesn't excuse T-halls behavior, but it just shows that not all racers are as poised as others. most of the freeskiers I saw on tv at xgames, were all happy and congratulating eachother after runs. tanner was an exception, just as that racer was.

->Colleen

I love r5tommy
 
wow. the writer made some reservations at the end which helped him alittle, but still..

this has been taken way too far. i am so sick of this bullshit. tanner was no less polite than simon dumont is usually, why is it that no one has mentioned him? tanner was disappointed and showed that, but STILL gave props to the winners. he said he was just disapointed in himself.

is everyone else seeing the same shit im seeing?

when the interview with him came out talking about bode miller making so much money, it got blown completely out of proportion. go find me the sentence where he says he's better than miller and other racers. there ISNT one. his exact words were 'now im not saying rhalves is a bad skiier, because he is sick as shit'. then everybody gets all pissy and cries about it for months.

same thing here- he kept more composure than others, and, godforbid, showed his real emotions. i think it would be fitting for tanner to simply say 'fuck you' to the next dick who tried to interview him and get angry because of his attitude.

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oh yeah? well me and my friends have been bathing off the southern coast of st. bards, chilling with spider monkeys. tripping on acid gave us a whole new perspective on shit.
 
The guy is right though. How stupid are you guys, I just watched the pipe rerun a minute ago and he is a disgrace. Why does he need to run up the pipe and t hrow his poles down and start screaming like a moron. He is a professional and should at least act like it, hes worse than many of the players in the nfl.

 
how did he behave poorly after the x pipe? he gave dumont props. my dad is pretty into respect and poise and after he saw tanner interviewed he said 'he doesnt sound like too much of an idiot' which is high praise coming from my dad

Jesus saves!

Gretzky gets the rebound. he feeds the puck to LeClair. he shoots! he scores! the crowd goes wild
 
Don't put everyone in the figgen' Bode Miller box, not everyone is going to have poise. THall is not my favorite skiier, but just let him be who he is. Don't try to alter his way of expression, it might set back OUR progression.....WORD !

 
just because tanner acts the way he does doesnt speak for everyone that skis

'Surrender pronto, or we will level toronto.'- Canadian Bacon
 
APPSkier That is the point. Tanner DOES represent all skiers in the eyes of the public. To olympic/espn execs that is all that matters. We need a Tony Hawk or someone who conducts themselves like a 21 year old in order to not just be rollerbladers.

 
he didnt do anything after his pipe run. chris davenport came and was like 'so what happened tanner?' so tanner saide 'I went down, did tricks, and landed.' and then he said stuff about how he was happy for dumont and that was all. I dont know what the big deal is

Jesus saves!

Gretzky gets the rebound. he feeds the puck to LeClair. he shoots! he scores! the crowd goes wild
 
The reason people look to Tanner is because he IS the face of new school skiing. He sets the example. Dumont, Jon, and Schiller could have been sucking each others dicks at the finsish and the cameras would still have been on Tanner because he's the icon. What he does matters and what he does presents skiers as whiny, immature little bitches. You like being sterotyped a bitch? Keep supporting him. He'd sell you out in heartbeat and does NOT give a flying fuck about any of you. Stop kissing his ass and making excuses for him.

He was asked to step and be a leader and instead he CHOSE to behave like a child.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
And if you say that you would do the same as he did, then you're no fucking better.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
I can't believe davenport would say that, he has known tanner for 15 years proly and filmed with him that is complete bullshit. Davenport you are a pussy for those quotes.

Tanner doesn't represent anything he doesn't want to. He reps oakley for money and c crew for friends and armada for family. He is not my favorite either but don't make him a role model at the age of 21.

At least he wasn't pickin his nose like kass.

Davenport is a family man and just didn't want to be dissed like that on his first big tv interview chance. Davenport was also in the commentating booth at superpipe, why?

I basically hate the attitudes of all the elder salomon riders.

 
I aggree tanner acted like a 5 year old kid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W. Bush.' - Shaggy

If you ski in Massachusetts join the Mass-ive Cult, message me and you're in!!!!

THE WORST PART ABOUT BEING ATLANTASKI IS BEING A IGNORANT RED-NECK

'... Osama Bin Laden then closed the video with this statemeant 'I'M RICK JAMES, BITCH!!!' which show us all he does is sit around and watch TV' - John Stewart
 
Some people don't have a choice in becoming a role model. They simply are. You can either step up and be mature about it or you can be a bitch.

And stepping up doesn't mean you 'sell out.' It means you know when to act in certain situations. There are times for getting fucked up at the bar and there are times to present your TV face so that kids get the right impression about how they should act.

Once all you little bitches grow up and realize that you're not gonna live your life without the real world, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Until then, have fun living in youthful la la land.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
this is the only time when mainstream people get to see our sport, and tanner is clearly our spokesperson. i dont care if he complains, just dont do it on ESPN. i didnt see sean white or andy finch complaining after they put down solid runs

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I still dont understand what he did that was so crazy.

Jesus saves!

Gretzky gets the rebound. he feeds the puck to LeClair. he shoots! he scores! the crowd goes wild
 
You guys don't get it. Tanner has to accept that win or lose he is the face of freeskiing, ESPECIALLY at the xgames. Forget racers, the icons of every sport have always been held to a higher standard. Michael Jordan was criticized for things he did even in his personal life, not just on the court. Tanner is no different. Unless you all want to be treated like a bunch of degenerates, and have the resorts, industry, and media stop caring about us we need to be concerned with how we are represented. Otherwise kiss your terrain parks, magazines and media sponsorships, and specialized equipment goodbye. It can happen. It has happened in other sports.

 
I bet Davenport felt disrespected when Tanner blew off his question. The toughest trick in pipe now seems to be the elusive

1080-to-respectable interview.

 
I think shaun white was visibly dissapointed and believed he could have had gold.

Everyone goes nuts a couple bars upon just turning 21. Most people saying tanner was acting 5 years old are proly 15 themselves.

Vail police are assholes I have been arrested in vail but shouldn't have either. They don't like kids having fun in thier town, unless your local, or over 30.

Davenport I have zero respect for you as a skier , concentrate on your family and hang up your 205 ak rockets for good.

 
Dude Deezl just fuckin pwn3d you pussies.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
I'm almost 23. I think he acted VERY immature. Of course what do you expect from an idustry full of pubescent boys? WHY THE FUCK DO YOU THINK TANNER IS THE ROLE MODEL? He's older and SUPPOSED TO BE wiser. Obviously not.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
deezl terrain parks aren't going anywhere, the first mountain to close thier park will see a dramatic decrease in ticket sales.

The kid is 21 and having the time of his life, he doesn't care what you or I or davenport or the fuckin lame ass denver post thinks about him. He cares that his family his resort and his companies are on the hill everyday he is alive.

You can't complain about judges? Why not, I don't think he should have won either, but he can't think so, bullshit.

Deezl you are right that he is the spotlight, but whoever doesn't like it doesn't have to watch. He was annoyed he was on camera so much, hence the 'Let me into the c crew'.

Maybe if fuckin espn or expn would have shown prelim runs like turpins than the audience would get a feel for what the sport is to US, the ones who participate in it.

 
It was funny how Kass dealt with the repeated camera in the face of the leader scenario.... he just picked his nose with fervor every time he saw the record light come on and they cut the shot immediately. Pretty entertaining. He actually alternated between the turbo-pick and the tongue-lash moves.. ha ha ha hhahahah

 
people need to pull there head's out of there ass and not give a fuck, skiing needs a role model, fuck that, tanner can do whatever he wants, he has no obligation to do anything, you guys are even worse you sitting back and crying about, bo hoo i wish tanner was nicer, you need a slap in the face. Ya sure if he was a super professional perfect human being and represnted himself as JESUS on skis people would love him, and it would probably be better off for the sport. But he isn;t, and let me tell you, i don;t care, he can do whatever he wants in my books.

stop complaining.

Dragon's Layer Member
Drop Cliff's, Not Bombs
Make Turns, Not War
Bomb Hills, Not People
Member #259
 
Bottom line is that Tanner is the face of the sport, he acted like an idiot, it reflects poorly on the rest of the ski community, he should be hit upside the head.

Politicaly Active Since 1992

'Soberity is not an option.'

Drivin that Train
 
^^Wow Kev you make my point for me. You think Tanner acting like a professional would be better for the sport yet you don't care how he acts? You're just as bad.

Thaks for trying to contribute something intelligent. The only message you sent was 'I don't care.' You should have saved yourself the trouble and just typed that.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
I Don't Care

Dragon's Layer Member
Drop Cliff's, Not Bombs
Make Turns, Not War
Bomb Hills, Not People
Member #259
 
I hope the industry finds it's jesus on skis.

Dragon's Layer Member
Drop Cliff's, Not Bombs
Make Turns, Not War
Bomb Hills, Not People
Member #259
 
Here is the email i sent to this Mr. Scott W.

Dear Scott W.

As a member of the newschoolers.com site, a member recently posted your writeup that showed up in today's Denver paper. The one where you try to dis on Hall. I thought your article is a complete waste of time to read. At the age of 21 he has accomplished alot more than you have. He takes part in a culture that u have no idea about either, other than what you have watched from your screen on NS.com. you need to remember that alot of peeps who post here are still in High school and their opinions cannot always be used as a basis for how we all think. I have mad respect for Hall. Tanner could see through all of those stupid questions at the x-games, such as 'Tanner are u going to use amplitude??'. These announcers are trying to act like they are so involved in the newschool community. The only time i ever hear about amplitude is in the god damn x games.

So please stop with the overanalyzing of Tanner and what he has said to people. All u ever appear to do is come onto newschoolers.com and read some of the posts and then write up some bullshit that u really have no idea about. You have to come onto NS and steal material to write about because you are to unmotivated to go out and discover the real story. I'm really tired of you keeping this newschoolers vs racers fight up. If someone wants to race good for them, dont automatically assume that they are a more civilized person just because a racer might not be 'sagging' his pants too low.

Sincerely,

Dever Graham

SITZEN
 
idk how these espn guys can say this, there are about 100 athletes in other sports that are the same as tanner. I think we need to stop worrying so much about what tanner does, its not that big of a deal.

 
'The one where you try to dis on Hall.'

write like an adult, please, it just looks bad

Politicaly Active Since 1992

'Soberity is not an option.'

Drivin that Train
 
I honestly didnt see what he did wrong... It wasnt the most friendly interview ever but he just showed up, skied, fell short and wasnt very happy about it... Who gives a FUCK, go back the playground if you are upset with attitude in professional sports because it is everywhere, the world is a big scarey place.

 
Who wants a jesus on skis? Fuck Jesus.

People who get PAID to ski should act like a PROFESSIONAL. If he wants to act like asshat he can do it somewere else.

I find it funny that people who 'don't give a fuck' even bother posting on this issue. If you're so apathetic and cool, why even bother?

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
conceptkid, I'm sure that poorly written and angry emails like yours are part of the reason this willoughby hack wrote this second opinion essay about thall. Your lack of organization in your letter only enforce the fuck's points and give him reason to feel good about his negative and destructive article. The rest of you who don't know how to write yet, please bite your tongues, you are not helping by spraying willoughby with your pee and poo

 
Wow that letter lacks credibility. You put three end punctuations at the end of one sentence. Nice work moron, he'll really take your opinion into consideration.

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We are more than just shadows and dust
 
Scott Willoughby needs to stop getting paychecks for his continuous hate of Tanner Hall, newschoolers.com, and freeskiing in general.

And the Denver Post needs to lay off as well. This is getting ridiculous.

-Joel

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

'Everybody calls me a zero. But I'm an internet hero.'
 
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