If Wake boarding gets into the Olympics, will you be mad?

Bulldog

I just saw a news article that the IOC is going to drop wrestling from the 2020 Olympics. Wake boarding is applying as well as baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, and wushu (a marshal art). It is hard to believe that any motorized sport will get in.

Here is the link:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/2012-summer-games/drops+wrestling+from+2020+Olympic+Games/7952414/story.html

ForrestGump

Honestly, I could care less.

andjules

I'd be ecstatic. It's a fantastic sport that would be great to watch and would boost the popularity of the lake/boat/watersports lifestyle.

They are not your enemy. Waterskiing's popularity/marketing challenges are its own.

BraceMaker

I feel that with snowboarding in, wakeboarding will probably have an edge for acceptance, and possibly has the world wide participants required to field the event.

I think it will have to be cable pulled in order to be appropriate for both video, audio, audience, and uniformity purposes.

No one wants to watch a wakeboarder 3/4 of a mile away across a pond as the boat turns to drive the next sport.

I think instead you'll get a pool which the skier gets one pull across an obstacle, then a turn and a second pass. It will have a variety of available surfaces to utilize, and the run will be scored by a panel of judges.

Stevie Boy

Wakeboarding is partly responsible for the demise of water skiing, Yes I would be mad if it made it into the Olympics.
Just look at some other sports and ask the question are they a suitable for the Olympics.
On the other hand, Female Beach Volley Ball is quite entertaining.

Razorskier1

I'd be mad that 3-event didn't make it, but I think that's the likely outcome.

h2odawg79

Why not? It is it's own Sport and it draws a ton of interest. (and that means $$$) Especially in the Cable market.
WTS, if WakeBoarding could somehow get into the Olympics while still using Motorized (Boat) propulsion, then that would get Slalom light years closer to being accepted as well! So, it could Win/Win...

I sure can't see a down side to it.

ToddL

I think @BraceMaker is probably on point... Cable-pulled would work. Boat-pulled would not be accepted. Further, I agree that Cable-pulled Wakeboarding with an obstacle course would be the equivalent to Snowboarding freestyle competitions which are already in the Winter Olympics. Thus, a Summer equivalent would be an easy sell.

As I write this, I guess Winter GS / downhill slalom and our Slalom Water Skiing have that equivalency, too. We'd just have to resign to a cable pull format.

Why does Cable-pulled matter? Path becomes a fixed, constant element. Cable pull could be sold as similar to a ski lift (which provides stored potential energy to snow skiers) which is run by a MOTOR... Still, having the cable providing propulsion is a jump for an Olympic event...

Do I care? Not really... or maybe I am just on the fence.

Against it:
I think Olympic inclusion of Wakeboarding would grow that sport. I also feel that Wake Sports have ruined public water usage for non-competitive slalom skiing and traditional combo water skiing activities which ultimately have impacted our decline in numbers via a loss of the historic novice growth path. Further, anything that exponentially grows wake sports will continue to limit public water usability for combo and slalom water skiing by the general public. For these reasons, a complete ban on wake sports on public water ways would likely result in a resurgence of traditional water skiing and slalom skiing by the general public. I don't think that would ever happen, and I am not promoting that as a goal or agenda. Rather, I do think in its absence, weekend wally's and novice slalom skiers would grow in numbers and ultimately feed into our competitive skiing population.

For it:
However, at this point we have to accept the current reality: our sport's continuation is a bit dependent upon boat sales by Wake sport enthusiast. As stated by many on this forum, boat manufacturers don't make 3-event boats as a significant market for major profit. In fact most free-market businesses would look at their various market segments and determine each segment's isolated profit/loss status and move out of markets that don't drive the bottom line forward. So, maybe we want to see wake sports to continue to have success so that boat manufacturers will have sufficient revenues to continue to provide us with 3-event boats...

Two opposing arguments, I guess.

BraceMaker

A different side - building a wake arena is something that a city can use as an attraction, as a venue, to host wakeboarding events through out the summer, for wake skate park etc.

Slalom and jump need a far longer stretch of water to be realistic, even on a cable.

MattP

I'm not going to get into this debate at all.

Each olympic city must have a rowing/kayack venue that is over 2k meters long. Which is more than enough room to have these events.

Bulldog

@MattP I have had that exact thought! Most of those lakes could easily hold watersking or wake boarding. Some over the years have even had good wind protection.

thager

Don't give a rats behind.

klindy

Based on current policy at the USOC, it's my understanding that there is a major emphasis on supporting "medal events" especially those where the US stands a good chance in winning medals. Presumably if cable wakeboard gets in to the games, the US should represent pretty well. So what.....

Well, USAWS is the current governing body of all "towed water sports" in the US. Any funding or other types of monetary support that is distrubuted by the USOC will go to USAWS. There may be some restrictions on any funding, it could be general funding or both. Either way, it's revenue for the mother ship.

The increase in popularity from the exposure would, I believe, be noticable. Even if it's a cable driven event, not everyone that wants to try the sport will have access to a cable park so that means boat sales and wakeboard sales. It's conceivable that also means more ski sales. Either way it's bound to help the current manfacturers and others in the supply chain that support 3 event waterskiing too.

Finally it may open the door to 3 event skiing to be included at some point. May be a long shot for sure but frankly I can see many (if any) negatives to cable wakeboarding becoming an olympic event.

MattP

My thought on the whole subject is that cable is driven by a motor. Traditional skiing/wake is driven by a motor. So what really is the difference here? Why one over the other? Just because one motor is smaller than the other?

disland

Its all good. Somewhat off topic but. Where would alpine skiing be without snowboarding. They would be screwed thats what. We need to learn to better align ourselves with wakeboarding of all types. I would like to see more cable jumping. From what I have seen its looks pretty fun. Why is it happening only in Europe? Stretch your mind a little further and expand the trick event to include wakeboarding. How about we kill toes (really its kind of stupid) and have one pass on short board and one pass on a wake board

kmenard

More exposure means more wakeboard boats on the lake tearing up perfectly good waterskiing water. Get those damned kids off my lawn! Also...I want to see Softball back. I don't know HOW I got hooked on that sport, but it is fun to watch the softball WS. (go sun devils)

h2odawg79

Human error would be the 1st ostacle to a Boat (Motor) driven event. An error that was not on the part of the Athlete...

So, who would drive? Your driver? -that would probably make it a Team event at best. A neutral Driver? -can't see that working out real well. Between $$$ (wink, wink) and again Human error, (cough, cough.)

Even a Cable (elec. Motor) event could (would) catch a lot of heck and scrutiny from the Athletes. I'd Love to see it happen regardless of how it gets there or how it is judged or run...

MattP

@h2odawg79 its called driving in record tolerance... The IWSF/IWWF what ever they are called these days created these tolerances because of the dream of obtaining Olympic Games status. You can't fudge end of course video or GPS boat times. There are neutral drivers out there from Switzerland, just kidding but there really neutral drivers. There is one way to loose your respect as a driver and not get invited to drive an event is to cheat a skier for the better or worse. A skier knows when their drive path is off.

Horton

I am all for it as long as not 1 cent of my USAWS fees is spent on it.

Horton

The only good thing is that it could be good for the factories. That is never a bad thing.

gregy

Don't really care. Pretty sad there taking out wrestling!

MattP

@gregy I agree. What's next? Rowing? Track? Swimming?

Wrestling was one of the orrgional Greek events and has been in every modern Olymics. Those suits don't know what the hell they are doing. They singlehandedly crushed so many dreams today. I could not even begin to imagine the feelings and attitudes at a wrestling practice this afternoon!?

I coach highschool rowing full time at a pretty elite level club. If I had gotten this same news about rowing and have to turn up at practice today. I literally do not know what I would have done or how I would feel. It's unimaginable for me. I feel for these wrestlers. If it was ping pong... Yeah I would not bat an eye. If cableboard gets in because of this I will not support it at all not one single bit.

ToddL

@MattP - specifically, imagine those athletes who were training for an upcoming go at Olympic wrestling... How much of their lives has been invested in a goal that just disappeared from their reach?

MattP

@ToddL I know. I have been fortunate enough to spend time with, be coached by, and coach with members of the USRowing team and I know they would literally be crushed. Yes they would stil have USNationals, Worlds ect. but the Olympic dream is the highest of them all.

RichardDoane

@mattp - it's called "table tennis"

The_MS

@Horton How do you think it made it this far? Lots of our USAWS money has been put into this already.

MattP

@richarddoane oops my bad. EDIT: "table tennis" oh lets not even bring up speed walking, badminton, or trampoline... those all deserve to be in the Olympics over wrestling.

gregy

Seems to me this is a decision on made on the interest of viewer ratings vs. athletes best interest. Sad day for the Olympics, not just the athletes. I've always had a lot of respect for the Olympics, but this really makes me wonder.

dbski

Wrestling is out and twirling ribbons is in? You got to be f------ kidding me!

MattP

@dbski opps I forgot the best of them all.... Thanks for picking up that I missed that elite sport!

jrs

It's not a sport, there is no clear winner. Everything is judged by how the judge felt about it, not by anything you can measure. It's about the same as pulling a tube on big lake but with a better chance of getting hurt. Sure it can be fun to do for a summer but then it gets old. I've seen it at its peak about 5 years ago where I ski. Now I see about one wakeboarder in a week if any.