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| Photo CBC video coverage |
"I'm just pretty disappointed with the organizers to make us ride in these conditions," O'Brien told CBC Sports. "When our safety [is] involved, the riders need to have a say.” With these restrained words, Canadian slopestyle snowboarder, X Games gold medalist, World Champion, and Olympic medal contender Spencer O’Brien became my Olympic hero.
For those who missed it, the story of the 2018 Winter Olympics so far has been the wind. And not just the wind, but that the slopestyle snowboard men and women were made to compete in gusting, erratic 50+ kmph winds. Qualification day was postponed, and the men’s final was visibly affected with some riders getting blown short on big air. It was the women’s event, though, in the afternoon, that was the problem. Twenty of the 25 competitors fell on their first run. With a gusting headwind, many could not make the distance between take-off and landing, getting spectacularly bucked on the knuckle. Some stalled mid-air, providing terrifying moments of falling upside down mid-rotation. One athlete suffered a season-ending injury. Take the time to watch this one minute summary video of the day’s event from CBC Olympic coverage (link to Olympic clip no longer available; link to CBC print story here).
For me, this is a part of a much bigger story. Who gets to choose the risk? Think back to Sarah Burke’s tragic death in 2012, dying of injuries sustained training in the newly expanded Superpipe halfpipe. Think back to Nik Zoricic’s death competing in World Cup skicross that same year. At that time, freestyle skiing and snowboarding were newly minted Olympic sports, expanding outward rapidly. These two athletes contributed to making clear that ‘progression’ has limits. In both cases and since then, I have been outspoken (and received national news interest, see link here and here) as to questioning who was in the driver’s seat. I firmly believe it is not the athletes. Organizers provide events where athletes are expected to perform. For every single athlete, they have dedicated their entire lives and identities to their craft. To show up to a pinnacle event and not compete is just not an option.
Which is why I am so impressed with Spencer O’Brien. Check out the photo below; it says it all. In the photo she has just slammed on the brakes at the lip of the big second jump and holds her hands up in… what? Disgust? Disappointment? Helplessness? She was not the only one to throw up her hands that day. Read on below.
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| Photo CBC Olympic coverage video |
At this point it might be worth your while to watch O’Brien’s run. She is at 1hr:56 in the video feed. Note the wind blowing snow above the second jump as she hits the brakes (link here).
O’Brien found herself in an impossible position: a gusting headwind means to try the jump is surely a recipe for crashing (and possible injury). To not hit the jump she forfeits her run. An impossible bargain. Either way, she pays the price. Go for it and get broken, or play it safe and she’s out of the biggest event in her sport. Is that really a choice? Athletes do not get to choose the risk. 'Well, she should just go smaller then' it has been argued. This is naive. First off, these courses have no 'small' option. The landing ramps are expertly placed expecting big air. Landing flat is what injures athletes. More importantly, going small is the same thing as forfeiting a run. At this level, these are not options for these athletes.
When called to task afterwards, race officials offered, "The FIS jury monitored the weather conditions closely throughout the day, including consulting with the coaches, and considered it was within the boundaries to stage the competition safely." This says it all. Officials and coaches decide what is safe. Neither will suffer a broken neck or life-altering brain injury if they are wrong.
There are easy solutions. First, organizers need to be conservative and truly put athletes first when looking at conditions. TV slots, re-schedule dates etc. are all little things compared to life-altering injury. The FIS (Federation International Ski) has already overseen two downhill races in Canada earlier this year where athletes were killed (link here). For heaven’s sake, ratchet back the exposure.
Second, at every event, have athletes elect a 5 member athlete council. They will be granted authority to have the final call on all safety matters. This happened informally at the Rio Olympics test event in BMX. Riders arrived at the test event and promptly declined to race. The track was too gnarly (link here). This was notable, as it was a very high profile move of athletes taking control of their safety.
Third, provide a ‘do-over’ card. If any athlete gets blasted by borderline conditions, then they can apply for a re-run. By simply installing wind meters on each lip, officials can assess whether the athlete’s claim is legit.
If athletes are the ones who pay the price, then they need to be the ones to decide on acceptable risk. Make no mistake, some, especially up-and-comers hungry to prove themselves, will throw themselves at whatever is on the slate, consequence be damned. It is these people (kids, usually) we need to look out for.
Think of the message sent to aspiring freestyle athletes in light of this event: Officials know what is best; you have no agency. Your job is to take big risks. Not taking risks you are out. By not taking risks you are not ‘one of us’. Social identity is a powerful, powerful motivator. Sometimes we need protection from ourselves.
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