Ross Rebagliati in the NEWS

[yyzcanuck]

From the article posted here:

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Friday Oct. 23, 2009 9:55 AM ET

The world's first Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding is ready for a challenge of a different sort -- running for federal politics in his B.C. riding.

Ross Rebagliati announced he will seek the nomination to run as the Liberal candidate for the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding.

In a news release posted on his website, Rebagliati said he is ready for what promises to be a difficult fight, as he squares off against Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day.

Rebagliati won gold in snowboarding in 1998, only to have it stripped within days when traces of marijuana were found in his system. However, that ruling was quickly overturned and the medal reinstated. Rebagliati has always maintained the traces in his system were the result of second-hand smoke.

He retired in 1999 and has since been involved in real estate and broadcasting, as well as teaching snowboard racing. Rebagliati, his wife and their five-month-old son live in Kelowna, B.C.

"Since Nagano I have dedicated my life to furthering amateur sport and youth issues," Rebagliati said in the release.

"This desire to make a difference, combined with my long-held Liberal values and great respect for Michael Ignatieff, have led to my decision to seek the nomination in Okanagan-Coquihalla."

Riding President Darvinder Garcha said the 38-year-old father and husband is a welcome addition to the team, but didn't confirm whether Rebagliati's bid for the nomination will go uncontested.

"Ross' profile, energy and history of community activism will be a tremendous asset to our association and our Party," Garcha said in the release.

"We are thrilled to have him as a candidate for the nomination and look forward to working with him to reach out to the people of Okanagan-Coquihalla and take on Stockwell Day and his narrow Reform-Conservative agenda."

Rebagliati has said his experience at Nagano prepared him for the upcoming challenge.

At just 26 he was thrust into the world spotlight, forced to defend his integrity and athleticism with little support or advice -- going from national hero to laughing stock almost in an instant.

Living through such an intense political experience, he said, helped ready him to enter politics on a federal level -- this time on purpose.

The training, focus and commitment required to win Olympic gold, he said, would also serve him well in a political career.

[inkaholic]

Good luck to Ross.

Ink

[skategoat]

"Intense political experience"? Getting outed as a pothead and then being paraded around as the poster boy of snowboard slacker-dom somehow prepares him for office?

What a joke.

You guys should read what Chris Klug has to say about Ross Rastafari in his book.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Haha, "Bob Marley on a snowboard"?

:lol:

[gayebee]

"Intense political experience"? Getting outed as a pothead and then being paraded around as the poster boy of snowboard slacker-dom somehow prepares him for office?

What a joke.

You guys should read what Chris Klug has to say about Ross Rastafari in his book.

No what he say???

[skategoat]

No what he say???

I can't remember the exact words and I loaned my copy out but Klug held total disdain for the guy. He says Ross was just a partier and his Nagano win was pure fluke. He actually calls him Rastafari in the book.

He also says his pot controversy severely set the sport back and prevented it from being taken seriously.

I highly recommend the book. Well written for a sports autobiography and gives you a great feel for the early days of the sport.

http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Back-Transplant-Survivor-Snowboarder/dp/0786714220

[bobdea]

I can't remember the exact words and I loaned my copy out but Klug held total disdain for the guy. He says Ross was just a partier and his Nagano win was pure fluke. He actually calls him Rastafari in the book.

He also says his pot controversy severely set the sport back and prevented it from being taken seriously.

I highly recommend the book. Well written for a sports autobiography and gives you a great feel for the early days of the sport.

http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Back-Transplant-Survivor-Snowboarder/dp/0786714220

OMFG!

the olympics as a whole set the sport back five years, they used ****ing animal from the muppets as the snowboarding mascot.

a fluke at a race that big? so was klug saying everyone had a bad day except ross and ross also was the only guy who had the right wax? Sometimes the underdog has his day.

I'd have to read the book but from other statements of klug's I get the feeling he feels entitled to things and others are not.... specifically people who beat him....

[skategoat]

My memory fades but a lot of flukey events came together for Rosstafari to win. Weather was a huge factor. Jasey Jay was leading after two runs and then he was held in the starter hut. He got cold and messed up his final run.

The guy who should have won it was Mark Fawcett who was way ahead at the split before his binding pulled out.

[lowrider]

Canadians love freaks!!! one more hero from the zero column. who knows maybe he will give our flamboyant PM a run for his money.While these guys are busy rebuilding the economy. I understand the BC economy is mostly import export of the agricultural variety which Ross has claimed noteriety for, i'll leave the politics to these experts and take advantage of the cheep lift passes and go ride my way out of this bad patch.

[bobdea]

agreed on the mark faucett bit, if he did not have a gear failure

but I see that as part of racing. weather is too.....

[eajracing]

Brilliant. I'd love to see Ross run as an MP.... i might watch the cabinet tv feeds just for lebowski-esque nature of the questions.... "uhhh.... mind if i do a jay?" or explaining to Iggy that "...some new s**t's come to light maaaannn...".

+1 on fawcett should've won it. I can still remember watching the race at Panorama..... and seeing the "canadian olympic snowboard team" shirts that were for sale within a few days with the maple leaf of the flag replaced with the ubiquitous C. sativa leaf. I still bought one.

As for setting the sport back.... we needed something at that point in history. Snowboarding was emerging from a fringe sport, starting to gain respectability and I could no longer use it to pick up teenage girls with daddy-issues looking for someone their parents would hate from the singles line. This dragged us back down and gave me all new material to ply my trade on the chair with. It's always better to be underestimated than overestimated.... the mistakes your opponent makes will be at least 10x worse.

[Rob Stevens]

Klug is a stiff. I'm not surprised he would say something like that.

As for the race, there was no fluke about it whatsoever. Most of the top men couldn't handle it. The course workers sprayed the breakover with a firehose at -10. When I saw that, I thought half the field was not going to finish.

The difficulty of the course and number of DNF's did more to set back the sport in the eyes of the public than the pot scandal.

Say what you want about Ross, but don't anyone dare try to minimize his win. He killed it. I got to see the whole thing live, start to finish and he was the best on the hill that day. Were there other better riders on the tour at the time? Sure... But they were slower down that course.

As for a political career for Ross, who knows? Politics have been known to make fools of the most wise people and elevate fools who inspire.

I wish Ross luck because it's a thankless job. An athletic persona could also be considered a handicap. Just ask Ross' opponent, Gettin'Rad jet-skier Stockwell Day.

[skategoat]

Klug is a stiff. I'm not surprised he would say something like that.

As for the race, there was no fluke about it whatsoever. Most of the top men couldn't handle it. The course workers sprayed the breakover with a firehose at -10. When I saw that, I thought half the field was not going to finish.

The difficulty of the course and number of DNF's did more to set back the sport in the eyes of the public than the pot scandal.

Say what you want about Ross, but don't anyone dare try to minimize his win. He killed it. I got to see the whole thing live, start to finish and he was the best on the hill that day. Were there other better riders on the tour at the time? Sure... But they were slower down that course.

As for a political career for Ross, who knows? Politics have been known to make fools of the most wise people and elevate fools who inspire.

I wish Ross luck because it's a thankless job. An athletic persona could also be considered a handicap. Just ask Ross' opponent, Gettin'Rad jet-skier Stockwell Day.

To quote John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious" (about the political career).

I don't keep up with Ross news but he's hard to avoid. What I know about him is this - he bounced around Whistler trying to sell real estate. Then he attempted a comeback as a racer. Then he moved to Kelowna to be the director of a non-existent ski hill. Somewhere in there, he tried to sue a TV show for infringing on his persona. Now he wants to be an MP. Publicity hound.

[Rob Stevens]

Isn't "Publicity Hound" a pre-requisite for any poitician? You certainly can't be shy of the spotlight, while seeking a career in Federal politics.

In my estimation, elections are such a shallow process that it'll be his bad teeth that sink him and not his past. A Liberal affiliation won't help, either.

[skategoat]

Isn't "Publicity Hound" a pre-requisite for any poitician? You certainly can't be shy of the spotlight, while seeking a career in Federal politics.

In my estimation, elections are such a shallow process that it'll be his bad teeth that sink him and not his past. A Liberal affiliation won't help, either.

Yep, I suppose you are correct on both counts. Ross wouldn't be the first under-qualified MP. Ruby Dhalla comes to mind in that category.

In any event, he has a pretty much zero chance to win as you pointed out (being a Liberal).

[Scuff]

I think it's unfortunate that the media coverage & attention surrounding

the 1998 Nagano controversy is how much of the general public was first introduced to our sport of alpine racing....

and less of the fact that he Ross actually won an Olympic gold medal.

Best of luck to Ross in his new venture.

I got to see the whole thing live, start to finish and he was the best on the hill that day.

You were in Nagano? Sweet!! You could actually view the whole course that day?

I saw looked awfully foggy. (Link is to youtube video)

....Mark Fawcett who was way ahead at the split before his binding pulled out.

Bummer!..I didn't know that story.

Meeting Mark in person is definitely on my "bucket list."

The first time I was introduced to alpine was watching him during a

televised race.....(later in that race he broke his board.) :(

Wonder what drama this Olympic year will bring?

[BlueB]

You were in Nagano? Sweet!! You could actually view the whole course that day?

Rob was the "voice" of the race...

[skategoat]

Rob was the "voice" of the race...

I watched the snowboarding with some buddies and a bottle of tequila. Every time Rob said "stoked", we had to down a shot. We got hammered.

Just busting your chops Rob. You did a great job on that telecast. I remember it clearly.

[jburrill]

Dude, man, whoa! Ross is a nice guy. Everyone should take it easy on em mon! I recall that race being a thrill to watch and learn from. Compare that course to later olympic GS courses. They look like ****ing Nastar courses that large pudgy guys with really good wax techs and big lifter plates win on. Racers like JJA, MF and RR are way more fun to watch and are better all around riders. Nagano was steep fast and icy. Great, thats what racing should be! The fact that others blew out and Ross didnt means that he was fastest to the finish that day. Klug is a stiff for ****ting on Ross in his book. Looks like Ross got "Klugified". Good Luck Ross, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist, and second hand pot inhaler.

[stewart Hodgins]

I think everybody does things when they are young that they grow up to be embarrassed about. Does that mean that they cannot go on to learn from those experiences and do good things? Besides he didn't use a performance enhancing drug he just got mellow! Also he didn't smoke he just inhaled.

[tenorman]

Also he didn't smoke he just inhaled.

sadly, the fact that ROSS did NOT smoke but only inhaled is irrefutable proof that he is not cut out for politics. in order to succeed in politics he should have done the exact opposite—smoke but do NOT inhale. BILL CLINTON one of the most successful (economically) U.S. presidents is a good example.