Jump to content
Note to New Members ×

Racing TV Coverage


Jack M

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...

Watched W/M Parallel Giant Slalom Finals - Snowboard | PyeongChang 2018 Replays

90+% of every win was on the red course.... seems a shame that so many went there and obviously one course was a huge advantage... I get that's racing, but I would be heart broken if my teammate got that course...

Seriously, out of all the matches, all but 3 won on the red course, and the 3 that won blue, it was because the other person screwed up at one point or another, not from shear speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, TVR said:

Watched W/M Parallel Giant Slalom Finals - Snowboard | PyeongChang 2018 Replays

90+% of every win was on the red course.... seems a shame that so many went there and obviously one course was a huge advantage... I get that's racing, but I would be heart broken if my teammate got that course...

Seriously, out of all the matches, all but 3 won on the red course, and the 3 that won blue, it was because the other person screwed up at one point or another, not from shear speed.

What you didn't see is that everyone gets one run against the clock. The top 16 times in each course get a 2nd run in the other course. After that, the top 16 best total times move on to finals, which is the head to head racing you saw.

Finals involve pairing #1 with #16, #2 with #15 and so on in the parallel races. Each pair-up gets a run each course. The winner of the first match-up gets a head start at the top in the opposite course and equal to the amount of time they won by in the first heat.

Occasionally, due to time constraints or course deterioration, they will have a single run elimination final in which the racer with the faster qualifying time gets to pick the course. (I don't remember they they did this in Pyeong Chang.) If one course is favored, they just have to not mess up. The one in the unfavorable course gets a wild-card chance to beat the racer that already bested them in 2 runs in qualifiers.

Even though the parallel format originally was an effort to make snowboard racing more exciting for the spectators (TV), it turned out to be confusing and monotonous to most, but racers love the format and have voted to keep it.

Even the U.S. TV coverage of the 1st Olympic GS races at Nagano showed only the top 2nd runs. I'd never seen the whole thing until @Jack M (thank you) posted the link. What really got me, in addition to how nice the weather was for those 1st runs, was how incredibly enthusiastic the crowds were. I loved seeing so many of the racers directing the cheering crowd like an orchestra at the finish.

Yeah, it would be fun to see something like that again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have participated in the format myself and know I'm in the minority.  Regardless, racers would not quit the sport over a return to the older setup... This is their passion and career.  

The format also eliminates chances for from-behind wins (Ester's ski WC races, for example) both from the beginning and increasingly so as the heats progress.  This detracts from audience engagement and ultimately hurts the sport as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the info... good for sure... my main take away is still, that course took away from the sport. 

I don't have strong opinion either way on PGS vs GS single runs, but I will state that when I can actively predict with 90% accuracy who will win in the PGS without either having ever seen either rider ride before or know what country they are from based exclusively on what lane they got, it does a disservice to the race and ultimately the sport. At the very least, they should have raked and slipped the course or done something to even it out and remove the course as a handicap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/1/2020 at 6:37 AM, TVR said:

Thanks for all the info... good for sure... my main take away is still, that course took away from the sport. 

I don't have strong opinion either way on PGS vs GS single runs, but I will state that when I can actively predict with 90% accuracy who will win in the PGS without either having ever seen either rider ride before or know what country they are from based exclusively on what lane they got, it does a disservice to the race and ultimately the sport. At the very least, they should have raked and slipped the course or done something to even it out and remove the course as a handicap.

so they didn't have a run in each course?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...