Here is a story from CBCNews:
Ski ballet is having a moment.
Videos from the late 1980s and early 1990s, when ski ballet was a demonstration sport — along with moguls and aerials — at the Calgary Winter Olympics and then again at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, are going viral.
Former Olympian Suzy Chaffee, who was an NBC alpine events commentator at the 1988 Games in Calgary, thinks now is exactly the right time to bring it back to the Winter Olympics, 26 years after it was shelved.
"Ski ballet is dancing down the mountains, embracing the mountains, poetry on skis," Chaffee said in a recent interview with CBC's Shannon Scott — and she would know.
Germany’s Georg Furmeier of Germany (L) at the 1987 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup. Sweden’s Annika Johansson (R) in action at 1992 Winter Olympics. (Getty Images /Chris Cole/Allsport)
Even though there wasn't a female division, Chaffee won the world championship three years in a row — and then, after an appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, launched a fundraising campaign to create a female division.
"I said, there's so many talented women at home, they can't afford to come for these events," she said. "But if we had some prize money for these women, they could have their own division.
"I ended up raising over $3 million for women's freestyle through Colgate. And we got higher ratings than the NCAA [basketball] playoffs."
So why did ski ballet disappear from the Olympics?
"I believe it got killed because 30 years ago, there were men who were running things who were afraid of the female side," she said. "And now with Dancing With Stars, and Torville and Dean, who do the choreography for your awesome [figure skating champions Tessa] Virtue and [Scott] Moir it's so [much more] acceptable. This generation could bring it back, because it's so much fun."
Campaign launched to bring ski ballet back to the Olympics3:58
Make sure you watch the video:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1169130563839/
The fun starts at 1:30
Full link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...ds-to-bring-back-to-winter-olympics-1.4550139
Ski ballet is having a moment.
Videos from the late 1980s and early 1990s, when ski ballet was a demonstration sport — along with moguls and aerials — at the Calgary Winter Olympics and then again at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France, are going viral.
Former Olympian Suzy Chaffee, who was an NBC alpine events commentator at the 1988 Games in Calgary, thinks now is exactly the right time to bring it back to the Winter Olympics, 26 years after it was shelved.
"Ski ballet is dancing down the mountains, embracing the mountains, poetry on skis," Chaffee said in a recent interview with CBC's Shannon Scott — and she would know.
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Germany’s Georg Furmeier of Germany (L) at the 1987 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup. Sweden’s Annika Johansson (R) in action at 1992 Winter Olympics. (Getty Images /Chris Cole/Allsport)
Even though there wasn't a female division, Chaffee won the world championship three years in a row — and then, after an appearance on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, launched a fundraising campaign to create a female division.
"I said, there's so many talented women at home, they can't afford to come for these events," she said. "But if we had some prize money for these women, they could have their own division.
"I ended up raising over $3 million for women's freestyle through Colgate. And we got higher ratings than the NCAA [basketball] playoffs."
So why did ski ballet disappear from the Olympics?
"I believe it got killed because 30 years ago, there were men who were running things who were afraid of the female side," she said. "And now with Dancing With Stars, and Torville and Dean, who do the choreography for your awesome [figure skating champions Tessa] Virtue and [Scott] Moir it's so [much more] acceptable. This generation could bring it back, because it's so much fun."
Campaign launched to bring ski ballet back to the Olympics3:58
Make sure you watch the video:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1169130563839/
The fun starts at 1:30
Full link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...ds-to-bring-back-to-winter-olympics-1.4550139