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TS
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Liensberger vs Erin M ... can't spell that. Shitday for team Sweden who normally is pretty good at this. Frida lost her edge and went out early ASL didn't ski very well and Emelie seems to be off this season. One highlight this weekend was Lisa Hörnblad, 12th in the SG. And on men's side, Mats Olsson 3rd in GS, after a 6th in the last race in the US. Good opening for him.
 

4ster

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Good race going for Hansdotter though before it wasn't. :( .
Really would've liked the final to be with Holdener but Vlhova really did put the pressure on!
Brunner in 6th was a good result as she is primarily a GS skier.
I guess this is the only Parallel for the season? at least for the women. I really like this event & think iit would be cool if it was a little longer with a bit bigger turns & its own 18 meterish skis. I think that would open it up for some of the bigger turn skiers to be competitive. It really looked like everyone was having fun :) !
 

Started at 53

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I like watching Shiffrin win, I guess kinda like watching Tiger win at golf. If she keeps healthy and the desire to win she will set records likely to stand for decades with her newfound success in speed events to go along with her Tech dominance
 
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There's parallell for both woman and men in Stockholm in February and Oslo too in January me think. They all get to get together ogsmile

Really would have like to see Frida vs Shiffrin, but you need to stand on your legs. Very unusual for Frida, she's one of the most "stable" skiers and almost never goes out. Perhaps that is was she needs to risk? There was a Canadian girl who went out in the exact same spot, blue course.
 
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Teppaz

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Don’t get me wrong, I admire Shiffrin and her accomplishments. I do, I really do. That said, I have to admit I’d like to see others step up. Her dominance over an increasing range of races makes them less fun to watch. Competition is good! It’s like Gary Lineker’s old joke about soccer: “22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end the Germans always win.”
 

hbear

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Competition is good, but I also enjoy watching dominance by a skier that is a cut above....we are watching history unfold before our eyes here.
Not boring at all when one is looking beyond the results and actually appreciates what this young lady is doing on the hill. She is doing some great things with her skiing and is amazing to watch her recovery from errors (has anybody even forgotten her Olympic final?). There certainly is a drive and fire to compete there!
 

Tom Holtmann

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For me, seeing that once in a generation special talent makes any sport more interesting than having more parity. It builds drama as the outcome is never guaranteed and draws people in knowing that dominance is ephemeral and ultimately will make way. So for me an NBA with Jordan, the PGA with Tiger, the ATP with Federer and FIS with Hirscher and Shiffrin is superior. I found both races quite competitive and dramatic. These are just preferences obviously.
 

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I agree with you about Shiffrin being a once in a lifetime phenomenon. And yet I do find myself being less involved watching the races from a pure spectator point of view. I tend to prefer balanced rivalries, like Nadal/Federer or Evert/Navratilova. Watching Kristoffersen get beaten by Hirscher once again... Not the most ideal storytelling for me!
 

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I agree with you about Shiffrin being a once in a lifetime phenomenon. And yet I do find myself being less involved watching the races from a pure spectator point of view. I tend to prefer balanced rivalries, like Nadal/Federer or Evert/Navratilova. Watching Kristoffersen get beaten by Hirscher once again... Not the most ideal storytelling for me!
World Cup SL, Hirscher vs Kristoffersen (wins) since the 2013-2014 season: 19-15 Hirscher

The SL rivalry is still pretty even (though last year ... 7-1 Hirscher)

Hirscher is incredible because he's been perhaps even better in GS (22 wins since 2013-2014).
 

RuleMiHa

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And she didn't go home with the gold from Korea... There's always excitement.
In many ways she is her own worst enemy and her only competition. It seems as though if she lets herself get mindf***ed she loses, if not she wins. I think that is a good lesson for us all.
 

Eleeski

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I'm pretty sure MS won GS gold at the 2018 Olympics. She didn't win all the golds but she came home from Korea with some gold. Medal in combined and close in slalom. Impressive showing but some wanted more?

She's a fun story to watch. As are some other ski racing characters. The season is just starting!

Eric
 

Ross Biff

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Good race going for Hansdotter though before it wasn't. :( .
Really would've liked the final to be with Holdener but Vlhova really did put the pressure on!
Brunner in 6th was a good result as she is primarily a GS skier.
I guess this is the only Parallel for the season? at least for the women. I really like this event & think iit would be cool if it was a little longer with a bit bigger turns & its own 18 meterish skis. I think that would open it up for some of the bigger turn skiers to be competitive. It really looked like everyone was having fun :) !
I agree that a parallel semi GS on 18 mtr- ish skis would complement the current PSL and maybe give some of the less SL oriented skiers a shot. It would be interesting to see who rose to the top. It was also interesting to see the gear choices taken with some racers using SL poles with guards and MS using GS poles. Also some with chinguards and some without.
 

Tom Holtmann

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I agree with you about Shiffrin being a once in a lifetime phenomenon. And yet I do find myself being less involved watching the races from a pure spectator point of view. I tend to prefer balanced rivalries, like Nadal/Federer or Evert/Navratilova. Watching Kristoffersen get beaten by Hirscher once again... Not the most ideal storytelling for me!
Give it time. At times Federer dominated Nadal and then during other extended periods Nadal dominated Federer. Same with Evert/Navratilova. Things change: new faces appear, injuries occur, competitors get better. By the way, the Germans went from 1990 to 2014 without winning the World Cup ;)
 
Thread Starter
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I agree that a parallel semi GS on 18 mtr- ish skis would complement the current PSL and maybe give some of the less SL oriented skiers a shot. It would be interesting to see who rose to the top. It was also interesting to see the gear choices taken with some racers using SL poles with guards and MS using GS poles. Also some with chinguards and some without.

There’s a GS Parallell, in Alta Badia, for men. A pretty cool event. No PGS for women afaik, yet.
 
Thread Starter
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I'm pretty sure MS won GS gold at the 2018 Olympics. She didn't win all the golds but she came home from Korea with some gold. Medal in combined and close in slalom. Impressive showing but some wanted more?

She's a fun story to watch. As are some other ski racing characters. The season is just starting!

Eric

She did bring home gold, yes. But not the one that everybody thought she already had in a box. Could have been too much on the plate at that point.
 

Teppaz

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Give it time. At times Federer dominated Nadal and then during other extended periods Nadal dominated Federer. Same with Evert/Navratilova. Things change: new faces appear, injuries occur, competitors get better. By the way, the Germans went from 1990 to 2014 without winning the World Cup ;)
Admittedly that is an old quote!
 

4ster

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Don’t get me wrong, I admire Shiffrin and her accomplishments. I do, I really do. That said, I have to admit I’d like to see others step up. Her dominance over an increasing range of races makes them less fun to watch. Competition is good! It’s like Gary Lineker’s old joke about soccer: “22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end the Germans always win.”
Ladies GS seems very competitive (Brignone, Worley, Brunner, Rebensberg, Vieth etc.) this season as long as the others do not get injured trying to catch Shiffrin in the other events.
Soelden 2018 podium.jpg
 

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