Posts Tagged ‘Switzerland’

It started at the Winter X games in 1998 but has been introduced as a medal event for the first time at Whistler – hot on the heels of snowboard cross which made its debut at Turin four years ago. But why is this newcomer generating so much attention

Ski Cross, or Ski X as it is often written, is a race on skis between four skiers on a man made course which includes twists, turns and spectacular jumps. The race lasts about a minute and then its all over. But the frequency of crashes draws attention – it is good TV viewing with non stop action.

The video below from WorldSportTV explains what it is all about and features the French champion Ophelie David who will be competing at Whistler, Karin Huttary, a former X Games champion from Austria and Enak Gavaggio of France.

A Ski Cross Course needs to meet requirements specified by the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski) rules. There are men’s and women’s events and both use the same course. Athletes will have to race the course many times during the event.

The course is constructed of obstacles such as traverses, flats, rolls, banks, moguls, and jumps of various heights and difficulties, all connected with turns.

• Length: 800 to 1200 m
• Vertical Drop: 150 to 250 m
• Turns: 50% of the course must be turns of varying size and speeds between the other obstacles.
• Features: 25% of the course must be traverses, moguls, banks etc.
• Jumps: 25% of the course will be jumps 1 to 4 m high.

The excitement is immediate as all four racers start at the same time with racers spending as much as 25% of the race airborne whilst travelling at speeds of up to 65 mph and all the time there is the threat of a wipe out which can be your own fault or you may be taken out by your fellow racers.

After a timed qualification round the qualifiers race in knock out heats head to head with the first and second proceeding to the next round. When there are just 8 racers left there is what is termed ‘the small final’ to determine positions 5 to 8 inclusive and there is the ‘big final’ which determines positions 1 to 4 and therefore, in the case of the Olympics, the gold, silver and bronze medals.

Competitors are not allowed to push or trip or commit any foul play and can be disqualified from the competition if this happens.

The men’s final was held on Sunday and the winner was Switzerland’s Michael Schmid ahead of Andreas Matt of Austria who captured silver and Audun Grønvold of Norway won the bronze medal.

The ladies take to the hill today so do not miss any of the action, one of the favourites will be Ophelie David. Here she is winning the world championship held in Madonna di Campiglio in Italy in 2007. Thanks to sportsnetwork for the video and good luck Ophelie!

Don’t miss the action later today.

Perhaps better known as an English soccer anthem but this is what Larry Ellison was singing Sunday evening when The Golden Gate Yacht Club’s USA 17, sponsored by BMW Oracle defeated Alinghi V. After the hours and hours of legal wranglings – Ellison went to court no fewer than eight times – it took his boat only 2 races to demonstrate its vast superiority and as a result the best of three races was determined after only two races.

This is what it is all about – The America’s Cup – for 132 years (1851 – 1983), the United States enjoyed the longest winning streak in all of sport. They were the holders of the America’s Cup, the oldest and most distinguished trophy in sport. The America’s Cup is the Holy Grail of yacht racing.Ellison was determined to win it and the team’s own website had this to say:

‘BMW ORACLE Racing, the American challenger, representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, won the 33rd America’s Cup Match on Sunday in Valencia, sweeping past the Swiss defender, Alinghi, to a 2-0 victory.

This was an historic race for the oldest trophy in international sport, featuring two of the most innovative boats on the planet.

BMW ORACLE Racing’s trimaran, USA, powered by the largest wing sail ever built, proved to be the faster of the two multihulls, overpowering Alinghi’s catamaran in both races.

Today marks the culmination of the San Francisco team’s 10-year quest for the America’s Cup, sailing’s pinnacle event. Founded by Larry Ellison (USA), the team is led by CEO Russell Coutts (NZL), now a four time Cup winner, and James Spithill (AUS), the skipper and helmsman of USA.’

Although we think there has been a lot of ’spoilt rich boys playing with their toys’ and, from the sound of it, quite a few toys being thrown out of the pram, we do admire these giants of the sailing world, the commitment of the team owners – Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli – the innovation of the design teams and the very hard work undertaken by both teams. Congratulations to all involved.

It is early days to announce details of what follows but there is already talk of San Francisco hosting the 34rd America’s Cup and the potential of an Italian challenge being made. We have also heard that challengers may be determined by consensus………whatever that may mean!

See the action from the last race and what Larry Ellison had to say in this video from Bloomberg and if you listen carefully we are sure we can can hear…………Its coming home, its coming home, the America’s Cup is coming home – well done Larry.

After the big air event last week in London the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup moved to Saas Fee in Switzerland where the usual suspects were evident on the podium.

Torah Bright from Australia demonstrated impressively why she definitely belongs to the world’s best freestyle ladies. She amazed the spectators and judges likewise with technical and spectacular jumps like the cap 720 which meant she won the half pipe competition in the ladies division.

“I was so glad that we had a good weather today, it’s much more fun then. I had to get used to the pipe first, but then I could demonstrate some good runs” said Torah.

In second place was China’s Xuetong Cai who said  “I felt really good today. Unfortunately some of my hits were too short, but I’ll keep on practicing and hope to perform a great run at the Olympics in a couple of months”.

The third placed Sophie Rodriguez of France also didn’t have a reason to complain: “It was the first time I landed my planned run. So I’m for sure really happy and hope to keep that level and can even improve some tricks this season”.

Torah Bright – Australia’s half pipe winner in Saas Fee

Photos courtesy of FIS-Florian Ruth

When it came to the blokes it was Kazuhiro Kokubo from Japan who carried off the top spot.

Kokubo was on fire in the perfect shaped super pipe of Saas-Fee’s  freestyle park. With a clean first run and spectacular jumps he claimed the victory ahead of Mathieu Crepel from France and Peetu Piiroinen of Finland.

Kokubo said, “I didn’t expect to win here against the strong international riders. But it’s a great feeling and an honor definitely”.

Mathieu Crepel was also well pleased with his second place having had such a difficult time through injury in recent months: “It was a great day in a great pipe. It’s really good to be back after dealing with two injuries within the past six months”.

Piioinen could not catch the Japanese even with big tricks like the Alley-oop backside rodeo and a cap 1080. “I can do better, but I’m pleased with my riding and the third rank here in Saas-Fee”, said Piioinen.

Kazuhiro Kokubo of Japan who won in Saas Fee

This leaves Kokubo the overall leader in the men’s division of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup with 1600 points – chased by a pack of four men on 1000 points which includes Stefan Gimpl and Benjamin Karl from Austria, Pierre Vaultier from France and Shaun White from the USA.

There is no outright leader in the women’s division at the moment. The top spot is shared by four girls all with 1000 points – they are Jiayu Liu of China, Amelie Kober of Germany, Torah Bright of Australia and Maelle Ricker of Canada.

It is going to be a fantastic season of competition and we will keep you posted – the next event is scheduled for November 21st when the men are in Stockholm for a Big Air Event.

Photo courtesy of Carlo Borlenghi – Alinghi

So here she is – the defender for the 33rd Americas Cup – to be held just off the coast of the United Arab Emirates at Ras Al Khaimah in February of next year – Alinghi 5. Team president, Ernesto Bertarelli, who is Italian by birth and moved to Switzerland in 1977, is a successful and passionate sailor who has raced at the highest level for most of his life,  is 100% committed to retaining the trophy with Alinghi 5.

But first a little history which goes some way to explaing why The Americas Cup is so special – thanks to Hamish Ross for this insight.

‘The America’s Cup is a symbol of yachting supremacy. Winning the America’s Cup is one of the most difficult sporting accomplishments possible.

The Cup itself was made in 1848 by Garrards of London who were, at the time, the Royal Jewellers. The Cup was one of several identical cups made at the time. It languished at Garrards, unsold, for several years until it was purchased by the Royal Yacht Squadron as a trophy for a special race held in the year of the Great Exhibition of 1851 held in London. Now, it is a priceless sporting treasure.

A syndicate of 5 members of the New York Yacht Club built and sailed a schooner they called America to Britain where it entered the Royal Yacht Squadron’s race which was open to all nations but in fact was only raced by America and other yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron. America convincingly won the race and took the Cup home to New York amongst great acclaim’……..they then continuously held the cup for 132 years until 1983.

Since then, besides the American team who held the trophy from 1987 to 1995 it has been won by 4 other nations – Australia, New Zealand, Italy and now Switzerland.

The Swiss won The Americas Cup in 2003, defended it again in 2007 against a Kiwi challenge and will face the challenge of the Golen Gate Yacht Club in 2010 – Larry Ellison will do all he can with USA to bring the cup home.

Alinghi 5

We wrote about BOR90 – or USA – as she is now called – in a previous blog. This is what she is challenging.

Alinghi 5 is a 90ft multihull with a beam comparable to the width of two tennis courts set side by side and a mast that towers some 17 stories high. The boat was launched on the 8 July and underwent its maiden sail on the 20 July on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

On the 7 August, the catamaran was transported by helicopter from its home port of Lake Geneva to a temporary training base in Genoa, Italy from where it was reported in early September that she had suffered a structural failure. We understand that she is now in transit to RAK where trials and testing will continue.

In the video from AdonnanteTv below you can see she is a very fast boat – the challenge has been made, is the defender ready?

We trust no one will be upset by cycle polo which from our research would appear to be gathering an increasing number of players, supporters and countries that play the game. Having said that we have not been able to find anything about the 2009 tournaments and so we would be delighted to hear from enthusiasts of the sport of what is happening, when and where, so we can post a blog and keep people informed.

Traditional bicycle polo is played in a rectangular grass field, 150 meters by 100 meters officially, unofficially whatever field is big enough or whatever surface is smooth enough. Moreover, official dimensions can vary between 120 and 150 meters in length on 80 to 100 meters in width.

The game was invented by an Irishman, Richard J. Mecredy, in 1891 and has seen a sharp spike in interest since the turn of this century and new teams are sprouting up across the world.

Today there is organized cycle polo being played in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

The 1980s saw the rise of two new powers in cycle polo, India and USA. The Cycle Polo Association of India was officially created in 1966 and the Bicycle Polo Association of America was created in 1994.

International cycle polo matches staged a comeback in the 1990s with the first world championship organized in 1996 in the USA. Teams from India, USA and Canada participated with India winning the title.

Today the game has become more urban and is played on tennis courts and the like where a hard surface presents a fast and exciting game.

See the video below from cleancut62 of some action from a recent game which demonstrates there is more than just a little skill in riding a bike required – the crashes are pretty hard but it looks a lot of fun.

The final installment of this trilogy will be about Segway polo….stay tuned!

Its the place to have been this last week – Laax, Switzerland – where the most established winter festival in Europe has just been held and celebrated its 20th year celebrating all things snow and music. As one commentator said ‘it is where Glastonbury meets the FA Cup on snow and thats one hell of a recipe for entertainment.’

Below is action provided by soulsportstv from the mens and womens Animal British Slopestyle 2009 Championship for snowboarders – Jenny Jones, who had just flown in from the US, won the women’s event with Laura Berry taking second. The men’s event set a new record when 15 year old Jamie Nicholls broke a Brits record for being the youngest competitor to win an overall title.

Winners of the events are listed below:

Animal British Slopestyle Championship Results
Men
1st – Jamie Nicholls, Halifax
2nd – Jack Shackleton, Newbury
3rd – Ben Kilner, Banchory

Women
1st – Jenny Jones, Bristol
2nd – Laura Berry, Milton Keynes
3rd – Claire Frost, Edinburgh

Quiksilver British Big Air Championship Results
Men
1st – James Woods, Sheffield
2nd – Paddy Graham, Sheffield
3rd – Joe Tomlinson, Rossendale

Women
1st – Katie Summerhayes, Sheffield
2nd – Claire Hughes, Fife
3rd – Jessica Thom

Another video from soulsportstv of the SNO!zone British Halfpipe Championships

SNO!zone British Halfpipe Championship Results
Men
1st – Ben Kilner, Banchory
2nd – Dom Harington, Leeds
3rd – Dan Wakeham, Plymouth

Women
1st – Lesley Mckenna, Aviemore
2nd – Kate Foster, Sussex
3rd – Laura Hill, Leeds

Trespass British Skiercross Results
Men
1st – Gregg Samuels
2nd – Craig Robinson
3rd – Edward Cozzi
4th – John Andree

Women
1st – Jasmin Taylor
2nd – Danielle Freeze
3rd – Serena Woods
4th – Helen Pickford

Another video from soulsportstv of the Qucksilver British Big Air Championship

Quiksilver British Big Air Championship Results
Men
1st – Nate Kern, Sussex
2nd – Andy Nudds, Halifax
3rd – Dom Harington, Leeds

Women
1st – Laura Berry, Milton Keynes
2nd – Claire Frost, Edinburgh
3rd – Jo Chastney, Dorset

Animal British Slopestyle Championship Results
Men
1st – James Woods, Sheffield
2nd – James Webb, Bracknell
3rd – Julian Ball, Kent
Trespass British Snowboardcross Results
Men Women
1st – James Foster 1st – Zoe Gillings
2nd – Tim McGregor 2nd – Lesley McKenna
3rd – Nick Dudar 3rd – Dani Stone
4th – David Osgood 4th – Ivy Taylor

Women
1st – Katie Summerhayes, Sheffield
2nd – Claire Hughes, Fife
3rd – Emma Lonsdale, Settle

Quiksilver British Big Air Championship Results
Women
1st – Emma Lonsdale, Settle
2nd – Katie Summerhayes, Sheffield
3rd – Claire Hughes, Fife

Men
1st – James Machon, Bamford
2nd – James Woods, Sheffield
3rd – Charlie Richards, Sheffield

Of course its not all about the action in the mountains at the Brits ‘09 – one thing the Brits takes very seriously is the apres ski and this year was no exception with every noise pollution law being flagrantly abused and music loud enough to tear the roof off of any chalet from the likes of Scratch and Vadim, Gentlemans Pistols, Jett Black, Kandi Coded, Funk Royale with Deep Sax and MC Tucca, Darren Jay, Micky Finn and MC Rhymes,The Go Team DJs and Kovak, and MC Tim Warwood and Mitch Matthews.

No doubt Laax is now recovering from an invasion from Britain and celebrating the fact that it was another very successful week from which very few left disappointed.