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From: mazur@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: USA Nordic Combined RIPOFF! - (nf)
Message-ID: <926@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 23:48:51 EST
Article-I.D.: inmet.926
Posted: Thu Feb 23 23:48:51 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Feb-84 04:13:47 EST
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#R:proper:-101400:inmet:6400090:000:2427
inmet!mazur    Feb 22 14:57:00 1984


	1)  If conditions, such as windspeed, were different on the two
   	days of ski flying then it would be unfair to compare results
   	achieved on different days.  Assuming that the event had to
   	be postponed,  forcing everyone to jump again seems fair.

The event was not postponed; it was restarted.  Actually 3/4 of the skiers
had skiied the first run when one of the last skiers landed past the
critical point on the slope (where the grade of the slope flattens out).
This is considered to be dangerous.

Therefore, the jumps were restarted from a slightly lower takeoff platform
to reduce speed.

	2)  In a two-part combined event,  placing low in the first part
   	usually wrecks your chances of winning in the combined standings.
   	That's the nature of the game.

	3)  If the American competitors were so great,  why did they 
   	only place 16 and 24 on the second day of jumping?  Sounds
   	like they were done out of a chance at an upset,  but not
   	cheated out of a richly deserved medal.

Actually, Kerry Lynch (who managed to finish 3rd in the cross country
portion of the event) was *favored* to win the gold.  

	I am willing to believe that the decision to delay the Nordic
	Combined event was influenced *in part* by the standings, but 
	that's it.  It's a heartbreaker for the athletes involved,  but
	not a major conspiracy or injustice.

I disagree.  There have been several injustices in just these Winter Games.
One other specific instance I can recall was in the final judging for the
Ice Dancing competition.  The US pair was third going into the long program.
They chose to do a dance to "Scheherazade".  They received good marks except
by the Italian judge who chose to give them a 5.6 (out of 6.0).  The US pair
lost the bronze medal to the Russians who were in 4th place.  The Italian 
judge, when pressed for a reason for her low mark, pulled out the Ice Dancing 
rule book and pointed out that couples are required to change tempos in their
long program.

The injustice?  England's Torvill and Dean (easily the best ice dancer's in
the world) did their long program to Ravel's "Bolero".  No major tempo change
that I can recall.  The Italian judge gave this pair (who performed *after*
the US pair) a 6.0, a perfect mark.  

While there may have been no conspiracy to rob the US couple of the medal
it certainly seems a flagrant injustice.

Beth Mazur
{ima,harpo,esquire}!inmet!mazur