Sochi:Snowboarders Begin Quest For New Gold

Even before the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics,snowboarders began their quest for the first gold medal in the new Olympics event of slopestyle snowboarding,which resembles moguls freestyle skiing.Snowboarders must ride down some metal rails and up some huge slopes in the extreme sports event.No American men scored high enough in the qualifying runs to make it directly to the finals.Canada's Maxence Parrot and Great Britain's Jamie Nicholls did make it.
American Women fared better.Jamie Anderson of Lake Tahoe,California and Karly Shorr go directly to the finals.Also making it straight through were Australia's Torah Bright and Canada's Spencer O'Brien.Northern Europe was the only other region to have qualified for the finals in Thursday's round,being represented by snowboarders from Austria,Switzerland,Norway,Sweden and Finland.*
The semifinals will be on Saturday for those who didn't score high enough for the finals,such as American men Ryan Stassel,Sage Kotsenburg and Charlie Guldemond,along with women Jessika Jenson and Ty Walker;British man Billy Morgan,as well as women Aimee Fuller and Jenny Jones,age 34;New Zealand's Rebecca Torr,Christy Prior,Stefi Luxton and Shelly Gotlieb;and Canadian Jenna Blasman.*
The beautiful Caucasus Mountains peaks of the Mountain Cluster alpine venues seem to have abundant natural snow this winter,but the Russians have stockpiled a vast amount of snow just in case.*
No incidents of any kind marred the opening of competition in the seaside resort of Sochi,Russia.

Commentary:Aussie Wins Halfpipe Gold

Australia's Torah Bright won the women's halfpipe snowboarding event at Cypress Mountain,B.C.Americans Hannah Teter,2006 gold medalist at Torino,and Kelly Clark,who won gold at Salt Lake City in 2002,garnered the silver and bronze,respectively.The competition was broacast live.Many of the athletes ended up on their backsides as they pushed the limits of their rapidly evolving sport,realizing that only a full effort could lift them to the podium.No one was injured.Those who washed out got up with a smile.It's not a sport where you take yourself too seriously.Of all the competitors,the snowboarders seem to be having the best time.They have a free-wheeling attitude that preserves them from the stresses of big time big money-at least somewhat.It also gives them an entree into the world of marketing to the younger set.
Ms.Bright,the gold medalist,was apparently not interviewed by NBC at all.It must be considered whether NBC's coverage has bordered on chauvinism.One sometimes has the impression that,if you're not an American athlete,you are given short shrift,because that is what NBC thinks is the viewers' attitude,and hence the surest path to big ratings.That may or may not be the case,but it isn't good journalism.