NS Justice: langley mcneal DQ'ed for supporting Sarah

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Well, your karma went up again.

That is absolutely ridiculous.

They might be trying to save their own arses but the rules are pretty clear-cut. She clearly has a device above her boot that's making her pants tighter and its not a "sarah" bandana.

this is what pissed me off in that article

"In the semifinal heat in question, McNeal -- the only American in Sunday's field -- was near the back of the pack when four racers in front of her crashed. She and eventual gold medalist Marte Gjefsen zoomed by the four women on the ground and coasted to the finish line. Berger didn't cross the line for another 14 seconds."

"It had nothing to do with the Sarah banner. It had to do with straps she had on both legs around her boots. I can quote from the rules: 'No straps or fastening devices or other methods can be used to tighten the suit material closer to the body,' " Stiepock said. "We certainly feel bad, but this has nothing to do with the Sarah banner. We have allowed all the athletes to wear those banners without stopping really anybody. This had to do with the fastening devices around her pant legs." -Chris Stiepock, vice president of X Games events

Relax. Those quotes I cited were taken from the Denver Post article, not the ESPN article.

Just putting this out there:

NO idea if it is true or not, but something I read on a friend's facebook page that should be looked into:

of course people blame the french... its such an easy target. Little does everyone know that she (McNeal) had switched places with Chris Davenport who skied all her qualifying laps. The x-games organizers were so embarrassed that they leaked a story about the french team asking she be disqualified because everyone would believe that the french would be capable of such a thing. In all honesty if thats what went down its messed up

And again, I have nfi how credible this is, hard to believe a dude would ski her qualifying laps, or anyone else for that matter

Can someone tell me where i can get some of these hairbands langley was wearing ive got some racer friends who could do with a 14 second aerodynamic advantage?

Come on people, be critical and don't buy everything you're told.

I'm glad to see some people are actually more reasoned and try to get all the information before jumping to conclusions.

We have hearsays all over this case, just consider the facts for a second, please, or next poster is gonna tell us who killed Kennedy.

We know this for sure :

"The Winter X Games has allowed those Sarah tribute bands to be distributed from the athlete lounge and has allowed athletes to wear the Sarah bands in competition throughout the entire event."

We have the rules :

Winter X Games rules state that "no straps, fastening devices or other methods can be used to tighten the suit material closer to the body." In addition, "The gap in the material must be a minimum of 80mm/3-1/8 inches, measured everywhere around the circumference of each leg at the mid-thigh to the top of the boot ..."

Finally McNeal HERSELF finally stated : "I had a hair tie on my boot, but your pants have to be, I think, 3 millimeters off your boot, which they definitely were. And I wish they had a measuring tool; I definitely would've passed. I asked for one, but they didn't supply one."

I personally agree with what she also said : "It should be about skiing and not about clothing and strategizing some protest that has nothing to do with it."

I think we can rule out the dq because of the "Sarah" armband. But still, it seems in my opinion to be a ridiculous reason advanced by a greedy athlete, Marielle Berger, and her coach.

Considering Langley McNeal, I'm quite confident she knew this had nothing to do with the armband, and I think this is a shame to use Sarah in order to get people's sympathy and get them to flame the X, and "the french".

Now for the angry kid earlier in this thread who said "so glad that french faggot Rolland didn't win pipe.", I just want to say grow up.
It's just as if I was saying all Americans are racist I want to kill them because a bunch of you guys created the KKK. I'm sure you can still find the wisdom to separate the actions of 2 people from those of a whole country, and I'm positive most of them share your opinion, kid; so chill out, Rolland is still a great athlete who definitely pushed the sport forward, but I'm going off-topic, so I'm gonna stop here.

This is just my opinion.

Well, lets go hate on Marielle Berger's wall!

so i didn't watch the event because, well, it's fucking skier x.

but i haven't noticed anyone mention how everyone else in the event was wearing fucking SPANDEX RACE SUITS. in the photo from the espn article it seems like she was wearing fairly normal ski clothing. yet she was trying to be more aerodynamic than people in fucking SPANDEX RACE SUITS.

skier x, typical racing bullshit.

You're an idiot

good reasoning.
is it because i don't watch skier x? or because i called it typical racing bullshit? i mean...this whole ordeal is some good ol' bullshit.

thanks for your opinion, worthless OP.

Thanks guy.

No one was wearing spandex. At least watch it before you say something like that. It's blatantly illegal to wear a race suit. What she's bitching about is all the people on legit national teams ie. the French and Canadians, have suits that are tailored to be tight fitting, as opposed normal ski outerwear. The rules on clothing in ski cross are largely ignored, unless there, as in this case, is a protest. What she was wearing, the bands, not the Sarah one, WAS illegal. She's just pissed that she got called out on it.

This, more than anything, speaks to the lack of organization in US skicross, which is years behind the rest of the world, but that's a different story.

well there you go bud! an actual response! thanks.

i was going by langley's facebook updates that everyone's been throwing around in which she said "sorry i'm not the only one up there wearing a spandex race suit" or something along those lines.

"tailored to be tight fitting, as opposed normal ski outerwear"
whatever, you still get my point, all you had to say was they weren't regular race suits. my overall point still stands, despite some obvious specific details that i interpreted wrong.


either way though it's still just skier x racing bs and the french are pussies.

tru dat, fuck xgames

I applaud your determination KM

from Langley's FB

still doesnt take away anything from the fact that the french team is full of a bunch of dicks who will bitch , whine, and complain, about anything to win. its fucking france i mean come on, all i gota say is USA for da win bitches

It is literally amazing, the amount of bullshit and ignorance in this thread. McNeal SHOUlD have known that straps around your clothing are not allowed, she's been in the sport long enough. Obviously, it's not "cool" of the French for calling her out for it, but the rules are there for a fucking reason. If you see someone blatantly breaking rules, no doubt you're going to call them out for it. The DQ had nothing to do with the Sarah Burke band, regardless of what McNeal said. Spamming the X Games online or calling the French "faggots" and "cunts" is not the way to make a point.

No, it was not a coincidence. The French skier made it into the finals as a result of calling out a rule violation by another skier.

While I agree that it is a stupid technicality and that the band in no way contributed to her 14 second lead over the French skier, the DQ'd skier should have been aware. Ignorance is not an excuse and to open yourself up to this is careless.

If you are partaking in a sport, you have a few options: Follow the rules exactly as they are, lobby and have the rule amended, or choose not to partake.

And certainly, swearing at ESPN is not going to get your anywhere or accomplish anything productive.

I'm glad there are some people in here who have some decency and can read.

you don't break the rules in a racing event. And ignorance isn't an excuse, because you probably ought to know the rules by the time you make it to the xgames.


It almost sounds like langley threw out the sarah ribbon as a way to become the victim, not the one who broke the rules. Not necessarily true, but why would she announce that was the reason despite apparently also being aware that she had broken the rules in other ways?

THE X GAMES WOULD NEVER LIE TO US





also...no one had a problem with her clothing choices until she made it to finals, sounds like some extreme desperation from the french team to me. pathetic racer bullshit, like i've already said way too many times.

this,
i didn't know the full story when i started this thread, whoops!

It is completely her responsibility to know the rules. I mean, yea, it's a bummer that she didn't get called out on it until after the semi, but still, her fault.

The solution to this is to support USA skicross. The US is YEARS behind the rest of the world. The US ski team dropped ski cross after the 2010 olympics because they don't have the budget to run the team. In the last couple years, the ASCA, American Ski Cross Association, led by Casey Pucket, has grown into the void left by the US ski team.

http://americanskicross.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Ski-Cross-Association/117625784961959

solid post from ross at the ISTC, International Snowboard Training Center:


"SKIER-X, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? I more than anyone have been pretty excited about how Skier-X is changing. Their courses are beginning to resemble more of a SBX course, rather than a GS course with some jumps (lame). There is a drive at the FIS WC level to bring the two sports together for a variety of reasons, but probably the best reason is too make it more exciting for the viewer on TV. Which in my opinion I couldn't agree more! It will require some changes and adaptations from the skiers and the equipment, but in the end it will be better for the long term of the sport itself.

CLOTHING Rules:

In the PAST two weeks, I have witnessed two disqualifications for clothing. The latest Langley McNeal, which I was involved in the protest that took place a Winter-X. Heres the deal; FIS has rules in place which are enforced it seems, when it affects another rider and NOT Beforehand. Since X-Games follows the FIS rulebook they must enforce them also. You cannot have clothing that is too tight and is bound by another means to help reduce Wind resistance. Ok, Got it! Speed suits are out, they are gay anyway!You cannot put anything around a bulky item of clothing that makes it streamlined or more wind resistant. OK got it!

In both disqualifications, the athletes in question we're allowed to train and qualify in the clothing they were wearing. Nothing was said to either about possible infractions of clothing rules, NOTHING, NOT BY ANYONE! It seems only after they do well, were the infractions then brought to light by other athletes that were beaten fair and square.

Which raises the question, "WHY have a rule that is not enforced 100% of the time, from entry to end of event, why is it only brought to light when another athlete gets schooled, then uses the rule to get the athlete that beat them disqualified!'

Both athletes were not NATIONAL Team members, or had the SX Team outfit, which in my mind is the same as a speed suit basically just a top and bottom, yet a little looser.

So you have National Team athletes getting beat by rookies, then the National Team athletes breaking out the rulebook so they can advance! It's a poor excuse for bad skiing!

In the first incident a unknown Skier from the east coast shows up for the NorAm. Most of the National Teams that were there, probably didn't even think twice about their badly dressed, scruffy kid. That was until he beat them all by a second. Then all the sudden rulebooks were flying, tape measures came out, measuring clothing and equipment. His pants were too tight (although the crotch was totally blown out), his lifters were too high. Trevor from USA Ski-X team lent him some pants and he changed on the spot. As well as taking his risers down.

In the Langley incident, two skiers crash, Langley goes around them, just like Nate Holland did around Stian. She stays in 1st then gets passed and ends the race in 2nd. The french girl show was involved in the crash ends up protesting because Langley is wearing a HAIR TIE AROUND her Right BOOT! Above the hair tie is the X-games transceiver. She gets disqualified from the finals because her HAIR TIE gave her an advantage! I call BULLSHIT! This was just a lame excuse from the skier who crashed to get into finals, when she didn't actually EARN it!

I could see if she had bungies or ties holding everything next to her skin tight, creating a more aerodynamic Langley. BUT A HAIR TIE around the RIGHT Boot, you gotta be kidding me!

The ISTC supports Skier-X and all the skiers that SKI WELL! But you guys and girls have to stop using rules only when they suite you! Either ENFORCE THEM 100% OF THE TIME, OR NOT AT ALL!

The ISTC skier-X program will start next season, and WE WILL NOT BE Disqualifying ANY SKIER for SKIING better than one of our skiers or anybody! If somebody is better than you, then train harder, get better equipment, get fitter! Don't rely on excuses or rules, rely on yourself and your skills, and if your lacking them, get them!

Ross Hindman
ISTC Founder & Program Director"

thats fucked

this.

I don't get your deal, though. You start the thread with OMG WTF, then at mid-point you say "I did not have all the facts, so obviously all you saying she was wronged are wrong" and now again you come with these posts about protecting the Langely case.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the picture I got.

I still don't know quite what to think, haha

At first, when all we had heard about was the Sarah band, I thought it was really messed up.

Having heard that she was in violation of the rules for something else, the hair tie, which IS against the rules, I dont feel too bad for her. It is her responsibility to know the rules.

I do, however, agree with Ross and others that the rules should be enforced more evenly across the board (100%, or not at all, from training to finals). Also, that it is sad that she beat the other skiers fairly (the tie obviously didnt make her 14 seconds faster) yet was disqualified.

i like these statements from Ross:
' "WHY have a rule that is not enforced 100% of the time, from entry to end of event, why is it only brought to light when another athlete gets schooled, then uses the rule to get the athlete that beat them disqualified!" '
&
' In the first incident a unknown Skier from the east coast shows up for the NorAm. Most of the National Teams that were there, probably didn't even think twice about their badly dressed, scruffy kid. That was until he beat them all by a second. Then all the sudden rulebooks were flying, tape measures came out, measuring clothing and equipment. '

Maybe that makes sense?

That's one of the things I'm sure hardcore skier-X racers want to keep themselves out of... but when sports get more and more universal, they inadverdently use community. It's been happening even in "rule and judgement free" newschools skiing for over a decade, with old "rebel skiers" now judging these events.

Under the Eternal Flame we all fall victim to massive victory... or massive loss.

yea, i understand what you're getting at
I'm a ski cross racer myself, and the sport is definitely in an interesting place right now