It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post.
Register to become a member today!
Obviously it is a sport. People who argue otherwise are either completely blind to reality, or they're insecure high school kids. My hockey playing friends in high school always tried to tell me that freestyle skiing (or any sport where competition is solely based on judging) is not a sport.
Sure, there are certain points that can't be ignored when you question if judged sports are in actuality a sport. Is freestyle skiing (freestyle snowboarding, figure skating, surfing, skateboarding, etc...) sport or art?
Really though, it's the kind of discussion or argument that only teenagers would care about, because if skiing ISN'T a sport, it would have to fall under the art category - which, when you really think about it, isn't all that bad. There are elements of both sides, and it really comes down to a philosophical question more so than an objective 'yes' or 'no'.
sport spôrt/Submit noun 1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Freestyle skiing is a sport, but the fact that there's no rules and that you can do whatever you want leaves a lot of place for creativity. That being said, a bc/urban segment is a form of art IMO. As for jib skiing, I consider Stept, the Traveling Circus and Real Skifi as artists, just to name to main ones that come to my mind.
Lets define sport, "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment."
It is a physical activity.
It diffidently takes skill.
It is an individual who competes.
You compete against others.
And it is definitely entertaining.
I guess it depends how you look at it. If you compete (At any level) then yes it is a sport. If you just go and have fun with your friends then I would conceder it a hobby.
when an activity is judged, meaning someone not participating in the activity puts thier opinion forward as to who the victor is, then no, its not sport, its art, because its subjective (i like that one better). its a sport when an obvious score can be looked at, and a winner decided. funny thing tho, id call freestyle an art, as people judge it. BUT, funny thing here: racing would be a sport, as nobody judged with their opinion who won. the clock did that. cut a dried, no room for artistic interpretation. THEN, youve got big mountain, where your flow, style AND time are accounted for.... so, i guess i like the who cares answer. doesnt matter, go shred
Take a sport like Football and Skiing for example.
Competition:
Football: Game.
Skiing: Comp, Rail Jam, Pipe, Big Air, Big Mountain comps etc.
Best team or skier wins, others lose. Also, people train for skiing in the same way football players practice for their games.
Noncompetitive side:
Football: Backyard football games.
Skiing: Just a normal day at the hill/mountain/ whatever you ski on.
Not everyone who plays/does a sport has to be competitive about it. This is especially true with skiing. A lot of people don't compete.
Physical Aspect:
Football: Full contact sport.
Skiing: Non-contact. Except with rails, the ground, knuckles and maybe some trees.
How many times have you gotten sore from skiing? Probably a lot. How many injuries do you have/ have you heard about? A lot. You have to be in pretty good shape to ski or else you'll get about halfway through the day and be too tired to finish. Also, hitting a rail or a jump, or skiing big mountain/powder isn't something that everyone could do. It takes skill that some people don't have and some people have a shit ton of.
Teams:
Football: Self explanatory.
Skiing: You have sponsors and you ride for them. They are essentially the "team you play on." If you go to the olympics your team is your country.
In the same way that a football player wears their jersey, a skier uses their team's skis, jackets, stickers etc. whatever it is. So it's pretty similar if you think about it that way. Maybe your team doesn't always compete as a team and you compete against your teammates but that doesn't really matter. In gymnastics and Track and field you compete against your teammates too.
So to answer your question, yes skiing is a sport. And the people you argued with probably suck at skiing and are butthurt.
Take a sport like Football and Skiing for example.
Competition:
Football: Game.
Skiing: Comp, Rail Jam, Pipe, Big Air, Big Mountain comps etc.
Best team or skier wins, others lose. Also, people train for skiing in the same way football players practice for their games.
Noncompetitive side:
Football: Backyard football games.
Skiing: Just a normal day at the hill/mountain/ whatever you ski on.
Not everyone who plays/does a sport has to be competitive about it. This is especially true with skiing. A lot of people don't compete.
Physical Aspect:
Football: Full contact sport.
Skiing: Non-contact. Except with rails, the ground, knuckles and maybe some trees.
How many times have you gotten sore from skiing? Probably a lot. How many injuries do you have/ have you heard about? A lot. You have to be in pretty good shape to ski or else you'll get about halfway through the day and be too tired to finish. Also, hitting a rail or a jump, or skiing big mountain/powder isn't something that everyone could do. It takes skill that some people don't have and some people have a shit ton of.
Teams:
Football: Self explanatory.
Skiing: You have sponsors and you ride for them. They are essentially the "team you play on." If you go to the olympics your team is your country.
In the same way that a football player wears their jersey, a skier uses their team's skis, jackets, stickers etc. whatever it is. So it's pretty similar if you think about it that way. Maybe your team doesn't always compete as a team and you compete against your teammates but that doesn't really matter. In gymnastics and Track and field you compete against your teammates too.
So to answer your question, yes skiing is a sport. And the people you argued with probably suck at skiing and are butthurt.
Great Reply! And I was on the side that it is a sport for the reasons you just said.
Words have meaning only because of the subjective definitions which are assigned to them by those who use them. Whether or not skiing is a sport is subjective to interpretation and is entirely irrelevant to what really matters (that skiing is awesome and that if you don't ski then you suck).
Phtevensport spôrt/Submit noun 1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Ya, its a sport
My understanding is that based on this definition if you're just skiing and having fun then it's technically not a sport because you're not competing... Same with cheerleading. But yea, it's a sport.
Ski racing is a true sport. In my opinion, anything sport that is decided by judging (Gymnastics, freeskiing, cheerleading, diving, etc...) isn't a true sporting event. Yes each one of those sports takes athleticism, but when human opinion is taken into account and decides the outcome, I believe that the idea of it being a true athletic competition between individuals (or teams) is somewhat lost.
