Goose, meet Gander
Ski Officials to Discuss Lindsey Vonn's Request to Race Against Men
Next up: Ski Officials to Discuss Ted Ligety's Request to Race Against Women
Or if not, why not?
Next up: Ski Officials to Discuss Ted Ligety's Request to Race Against Women
Or if not, why not?
posted by Hey Skipper at 11:46 PM
7 Comments:
Lightweights are allowed to fight (or row) in the heavyweight class but not vice-versa. There's an open best of best class and then there are competitions in classes with limitations. Why should this be different?
Does that mean any male skier lighter than the heaviest female skier should be allowed to compete against the women?
I don't care how the non-best-of-best classes are grouped. As long as anyone can compete in the best-of-best class.
If only it was that simple.
“We will deal with this very openly,” added the men’s race director, Günter Hujara. “There is nothing set in the rules or regulations that ladies cannot start in a men’s event. But how will we do the qualification and decide what her starting position is? All these questions have to be answered.”
At World Cup downhill races, 30 athletes comprise the top group based on points from previous races, benefiting greatly from a less-rutted and -deteriorated track. As many as 60 or 70 racers may ski on a course.
“I honestly think it would be a little unfair to start last,” Vonn said. “Obviously, I don’t have men’s World Cup points, but I do have 1,980 women’s points so I think that should count for something. I think starting 31st after the top group is a reasonable request.”
If all that was being asked here is to play with the same rules as everyone else -- which is to say, the men -- then she would (probably) be allowed to qualify, she would be the last to qualify. Instead, she is asking for special rules: 1980 points against women counts for, well, what against men?
She is insisting on the presumption that her performance as a woman would be mid-pack against men, despite the inconvenient problem that men's courses are more difficult.
That is a far cry from actually competing in best of class.
As opposed to Danica Patrick* or Anika Sörensen, who had to compete fairly.
Ok. So the problem is that she wants to switch classes for just one race. Nobody else, especially men, would be allowed to show up and expect to be allowed to race.
If she wants to race men, she needs to start at the bottom and qualify, just like the men.
I'm just saying that as long as someone follows the rules, including the qualification rules, the best-of-best class should be open to them.
She's not following the rules.
Or if not, why not?
Because they don't want to?
What man has ever lobbied to get on the synchronized swimming or field hockey team? What man has ever gone to court to be admitted to a womens-only club? What group of little girls has ever had to put a "No Boys Allowed" sign on their playhouse? What man has ever worried about what the gals are saying about him when they get together for girls night out(paradoxical answer--probably lots, unlike what men say about worried wives and partners when they get together, which is dependably nothing)? What man has ever achieved glory as a trailblazer by cracking traditional female occupations like nursing?
It was all explained in that traditional folk song Grandma used to sing.
(Apologies to Lindsey Vonn, who certainly deserves better, but I'm not the Head Designer.)
I'm just saying that as long as someone follows the rules, including the qualification rules, the best-of-best class should be open to them.
Precisely. Which, unfortunately points to the subtext of this post: feminism's end game.
Whether in athletics (here, and Title IX), academics (Title IX is coming soon to a School of Engineering near you) or the economy (Glass ceiling, Lilly Ledbetter) the when feminism doesn't get the outcome it wants, then it insists on changing the rules.
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Peter: perceptive AND funny.
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