Posted on 02/23/2005 10:32:49 PM PST by franksolich
After an embarrassing performance in the world championships 'normal' hill team event on Sunday Norway's ski jumping flops headed for a bar in downtown Oberstdorf to drown their sorrows. Rumours that the waterhole was called "The Shameful Scandies" have been denied.
Norwegians are renowned party animals, but most - apart from the saisonnaires littered around many Alpine resorts like Val d'Isère - draw the line at mixing sport and alcohol.
The hapless jumpers' evening bar crawl thus made front-page headlines in Norway on Tuesday morning.
"We were out very late," admitted Lars Bystoel, who also confirmed that he did the driving.
The healthy-looking Bystoel is currently banned from taking a drink himself by the Norwegian trainers following an unsavoury incident last year in which the tipsy long-haired 26-year-old fell into Oslo's harbour during a night on the town.
Tipped as outsiders to challenge Austria's habitual team-event crown, the Norwegian ski jumping team trickled home in a shambolic 12th place on Sunday.
Washed up former Four Hills superstar Sigurd Pettersen was even disqualified for violating weight limits in relation to his skis.
Ever since new regulations regarding body-weight index and length of skis were introduced in the off-season, the waif-like feather-floater has been hampered with short equipment.
Even with illicit longer skis, 'Siggen' only managed a tepid 66.5 metre effort, a true indictment to his bending-of-the-rules if ever there was one.
Conversely, the Norwegian Nordic combined athletes who compete in the combined sport of jumping and cross-country skiing (as opposed to ski jumping and drinking) put on a fantastic performance at the World Championships on Wednesday, winning the team high hill event.
Norway coach Mika Kojonkoski told the Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that he was not too concerned about his jumpers' pub exploits.
He was more worried that they did not get enough sleep. "I figure they know the limits but it's important to get enough sleep during the World Championships." No doubt the Norwegians were avoiding sleep so as not to experience any more nightmares.
More news from Norway, our gallant allies in the War Against Terror.
Hmmmmm.
"Ping" for the Norway ping list.
One wonders where Norway stands, on the per-capita rankings for consumption of alcohol.
Mornin'. Thanks for the ping.
That was a "middle of the night" ping, to see what would happen, as I "fine tune" the Norway ping list. I was up late doing income taxes, and thought I would give it a try, to see if anyone would respond.
Someone did--you--many hours later.
Nope, "middle of the night" pings don't work, despite that there are Free Republicans in all 24 time-zones of the world.
Best to stick to times when it is late afternoon in Norway, late morning in Nebraska, I guess.
Whatever makes you feel good. Thanks for the posts.
I usually jump back in the FR pool during the day to see if there are any new posts, or sometimes flames from some off-the-wall remark I've made.
<<while I was doing income taxes late last night, and bored to death, I got flamed by someone on Free Republic who was not bothering to read my comments (nothing about Norway; a subject completely different from Norway), and who instead made comments back to me without having read what I had written.
Anyway, one wonders why one never sees stories in Swedish newspapers, for example, about "Norwegian smuggler caught by zealous border guards," or in Polish newspapers, for another example, "Norwegian caught trying to smuggle by watchful border guards."
One gets the apparently accurate impression of Norwegians as being scruplously law-abiding.
scrupulously
And I just thought it was the Indian side of me. I tell people if you want a straight answer just ask, but be careful what you ask for. Sometimes I can be brutally honest.
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