Posted on 02/23/2014 2:13:21 AM PST by cunning_fish
KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia – The American Dream exists for people like the 27-year-old who crossed the finish line, won his second gold medal of the Sochi Games and celebrated like he couldn't believe it. Because, truth is, he couldn't believe it. When the United States failed him – when it didn't give him the one thing it promises, opportunity – Vic Wild went and found his American Dream in Russia.
And here he was, the toast of Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, making the pretty girls holding the winners' bouquets giggle and the fans chant "Roo-see-uh! Roo-see-uh!" and his competitors hail him for his courage. Vic Wild is no traitor, even if his two gold medals might help swing the final medal table in Russia's favor over the United States.
[Photos: Short-track speedskater Victor An wins four medals for Russia]
Actually, the most stereotypically American story of the Olympics might be about an alpine snowboard racer who left for a place that wanted him, made himself a new life and turned into a smashing success.
"Why Vic's a hero," fellow racer Michael Lambert said, "is he's someone that didn't let anything stand in the way."
Wild won the snowboarding parallel slalom race Saturday afternoon, parlaying an incredible come-from-behind win in the semifinals to a gold-medal-winning victory over Zan Kosir by a little more than one-tenth of a second. He became the first snowboarder in Olympic history to win two medals in the same games, his first coming three days earlier in the parallel giant slalom.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
“When the United States failed him – when it didn’t give him the one thing it promises, opportunity “
That statement pretty much sums up where this country is heading..... It’s the reason most immigrants want to come here. It’s the reason we need a fence to keep people out rather than keep people in our country.
When you combine freedom and opportunity you have the basic ingredients for a very good recipe.
Skipping past the politics of this situation... hate to say it, but I loathe snowboarders :/ I did snowboard for a couple of years, but I saw the selfishness of the ‘sport’.. they don’t care about others around them.. They put a block on slopes.. The come flying through (by a rough 90 degree angle) across slopes and knock skiers off their feet (experienced this many times.. and I ski yearly)...
They politics involved in this piece are self explanatory..
BTW, I gave my snowboard away :p
and a South Korean, I think Ahn.
parallel slalom .... parallel giant slalom .... isn’t that the same thing?
The entire US Olympic apparatus needs a major overhaul. There are a lot of problems with a top-heavy organization that pays those who “govern” instead of supporting the athletes. And obviously, the coaches that were involved with the mens’ skating and hockey teams should be fired after their lack of results.
No loyalty — just like professional sports stars selling their services to the highest bidder.
I know some of the people “working” in the five ring fever movement. You’re right, but don’t realize how “right” you are.
He’s local to Washington state, so there has been alot of hubbub here lately.
If he was a nuclear scientist, we would call him a “defector”.
If he was a biochemist or a politician, we would call him a “defector”.
Sorry if I have trouble calling him a “patriot”.
But he does have a hot Russian squeeze, so maybe it works...
I had an experience with one of these reckless clowns a few years back. I dodged him without incident on the slope. But there was an incident later at the bar when I accidentally knocked him down. I then accidentally stepped on his hand while trying to help him to his feet as I was apologizing for not seeing him. The clueless dude never realized it was payback. Saw him again the next day with a splint on 2 of his fingers.
Yea,it’s hard for a Russian woman to marry a Green card,excuse me, an American!
Eventually Luxembourg granted him citizenship thus allowing him to race in the '88 and '92 olympics.........
More examples of shifting nationalities...
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/02/olympics_without_borders.html
The S Korean speed skater, turned Russian, also gave Russia a few medals.
[Wild originally competed for the United States, but due to his marriage to Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina, Wild applied for Russian citizenship in 2011.[2]
In 2013 Wild was appointed Strategic Director of the Watch factory Raketa, to experiment the application of winning sportive strategies to the business world.[3]
After winning gold for Russia at the Sochi Olympics, Vic commented, “Russia is a country that made it possible for me to win. Had I stayed in the US, I’d probably be still sitting at home, doing some ordinary job, doing something banal, and not interesting. I always wanted something different.” “It is just amazing that I won this gold for Russia. Some may think, ‘This guy still stays American.’ But that is not true! I am not some American guy that decided it would be easier to get to Olympics in a country where snowboarding is not developed that well. I have chosen a difficult path, and I have walked it to the end.”[4] ]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Wild
this guy may have done the US Olympic program a big service
he may have convinced (shamed) them of their error
maybe the’ll have a good Alpine snowboarding program in place before the next Olympics
This guy didn't slam the USA, he was pragmatic about the conditions on the ground and made the most of other opportunities. The author of the article is the one who tried to make it a slam against the USA.
Some things are totally apolitical until "news" agencies get involved.
“it’s hard for a Russian woman to marry a Green card,excuse me, an American”
Thank god a man can protect himself from ulterior financial motives of woman by only marrying American girls. That’s the safe thing to do. They’ll never use a man to better themselves/
I think you are spot on.
As much as i would prefer athletes to compete for their countries and not for themselves it`s all about the money nowadays and, quite frankly, expecting anything else wouldn`t just be unrealistic, it would be unfair.
Amateurs usually don`t stand a chance anymore. You have to invest pretty much all your time and a whole lot of money to make it, so if you aren`t independently wealthy you need sponsors.
In the US people seem to care for winter sports only once every four years, so money is scarce. Under the circumstances you can`t really blame Vic Wild for what he did.
kudos ;^D
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