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Originally Posted By: ger
In this case though, I don't think the Canadian went over to Aus for the training opportunities and facilities --like at Threadbo rollabout ... and he was one of the best in Canada so he WOULD have been able to represent his country. It sounds like he just wanted to say '**** you' to someone so Australia was able to poach him. But hell, that's fair enough.... Australia's an awsome place and I'd probably do it too if the circumstances were the same.
Actually, he DID leave Canada to thumb his nose at them because they were too "rigid" in their approach to coaching and couldn't let him continue with his other interests, which happen to be how he makes his living.

So, he left, came to Aus, saw the coaching facilities (and, yes, there ARE some!) sat out the time until he could become an Aus citizen, so he IS Australian, not Canadian. Then went back to training.

And the rest, is history! as they say. Gold in 06, Silver in 10.
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Originally Posted By: Black Mountain
Here's a great story. Stay true to your roots dude!

Tight pants!

Hilarious quote!

Look, Nate: Team USA Snowboarding sponsors include Nike, Microsoft, and Visa. That's about as "establishment" as you can get. So relax about "the integrity of the sport."

Yeah, I saw that. Snowboarding. What an irony. What a joke. Just a bunch of posers thinking they're so anti-establishment, so alternative, so anti-mainstream. razz
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Originally Posted By: JA
Originally Posted By: ger
In this case though, I don't think the Canadian went over to Aus for the training opportunities and facilities --like at Threadbo rollabout ... and he was one of the best in Canada so he WOULD have been able to represent his country. It sounds like he just wanted to say '**** you' to someone so Australia was able to poach him. But hell, that's fair enough.... Australia's an awsome place and I'd probably do it too if the circumstances were the same.
Actually, he DID leave Canada to thumb his nose at them because they were too "rigid" in their approach to coaching and couldn't let him continue with his other interests, which happen to be how he makes his living.

So, he left, came to Aus, saw the coaching facilities (and, yes, there ARE some!) sat out the time until he could become an Aus citizen, so he IS Australian, not Canadian. Then went back to training.

And the rest, is history! as they say. Gold in 06, Silver in 10.


you can have dual citizenship in Canada and Australia, so is IS Canadian and he IS Australian.

As for your Longer, faster, Fitter thing, what I meant was that in the summer games, Gymnastics are considered a core area of competition, along with track and field they are probably considered the most important competition by most people.
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Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver
you can have dual citizenship in Canada and Australia, so is IS Canadian and he IS Australian.


So, IS he holding dual citizenship? or do we just know he CAN and assume he does? Me, I don't know.

As for gymnastics, Core area of olympics? Still depends on "pretty" not fast, high, long!
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This has turned into a good discussion, aiiiiiiight.

Oyuki, are you getting JJ mixed up with Ross 'tha boss' Ribagliati??

 

Kudos to Kokubo. So he has a bit of an attitude- good for him i say. What's wrong with that? It's peoples interpretation of that attitude that's the matter.

Snowboarding, and any sport for that matter (i actually don't consider snowboarding a sport in the same way i view surfing) is merely a metaphor for life. And get this, there are some people in society with attitude-doesn't make them dicks or losers or even mean they're lacking in the grey matter. Rather, it's the onlookers with the 'holier than thou' approach which is in serious need of evaluation. So he didn't tuck his shirt in and do his tie up properly- big deal. True, all this could have been avoided had he 'towed the line', but he would still have had an attitude and it would have surfaced at some other point sooner or later. You can't tell me that this is the first 'difference of point of view' he's had with SAJ?

I especially liked his under his breath "urusai" (stop waffling on) comment when asked by a reporter what he's gonna do to remedy the situation. His "minder" uttered something and Kukubo looked at him as if to say "wtf?"

The olympics aren't the biggest sporting event in the world- that honour goes to Footballs World Cup. It is interesting to note the absences from snowboarding events though. Names like Hakkonsen, Palmer, Bauer come to mind and make you wonder what it actually means to the peeps competing?? I noticed today the mans' boarderX, a real sense of mateship at the start gate. These guys are competing against each other on a regular basis and they were freely chatting and mixing together. That's not to say that they weren't trying to win, just that the approach, and dare I say, attitude, was different to what you see in other events...Maybe too much emphasis is placed on winning abd not enough on just competing, or enjoying the moment. Or as Oyuki said "fun".

 

btw, on another note, great to see Frenchman Toni Ramoine(sp) get bronze in above mentioned event. My good friend was tuning the French team's boards. Good job Taka!!

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Originally Posted By: JA
Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver
you can have dual citizenship in Canada and Australia, so is IS Canadian and he IS Australian.


So, IS he holding dual citizenship? or do we just know he CAN and assume he does? Me, I don't know.

As for gymnastics, Core area of olympics? Still depends on "pretty" not fast, high, long!


don't know, I don't even know who you are talking about. A Canadian mate of mines says its illegal or impossible to give up your Canadian Citizenship....dunno how true that is, he is prone to telling a few porkies
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Originally Posted By: BagOfCrisps
He sounds like a top bloke this snowboarding dude.
Not worthy of the attention.
Is he any good even?


Which one, Bag?? Dale Begg-Smith or Kokubo??

I can answer for Dale B-S - Gold at 2006. Kokubo - NFI.
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Originally Posted By: BagOfCrisps
Kokubo, JA. I don't know who that other guy you mention is.

The "other" guy is Dale Begg-Smith, Gold medal winner in 2006, Silver in 2010, Men's Moguls.

Ah, just re-read your original post, shoulda done that before I typed - snowboarder bloke. OK, gottit!
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