How to bring excitement (drama?) to XC...

OK, we've discussed the merits of massed-start vs. interval. One of the
main factors involved is excitement.

In a given season I think the same characters will occupy similar
places on the podium all season long. So we're not going to get much
excitement there---or if we do it'll be shortlived---a fluke. Flukes
really aren't all that exciting. Well, it's exciting to see if a fluke
turns into a real thing!

Basically it's like any pro sport: there are the top dogs and the
developers and between them all they try to put on a good show for the
public. The top dogs still end up on top no matter what kind of show is
put on, but they try to make the show good.

What does the public like? Crashes! And really tricky skills. I think
for a good show that the trails are going to have to be BOTH videoed to
show what is exciting about them AND made as tricky and challenging as
possible.

If you have a tricky / challenging course and don't show it on TV then
only the crowds at the venue will know it.

I think that a max tricky / challenging course doesn't actually have to
be that long. Duration isn't a key factor in either excitement or
outcome. Give room for max tricks and twists and opportunity for
this'n'that to happen, then call it a day.

Now, duration DOES seem to have some bearing on DRAMA. Which is
different from excitement. Drama can have a slow build-up and can have
major themes. It's a good sport value. Is it hard to show on TV? I
think not. But offhand it seems like it might really take hours to have
it really sink in or unfold. Maybe the marathons need to start getting
longer?

Back when I was a decent citizen racer I noticed that our 50k pace was
almost the same as our 10k pace. One way to avoid blowing up was to
just get the race done with pronto. 2hrs:15min is over pretty quick. I
remember wanting to avoid 50k CLASSIC events because I thought I'd be
on the trail too long and too much into the suffering zone. So maybe
the drama factor starts getting more serious at, say, 3 hrs.

I recall in bike racing that an hour event was a rocketship
blur---while a 100 mile road-race could have major theme changes. One
time when I had only been doing short crits and I did a 100-mi road
race I recall a break of 10 riders going off at the 10-mile point and I
thought, Well, there goes the race. They were out of sight in short
order. In a crit it would've been all over at that point. Well, two
long hours later, a couple meals later, and we saw that breakaway
coming back to us. We had been kind of picnicking along and got rolling
again and caught them. It was also cool to se the "big valley" view of
the road race in contrast to the city-square races I had been doing. It
was more grand and dramatic.

Anyway, what about a mass start 100k XC race that took in some big
geography features---maybe cross a big mountain range, visit another
town, then cross back again. I know that World Loppets probably do some
of this---but how would it play out in a WC event? And since WC skiers
are tougher than WL skiers make sure their "big picture event" is quite
a bit longer: 100km might do it.

How about this for a WC week of races:

*20k singletrack tricky skills course---also with big ups and downs
(with prejumps and bermshots)
*30k flat rocketship course
*100k cross mountains and back course

--JP

-some sports are actionpacked and immediately impressive for the eye.
some other sports have beauty and admiration in elegant technique and
endurance.

I wish XC was more popular to watch but I will not change it just to be
more popular. woman in bikini showing lap numbers in relay races, in a
boxing ring style, would make it more popular for many.... but NO.

These discussions about increasing interest in cross-country racing by
increasing the variety of the races are soon to be borne out: in
January 2007, the World Cup will include the so-called "Tour de Ski,"
which will include 8 races in nine days ranging from sprints and
pursuits to a mass-start distance race (15km for women, 30km for men)
and even a 10km/15km uphill mass-start. See FasterSkier.com
(http://www.fasterskier.com/racing2315.html) and the FIS site
(http://www.fis-ski.com/data/document...ntryxctour.pdf).

I wish XC was more popular to watch but I will not change it just to be
more popular. woman in bikini showing lap numbers in relay races, in a
boxing ring style, would make it more popular for many.... but NO.


Female racers in skin-tight lycra isn't good enough for you?? =)

Chris

wrote in message
oups.com...
-some sports are actionpacked and immediately impressive for the eye.
some other sports have beauty and admiration in elegant technique and
endurance.

I wish XC was more popular to watch but I will not change it just to be
more popular. woman in bikini showing lap numbers in relay races, in a
boxing ring style, would make it more popular for many.... but NO.


Great idea!! I'll stand out there in my bikini next year! Only catch is
you have to stand out in a bikini this year... any takers?