Snowboarding at the Olympics: A Cultural History

By Dr. Holly Thorpe
University of Waikato

During the summer holidays, while many Curl readers were slapping on sunscreen and paddling into the waves wearing boardies and bikinis, I was donning my jacket and beanie and excitedly climbing the enormous scaffolding staircase to find my seat at the base of the Olympic boardercross and halfpipe events. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were incredible, and the snowboarding events were certainly a highlight of the Games. Snowboarding at the Olympics earlier this year captured the imagination of global audiences like never before. While watching the women’s boardercross event with Ste’en Webster—my Raglan neighbour and assistant head-judge for the half-pipe events at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics—he declared: ‘I think it is pretty clear at the Vancouver Olympics, more so than ever before, how much of a draw card snowboarding is for pulling the numbers (viewers). Snowboarding brings viewers to the Olympics, and credibility with the youth culture of today – something I believe the Olympics has been struggling to maintain’.

5 minutes until final, woohoo

My recent research at the University of Brighton (UK) with my colleague Dr Belinda Wheaton into the ongoing and highly political relationships between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and action sport cultures and industries reveals some truth in Ste’en’s comments. It was in response to the growing success of the X Games, and the diminishing numbers of young Olympic viewers, that the IOC set about incorporating of a range of youth-oriented ‘action’ sports into both the summer (i.e., windsurfing [1984], mountain biking [1998], BMX [2008]) and winter (i.e., snowboarding [1998], skier cross [2010]) programs. While snowboarding has been the most successful in attracting younger viewers, this was not always the case.

Auzzies will be auzzies

This article is not another story about the 2010 Winter Olympics. That is so last summer, right? Instead, this is a brief history of the inclusion of snowboarding into the Olympic Games, and explains how snowboarding went from a marginal Olympic activity to the one of the most widely watched events at the Games.

Holly at the men’s halfpipe finals

Nagano and Beyond: Snowboarding and the Winter Olympics

Recognizing the rapid growth of snowboarding during the 1990s, and the huge success of snowboarding in the X Games, the IOC decided to include snowboarding into the 1998 Winter Olympic program as a discipline of skiing and under the governance of the International Ski Federation (FIS). The IOC’s decision to include snowboarding under the FIS rather than the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) infuriated many snowboarders. The world’s best half-pipe rider at the time, Terje Haakonsen, was particularly vocal in his criticism of the IOC’s lack of understanding of snowboarding’s unique history and consideration of snowboarders’ needs. Haakonsen refused to enter the games because he believed that the International Olympic Committee comprised a group of Mafia-like officials and that the event was tantamount to joining the army. While Haakonsen was the most out-spoken in his refusal to be turned into a ‘uniform-wearing, flag-bearing, walking logo’, other snowboarders expressed similar sentiments. Professional US snowboarder and skateboarder Cara Beth Burnside argued that ‘the Olympics will change the sport altogether. I didn’t get into snowboarding to go to the Olympics. I don’t think it sounds so great. Snowboarding is great because it’s so different from other sports. Now it will get too serious, training, competing, working out in gyms. …snowboarding isn’t like that, and it’ll be sad when it becomes like that’. Some boarders, however, embraced these changes. ‘I want to go to the Olympics…be the first snowboarder to win a gold medal and be written into the history books’, proclaimed US snowboarder Jimi Scott. In his autobiography, P3: Parks, Pipes and Powder, Todd Richards sums up the divisions among snowboarders during this period: while ‘half of the companies and riders were looking forward to the Olympics as the ultimate forum that would legitimize the sport,’ the other half ‘didn’t give a damn about the Olympics because it reeked of skiing – a stuffy by-the-books sport with an attitude that was the kiss of death for snowboarding’s irreverent spirit’.

Men’s snowboard halfpipe final, 5 minutes away, yay

Inevitably, incorporation continued regardless of conflicting philosophies and boarders’ contrasting viewpoints. But, when snowboarding finally debuted at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, it was treated as a ‘side show’ event and athletes were largely perceived as ‘intruders’ in the Olympic program. As one reporter explained, ‘snowboarders are the official curiosity of the Nagano Winter Games. They’re totally new to the Olympics. They look different, they sound different… they are different’.

Snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games was further shrouded in controversy when Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati—the first Olympic snowboarding gold medallist—tested positive for marijuana. Unsympathetic to Rebagliati’s argument that he must have inhaled second-hand smoke at a pre-Olympic Games party in Whistler, the IOC revoked his medal. However, his medal was subsequently returned when his lawyers found a loophole—marijuana was not on the IOC’s list of banned substances. The incident grabbed headlines around the world. For many, the scandal was the source of much humour, for others it confirmed snowboarding cultures anti-authoritarian and countercultural roots, and offered support for arguments—from snowboarders as well as many mainstream commentators—that snowboarding was not ready to become an Olympic sport. While many core snowboarders celebrated the incident as evidence of the sports counter-cultural roots and unsuitability for the Olympic Games, the IOC and television networks responded by cancelling much of the previously programmed coverage of snowboarding events. This lack of coverage negatively impacted the snowboarding industry, particularly clothing and equipment companies who had, in anticipation of the growth in participation rates inspired by the Olympic, significantly extended their lines of production. Nonetheless, the industry recovered quickly and the number of snowboarders continued to swell during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Snowboarders in the Olympic Spotlight

Over the next four years, the sporting side of snowboarding became increasingly institutionalized and professional, and the IOC, FIS and television agencies set about developing more effective strategies for representing snowboarding events and athletes, such that the coverage of snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (US) was deemed a resounding success. According to a Leisure Trends survey, 32 percent (nearly 92 million people) of the United States population watched the 2002 Olympic snowboarding half-pipe competition in which Americans won gold, silver and bronze in the men’s event (this was the first US winter Olympic medal sweep since 1956) and gold in the women’s event. Of those viewers 18.6 million Americans said they wanted to try snowboarding. A report released by the US-based National Broadcasting Company (NBC) after the 2002 Games revealed a 23 percent increase in ratings among 18 to 34 year old viewers.

French fans

It was at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, however, that snowboarding really took centre stage. US snowboarder Shaun White was identified as the ‘most popular’ and ‘recognizable athlete’ attending the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. NBC coverage of the men’s snowboard half-pipe final drew approximately 30 million viewers in the US alone—this is more than the opening ceremony for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino (Italy)! Analyzing online discussions during the Vancouver Olympics, US media analysis firm Neilsen Company also revealed White as the second most ‘buzzed about’ athlete at the Games; two other snowboarders—Seth Wescott and Gretchen Bleiler—were also included in the top ten list. Further highlighting the status of snowboarding in the Winter Olympics program, the Vancouver Opening Ceremony began with a snowboarder performing a spectacular jump through the Olympic rings, and later in the ceremony many snowboarders were seen carrying the flags for their countries (i.e., Andorra, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, and New Zealand).

In contrast to snowboarders from earlier generations (e.g., Haakonsen), many contemporary Olympic snowboarders embrace new opportunities for increased media exposure and celebrity offered by the Games. In so doing, some Olympic snowboarders have achieved celebrity status, attracting lucrative and wide-ranging corporate sponsorship with some earning seven figure salaries. A report by Forbes’ identified White as the most highly paid athlete entering the 2010 Winter Olympics with an annual salary of more than US$8 million; Bleiler and Teter were seventh equal on the Forbes’ list, each netting more than US$1 million per year. While some snowboarders lament such trends, there seems to be a general agreement among many contemporary Olympic snowboarders and industry members that the relationship between snowboarding and the Olympics is a mutually beneficial one, particularly during the economic downturn. According to one Transworld Business journalist: ‘Gear sales over the last two years have been meagre to say the least … [but] with the level of airplay that snowboarding has received during the 2010 Games… it’s hard to imagine that the sport will not receive a spike in sales… helping retailers finally rid bursting stock rooms of carry over product once and for all’.

Ongoing Tensions and ‘Cultural Clashes’

The marriage between the Olympic movement and snowboarding remains highly tenuous and based on compromise by both parties. Despite the increasing professionalism at the elite level, residual traces of snowboarding’s countercultural past remain. The unique ideologies and value systems celebrated within snowboarding culture sometimes leads to ‘cultural clashes’ with the disciplinary, hierarchical, nationalistic Olympic regime. For example, when US snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis fell near the end of the boarder-cross course in the 2006 Olympic final in Torino (Italy), the mass media pounced upon her, demanding an explanation for why she would willingly risk a certain gold medal by performing a showy stunt in the final stages of the race. Jacobellis’ explanation – ‘I was having fun. Snowboarding is fun. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the crowd’ – was interpreted differently by mainstream American audiences and her snowboarding peers. According to the New York Times, Jacobellis ‘symbolizes Generation X Games, the dudes and dudettes more interested in styling than winning’. Many journalists, commentators and members of the American public, however, perceived ‘having fun’ and ‘styling it’ to be incompatible with Olympic ideals. For example, Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey wrote: ‘It probably would be a good thing if somebody explained to the snowboarders that once they decided to sit at the adults’ table, they made the tacit agreement to play to win. They made the decision to act like Olympians, which now means to act professional’. Many snowboarders, including other medallists, empathized with Jacobellis, celebrating such behaviour as evidence of the sports continued connection with its counter-cultural and anti-authoritarian roots. As this example suggests, despite the rapid institutionalization, professionalism, and commercialization of action sports, many participants continue to privilege fun, friendship, and creative freedom (e.g., style) over winning, ruthless individualism, and conformity. The irony here, of course, is that while such values appear contradictory to contemporary ideals of Olympic achievement—i.e., faster, stronger, higher—some of the sentiments expressed by action sport participants, including participation and personal achievement over winning, echo those endorsed in the original Olympic charter such as global and democratic participation, and international co-operation

Holly at the women’s halfpipe

There are also instances where the anti-establishment and hedonistic ethos celebrated in the après-snow culture conflict with the strict, hierarchical and disciplinary regimes of the IOC. For example, risqué photos of US 2010 Olympic half-pipe bronze medallist Scotty Lago posing with a female fan at a post-event party, in which the girl is captured kissing his medal held suggestively below his waist, caused considerable controversy. While the general public and mass media criticized Lago’s actions as unprofessional and decidedly un-Olympic, many core snowboarders celebrated his behaviour as evidence of the sports continued connection with its counter-cultural and anti-authoritarian roots. Commenting on this incident, one snowboard journalist proclaimed: ‘If you invite the naughty kids to the party don’t be shocked when someone pisses in the punch. Snowboarders are not the typical Olympians, for better or worse’.

Snowboarding on the World Stage: The Pros and Cons

Perhaps you, like me, enjoy watching snowboarding at the Olympics. It is refreshing to see the youthful enthusiasm of world’s top snowboarders in juxtaposition to the more regimented and traditional events on display. Despite the benefits for a select few snowboarding athletes and the industry, and viewers, many snowboarders remain adamant that the Olympics ‘need snowboarding more than snowboarding needs the Olympics’. For example, during the lead-up to the 2010 Olympics, Terje expressed his opinion in an article featured in USA Today:

‘Snowboarding is good for the Olympics, and the Olympics is good for the podium winners. Competitive riders want to win the contest with the most exposure in the world, I respect that, but it has the potential to be so much better if it was run by those who care more about snowboarding and not only banners and commercial licenses. If the IOC had any true respect or interest for the sport, they wouldn’t invite a ski federation to run snowboarding. I think the Olympics are based on a really old, national-driven model… they control and manipulate everything for their own benefit. I’ve been speaking to a lot of people who work for different national (snowboarding) bodies and they’re all totally over the ridiculous rules, systems and structures’.

Reporting from the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Henning Andersen, journalist for Method snowboard magazine, also proclaims:

‘The Olympics looks so neat on TV, but it is a power machine. … For the better good of the world? For peace? You gotta be kidding me… They are counting the medals and points. It’s a mainstream sports war. It’s the greatest symbol of the clash of nations and the wildest battle of global brands you have ever seen. It is old men controlling the world of sports. … Why is snowboarding here? Since the inception of snowboarding in the Olympics, all the exposure everyone is talking about has done nothing for snowboarding. No brand is selling more products due to the Olympics; no other events are getting more sponsorships or exposure. But snowboarding has done a lot for the Olympics. It has brought lifestyle and cool, young values to the sales presentations’.

Holly and Marie on the 18th Feb, women’s halfpipe

Clearly, the debate rages on among some groups of snowboarders. As you are reading this article, similar issues are being raised in relation to the inclusion of other action sports into the Olympic Games.

Lessons from Snowboarding: Olympic Surfing and Skateboarding

Recognizing the success of snowboarding for attracting the highly lucrative youth market, the Olympic committee and various Olympic sporting bodies continue to look for new action sports (e.g., kite-surfing, parkour, skateboarding) and events (e.g., freestyle BMX, slope-style snowboarding), and more innovative representational styles, as ways to further reconnect with new generations of youth. But, in response to newspaper headlines proclaiming that ‘skateboarding could make its Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games’ as a wheel-based activity under the cycling discipline, thousands of skateboarders from across the world responded by signing an online petition addressed to the IOC president titled ‘No skateboarding in the Olympics’. The petition underscored that ‘Skateboarding is not a “sport” and we do not want skateboarding exploited and transformed to fit into the Olympic program’.

The IOC has also responded positively to numerous proposals from the International Surfing Association (ISA), and particularly the efforts of President Fernando Aguerre and some of surfing’s biggest stars (e.g., Kelly Slater), for the inclusion of surfing into the Summer Olympic program. Despite recognizing the potential of surfing for tapping into the highly lucrative youth market, the IOC has stated that this is unlikely until the technologies are such that host nations have access to affordable man-made wave pools able to reliably produce high quality waves.

So, how do you feel about the inclusion of surfing in the Olympic Games? What would be the pros/cons of Olympic surfing? Should skateboarding be an Olympic sport? Are there any lessons from snowboarding that might be applied to surfing and skateboarding in terms of Olympic incorporation? Do the Olympic Games need surfing and/or skateboarding more than surfing and/or skateboarding need the Olympics? Write in to tell us what you think and go in the draw to win….