– I am completely unsettled. That’s what national team athlete Sandra Eie says about the new rule, which states that freeskiers get the same points as if they had fallen, if they choose to ride without poles. – I think it’s wrong that you should be punished if you don’t use it, she says. The rule is part of the referee’s handbook in friski. If you drop a pole and get points drawn, you just have to forget about being in the fight for the winner. Eie believes the rule only makes the sport stricter. – And we don’t want that at all, says Eie, who competes in the slopestyle and big air exercises, says the 28-year-old. – Nonsense In the aforementioned practice, she is in the habit of riding with poles anyway, but in big air she used to compete without them. Now she is looking for solutions where the handle is smaller, and where the rods fit better. EXPERIENCED: Own represented Norway during the Olympics in 2022. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB At the same time, the following questions have appeared: What is a pole actually? The rules do not give a clear answer to that. – Can we only drive with one handle? Or a handle with a few centimeters out? Is it a stick?, Eie asks and grins. She is in place in the Austrian Stubai to run Friday’s news-broadcast world cup competition in slopestyle, and she has not yet seen anyone experimenting with the pole length in training. The Norwegian hope nevertheless opens up to challenge the regulations later in the season: – It is tempting to test the length, if it is the case that there are no restrictions. A “fuck you” to the whole rule, says the national team player. Eie clarifies that she has nothing against skiers using poles, but she thinks it goes against the nature of free skiing with too many rules. – You must be free to do what you want. I think it’s silly that someone should make rules for what you should drive with, she asserts. news has tried to get a comment from FIS on the matter, so far without a reply. Toothbrushes and chopsticks Team mate Birk Ruud doesn’t think there will be any equipment changes this weekend. – I don’t think anyone will line up with two toothbrushes or two chopsticks that spell, no, laughs the Olympic winner. The new rule has inspired him to develop his own pole design, because Ruud believes that the existing poles do not suit the needs of freeskiers. According to the 23-year-old, Eie also drives the Norwegian’s prototype. BEFORE AND NOW: Birk Ruud does not like to drive with traditional poles (left), because of the loose handle. That is why he has created a prototype with a handle which means that the hand is never far from the pole (right). Photo: news – I think everyone will use something they can define as a stick. I don’t think anyone will break those rules too much, other than the fact that I will definitely come to say that we must come up with a good solution in case of any injuries. Ruud is concerned about athletes who possibly sustain finger and or hand injuries during the season, and who thus get points deducted because they cannot drive with poles. news’s freeskiing expert Felix Usterud himself drove with poles when he was active, but can understand that the rule can contribute to frustration. – It is, as several have pointed out, that it is desirable to have as few rules as possible in health. But then this is not an order, you can choose yourself. At the same time, the rule is constructed so that it is impossible to win without cards. Therefore, it may be that the rule needs modifications, he says. According to him, there is no clear definition in the referees’ rulebook of what a stick is. EXPERT: Felix Usterud. Photo: NTB
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– A “fuck you” to the whole rule – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
