James’ take on rival’s points not just sour grapes
AUSTRALIAN Scotty James’ claims of overly generous scoring for American legend Shaun White have been backed by another star snowboarder.
Flagbearer James caused a stir ahead of the Winter Olympics when he admitted to feel- ing “shafted” by being marked too harshly by judges while chief halfpipe rival White was overscored.
The pair met at a World Cup event in Colorado last month, with White earning a perfect 100 marker and James second on 96.25 despite landing a breakthrough switch backside double cork 1260. James is the only rider who does the trick, which involves three-and-a-half spins, and a blind entry and landing.
Former slopestyle world No.5 Aimee Fuller agreed that White was favoured by judges because of his iconic status in the sport.
“Every snowboarder starts from the bottom and they earn their points,” Fuller said.
“Shaun White starts at the top and they deduct his points so unless he does anything in particular wrong, he’s staying at the top. He’s got Shaun White points.
“It’s not particularly fair, is it? But Shaun White has a glow. He walks in the room and everyone looks at him and that’s the same with his riding. He does stand out from the crowd.”
One of the favourites in the halfpipe at the Winter Olympics, James admitted to having words with judges after recent competitions where he felt he was marked incorrectly.
“The biggest thing that frustrated me is that I have been working my whole life and I put my life on the line every day snowboarding and I work so hard and some silly people behind the desk dictate some score which is really frustrating for me sometimes,” he said.
“Honestly, I feel like there have been times when I feel like I have been a bit shafted.”
ELEVEN months ago Mark McMorris was fighting for his life after breaking 17 bones and suffering a collapsed lung and ruptured spleen in a snowboarding accident.
Yesterday he won an Olympic bronze medal.
The 24-year-old staked an early claim for the most inspirational story at the PyeongChang Winter Games in the snowboard slopestyle, sealing third behind compatriot Max Parrot, in silver, and American teenage gold medallist Red Gerard.
McMorris’s remarkable feat after cheating death did not go unnoticed by US ski “queen” Lindsey Vonn, who tweeted a split photo, one half of the Canadian in a hospital bed with numerous tubes attached to him and the other showing him smiling and a superimposed bronze medal.
“This is amazing!” Vonn tweeted to her army of 987,000 followers.
Talking after winning bronze, McMorris reflected on his journey from near-death to worldwide headline maker.
“I don’t want to think too much about the past today, but I appreciate the fact I’m here on my snowboard,” he said.
“Whatever the outcome was today, just me being pumped on being able to ride a snowboard.
“I think a lot of t time I need to pinch myself because now I feel so good and comfortable on my board, but eight months ago I probably didn’t think I was going to be able to snowboard at this level ever again.
“It’s all good from my standpoint. I’m just lucky to be here.”
McMorris’s career was very much on the upwards trajectory. He had won bronze at Sochi 2014 and boasted numerous Winter X Games golds.
But in March 2017, McMorris, raised on the flatlands of the Canadian province Saskatchewan, sustained multiple injuries in a snowboarding accident when he hit a tree.
His multiple fractures included to his jaw, left arm, pelvis and ribs and he was placed in a medically induced coma.
McMorris survived and in his comeback to competition, a big air World Cup in Beijing in November 2017, he triumphed.
After all that, he said yesterday that bronze felt like winning gold.
“Very much so, it is really cool that I can snowboard again,” he said.
“It’s not easy. The last two years I haven’t snowboarded that much.
“I broke my femur and had to take six, seven months off. Then I broke it all and had to take seven months off again.”
McMorris, who could have another chapter in his story when he goes in the big air competition in PyeongChang, added: “I’ve been really stuck in the contest scene for a while, or on a death bed, so I’m pretty stoked.
“It does feel like a win.”