Big Dawg / MM ?

[elr]

So we are driving home from the lake last night and my wife says to me - Our 14 year old son goes 36 MPH -- how can they call themselves "Big Dawgs" when my little puppy skis faster then them, why don't the old guys go 36 MPH? I see a certain logic that the elite classes/tournaments - MM and Big Dawg - be run at 36 MPH, while age group championships be kept at 34 MPH. From a marketing perpective I don't think the scores would change that much and the differentiation would be of value.

 

[LeonL]

@elr, you have some logic there, however you have to remember the original premise for creating the Big Dawg and MM. It's a way for all 34 (55k) to have a place where they can compete against each other regardless of age group, if they so desire, without changing what they do when the want to compete in their age group. The key word in your post is "old guys."

[mshaw200]

Ed, there are other factors to consider when you talk about changing the speeds of a division. The Big Dawg event is separate but altering MM slalom speed doesn't just affect slalom skiers. While I am the only Big Dawg competitor that does 3 events I look at things a little differently then a single event slalom skier does. I complete at the Sr. Worlds as well as for the Sr. Team at the Pan American Championships. MM is the only division that USAWS has that matches the competing criteria (55k for slalom and 57k/5.5' ramp for jumping) of the 35-44 division the rest of the world recognizes as the Sr 1 division. Thus, MM is the only division I have where I can train and compete under those same rules/criteria. There is talks of trying to create another division for 35+ skiers where they ski at 35mph instead of 34. Until our Men 3 division matches the rest of the worlds Men 3 (Sr 1) division I pray that the current criteria of MM is left alone.

 

Of course this is merely my opinion.

Marc