Opinion: Olympic fizzers still deserve a pat on the back

In the blink of a snow-blinded eye, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver have been and gone.

For New Zealand's 16 athletes, their brief time in snow and on ice promised a big bang, but it was more like a fizz.

Apparently, the lofty goal was to achieve two top-10 finishes, but they managed only four top-16 finishes.

To put things in perspective, this was an improvement on their performance in Turin four years ago.

So why are people critical of the New Zealand team's performance?

Televised interviews did a great job of introducing these often ski-goggled, lycra-clad mysterious athletes to the New Zealand public, but as a spectator it was difficult to feel emotionally connected to their experience.

Seeing determination, exertion, disappointment and joy on an athlete's face is an important part of the spectator experience, and this did not happen very often during the Winter Olympics.

The only athletes whose faces could be seen throughout their sporting performance were the figure skaters and curlers.

Facial expressions of figure skaters are well-rehearsed and not spontaneous and, let's be honest, curling is not a sport that results in an array of facial expressions.

I also struggle with the exclusivity of winter sports.

Almost everyone in New Zealand has experienced running, cycling, swimming and a team sport of some sort in their lives, but not everyone has seen snow, walked on ice or been able to afford a day pass on the mountains.

Cynics may also suggest that the Winter Olympics were created to allow lighter-skinned athletes an opportunity to win medals.

I know I'm being seasonist, and it is a reality for some nations that their sport and recreation experiences revolve around snow and ice, but that tends not to be the case in the southern hemisphere, unless one is brought up near the mountains of Aotearoa.

I'm just uninitiated and uncouth when it comes to snow and ice sports, and perhaps my enthusiasm for the Winter Games would increase if they reintroduced some of the demonstration sports, such as sled-dog racing, skijoring (skiing behind dogs) and the winter pentathlon event, which, strangely, consists of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, shooting, fencing and horse riding.

My difficulty to connect to the Games may also be a reflection of my Generation X status. Generation Y members may enjoy the spectacle and drama more because they understand how difficult it is to complete the manoeuvres in the halfpipe event.

Should we continue to send athletes to the Winter Olympics?

I'm all for New Zealand athletes, irrespective of their choice of sport, having the opportunity to compete at a level that challenges and extends them, and if the athletes can contribute their time and money to this endeavour, then best of luck to them.

After witnessing the difficulties New Zealand athletes faced in Vancouver and Whistler, the silver medal alpine skier Annelise Coberger managed to win in 1992 is undeniably amazing.

As southern hemisphere dwellers, we should be impressed that our athletes even make the cut.

They showed true Kiwi grit to overcome a lack of funding, less than ideal seasons, dislocated shoulders, collisions and gastroenteritis to improve their rankings, achieve personal bests, and finish.

Anyone who wants to hurl themselves down a mountain at breakneck speeds, fling themselves in the air and hope for a good landing, race on razor-sharp blades in a position that must cause major thigh burn, and ski uphill, deserves at least a pat on the back, if not a medal.