Ice Sculpting

[den]

Skating, skiing, snow-boarding, luge, toboggan, biathlon, cross-country skiing... ice sculpting?

Since when did Ice Sculpting become a sport for inclusion in the Olympics?

Carved ice is what you see at weddings and parties. It's what you see on the news when the Japanese and Russians go birko from long winters and produce motels, palaces and cities from the lumps of ice they dig from their gardens.

But a sport? It's been ages since I've seen a group of people with chainsaws and large blocks of ice racing to carve something. But that was only a bit of fun and we^H^Hthey had been drinking.

Okay. If this is a sport then I expect to see stone sculpting in the summer olympics. Sprints (10kg sandstone in 5 hours) Short course Granite (100kg block in 12 hours) and Long course marble (1 ton block between opening ceremony and start of Marathon.)

Comments

[tygermoonfoxx.livejournal.com]

My ex father-in-law was a skilled ice sculptor. It's actually quite a dangerous sport and eventually he was killed by one of the scultures. If there's a flaw in the ice block or the temperature raises or lowers just enough, it can fall on the sculptor and kill them.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear that about your father-in-law.

It's just that I've never considered ice sculpting as a sport.

Re:

[tygermoonfoxx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is kinda a weird concept. I don't know how the Olympic version goes but the version I'm familiar with is considered sport because you have to: 1) race to the designated ice face on a sled 2) choose a suitable piece to excise, which often involves climbing 3) race back with the piece on the sled 4)use a variety of tools to carve the sculpture. The winner was judged on a combination of time, skill, and visual appeal.

It IS an odd concept --- not something I'd expect to find in the winter Olympics. But then, we're not getting much broadcast here :( All I've seen is hockey, curling, and some downhill.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

I might be more interested if they made it a full-contact nude sport.

For some reason, I don't think NBC is covering it here. Big surprise.