It’s a little early to be thinking about the next Olympics, especially considering I’ve not yet recovered from the bulges raw athletic talent we’ve seen so far this year. But people are hyped about the 2020 season, because the International Olympic Committee agreed to add baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, and surfing to the program. This is a big deal for athletes who haven’t had an opportunity to represent their countries in competitions thus far. It’s a big day for the 80 athletes set to make their Olympic debut in skateboarding, and the angsty middle schooler in me can’t wait to see some tatted-up husband potential rolling around.
Or maybe not, because apparently bunch of professional skateboarders need to be high in order to be able to perform to the best of their ability. Australian skateboarding legend Tas Pappas told ABC,
I’m wondering how it’s going to work as far as the drug testing is concerned, because some guys skate really well on weed and if they have to stop smoking for one competition it might really affect their performance.
The IOC (along with the rest of the world) isn’t a huge fan of marijuana, and even considers it to be a performance-enhancing drug. Even if these guys adapted to skating sober, there’s no way they’re not lighting up on their free time. I would guess that MAYBE half of them could pass a drug test, which means that we’re going to see some seriously amateur skaters repping the U-S-of-A.
I just hope everyone remembers why everybody who makes it is mediocre at best. I can’t picture skaters getting into the games anyway. The sport has such a unique culture that wouldn’t really adhere to the idea of the Olympics, and definitely wouldn’t take kindly to the idea of being drug tested. Pappas himself said it best:
“As far as the skate community is concerned, for a lot of people it will seem cheesy. This country versus that country is not the unified skate culture. When you meet a bunch of skaters you don’t feel like it’s us versus them, it’s just a bunch of guys getting together and want to have a skate.”
Word. .
[via ABC]
Image via Shutterstock
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Lucky Jo
Lucky Jo is a former and current TSM writer who likes her men how she likes her coffee: way too hot and unforgivably bitter. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2016, proving that C's do in fact get degrees. She now spends her days working for a social media marketing agency, hiking with her dachshund, and trying to bring back the scrunchie. Hate mail and goat memes can be sent to lucyjmulvihill@gmail.com.
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