There are cultural influences. It’s not like Norwegians, Swedes, Finns and a few Danes are all 6’ tall etc. That would be conflating things. We grow tall people here too. Even blond ones. So do lots of other countries. Success in sport starts at an early age. Coaching and competition count. Lots of filtering along the way. The ones who grow too tall, too heavy, too short, just don’t make it in the upper echelons. No 5’10” players get NCAA scholarships either. Not because of height. They can’t develop 48” verticals to make up for the difference in height on a 7’2” player. Physically impossible at a certain point.
For recreational skiers, the big deal comes when the proper gear is nla. Skis proper length bit too little resistance. Longest skis available but no enough weight capacity. Fighting camber and snapping skis can’t be fun when you’re doing the basics correctly. Never mind advanced skiing. Not talking NFL linebackers. Just big guys or short muscular ones you’d pass on the street without noticing.
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Eh, I don't know.lowangle al wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2023 1:41 pmWe aren't talking about racing, just weight/ height and skis, and I stand by what I said. I can change how and where I pressure my skis without changing my height.
A skier cares about the length of their skis, but the skis mostly react to weight. They also react to how you apply your weight to the skis. A tall or short guy should be able to pressure their skis in the same exact way, with enough skill.
Let's take the other XC (running) for example. The shorter 4'10" dude has shorter legs, shorter stride length between 'footprints', and has to take more steps per mile than the 6'5" dude. While they BOTH can run a 5k in 18:00, the short guy is going to 'run' and a 'higher RPM.'
Just because a small-block Chevy V-8 and a 429 Hemi V-8 can do a 1/4-mile in 11-sec, doesn't mean the motors are identical in operation.
Back to skiing, both a short and a tall guy maybe able to pressure (move/shift their weight) a ski "the same", but the shorter guy is going to have to "work more" to do it, such as lean in more to get is Center of Mass above the same point over the ski as a taller guy.
It's still going to be different because even if their weight is over the same point on the ski (X axis), by virtue of 'different belly button heights', their Y-axis is going to be different.
Regardless, humans and their brains that control balance, muscles, etc. are VERY ADAPTIVE and each can figure out (consciously or not) what works for "them" to get from A-to-B, or in what manner they do.
Reminds me of Frank Mason III, aka BIFM, the beast, a college All-American, B12 P.O.Y., and other awards/honors before he went #34 in the NBA draft. He is "listed" as 5'11" and a LOT of people and fans said that was a stretch. He got a NCAA scholarship to Kansas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Mason_III
I remember watching Frank Mason over his years at KU. He worked his butt off, especially his off-season conditioning between Junior and Senior seasons. He feared no one and would drive the ball to the basketbell no matter if the other player was over 250# and or over 7', and would regularly get the bucket, draw the foul, or both.
This lists about 10 NBA players who are/were under 5'10".
https://blog.betway.com/basketball/shor ... -all-time/
Here's 9 NCAA players 5'10" or less.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/129 ... r-six-feet
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Let’s look at another example. Tow skiers. Both 180#. One is 5’6”. The other is 6’. Sharing the same weight distribution… 50% of weight below the belt, 50% above the belt. Who has the longer torso? The 6’ skier. Can that skier shift more weight bending at the waist, leaning etc.? Yup. More weight shift to tips, edges, heels when he moves.
There’s a logical limit though. Too tall, too short affect movement in one way or another. Weight shift suffers if movement is impaired by excessive bulk, gangliness.
On the NBA, NCAA thing… the numbers are real small. NCAA? How many are on “scholarship”? I used that term deliberately because it means that the athletic department is putting their money on a bet that might pay off… not filling a spot on the roster. Not every player in athletics is on an NCAA scholarship. The scholarship spots are limited. Heck, skiing only gets half scholarships. Not all the time either.
There’s a logical limit though. Too tall, too short affect movement in one way or another. Weight shift suffers if movement is impaired by excessive bulk, gangliness.
On the NBA, NCAA thing… the numbers are real small. NCAA? How many are on “scholarship”? I used that term deliberately because it means that the athletic department is putting their money on a bet that might pay off… not filling a spot on the roster. Not every player in athletics is on an NCAA scholarship. The scholarship spots are limited. Heck, skiing only gets half scholarships. Not all the time either.
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lowangle al
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The tall guy may have a harder time staying centered, but both skiers can pressure the skis the same way while staying centered.TallGrass wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2023 3:13 pmA 3-foot-tall guy can not lean as far forward nor backward on the skis as a 6-foot-tall person can.lowangle al wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2023 12:14 pmI think a short guy and a tall guy of the same weight can pressure the skis exactly the same way with enough skill.
For two skiers each leaning 10-degrees forward, the center of mass of the 3' skier will be HALF as far forward as the 6' skier (with regard to the 'pivot' point... ankle).
Longer body (height) = longer lever = more leverage (torque) for same angle.
If neither skier can stay centered and are poor skiers then you may be right. The tall guy will have a harder time.
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These athletes impress me the most. Ppl who exceed expectations, limitations of their physique… body type over achievers. Seeing anybody rock is cool. Seeing a big or little guy out rock the “arch type” is super cool.
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wabene
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Limitations. There does seem to be a body type for world class Nordic competition. What I've noticed on this forum is many skiers of the xcD and downhill oriented pursuits are smaller people. 5'7"-5'8" 150 pounds or less. You see this in sports like short track speed skating, X-Games style sports. All of these endeavors reward agility and a low center of gravity.
Life is always a balance of opposing forces. The limitation is located squarely between your ears.
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That’s what I was thinking. Weird getting +1/3 or voters in the bmi 25+ category tho. A few might be overachievers. Possible. Overachievers rarer than 36% of pop.
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according to my height and weight and BMI profile since the age of 22yo or so, I should be a football running back. instead I am an endurance athlete. am I doomed to failure? oh wait...I'm not failing.