Elizabeth Swaney’s run in the ladies’ ski halfpipe looked a little different from those of her competitors, who soared through the air with spins, grabs, and flips. Instead, she didn’t attempt a single trick, and it was all part of the plan.
There’s actually a reason why this Olympic skier didn’t try any tricks in her ski trick event
Sometimes persistence is the most important quality.
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Swaney, a 33-year-old Oakland resident who is competing for Hungary thanks to her grandparents’ heritage, qualified by competing in 13 halfpipe events leading up to the games. This allowed her to qualify through the Olympic quota system, despite being unable to do any tricks.
The commentators did their best to call her run, and the seriousness with which they did was magical:
“Liz Swaney dropping in, trying to get into the right wall for a nice — just getting up to the top of the wall. Going for these paths, and then opting for another easing up to the top of the wall, showing the judge she can make it down this halfpipe clean. Going for the alley-oop spin down at the bottom. Then a nice cruise, 360 to switch — trying to show that she has a little style down at the bottom.”
Swaney’s run wasn’t met with much applause, or any reaction, really. The Olympic judges scored her a 30 across the board for her run down the pipe. It’s here where we can really discuss how she made it to the Olympics, and why, despite her lack of ability, Swaney managed to finish events outside of last place.
After the first run, there were two competitors with lower scores, because they crashed early attempting tricks. Slow and steady, Swaney outscored the pair — and for one magical qualifying run, she didn’t finish last.
This was her strategy in every event this year. Swaney would ski down the pipe, maybe get bold and throw in an alley-oop (a 180-degree jump), but that’s it. She let her competitors crash around her, and at the Dew Tour at Breckenridge, Swaney finished 13th out of 15 competitors. In the final.
Essentially, she exploited the system that allowed athletes to qualify. Had Swaney crashed in multiple events, she wouldn’t have made it to Pyeongchang, but because of her slow and steady style, she maintained a minimum score that was enough to carry her through, considering the quotas to be met and claiming Hungary as her nation.
There are a lot of different ways you can feel about this, and I’m not here to tell you any is right or wrong. Maybe you think this is hilarious and a great way to cut through the tension and grand seriousness of the Olympics. Maybe you think it’s an affront that Swaney is competing when better athletes are sitting at home. Perhaps you just don’t care either way. Swaney believes her competing has the chance to make a difference, even though it looks funny. She told the Denver Post:
“I want to inspire others in Hungary and the world to become involved in freestyle skiing,” she said. “Maybe perhaps I’m the bridge to those who want to get started in the life of freestyle skiing and I want to show people that, yeah, it’s possible to get involved in freestyle skiing through a variety of backgrounds.”
Will Swaney’s performance inspire people? Maybe it will give potential athletes in Hungary the motivation to try skiing. Perhaps her trick-free run will light a fire in those thinking they can do better. Either way, it’s a magical moment that we only see when the Olympics roll around.
