SNOWBOARDERS ON THE LOOSE -- OLYMPICS ASKED FOR IT

OLYMPIC OFFICIALS were shocked, shocked to learn yesterday that another of
those happy-go-lucky snowboarders has gotten himself into trouble.

First it was Ross Rebagliati, from Canada, who won the men's giant slalom
but then tested positive for marijuana and has been asked to return the
medal -- if he can just remember where he put the darn thing.

Now it is Austrian Martin Freinademetz, another giant slalom competitor,
who has been kicked out of his hotel for holding, like, a major party, and,
like, trashing the place.

This was apparently a complete shock to everyone. Freinademetz had never
given any indication that he might be some kind of party animal. Except, I
guess, for the fact that his bio says his nickname is ``The Terminator''
and that he describes himself as ``an aggressive person, both mentally and
physically.'' Certainly this is no laughing matter. Out-and-out snickering
is more like it. Olympic officials invite Bill and Ted to the Olympics for
an excellent adventure and are stunned to hear that they are not attending
the Olympic Village-sponsored floral-arranging classes. This is more than a
case of a couple of kids going off the wall --so to speak. The minute the
shredders were added to the Olympic roster they've been treated -- let's go
ahead and say it, encouraged -- to be the wackiest jocks in the village.

The official precompetition press conference by the American athletes was a
complete yuk-fest. Everyone, from the media to Olympic officials, were
fawning over those zany board guys.

At one point, Ross Powers, an 18-year-old American boarder, lost his train
of thought while attempting to say the word ``rivalry.'' He made two
attempts at it, then pushed the microphone away with the snappy one liner,
``Oh, f--.''

Remember, this is not only in front of international media, but being
broadcast live on the Olympic television network to every venue in the
complex, not to mention sending feeds to international television networks.

The reaction? The place broke up. It was minutes before people stopped
wiping their eyes and screeching with laughter. One USOC official called it
the most entertaining press conference he'd ever been to.

So what's the message there? That the more outrageous you are, the better
we like. In the dull days before actual competition started, the boarders,
with their Gen-X jargon, were the life of the party.

The more they said, the better we liked it. The wilder the better. Asked
what he thought of the Opening Ceremony, one boarder said, ``It was sick
(meaning great) man. Those people were applauding and it sounded like
macaroni crackling in a pan.''

Thank you, Edward R. Murrow.

There will probably be much hue and cry about the way the snowboarders have
trashed the Olympic ideal after this. Hopefully, no one gets caught
lighting up a reefer on the Olympic flame.

But c'mon. Olympic officials knew what they wanted when they invited these
guys in, and they got it -- good and proper.

Worse, once snowboarding was put on the fast track and jammed into the
Olympic schedule, we squealed at them like rock stars and hung on their
every insipid phrase.

The Olympics didn't create the snowboard problem, the Olympics just stood
aside and cheered while it was growing.

And now that the hotel furniture has hit the fan, well it is a little late
to do a ``fakey'' and say that you want to see a little more decorum from
these stoner dudes.

``I am not going to kid you,'' said American Todd Richards before the Games
began. ``A lot of these guys are party animals. And the Europeans are
worse.''

By the way, it is not going to hurt any of the boarders' feelings if
Olympic officials wag a finger in their faces. A lot of them think
competitions are very uncool anyhow. The greatest boarder in the world,
Tjehe Haakonen of Norway, couldn't even be convinced to show up for the
Olympics. He didn't like the way they were treating him, he said.

Over at someplace like curling, they can't believe the attitude. Curling --
for good reason -- couldn't make it into the Olympics for years. They
begged and pleaded and served as a ``demonstration'' sport five times. It
has taken them 30 years to get into the Games.

It didn't take snowboarding 30 minutes. And for good reason. Television
loves the board-guys. They fit the demographic perfectly. Let's be honest,
do you think the Olympics are adding sports to give committed young
athletes a chance to compete against the best in the world? Or is it to get
killer ratings on TV? Exactly.

What is going to happen? Nothing. The Olympic Committee created this
monster and now all it can hope is that none of the boarders are staying at
their hotels.

Let the Games continue. And hey, how about that hashpipe -- I mean halfpipe
- -- competition?

)1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A1