Daone 2006 20-22 JANUARY   Daone over the years has always remained the same. A great event for all those involved: athletes, ice climbers, fans of the sport and even the curious passer-bys. It is the most beautiful and complete race that’s ever existed. The organizers have always managed to greet everyone in the best of ways…with the real warmth of healthy, genuine people. The event itself becomes bigger and more spectacular every year but unfortunately for us athletes things didn’t go as well for us as they had done in previous years. This year, the UIAA got its claws into this sport. Their thinking is that it is time to make this sport a real sport and include it in the 2010 Olympics. Instead, it’s just broken everyone’s balls! It’s about time... it would be everyone’s dream to take part in the Olympics... I’d do anything to take part! I have no illusions though; I’ll probably be too old to do so…physical strength is this sport’s primary element. The men from the UIAA made a big mistake. They came, like generals, to command their army with their friggin’ laws. Their arrogance and militaristic airs irritated everyone, including the public who were uncomfortable and confused. No athlete was informed of their illogical, idiotic rules and no-one had been asked to assist or advise the UIAA on which rules to make... rules that should help the judges ...not confuse them! The word itself, "rule", gets on my nerves... but its part of the game I guess... you have to get used to it. But this is a young sport and it’s still evolving therefore the rules should be made by mutual agreement among the athletes, judges and tracers... not by people who’ve never held an ice axe in their hands! They have to realize that these events are organized not by the ten or so athletes who aim for the podium, but thanks to all the people who spend their money so as to create the event. The drawing card for the money isn’t the athletes - who are by all definition "unknowns" - it’s the public and the response of the media to the event. That’s why it’s important to invest in the event and not the competition. Let’s not waste our money on stupid "anti-doping" laws. It would have been better to spend all that money - wasted on testing urine - on some good ole vin brulè (mulled wine) which we could have given to the faithful crowd that stood in the snow all day expecting a great show and instead got chaos and confusion. Besides this problem, this year there was also an error made in the tracing of the route which turned out to be too easy. As a result, the selection of the athletes was wrong. This though, a opinion mutually agreed by the athletes, is not to criticize the tracers who have always done their best to challenge the ever increasing strength of athletes, but constructive criticism in the hope that next year things will be better. A tracer’s job is a difficult one and holds a lot of responsibility. I respect their work and criticising their work is often very easy to do ...but it’s also unfair. To err is human… I think that one decision for the future could be to eliminate spurs. I’m also certain that it won’t be necessary to apply restrictive rules. Simple routes will be enough to break our arms without having to hang on spurs like upside down salamis to get our strength back. I’m convinced that this decision will simplify tracing and the work of the judges... and most certainly complicate life for us athletes! I’m on my way back home from Daone... disappointed and pissed off like never before…I deserved to be in the final... Bubu             PLACINGS
				Fotografie di Bubu Bole e Stefano Pichi