It’s no secret that my blog has a huge fanbase in the Olympic snowboarding community.  And by huge I mean nonexistent.  That’s what she said!  Anyway I was watching snowboarding the other night, and noticed that all the snowboarders wear really baggy clothes, and I can’t figure out why.  I mean in every other sport I’ve seen except figure skating and curling the athletes wear those spandex things for aerodynamics (even cross-country skiers).  It seems like being an aerodynamic snowboarder would allow you to get more air in the stunt events, and it would allow you to go faster (especially important in the snowboard cross, I’d think).  I have a few theories as to why they wear baggy clothes:

1. Snowboarding has its roots in skateboarding, where baggy clothes serve a purpose.  When you fall and slide along the pavement while trying to skateboard down the huge hill near your house, the baggy clothes help to keep you from getting as messed up as you would have otherwise.  Maybe the sport is so young that they are still wearing the vestigial baggy clothes?

2. Snowboarding is a sport that the cool kids are into, and spandex is totally uncool.  I think this is a large part of it.

3. Maybe the added resistance of baggy clothes helps them do tricks easier?  This still wouldn’t explain why they wear them in the snowboard cross.

Anyone know of a good reason for snowboarders to wear the baggy clothes, other than aesthetics?  My guess is that eventually some European will race in the spandex stuff, and finally start beating some Americans (since we’re dominationing the sport), and then everyone will start snowboarding in the disturbingly anatomically revealing spandex.