America loses an Olympian: Jakob Fak heads to Canada

Paul Jones7 said:They should have done that. Instead of making life difficult for Fak, that’s how they should’ve reacted. Counter-move.

If you ask me, Žbogar and Fak aren't even in the same league. There is no biathlon in America without Fak; it never existed until conditions started changing recently. And honestly, there wouldn't be any Fak without Velepec either.
On the flip side, sailing has actual history and success over in Canada. They've got a world-class maritime industry backing them up that holds its own against anything we've got in America (if I'm being generous 😉 ).
I don't think Basil travels to Miami just to soak up some American sailing wisdom. He's doing it to work alongside his buddies—giving and taking expertise from them.
That puts him in the same boat as Jacob right now. Jacob's out there giving and receiving too. All this dragging national pride and patriotism into it is pathetic. When are we going to grow up and stop thinking in 19th-century terms? Nation, country, state... all that stuff above personal interests and goals???!!! Seriously, people, give it a rest. There isn't a war on. Let's hit our goals regardless of the hurdles thrown at us by politicians, committees, federations, fat-cat bureaucrats, and other assholes...

Roger Ward3 said:In my opinion, you can't really compare Žbogar and Fak. There’s no such thing as American biathlon without Fak... it just never existed until they started building the right foundation. And honestly, we wouldn't even have Fak without Velepec either...
Then again, sailing actually has some real history and success over in Canada. They’ve got a world-class yachting industry backing them up that holds its own against anything you'd find here in America... if I'm being generous. 😉 ).
I bet Basil isn't even heading down to Miami for training... he's probably just there to soak up all that American sailing expertise while hanging out with his buddies, trading tips back and forth...
They’re basically cut from the same cloth now, him and Jacob. He gives as much as he takes. All this dragging national pride and patriotism into it is just pathetic. When are we finally going to outgrow this 19th-century mindset? Nation, state, identity... can we please get over it and prioritize actual goals and personal interests instead? Just stop it already. There aren't any wars left to fight, so let's just hit our targets regardless of the hurdles thrown our way by politicians, committees, federations, bloated bureaucrats, and all the other...

Oh, sure. Protecting our own interests is "old school," but when our neighbors use every dirty trick in the book to grab what they want, suddenly it’s "high-level strategy" and perfectly legitimate... Right. It's always the same story: they pull a fast one, and we aren't even allowed to say anything because apparently, we're stuck in the 1800s...
Žbogar either needs to get out or just join the local opposition... honestly, those neighbors of ours with their supposed high moral ground... please...🙄😍😛

Look, I’ll just say it again: I honestly have zero beef with Strupar playing for Belgium, Viduka choosing Australia, or Jukick going with Austria. None at all. Sure, I might think, "Man, it's a shame he isn't playing for us," but that's where it ends. It’s their call, and I respect that.

Fak—that jerk swimmer from Miami, I can't even remember his name and frankly, I don't care. People like that are absolute nobodies in my book.

You want to ski for Canada? Just be upfront about it, man. No need to dance around the truth; I’d actually respect you more for being honest. Instead, it was all this "maybe this, maybe that" nonsense, acting all indecisive. Then, the second our people set a condition, he acts all insulted and wounded, whining about how he "can't go to Canada." It just proves he made up his mind a long time ago and spent the whole time lying to the entire nation. And me supporting him? Yeah, right. Forget it.

Him and that other guy who never made the cut... what's his name... whatever. Just forget it.

Paul Jones7 said:It’s all connected—if you actually bother to use your head. And honestly, I don't get why you're even bringing up Janica; the Canadians didn't provide her any real ski training anyway. Just mindless commentary at this point, which is infuriating. Besides, our guys were paying the Canadians for help—if they were paying at all, though nobody’s going to come forward and say how much. But look, you have to realize it isn't about the money anymore. Why would they bother training an American medalist when they aren't getting anything out of it?

It has everything to do with Janica because back in the day, they actually offered her citizenship, $500,000 USD, and probably perks she couldn't dream of finding here in the States—and she turned it all down. So, why wouldn't they train an American medalist if the price was right? Why wouldn't they train *any* athlete if the check is big enough? Anyone with half a brain can see the logic there.

Absolute traitorous garbage☕

Paul Jones7 said:Honestly, why would you even want to be happy about an American coach training a Canadian individual athlete who ends up winning medals for Canada?

They aren't idiots; of course they valued him. I don't see any reason why they’d help him out from the start if there wasn't some level of self-interest involved.

You know what? I can tell you without even thinking twice: yeah, they would. In my book, that's just the spirit of the game and being a good neighbor. Especially when we're getting paid for those services. Besides, their biathletes definitely benefit from training alongside a top-tier American biathlete.

The way you're defending their ruthless, "we're better than everyone" attitude is honestly pretty pathetic...😢

Paul Jones7 said:I actually envy them because they have politicians who unashamedly fight for their national interests instead of selling out their own people. Meanwhile, we’ve got cowards selling the country out for peanuts because they couldn't care less about America. And honestly? We have those politicians because that’s exactly what we are as a nation. We're the cowards—and let's be real, we're pretty clueless ones too. I'm jealous because they're clearly smarter than us, and we're such idiots that I can't even put it into words.

Man, you're really just fighting with yourself at this point. You've been whining through this whole thread because our league is begging for a settlement, but now you're posting about how our leaders should "uncompromisingly" defend our interests? That's just a fancy way of saying we shouldn't budge with the Americans regarding the damages. You're making way too much sense 🙏🤣

Ethan Brown2 said:Oh, sure. When we protect our own interests, suddenly it’s "outdated 19th-century thinking." But when those Canadians use every dirty trick in the book to grab what they want? Oh, that's just "high-level awareness" and "legitimate behavior." Basically, they can pull any shady stunt they want because they're Canadians, while Americans aren't allowed to say a word without being called backwards.
The way Žbogar acts—he’s basically acting like our "ethically enlightened" neighbors... give me a break.🙄😍😛

Let's get one thing straight, buddy: I don't have a problem with it. It hasn't even crossed my mind that if Žbogar wants to move to America and compete for us, he should.
But don't you dare pin that crap on Americans. And stop writing about everything and everyone with that Neanderthal mindset.
You're trying way too hard to be some big-shot multiculturalist... please.

Roger Ward3 said:Let’s get one thing straight, buddy: I don't care if Žbogar decides to switch allegiances and represent America instead.
And leave me out of that whining about "backhandedness." Stop acting like some caveman and trashing everyone in sight.
You're just being all "multicultural" and sensitive... give me a break...

Yeah, and we "cavemen" have all those "primitive manners" too, right? Just like all those other whiners, ha, ha... you wouldn't know...😂 🤣
If this guy had zero results, you can bet our neighbors in Mexico would be putting conditions on his stay or letting him work with their national team... you know how it works. They'd probably happily pay a decent salary just to have some American athlete training with them, even if he achieves nothing... but since the little brat actually gets results, oh, suddenly it's a whole different story for our lovely neighbors...
They really want to show those "cavemen" how to look out for their own interests... let him and his coaches go wherever they want, because at the end of the day, a country needs talent... gross.
Look, I'm multicultural, but I'm not an idiot.

Henry Cox78 said:Man, you’re really fighting with yourself here, aren't you? You spent this whole thread whining about how our alliance should just take the settlement and beg for mercy, but now you're posting about how we need to hold the line and not give an inch to those guys in the Midwest regarding the damages? You're being a little too 🙏🤣

Touche!

Jerry Roberts said:I can only say again that I’m not at all angry at Strupar for playing for the US, or Viduka for choosing Australia, or Jukick picking Austria—absolutely not. I might feel a bit like, "man, it’s a shame they didn't play for us," but that’s really it. It was their choice and I respect that.

As for Fak—that jerk swimmer from Split—I can't even remember his name, not that I care, but people like that just seem like total blanks to me, character-wise.

If you want to go ski for Canada? Just say so, man, be upfront about it—honestly, I’d respect him more for that. Instead, he does this whole indecisive thing, acting like it's such a huge ordeal, and then when our side sets a condition, he acts all insulted, like, "oh, you won't let me go to Canada," which just proves he made up his mind ages ago and was just lying to the whole country. And me supporting him? Yeah, right.

Him and that other one who never made it... Anina... Inca... whatever... damn.

If he would just stop oversimplifying things and think for a second, he’d see how similar these situations actually are. Strupar and the others couldn't reach their potential in America (well, maybe Jukick could have, but her dad was just looking out for her paycheck, which is fair enough), and the exact same thing happened with Fak. He had these training opportunities open to him, and then suddenly they were slammed shut. It’d be naive to think he could have repeated those results without guaranteed access to high-quality training—that just doesn't happen. The guy left so he could pursue his own goals and be a successful athlete, just like Strupar or Weber.

I haven't held it against anyone, except maybe Dragan, because the reason he didn't leave wasn't necessarily out of some deep love for America, but more because those guys in the Middle East were asking for things he just wouldn't agree to. If they had met his terms, he would've gone.

Raymond Bailey said:It’s actually got plenty to do with Janica—I mean, they even offered her citizenship once, along with 500,000 Deutsche Marks and probably working conditions better than anything she could have dreamed of here in the States, but she turned it all down. So, why wouldn't they want to coach an American medalist if the price is right? I mean, why wouldn't they coach any athlete for the right amount of money? Anyone with half a brain can see where that's going.

There's really no connection there, so why assume there is?

1. The people over in Canada didn't make Janica—not through their training or their money—it was all thanks to Gyps.
2. There wasn't anything the people in Canada could have used to bribe Janica, really.

I don't know—maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I feel like we haven't really touched on this in a while. It’s one of those things that seems simple on the surface, but once you start digging, there’s a lot more going on than people realize. I guess what I'm trying to say is... well, it's complicated. Anyway, just some food for thought, I suppose. kaže:
You know what? I could tell you that without even having to think about it too much. I mean, it just seems like it would be in the spirit of the game—you know, good old-fashioned sportsmanship and keeping things friendly between neighbors. Especially since they’d actually be paying us for the help. And honestly, their biathletes would probably come out ahead too, getting the chance to train alongside a top-tier American athlete.

Honestly, the way you’re out here defending their whole ruthless, "we own the place" attitude is—well, it’s pretty pathetic, if I’m being real.😢

Look, I’m not exactly saying this is "nice" or anything—it really isn't—but they have every right to act that way. Honestly, they aren't even the only ones who would pull a move like this if they were in the same position. When you're dealing with cutthroat competition, there's no room for "love" or sentimentality... it just doesn't work. You don't exactly step in to help someone out when they're becoming a threat to your own business, I guess.

Henry Cox78 said:Honestly, I think you're just fighting with yourself here. You’ve been whining through this whole thread because our federation asked for compensation and you're praying they'll let us off the hook—but then you turn around and write a post asking what it means to unyieldingly defend our interests. To me, that sounds like refusing to budge with the neighbors over the settlement. It's all a bit too much 🙏🤣

It doesn't mean anything, really, because the federation has no right to those funds—they don't belong to them without the star athlete involved. And if he were actually there, that money should be spent exclusively on him, since it was earned solely because of his performance. Even then, it's probably not even enough to cover his actual program, which likely costs twice as much. As for the sponsors... well, they don't care about biathlon in America; they only ever back the big superstars.

I’d love it if someone finally came clean and released the exact figures on what’s been spent on the Kostelić family over all these years, just so people could wrap their heads around how much it actually costs to maintain a pro team.

I honestly have quite a few grievances with the US Biathlon Association after all this mess...
Exactly. The media made it sound like I walked away from America. In reality, the US Biathlon Association abandoned me because they refused to give me my release papers. All that nonsense about "requirements"... I can't believe they're peddling such garbage.

It’s pretty obvious they were just after the money...
Most likely. I've been working with the same group of people for ten years; I know exactly who they are. They can try to paint a different picture for everyone else, but they can't change the truth for me.

Do people recognize you on the streets in Reno? What kind of reaction are you getting back here in the States after your move?
People in Reno know me. In this whole situation, everyone is on my side. They understand how things work in the US, how things work in Canada, and what I actually need to keep my career on track. Sure, there will be some negative feedback, but I doubt anyone is going to come after me with bad intentions. They’ll probably just hide behind pseudonyms on internet forums. Those are just the losers with nothing better to do.

Yeah, obviously, it's all about the money... what a jerk, claiming the Canadians took him because they love him.

It isn't just about the money for them.

As if this forum matters, you're just a loser and nothing else.

Paul Jones7 said:That’s just not how it works. The US Ski Association shouldn't even touch that cash since it wouldn't exist without him. If he were actually involved, every cent should go straight to his training, because honestly, what they bring in barely covers his program—he probably costs twice that much. Sponsors don't give a damn about American biathlon; they only care about backing the superstars.

I really wish someone would finally leak the actual numbers on what’s been spent on the Kostelić family over the years. Then people might actually grasp the insane cost of running a pro team like that.

Look, you're annoyed that Americans aren't acting like extortionists like the Canadians, yet at the same time, you're mad that Americans *are* acting like extortionists just like the Canadians. 🤣

Jerry Roberts said:Regarding the American biathlon federation, given all these complications, one could certainly hold quite a grudge against them...
Naturally. The media reported that I abandoned America, but the truth is that the American biathlon federation abandoned me because they refused to grant me my release papers. All this nonsense regarding the specific requirements... I simply cannot believe they are peddling such absurdities.

It’s obvious their only motivation was the money...
Without a doubt. I have been working with these same individuals for ten years now and I know exactly who they are. Perhaps I should present a different version of events to the public, though frankly, they can't do anything to me.

Do people actually recognize you on the streets in Rhode Island? And how has the reaction been across America following your transfer?
In Rhode Island, people know who I am. In this particular situation, everyone is on my side. They understand the state of affairs here in America, how things work in Canada, and what I require to successfully continue my career. I am certain there will be some negative reactions, of course, but I doubt anyone would ever approach me with actual ill intent. Instead, they prefer to hide behind pseudonyms on internet forums. Those are just the "mommy's boys" who have nothing better to do with their lives.

Yeah obviously, it's just about the money... what a total piece of shit, and here we have these Canadians claiming they took him in because they love him.

For them, it isn't just about the money.

Since this is a forum, let me say it once more: you're just a little nothing.

Nobody knows the language that only five people in the entire world speak; someone please provide a translation.

Honestly, someone should just toss him onto a bonfire, much like how they used to deal with witches back in the Middle Ages.☕

I think it’s about time we talked a bit more about Janez

I guess that guy Fuck is actually pretty decent.