The arrogant and sore sport Chad Hedrick!

I cant stand this guy after watching him in this Olympics. I have seen him skate in speed skating at events on TV before, but fortunately I had not gotten to see his true personality until here. What a bitter person when he loses, what a poor sport, what a rude and impolite competitor!

His feud with Shani Davis is so pety and small on his part, grow up Chad, you are a 28-year old man appearing on National TV all around the World. His sore loser comments after finishing 3rd in the 1500 won by the Italian were funny,
*sniffs* "That time was there to be beat, it wasnt really that difficult. Either Shani or I should have had an easy time beating it, but I had a really off day. Had that race been re-run 10 times I think everybody knows Shani and I would have come ahead 9 or 9.5 times out of 10, but it just didnt happen today. It is still good to win bronze on a really off day."

He is just bitter that the very overhyped and unrealistic discussion of a possable 5 golds has gone so far up in smoke, and Fabris now with 2 gold and 1 bronze is likely to overshadow him these Olympics. Boohoo! The Dutch could have said after the 5000 Chad was lucky to skate after them, and then come up with an exagerrated number, that they would have beaten him 9 or 9.5 times out of 10. This guy has the same distorted perception of his own abilities the media that hyped that laughable 5 gold medal chase did. Anni Fresinger of Germany in the womens had a much better shot at 5 golds before Turin than he did, it was never likely but more likely than him. He never had a realistic chance of 5 golds, he is a great skater, but not even close to that extraordinary. He was about equal favorite with 1 or 2 others in the 5000 and 10000, a distant 2nd favorite behind Shani Davis and equal with Fabris going into the 1500, a total no-hoper in the 1000, and a long shot in the team pursuit. 5 golds, ROTFL! I laughed just thinking about that in the lead up.

I totally agree...I was wondering what everyone's impression is. I saw the interview on NBC this morning and it appears to be damage control on Chad's image...I think he has blown it.

jjtkwskate said:

I totally agree...I was wondering what everyone's impression is. I saw the interview on NBC this morning and it appears to be damage control on Chad's image...I think he has blown it.

Click to expand...

I think a large part of it is this overhype on 5 golds has made him feel anything slightly less is a failure, and obviously much less than that, which he is now ensured of is a disaester. That is probably part of the reason he control of his emotions when referring to Davis skipping the team pursuit, and why he has become increasingly bitter as the Olympics has gone on.

Chad the *** is his name at my house... I couldn't believe his comments about Shani & the Team Pursuit and the refusal to shake hands after the 1500... totally against all the Games are supposed to stand for... What a jerk. :disapp:

I can understand Chad being disappointed about the pursuit, but grow up! He dragged it out too long and made too much of it. He's definitely trying to damage control. I'll bet he's quite frustrated that Davis is not playing along.

I agree with all of the comments here, and I'm so glad that Shani has been quiet, cool, and collected and not played into the ugliness NBC and Hedrick have created around this overblown situation.

In my opinion I that that Chad Davis should try come down off his pedestal. I get the impression from Davis that he thinks that Shani is beneath him. One opinion from the meda that Davis thinks that he is Paris Hilton on skates. People like Davis makes me sick-snobs.

I agree, Chad is being petty and having a power trip because he's the "team captain" (big whoop!!) he said he thought Shani should have "discussed it" with him about not competing (UM, hello, you are not Shani's keeper!!). I agree with Shani that if the team pursuit had been the day before Chad's main race, Chad wouldn't have competed in it either and it was poor sportsmanship for Chad first to publicly make Shani out to be the bad guy and then to refuse to shake his hand after he [shani] won the gold, and then to say he [chad] was happy for Joey Cheek (the silver medalist) and say nothing about being happy for Shani who won the gold in that race. Time to grow up and, more importantly:yes: , shut up!!

Enero said:

I agree with all of the comments here, and I'm so glad that Shani has been quiet, cool, and collected and not played into the ugliness NBC and Hedrick have created around this overblown situation.

Click to expand...

no he just antagonizes so that Chad will sound even more stupid

both men are too stuck on their rivalry... and like Matt Lauer said this morning the media isn't helping (then he proceeded to ask more questions... good ol NBC lol)

I'm tired of athletes being arrogant jerks. Call me old-fashioned but I cannot stand whiners and complainers after the fact. Either do your best and accept that you did your best but someone else was better, or if you don't do your best, accept your own failing in that. Blaming your teammates, bus schedules, being left off past Olympic teams, etc is just immature and poor sportsmanship. Life's too short for me to waste my time on guys like Chad Hedrick.

Can anyone please give me a brief outline of what this is all about, and what started all this? [Due to various reasons, I haven't watched any of the Oly coverage until the night of the Dance final, so I missed what set all this off] Because in some circles I'm reading that DAVIS, in fact, is the jerk, and not Hedrick, so I'm a little confused as to who said what when, etc, etc...

JonnyCoop said:

Can anyone please give me a brief outline of what this is all about, and what started all this? [Due to various reasons, I haven't watched any of the Oly coverage until the night of the Dance final, so I missed what set all this off] Because in some circles I'm reading that DAVIS, in fact, is the jerk, and not Hedrick, so I'm a little confused as to who said what when, etc, etc...

Click to expand...

both are jerks

apparently Davis was originally planning on skating the team event, and then dropped out... and didn't talk with Hedricks or any of the other members of that team... and it pissed Hedricks off. David had an individual event the day after the team event and that was his reason... but Hedricks didn't let it go and didn't congratulate Davis right away for his gold medal and Davis went and airred the dirty laundry, painted Hedricks as the @$$ and himself as a poor little guy who doesn't deserve the crap

both need a good kick in the pants, this is getting annoying

I've been waiting for this thread and am I ready! First of all, I am SICK, SICK, SICK, of all the childish non-nonsense that's been going on throughout these games. The opening ceremonies were all PEACE PEACE PEACE! Baloney! We have the infants in speedskating that are hell-bent on one-upping each other as to who can be the biggest a$$h@le, the Italian ice dancer glaring holes into her partner, and even Kimmie Miesner-who the camera caught last night after Sasha's skate looking like she just got DQd.

Personally, I don't know what's going on with Chad and Shani, and I don't care. I don't care who started it, but it's about time they finished it and stopped all this tit-for-tat!

If this is what it's all about, then stop holding the Olympics. I am dead serious. I don't mean to offend anyone, honestly, but I have had just about enough of the hipocracy of all this peace business when there is so much animosity within teams.

the athletes don't get to choose the theme of the olympics lol


as for Kimmie... I'd be bummed too if I didn't stay in top 3 or 4 lol

Shani Davis decided not to compete in the team event in speed skating because it was the day before his main event (whatever race that is his specialty and he was the favorite to win) the team event requires going several rounds to make it to semi-finals, finals etc. so it takes a lot of energy. Shani decided not to compete in that event and Chad started calling him out in the press saying he wasn't a team player blah blah blah. So pretty much, Chad started the war of words in the media and the media started to make Shani out to be this selfish guy who wouldn't help his team win the gold.

Chad, at one press conference, when asked again about Shani, said "I'm the one with the gold medal here so why are we talking about Shani?"
meanwhile, he was the one who started talking about Shani to the press in the first place.

So the team event comes and goes and the US doesn't win (Italy won and probably would've won regardless).

So the next day after the team event, Shani skates his specialty and wins the gold -- Joey Cheek won the silver. Chad refused to congratulate Shani (who several days earlier congratulated Chad on his gold medal win). The press asked Chad if he was happy for Shani and he said "I'm happy for Joey Cheek".

Couple days later, they both seem to have made amends and skate another race, Shani is 2nds, Chad 3rd - at press conference things going well until someone brings it up again and Shani says "It would have been nice if my teammate had shook my hand or congratulated me when I won my race"

Then Chad said that he was disappointed because he felt let down by Shani because he [Chad] was the team captain and he thought b/c of that Shani should have come to him to discuss it before he decided not to do the race.

Yada yada yada...

Oh and it should be noted that Chad's specialties came several days before the team event...

Once again, I really don't care, nor am I interested in who said/did what to who. The first bit I saw regarding Chani was how downright rude he was to a reporter. Now, I know how sometimes the press has a way of fanning the flames, but that is no excuse to be rude. Let the other guy be the jerk and eventually he'll be the proven jerk. You don't keep it going back and forth on this scale.

As for Kimmie, she could've at least smiled and applauded her teammate. She has to know she probably isn't going to pull a Sarah Hughes no matter how many triple-triples she lands. I like Kimmie, but for pete's sake, lighten up.

I've been watching the Olympics for many years, and the underlining theme is, was, and hopefully always will be, a time for fellow athletes to come together in peace, for friendly sportsmanship. That isn't just this year's theme.

BTW, can anyone go way back in their time machines and recall a runner by the name of John Carlos? I think he and another teammate who's name I can't recall we're stripped of their medals for their "Black Power" salute during the medal ceremony. I don't think anyone should be stripped of a medal, but I think everyone should stop and think about just where they are, and why they're there. I don't think it's to engage in this kind of un-sportsmanlike conduct.

JillLaQ said:

Once again, I really don't care, nor am I interested in who said/did what to who. The first bit I saw regarding Chani was how downright rude he was to a reporter.

As for Kimmie, she could've at least smiled and applauded her teammate. She has to know she probably isn't going to pull a Sarah Hughes no matter how many triple-triples she lands. I like Kimmie, but for pete's sake, lighten up.

Click to expand...

yes, Shani was very standoffish to the press after he won his race, but this was after a week of the press going on and on about how selfish he was.... can't really blame Shani if you ask me, for being annoyed with the media... and he was kinder and gentler the next time around.

as for Kimmie, the camera didn't shoot right to Kimmie after each skater finished skating to see if she was clapping or not - they kept going back to her after the final placement came up - but what is she supposed to do - sit there clapping non-stop just in case the camera happens to be on her? She just looked like a regular observer, I dont know why people are making an issue out of this.
She was sitting in the stands, probably with her coach or family talking.

Toni, thanks for the info. Geez, whatever, dudes. They both need to just shut up. Of course since the media is having a field day with all this, and neither one of them seem to be the type to let any opportunity to "snip out" pass them by, we've probably got a few more days left of this yet.

I was a bit mystified by Kimmie's expression last night myself (I'd forgotten all about it actually till I saw it mentioned). I was just thinking, What on earth is HER problem? She looked a bit peeved, and over what, I couldn't imagine, and she didn't strike me as the type to cop an attitude. But then again, I am one of those people who, if you look at me, you may frequently get the impression that I'm POed when I'm actually not, so sometimes you can just caught with the wrong facial expression, which I'm assuming is the deal with Kimmie.

You got it, Jonny, why can't they both just give it up. And Kimmie always seems so cheerful, she looked just a bit po'd to me, too. And as I remember, the audience was still applauding Sasha while the camera was on Kimmie.

For the record, I couldn't be happier for all our ladies being in the top 10. I would love it if any one of our kids won any color medal. I am not bashing Kimmie, but all the negativity should stop.

Did anyone see when Kimmie was interviewed after her short program. The interviewer asked her what she thought about all the media attention that some skaters were getting. She made the comment something to the effect, probablly it's her turn for the media to focus the attention on her. Huh, she's been on The Today Show two and three times a day with Katie and every other program on T.V. that has a camera going. It seems that she most of the time with Billy Bush (ACCESS HOLLYWOOD). What more do she want.