Vanessa Mae Aims To Ski For Thailand At The Winter Olympics

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Vanessa Mae aims to ski for Thailand at the Winter Olympics

Vanessa-Mae at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 21 October 2004

File photo, source: Wikipedia

LONDON: -- Violinist Vanessa-Mae has put music on hold for a year and is rehearsing for a new role – skiing for Thailand at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Vanessa-Mae, 34, is in training with the aim of competing in at least five internationally recognised events to qualify for the giant slalom and possibly the slalom at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

"People are surprised when they see me skiing – a classical violinist, Oriental, who has lived in the city all her life," Vanessa-Mae said.

"But it has been my dream to be a ski bum since I was 14. This is something I am determined to do."

The violinist is a British citizen but she also holds a Thai passport. She was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother and a Thai father but she was brought up in England.

Vanessa-Mae, whose full name is Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, would be only the second Thai to compete at a Winter Olympics if she qualified. [more...]

Full story: http://www.telegraph...r-Olympics.html

-- The Telegraph 2013-01-22

[Locationthailand]

She is an exceptional violinist, be great to see her on the slopes.

[Tywais]

She is an incredible artist and love her work. My favorite below for those not familiar with her work. I have a collection of most of her work.

[whybother]

She is an incredible artist and love her work. My favorite below for those not familiar with her work. I have a collection of most of her work.

How can you NOT enjoy watching ... ummm listening ... to that?

[scorecard]

She is an incredible artist and love her work. My favorite below for those not familiar with her work. I have a collection of most of her work.

How can you NOT enjoy watching ... ummm listening ... to that?

Certainly she's a very talented musician, what I particularly admire is her ability to brilliantly meld a classical instrument and it's sounds into many modern music genres.

[jambco984]

Would be tough to get into the British team unless she is genuinely very good. Therefore play to your advantages love.

S'pose Jamaica had a dream, they got themselves a bobsleigh team

why shouldn't Thailand get a new hub of skiing dream on the go.

(oh the negativity from me this morning)

Ill be watching her performance/ lycra suit if she makes it.

Best of luck

[canuckamuck]

I would be very happy if this meant Winter Olympics coverage in Thailand. Somehow I doubt it.

I wish her luck though. I enjoy her music.

[Mobi]

I think she might do much better at the summer Olympics - maybe as a gymnast or the high hurdles... even if she came last

[geriatrickid]

She has to qualify and the international ski circuit is rather difficult.

At her advanced age, and lack of long term training, I think she is in fantasy land. Most of the world's Olympic ski team members are in their early 20's and have been skiing since they were able to walk.

All that she may accomplish is injuring or killing herself and opening Thailand up to ridicule.

Hopefully, someone stops this nonsense before she hurts herself. Let her go ski in Austria and make a mess of the slopes there.

[Thaddeus]

It sends a good message to the younger generation of Thais, not to spend their entire lives on the fiddle.

(coat and hat please)

[lomatopo]

Shades of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards.

At age 34 this lady's got ZERO chance of qualifying, unless they add a new "biathlon-like" category which combines downhill skiing and fiddle playing, not simultaneously of course.

[mrtoad]

I would much rather see her in Beach Volleyball, but this will do. Saw her many years ago in concert in Bristol, was superb.

[whybother]

She has to qualify and the international ski circuit is rather difficult.

At her advanced age, and lack of long term training, I think she is in fantasy land. Most of the world's Olympic ski team members are in their early 20's and have been skiing since they were able to walk.

All that she may accomplish is injuring or killing herself and opening Thailand up to ridicule.

Hopefully, someone stops this nonsense before she hurts herself. Let her go ski in Austria and make a mess of the slopes there.

I agree. People should be stopped from trying just in case they can't make the cut.

[ratcatcher]

She may be 34 but she will be the hottest thing on the slopes. Well, Mae be.

[Buchholz]

Vanessa Mae aims to ski for Thailand at the Winter Olympics

The Telegraph 2013-01-22

Did they walk this news over from Russia to The Telegraph?

Vanessa Mae to represent Thailand at 2014 Winter Olympics

RIA Novosti 2010-07-26

http://en.rian.ru/sports/20100726/159953221.html

.

[thaicbr]

She has to qualify and the international ski circuit is rather difficult.

At her advanced age, and lack of long term training, I think she is in fantasy land. Most of the world's Olympic ski team members are in their early 20's and have been skiing since they were able to walk.

All that she may accomplish is injuring or killing herself and opening Thailand up to ridicule.

Hopefully, someone stops this nonsense before she hurts herself. Let her go ski in Austria and make a mess of the slopes there.

GK. You REALLY are a kill joy. 34 advanced age

Let her try. If she doesn't make it OK. But let her try. People that have a passion can sometimes surprise.

sent from my Q6

[chooka]

I would be very happy if this meant Winter Olympics coverage in Thailand. Somehow I doubt it.

I wish her luck though. I enjoy her music.

2022 when Thailand host the winter Olympics.

I pressume this lady is married to a farang with the name of Nicholson. I wish her best of luck as she is up against some very tough competion.

[whybother]

I pressume this lady is married to a farang with the name of Nicholson. I wish her best of luck as she is up against some very tough competion.

Wiki

Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore to Vorapong Vanakorn, an English hotelier of Thai descent, and Pamela Soei Luang Tan, a Chinese lawyer and semi-professional concert pianist. After her parents separated, her mother married Graham Nicholson, a British attorney who adopted Vanessa-Mae, and the family moved to England when Vanessa-Mae was four years old.

[geriatrickid]

GK. You REALLY are a kill joy. 34 advanced age

Let her try. If she doesn't make it OK. But let her try. People that have a passion can sometimes surprise.

sent from my Q6

Nodar Kumaritashvili. Remember him?

He's dead.

He had lots of passion too. Unfortunately, an inexperienced kid did not belong on the Olympic luge track.

Downhill skiing at the Olympic level requires an experienced well trained athlete. Even the best of them have serious crashes Just ask some of the national ski tembers who have lost team mates over the years. Many downhill events feature multiple racers on one hill. If the publicity queen wants to kill herself, good for her, but she might take out someone else while she's at it. Let her qualify. She can go and do the downhill circuit. At her age she won't be able to handle it. One twisted knee or wrist and she may find her musical career finished too. This is a publicity stunt and while innovative, she should stick to the cheesecake photo ops.

[geriatrickid]

I would be very happy if this meant Winter Olympics coverage in Thailand. Somehow I doubt it.

I wish her luck though. I enjoy her music.

2022 when Thailand host the winter Olympics.

I pressume this lady is married to a farang with the name of Nicholson. I wish her best of luck as she is up against some very tough competion.

With the amount of ice making its way to thailand, anything is possible...............

[asdecas]

She is an incredible artist and love her work. My favorite below for those not familiar with her work. I have a collection of most of her work.

How can you NOT enjoy watching ... ummm listening ... to that?

Quite easily, actually; not my bowl of ก๋๋วยเตี๋ยว at all. No doubt she is a virtuoso but I don't like the prancers and the music belongs in a cathouse.

[Thaifever]

I'd give er one.

[Buchholz]

I pressume this lady is married to a farang with the name of Nicholson.

She's single.

Nicholson is the surname of her remarried mother.

Her boyfriend is French.

.

[Time Traveller]

I guess the reason she is not competing on the British ski team is due to the world class ski facilities, training and coaches that the Thailand winter olympics team has?

[Estrada]

I hope she won't be "fiddling" with her skis.

[maidu]

Best wishes to you Vanessa.

20 months ago, I petitioned Thai athletic heads re; a similar plight.

I had met two American winter sportswomen who were best friends with each other. One was world-class slalom skier and the other a speed skater of more modest credentials. Both about 21, attractive, cute, without an ounce of fat. I had a bit of correspondence with someone high up in Thai athletics, but he couldn't/didn't grasp opportunity by the forelocks. I even wrote a few letters which were published in the Nation and the Post at that time, on that plight. The US girls were willing to compete for Thailand, if offered Thai passports. It's known that many countries do similar legal things when wanting a person from another country to compete on their side.

[Robbie Dye]

Well I could get used to her slopes and we all miss Eddie The Eagle Edwards so may be we have found Vanessa The Dove Mae Fly ?

[whybother]

Best wishes to you Vanessa.

20 months ago, I petitioned Thai athletic heads re; a similar plight.

I had met two American winter sportswomen who were best friends with each other. One was world-class slalom skier and the other a speed skater of more modest credentials. Both about 21, attractive, cute, without an ounce of fat. I had a bit of correspondence with someone high up in Thai athletics, but he couldn't/didn't grasp opportunity by the forelocks. I even wrote a few letters which were published in the Nation and the Post at that time, on that plight. The US girls were willing to compete for Thailand, if offered Thai passports. It's known that many countries do similar legal things when wanting a person from another country to compete on their side.

Were either of them Thai, or have any link to Thailand?

[15Peter20]

Best wishes to you Vanessa.

20 months ago, I petitioned Thai athletic heads re; a similar plight.

I had met two American winter sportswomen who were best friends with each other. One was world-class slalom skier and the other a speed skater of more modest credentials. Both about 21, attractive, cute, without an ounce of fat. I had a bit of correspondence with someone high up in Thai athletics, but he couldn't/didn't grasp opportunity by the forelocks. I even wrote a few letters which were published in the Nation and the Post at that time, on that plight. The US girls were willing to compete for Thailand, if offered Thai passports. It's known that many countries do similar legal things when wanting a person from another country to compete on their side.

Were either of them Thai, or have any link to Thailand?

Sending letters of petition to people in authority is simply not good enough. What was needed were larger envelopes containing money.

[maidu]

Best wishes to you Vanessa.

20 months ago, I petitioned Thai athletic heads re; a similar plight.

I had met two American winter sportswomen who were best friends with each other. One was world-class slalom skier and the other a speed skater of more modest credentials. Both about 21, attractive, cute, without an ounce of fat. I had a bit of correspondence with someone high up in Thai athletics, but he couldn't/didn't grasp opportunity by the forelocks. I even wrote a few letters which were published in the Nation and the Post at that time, on that plight. The US girls were willing to compete for Thailand, if offered Thai passports. It's known that many countries do similar legal things when wanting a person from another country to compete on their side.

Were either of them Thai, or have any link to Thailand?

They were visiting me in Thailand. Other than that, I don't know of added links on their part. I was joking with them about marrying Thai men in order to gain dual citizenship, when we put 1 and 1 together - regarding the girls competing for Thailand. There is a rich history of dozens of men and women, right up to present time, from one nationality competing for another. It's allowed.

It would have been a golden opp for Thais to gain an awareness of the winter Olympics (vast majority don't know anything about it). With Vanessa competing, it serves a similar purpose, though one of 'my' girls had actually beaten several of the top ranked slalom skiers in international competition. When I met her, she was recovering from a bruised shoulder from a fall. Right after the fall, was competition for the US Winter Olympic team, so she had to miss that.

Edited January 22, 2013 by maidu