Øystein Pettersen in «The Master of the Masters» – Responds to the «Masters’» exercise:

Øystein “Pølsa” Pettersen garnered massive applause and many a salute when he broke the current record in 90 degrees, in the first episode of “Mesternes Mester” this year. But not everyone has been equally uncritical of Pettersen’s victory.

Tuesday could Gudbrandsdølen Dagning (GD) report that on Facebook there were several who reacted to what they thought was the wrong execution of the exercise 90 degrees in “Mesternes Mester” on NRK.

Skating enthusiast Ivar Hansen was one of those who reacted in the Facebook group «Forum for skating history», and he has the following to say to Dagbladet about Øystein «Pølsa» Pettersen’s technique below the 90-degree record:

– It was not exactly 90 degrees, no. He was quite sly, just leaned his head back, then he got much less strain on his legs. It is smart, says Hansen to Dagbladet.

Hansen is clear, however, that he does not think Pettersen has done anything wrong in connection with the competition itself:

– It’s just play, isn ‘t it? As long as the judges say it’s okay, it must be okay, Hansen says.

Lots of movement

Another who has also been a bit stunned by the exercise is coach and entrepreneur Yngvar Andersen, but for his part it was not the angle that was striking:

– I saw it, and noticed that there was quite a lot of movement, and I thought: Are there only people like me who think this is a bit funny ?, Andersen says to Dagbladet.

Andersen does not want to detract from what he believes is an impressive achievement from Pettersen, but it is striking how this year’s participants seem to have dropped out in 90 degrees, compared to previous seasons:

– There was obviously a quantum leap with Koss. He probably did something smart, not cheating, but something that was communicated further, says Andersen – and refers to the record of 40 minutes and 4 seconds, which Johann Olav Koss set last season of “The Master of the Masters”.

Øystein Pettersen confirms to Gudbrandsdølen Dagning that he received advice in advance, precisely from Johann Olav Koss:

– He said that the most important thing is good blood flow. No one manages to sit statically like this for 40 or 60 minutes, Pettersen stated to GD, before he further describes that the technique he used was to move the weight from leg to leg.

Won the TV War

According to Gøran Paulsen, professor of Sports Physiology at the Norwegian Sports Academy, this is a strategy that probably can not benefit anyone:

– You have to be very well trained to make that technique work, Paulsen says to Dagbladet.

This has never happened before

– Completely contrary to my morals

The main character himself, Pettersen, tells Dagbladet that he is not particularly affected by the talk about his technique:

– If there is something here I think is boring, it is if people get the impression that I have gone in to cheat. It is completely contrary to my morals, says Pettersen to Dagbladet.

He further says that each participant is measured in to their places during the competition.

– Whether I sit at 90 degrees or not, I do not see. But there are not many ways to adjust it then, says Pettersen.

NRK had a judge from the Olympic Summit who ensured that there would be no cheating in the competition.

Get support from an expert

Dagbladet has been in contact with Professor of Sports Physiology at the Norwegian Sports Academy, Gøran Paulsen, and talked to him about what constitutes a perfect 90-degrees:

– In a 90-degree angle, it should be 90-degree angle at the knee, and 90-degree angle at the hip. I do not know how they regulate it in the competition, but if you can adjust both the stick over the head and the one in front of the legs, then it should be fine.

Paulsen himself saw the feature when it went, but says himself that he did not react that something was wrong. That for some it looked as if Pettersen did not keep a perfect 90 degrees, there may be various reasons why he thinks:

– It is a little different how people are screwed together. The length of the femur and back will vary from person to person, and people have individual differences in how the muscles look.

That is why he is called «The sausage»

Thrifty criteria

When asked by Dagbladet about the criteria that are actually included in “Mesternes Mester”‘s version of the exercise 90-degrees, the producer, Martine Holbye in Nordisk Film TV, says that all participants compete on equal terms:

– The goal of all the competitions in “Master of the Masters” is that they should be fair and that the participants should be able to compete under equal conditions, says Holbye.

She can also tell about the routines behind the execution of the exercise:

– Each participant is measured before the start of the competition, and it is checked for 90 degrees in the ankle, knee and hip joints. The head should be in contact with the block above, and the back pressed against the board.

Holbye also describes, like Gøran Paulsen, how there can be several factors in games that can make the 90-degrees look less straightforward:

– When you watch the competitions on TV, camera angle, light and editing can in some cases affect how the competitions are perceived. The same applies to variations in the participants’ physiology, which do not always appear as well on the screen. That many viewers have perceptions of what is happening, we take positively as part of the great commitment around “Masters of the Masters”.

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