# Winter Olympics and Bells

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 27, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653 "2010-02-27T16:42:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653/1 "2010-02-27T16:42:52Z")

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How/when/why did bells become the accepted method for expressing approval and/or motivating the athletes?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653/2 "2010-02-27T16:46:55Z")

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I don’t know when, but cowbells make a louder sound than mittens.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653/3 "2010-02-27T17:37:32Z")

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I think people are just answering Christopher Walken’s demands for “MORE COWBELL!” 😃

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653/4 "2010-02-27T19:46:17Z")

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Cowbells have been a staple at downhill races for as long as I can remember.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-olympics-and-bells/530653/5 "2010-02-27T20:08:29Z")

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FWIW, there’s several claims out there like the following:

> [@](#):
>
> Adolph Imboden, a native of Switzerland, said farmers would race on skis during the winter, and their families would use their animals’ bells to cheer them on.
> 
> Elisabeth Halvorson of [Cowbell.com](http://Cowbell.com) confirmed Imboden’s story. The families had bells to grab because the animals were penned up in the winter and weren’t wearing bells. In the spring and summer, all the animals wore bells because they were out grazing the hillsides.

from [404 Page Not Found | VailDaily.com](http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20061201/NEWS/112010070)