- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
I have never heard of a skating federation putting on a show to raise money. :scratch: To the best of my knowledge, the USFSA does not do this.
Ando pulls out of ice show with knee injury
- Thread starter SailorGalaxia518
- Start date
DOI is "special" in this sense. I'm pretty sure this show is finished for good.
Ando and Nakano miss the training camp in Italy.
Takahashi, Suguri and Asada sisters are confirmed to attend.
The JSF figure skating section chief Ito is frustrated by Ando's attitude.
He asked Ando to do MRI test again. Obviously Ito suspects the authenticity of Ando's "injury" report.
IIRC, the cheesefests were as much part of the USFS/ABC contract as were SA or Nats. What will happen to their budget without the cheesefests is anyone's guess.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
This must have been very hard for Miki, and might have contributed to her skating woes that season.
Many people accused the Japanese Federation of deliberately manipulating both the Olympic selection formula and the results of Japanese nationals to make sure that Miki got to go to Torino instead of Nakano. It was widely rumored that the reason the JSF favored Miki is because her commercial sponsors had invested a lot of money in her, so they put pressure on the federation to make sure they got their money's worth.
The whole situation must have been very uncomfortable for her.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I won't be surprised if NBC picks up the cheesefests as well. There has not been any announcement one way of the other about this yet. But I think if the major sponsors are willing to foot the biggest part of the bill, something can be worked out.
Last edited:
The events you guys call "cheesefests" were part of the ABC contract in that there were to be three per year (I believe). When the competition idea got old, they begun getting really creative, including having that "skating idol" thing. The NBC contract, in contrast, gives the two parties the OPTION to create them if necessary (a conclusion I drew from reading the USFS announcement of the deal). So we may or may not see these events. If they haven't been announced by now, I doubt we'll get any (at least in October). Maybe in December or in April, though. I personally hope there is at least one "showcase" type event...but maybe that's what some of the Disson Shows will now become. (I notice some "eligible" names in the lineups for some of these events now.)
Only if she really did hurt herself.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
I don't think the competition thing got old. Rather, in the 2006 Winter Marshalls, Michelle Kwan was unable to compete. So if they wanted Michelle, they had to come up with something different. (And the same thing with Sasha in 2007.)
Whether rightly or wrongly, the TV folks promoted these events as basically Michelle on Ice. I think Michelle well understood her responsibility to the sport. She was the face of figure skating in the U.S.; she was the performer that people paid their money to see; she guaranteed a payday for everyone else.
I think the October one will go forward, with a team format similar to last year's. The dates are still reserved on the ISU calendar. I am optimistic about the "option" language" in the USFS announcements -- I think it means they are working on the details.
Formal announcements are not usually made until all the contracts have been signed. I won't start worrying until the middle of September or so.
Last edited:
Actually I don't blame Ando for "feigning injury".
DOI was virtually a volunteer show for Japanese skaters. When two world medalists have refused to participate (for whatever reasons), "Team Japan gala" should go extinct or change its way. I expect IMG will take the job anyway.
Cheif Hidehito Ito is a very problematic person. He doesn't have any competitive career in skating. However, Ito has been given the post as a successor of Shirota in the aftermath of JSF embezzlement scandals, presumably by some politics/nepotism considerations. Because of this, he lacks popularity and prestige to attract skaters' respects.
After Asadas and Ando skipped DOI, he must have faced criticism from the JSF leadership and Fuji TV. Therefore he would want to pass the buck to someone.
DOI was virtually a volunteer show for Japanese skaters. When two world medalists have refused to participate (for whatever reasons), "Team Japan gala" should go extinct or change its way. I expect IMG will take the job anyway.
Cheif Hidehito Ito is a very problematic person. He doesn't have any competitive career in skating. However, Ito has been given the post as a successor of Shirota in the aftermath of JSF embezzlement scandals, presumably by some politics/nepotism considerations. Because of this, he lacks popularity and prestige to attract skaters' respects.
After Asadas and Ando skipped DOI, he must have faced criticism from the JSF leadership and Fuji TV. Therefore he would want to pass the buck to someone.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
OK, I'll rephrase. Someone put up a big billboard of Michelle on I-75 on the way to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the Detroit December Marshallses. 
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
and why not? Who would be a better salesperson?
Joe
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
I can understand Mao's and Miki's position. But really, faking an injury? Somehow, that just doesn't seem right. ( If that is what they did. )
That was likely to get locals to attend the event. As for anywhere outside Detroit, not so much as a peep. ESPN *NEVER* advertises skating outside of skating itself, not on ESPN nor ABC.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
Just curious, if she were tactical what would she have done instead in the recent situation she was in?
Where does this come from? Is there any source or at least a hint of it in someone's comment, or is that merely a speculation among "many fans" in japan?
Never watched the show so I don't know exactly what the whole...fluff (I suppose) was like, but isn't it inappropriate to air a recent clip of a skater jumping a triple-triple combo in practice when the TV viewers are informed that she was out of DOI due to injury? (though I don't know if they were informed/aware of which happened first.) ...well, we don't even know if the japanese TV crew were able to film Mao doing big jumps in Oberstdorf.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
So why is he a very problematic person? It may be just me but I don't really get the reason.
I tried to find his pic on the web to see if I remember I've spotted him in any figureskating vids so I googled his name along with "figureskating" and hit this page at the top:
http://www.skatingjapan.jp/National/2002-2003/Figure/AllJapan/E/data0205.htm
Is judge #7 the person in question?
Ito's job is a team manager. If he doesnt have any REAL experience in the sport, and has been appointed through a dubious way, players hardly respect him. Ando and Asada have already made precedences for this. All he can do is just to blame Ando, since his position is in apparent jeopardy.
