Anyone thinking about leaving FS fandom?

[WeakAnkles]

re: Anyone think about leaving fs fandom?

Not me. I've been pretty much forced to watch an American soap opera for the last year, and it can't hold a candle to the sheer entertainment value of figure skating, even at its most ridiculous. And there are too many moments of The Sublime to even think about not being a fan until I die.

 

[alexocfp]

A little banter back and forth is good. Keeps things interesting. As long as you can take it after you dish it out.

And not many will say it publicly, but it’s good to be passionate and have major disagreements (and even use some strong language now and again) as it makes for better reading when the responses are passionate. Obviously I’m guilty of this because I use loaded words all the time. I don’t want to bore myself after all. Haha

I am a jaded sports fan. I want to see a good product and don’t care if the athletes are “nice” or get along with their teammates off the pitch/ice/court/etc.

Would be boring to read 1000 posts all in agreement. It’s all in good fun.

But, wishing someone dies, gets cancer, gets injured, or gets raped is ridiculous.

Unfortunately there are those low life degenerates that think that that is good banter. It’s not, but if you are a degenerate low life, your vocabulary and creativity is limited to begin with.

 

[zanadude]

I don't know anybody that's ever said "I'm going to stop doing {insert hobby here}". What actually happens is a gradual loss of interest in one thing and gradual increase in interest in other things, that eventually gets to the point where you don't even realize that you've stopped doing that other thing..

 

[viennaskater]

I am a lurker but thought to respond to this thoughtful thread.

I'm in my 60s, and have become accustomed to watching skaters through their career. This run of Russian woman is different for me, because I am concerned that they are retiring to young and gone too soon. This should be a warning signal, and it is this aspect of the sport that frustrates me the most. I think adults continually yet young talent down, and this is another example of it. The ISU might have enjoyed the female quads, but it turned a blind eye to the system that brought them there, which is the same system that is destroying them.

Thank you for telling it like it is. I get slammed for not liking the fact that they are trained to focus on quad jumps, which takes its toll on most young physiques. And all that focus takes some heart and soul away from the performance, the artistry is often missing - for me, anyway.

 

[RobinA]

I don’t usually post new threads, but I have been a huge figure skating fan for almost 50 years. It used to be fun. And I even enjoyed a bit of drama and intrigue, always about the feds and coaches and media, never about the skaters. But now it’s become too much, especially with social media. The fan wars, the cruelty toward skaters for disappointing fans—it just seems all so entitled to me. I couldn’t believe some of the things I read about Karen and Zhou yesterday. Even USA Today “journalist” Christine Brennan, who should know better, piled on. Someone who first reported evidence of allegations of abuse. And now a new skating Cold War seems to be re-emerging. I think this team event has been a horrible influence on the sport. It used to be about admiring skaters from all over the world, not just your own country. (I hated the USA! USA! chant for the stupid hockey game when I was a teen. It seems everyone just needs to grow up and get a grip. It’s no fun either when the results are a foregone conclusion. Nothing is fun about this anymore.

Very often, unfortunately. I've been an avid fan since 1968. I started going to Nationals and even Worlds in 1995. Absolutely loved attending. That was back before they started measuring and rooting through bags to make sure you weren't bringing food or drink in. Believe it or not, my first event, 1995 Nationals in Providence, RI, the all-event ticket, for great seats, cost something like $585. I had soooo much fun at that event. Then they started not letting you bring outside food, which really messed it up, ticket prices doubled, and your bag had to be a certain size. I could kind of live with that, but then came COP which effected even watching on TV, and along with that the emphasis on jumps a lot of people can't do and the cookie cutter programs. Pairs used to be my favorite discipline, but that's become ugly lifts and side-by-side splatted triples. My interest is having a really hard time keeping its energy. Now it appears I can't watch Olympic skating because it's on at midnight. I haven't completely given up, but sometimes I think I watch more out of habit. Every time I start getting interested again, they manage to make it even more difficult to be a fan. It is absolutely not fun anymore. I started getting excited during the team comp this year, but now the individual isn't on when I can watch, so...

 

[dorispulaski]

Do what I do-record it!

Or view on nbcolympics.com, which has full event replays.

Figure Skating Full Replays

Watch Figure Skating full replay video from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

www.nbcolympics.com

 

[arewhyaen]

I will say the relentlessness of some Hanyu fans commenting that Nathan is homophobic under all his youtube videos and tweets on his win have been really annoying. Luckily, no one is really engaging with their troll behavior, but it's super annoying to deal with regardless.

 

[Supernova]

I have noticed that figure skating fans are probably the most toxic. I dont know what it is that makes figure skating fans so hateful but it doesnt stop me from following my favourite athletes. Negative people always need someone to hate. And usually they hate the most successfull. The hate that some athletes experience can be seen as some form of a compliment.

 

[badknees]

I've been a fan for 40 years. What might make me walk away is the emphasis on tech over pcs. The judging is the problem.
Jackie Wong put it so well on yesterday's episode of "Olympic Ice" (which is a fabulous show by the way). It's on Peacock.

I certainly can't explain it with the same expertise as Jackie, but I think when they took away the school figures is when the concentration on jumps started.
What happened to the "figure" in figure skating?
When did the judging change to awarding high pcs just because of high tech.
Why is the score ceiling limit for tech so much higher than the score ceiling limit for pcs?

Thank god for Jason Brown trying to keep what I consider real figure skating alive.
While I think Nathan's gold was well deserved, he is a prime example of super points for tech giving high pcs. Nathans pcs (imho) should not be near Jasons. I just don't get how the judges can see the same pcs, especially when it comes to flow, glide out of jumps, smoothness, transitions and complicated choreography in Jason and Nathan. To me, there is a world of difference.

It's so disheartening for me to see the quad become the main deal. It's "jump skating" not figure skating anymore.
And again, I just don't understand how the judging doesn't see this.

I had pretty much decided not to bother with the ladies event this olympics because the quad has just ruined the field in my opinion.
How horrible it is to so many of the ladies skaters to realize there is no road to the medals because of the quads. You could say they just didn't keep up with the sport which is moving forward .....?? But maybe the sport is moving forward too fast to the point it's become unfair.

The recent doping allegations have brought forward another troubling factor with ladies figure skating. Weight control and delay of puberty.
Perhaps they really do need to up the age limit in an attempt to keep this from happening.

Here is a link to Jackie Wong on "Olympic Ice. He starts at about 10 min. into it.

Unavailable In Your Region

www.peacocktv.com

 

[lariko]

I've been a fan for 40 years. What might make me walk away is the emphasis on tech over pcs. The judging is the problem.
Jackie Wong put it so well on yesterday's episode of "Olympic Ice" (which is a fabulous show by the way). It's on Peacock.

I certainly can't explain it with the same expertise as Jackie, but I think when they took away the school figures is when the concentration on jumps started.
What happened to the "figure" in figure skating?
When did the judging change to awarding high pcs just because of high tech.
Why is the score ceiling limit for tech so much higher than the score ceiling limit for pcs?

Thank god for Jason Brown trying to keep what I consider real figure skating alive.
While I think Nathan's gold was well deserved, he is a prime example of super points for tech giving high pcs. Nathans pcs (imho) should not be near Jasons. I just don't get how the judges can see the same pcs, especially when it comes to flow, glide out of jumps, smoothness, transitions and complicated choreography in Jason and Nathan. To me, there is a world of difference.

It's so disheartening for me to see the quad become the main deal. It's "jump skating" not figure skating anymore.
And again, I just don't understand how the judging doesn't see this.

I had pretty much decided not to bother with the ladies event this olympics because the quad has just ruined the field in my opinion.
How horrible it is to so many of the ladies skaters to realize there is no road to the medals because of the quads. You could say they just didn't keep up with the sport which is moving forward .....?? But maybe the sport is moving forward too fast to the point it's become unfair.

The recent doping allegations have brought forward another troubling factor with ladies figure skating. Weight control and delay of puberty.
Perhaps they really do need to up the age limit in an attempt to keep this from happening.

Here is a link to Jackie Wong on "Olympic Ice. He starts at about 10 min. into it.

Unavailable In Your Region

www.peacocktv.com

Because to remain an Olympic score, the judging has to be unbiased and defensible, which cannot be done if the PE/IN is given more weight. The SS, TR and CO are parts of PCS that address skills other than elements. The rest of the score, TES, includes cleanliness, correctness and aesthetic value of jumps, spirals, chore and step sequences. TES is not about jumps only, by far. In the Olympic skates today, you saw plenty of skaters with lower tech elements who scored higher than skaters who had more complicated jumps. Cha and Brown without executed quads scored very high. And the top 4 skaters had both high scores, deservedly so. They are standouts.

If you cannot see why Chen’s PCSs are close or exceed Brown’s, you might want to read the qualitative and quantitative point system that explains each element. Chen doesn’t lack PCSs, just because you don’t like his music or artistic expression.

You don’t want to watch women’s skating because three or two women will attempt quads? Your loss, imo.

 

[Ross74]

I've been a fan for 40 years. What might make me walk away is the emphasis on tech over pcs. The judging is the problem.
Jackie Wong put it so well on yesterday's episode of "Olympic Ice" (which is a fabulous show by the way). It's on Peacock.

I certainly can't explain it with the same expertise as Jackie, but I think when they took away the school figures is when the concentration on jumps started.
What happened to the "figure" in figure skating?
When did the judging change to awarding high pcs just because of high tech.
Why is the score ceiling limit for tech so much higher than the score ceiling limit for pcs?

Thank god for Jason Brown trying to keep what I consider real figure skating alive.
While I think Nathan's gold was well deserved, he is a prime example of super points for tech giving high pcs. Nathans pcs (imho) should not be near Jasons. I just don't get how the judges can see the same pcs, especially when it comes to flow, glide out of jumps, smoothness, transitions and complicated choreography in Jason and Nathan. To me, there is a world of difference.

It's so disheartening for me to see the quad become the main deal. It's "jump skating" not figure skating anymore.
And again, I just don't understand how the judging doesn't see this.

I had pretty much decided not to bother with the ladies event this olympics because the quad has just ruined the field in my opinion.
How horrible it is to so many of the ladies skaters to realize there is no road to the medals because of the quads. You could say they just didn't keep up with the sport which is moving forward .....?? But maybe the sport is moving forward too fast to the point it's become unfair.

The recent doping allegations have brought forward another troubling factor with ladies figure skating. Weight control and delay of puberty.
Perhaps they really do need to up the age limit in an attempt to keep this from happening.

Here is a link to Jackie Wong on "Olympic Ice. He starts at about 10 min. into it.

Unavailable In Your Region

www.peacocktv.com

badknees, you said exactly what is in my head, about both the men and the women. I've been feeling this way about the men for a while and rarely watch their comps anymore. The feeling about the women is more recent and with this week's disclosure concerning the Russian skater, I may not be watching the women next week either. I don't feel joy in watching anymore. I mainly feel stress. Unfortunately, I don't see a solution for the tech/pcs problem, and that's sad.

 

[litenkyckling]

Having had social media profiles since my early-mid teens, I don’t find myself too bothered by it. Obviously I don’t agree with people being nasty and threatening towards other people but those people will sadly always exist in every space - I mean we just need to look at how men in powerful positions (from a UK perspective, examples would be the stories about politicians and police officers in the last couple of years) openly talk about and treat women to see that.

I guess I enjoy discussion and debate and I can’t do that about fs with anyone irl. Especially during the last couple of years where it’s been helpful to debate issues that, in the grand scheme of things, aren’t super important. I think it’s also important to remember that the likes of Twitter - you choose who you follow and interact with. It’s curated - you can block and mute people and make yourself private. While not perfect, these are options to make your social media “fandom” experience what you want it to be.

I think people often think that social media is the cause but I actually think it just amplifies what was always there. I guess it’s such a huge part of my psyche that I don’t think it’s good or bad, I’m neutral towards it and accept that it’s part of life and it’s mine to use how I want.

A final point is that fans on Twitter often get a bad name - but I’ve seen equally bad stuff all over the internet, including on forums. I’ve also seen some really insightful discussion there too. And I think people are just trying to have fun. (I don’t use skating Twitter if you will but I do follow some news accounts on my personal page). It’s a dying sport - and having younger people getting involved can only be a good thing. Some great figure skating podcasts have also come out of Twitter too so it works as a great springboard to grow the reach.

 

[TT_Fin]

I have breaks but I still watch. I am very selective in social media - not just FS but overall - and try to be careful what I write, sometimes I should think even more and not press post reply-button. I have opinions in many things, but I have decided to keep them to be known only by me. And I have no reason why somebody else cannot thinks just the opposite way than I do. I have decided not to take part to conversations who was overscored or underscored or too fairly scored, because I am not the expert. I just enjoy. Every sport, especially based on scoring when you have no clock or measuring tape, has cause contradictions and some people argue about everything and I think there is no way to stop it. These kind of sports are my favourites to watch. Overall in social media and forums all over the world are trolls and stirrers. I am old enough to recognize them and just skip their posts.

There are things I don't understand in judging, but I have stopped to pay attention to scores. I just watch the placement and skater's reaction to it and turn to enjoy the next skater's performance. I don't remember when I started to watch FS, but as child anyway, because my parents liked to watch it. It was 45-50 years ago. There was years I did not follow it so intensively because of things happening in life and there still maybe come some, but for now, I will be watching. And watch FS live, it is a feeling I cannot describe. I may have breaks but I'll see.

 

[Wafflecakes]

I slide in an out (well shown by my long tenure here and low post count).

I usually take a break after the Olympics and I have even take entire quads off only casually keeping on top of the most basic news.

Even though I am super excited about Ilia right now I kind of feel that another break is in order. Unless some crazy stuff happens at worlds I will probably at least take a few years off.

Can't really identify the reason. I don't agree with most complaints about scoring as they usually boil down to:
My favorite skater is perfect ---> My favorite skater didn't win ---> Scoring obviously rigged

 

[Arigato]

I have noticed that figure skating fans are probably the most toxic. I dont know what it is that makes figure skating fans so hateful but it doesnt stop me from following my favourite athletes. Negative people always need someone to hate. And usually they hate the most successfull. The hate that some athletes experience can be seen as some form of a compliment.

Honestly, I think what is driving it isn't just skating. I blame the internet. I'm rather extroverted and say exactly what I think, offline. That's not natural for a lot of people. They don't say what's on their mind, they keep it bottled up. Well, think about it. Where can all that energy go if it's not let out? They come online, and let it out. They don't expect to deal with any consequences, so out come the ugliest comments you could imagine reading. Before the OG someone posted, "I hope Yuzu gets injured like Rika and he can't go to the Olympics." Wishing physical harm to a skater? This type of nonsense is similar to Kpop fans posting death threats to late night talk show hosts who make jokes about their favorite boy band.

 

[Mafke]

Too late for me, I was gone years ago (2014 was the final straw)... ugly skating ugly jumps ugly spins ugly judging.... too much ugliness for me....

 

[Supernova]

Too late for me, I was gone years ago (2014 was the final straw)... ugly skating ugly jumps ugly spins ugly judging.... too much ugliness for me....

I think you might be the toxic one

 

[ManyCairns]

Too late for me, I was gone years ago (2014 was the final straw)... ugly skating ugly jumps ugly spins ugly judging.... too much ugliness for me....

The wise and wonderful @dorispulaski talked me down from a crisis of fandom from the 2014 season, but it almost got me!

 

[NaVi]

Figure skating fandom is something I've actually wanted to quit but I find it hard because it's oddly addicting. I started in 2014 because of the Olympics(i.e. Lipnitskaya) and then YouTube recommended that I watch the JGP, and then I came here and the 2014 Japan Open was taking place and I was amazed, and it's been downhill since then. One of the biggest things that attracted me to watching figure skating was I could find everything on YouTube... and that's all gone now. Figure skating fandom I find doesn't actually take up much time but it can be emotionally draining at times. I noticed that quite a few of the top posters(SabinFire,Sam-Skwantch, a few others) from the 2015-2018 quad don't post anymore and moved onto other things.

The figure skating community back then seemed really cozy up to about 2019 or so and now it's very, very intense. Twitter, reddit, and to a lesser extent sports.ru have played a part. Whether you like it or not(and I don't), that kind of emotional investment is needed to get people to show up to events and to get people to subscribe to social media profiles which the skaters can monetize through sponsors.

 

[cathlen]

Sometimes I do. But then I remember it was alywas like that, people were just less aware, because there was not internet, or just less scocial media. So I just tune out of social media and I can go on complaining about judges.