That Incessant BLADE SCRAPING

Ladskater said:

It was very annoying and distracting. When I figure skated - about a hundred years ago - the goal of every skater was not to make that sound with their blade. Of course that is when figures were taught and we were taught proper technique.

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Well back then, technique was supposed to come first and then you learned the tricks, now the tricks come first and technique be damned as long as you can keep on your feet and/or get the rotations in.

Without figures, a lot of the technical requirements need to be re-thought.
Is it fair to evaluate the control of edges by skaters trained by MITF by the same criteria used for figures?

I think it's clear by now that MITF aren't sufficient for teaching classic lutz and/or flip techniques and maybe those jumps should be re-defined according to entrance rather than edges since that's apparently how skaters are learning them: A lutz is a jump performed by picking with the landing foot while skating backwards, a flip is a jump made by picking with the landing foot after turning on the non-landing foot (or a lutz is a flip without the turn?)

I felt that it was so bad, I just could not understand what was going on, at first, I thought that it was the first skater that we saw on tv that had poor edges, but then again, it was there all the time, hawfull

I thought a little of it was cool, but for EVERY SINGLE SKATER made it tiresome.

I found the noise very distracting, but I think it'll be fine if they can manage it. As someone else mentioned, the noise does speak to technique. During the 02 Oly's someone commented that B&S were very scratchy that night compared to S&P.

G&G were reportedly very quiet skaters, as well.

over the top

The idea is wonderful, actually - letting the viewers hear the blades. It was just taken over the top. Perhaps 6 mikes instead of 8 would be the magic formula.

You guys want to hear the blades, right? Just not have them over powering, right?

Also re complaints, well, I wouldn't. I'd send in tons of feedback that says, simply, "More figure skating". They are already televising too little. If they get the feeling that figure skating fans are a bunch of complainers who can't be pleased, they'll televise less. Figure skating with too much blade noise is far preferable to too little figure skating or none at all.

Linny