http://www.soniabianchetti.com/writings_openletter.html
Please forgive me if this was already posted. I thought she made a lot of great points.
http://www.soniabianchetti.com/writings_openletter.html
Please forgive me if this was already posted. I thought she made a lot of great points.
Thanks for posting this. It is a must read for anyone who loves the sport.
Looking at Sonia's points, the Grade of Execution factor was certainly under scrutiny in Halifax during the the booing in the Senior Mens short program.
The fact that results seem to be quite predictable and qualifying structures exclude developing and promising young skaters of the early opportunity of being seen and gaining valuable competitve experience indicate that the sport is losing its amatuer status.
I agree with Sonia, why would the TV audience watch boring and uninteresting programs that look like photocopies.
For all of us, if you love figure skating, question where you can, support where you can and continue volunteering and working to make it an inclusive rather than exclusive sport.
Last edited by bems; 02-06-2007 at 01:10 PM.
Too verbose. $peedy will never make it through to the end.
Linny
Originally Posted by Linny
And it's a shame ... she buried her best line near the bottom.
"A triple Axel with two fingers into the skater's nose would definitely be more difficult than the usual triple Axel, but could we consider that an improvement?"
Susan
Two fingers from the same hand, or one from each hand? I think that would make all the difference.
But of course.
And should both digits be placed in a single nostril? Or two in one?
I'm so boring, because I always repeat the same sentence, but IMO COP as it is now is killing originality and blocking the evolution of FS! How could one invent a new move, if it is all already pre-determinated? And the programs are so mechanical. Count the spinning revolution, count the seconds in a spiral, do a jump after the second half of the program. It's all becoming mechanical. Music doesn't dictate the programs anymore! Free programs are not free anymore.
Something has to change, before is too late.
Now THAT'D be a 'Tano Triple that'd get your attention.....
I disagree that there have been no memorable and beautiful programs since the inception of COP. Jeff Buttle's programs are materpieces, Rochette's Firebird, Cohen's R&J from the Olympics was a beautiful program, she just didn't skate her best. Pairs has bored me, but I think that was basically due to the teams competing, not necessarily the programs. I think ice dance has largely improved. Cohen's Malguena. And that's just off the top of my head.
Also, she fails to take into consideration that the programs she's naming pre-COP come from a much longer timeline than the post-COP era. After 50 years under COP, let's see how many great programs one could name.
Further, I don't necessarily think the regression of the quad is a bad thing. Does she not remember pre-COP when all other elements and choreography was basically thrown by the wayside in the quest for the almighty quad or two or three? Men's skating was painfully boring.
I'm not saying that there aren't changes that I'd like to see in COP, namely in rules surrounding spins, which have become repetitive and ugly. Spirals always were somewhat repetitive and some ladies can do them well, some can't.
IMO, choreoghraphy suffers under COP.
Sasha Cohen and Shizuka Arakawa did programs that were already prepared for the 6.0 system. These two skaters grew in the 6.0 system.
We have to judge the effect of COP on new skaters.
This is simply untrue. Had Arakawa and Cohen not specifically choreographed for COP it would have been a losing strategy.
As for judging the effect of COP on new skaters, it's too soon to tell.
Actually, the CoP gives a 1 point bonus for a new or innovative move.
As far as I know, this has never been awarded.
For example, once it was interesting to watch the whole competition. Now, not! To me the programs look pretty much the same. Maybe it's me that I'm weird or strange, but I can't enjoy anymore the programs. There were just four programs of the all ladies field that I really liked last year = 1.Sasha - Dark Eyes, 2.Irina - Totentanz, 3.Shizuka - Turandot, 4.Sasha - R and J. In the men field I liked Mathhew Savoie and Shawn Sawyer. They had originality. Dance, I liked the french Delobel/Shonfelder. That is pretty much all of the last season.
Of the 2002 Olympics I really like at least 10 programs of the ladies field.
Last edited by gio; 02-06-2007 at 05:00 PM.
But why would you do a difficult double walley, if it is just worth one point? Less than a double toe loop.
Last edited by gio; 02-06-2007 at 04:59 PM.
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