New World Order – What A Night!

I have just finished watching the Men’s Free Skate from Tokyo. What a night!

The Canadian Men did their very best. As a Canadian I am so proud of their efforts. Unfortunately, their very best was not enough. The benefits of youth, knowing the true pressure of competition and training with Canadian specialists to take their best and integrate it with the European and Eastern psyche have won the day!

This author is on record for saying that the Canadian system protects the top 12 and regularly allows last years best to opt out of competing against all on comers. The cracks are now being to show in the Canadian system.

We can talk about injury, attitude and needing to develop our skaters under the protection of a calculated development strategy but many World skaters are doing more than talking. Lambiel has dealt with injury, Verner has harnessed attitude and Joubert has worked on his presentation with Browning to develop himself into a great skater!

The statistics show the average age of the World’s top four men is 21 and the top Canadians competitors is 25. In the sport of figure skating youth is leading the way.

This year’s top four in the World have always known competition. There are no guaranteed top 12 in their World like at Canadians. Each year is a new year, each year, they must prove themselves. In his interview tonight Joubert said, “I gave everything but I can do better”. He won the gold.

The top four take nothing for granted. They travel the world to get the best training and development. They know to be the best they must see the world and beat the best at their own game.

Our pairs have earned three spots but appeared defeated in their attitude during interviews. The tiny details required to beat the competition and make the podium elude them.

For the moment only our Ice Dancers appear prepared, balanced and aligned with mental preparedness.

Canada has never been able in spite of its large number of women to mount the podium. Joannie is our best chance and we will be cheering for her!

So what are we talking about here? Canada has led the world in the past because after World War Two there were hardly any ice rinks in Europe and Asia. The air crash that took the US team in 1961 took years them to rebuild. Quietly Europeans, Americans and Asians came to Canada to help build and learn about one of our great National Sports. In true Canadian fashion we shared our expertise and everyone grew this marvelous sport.

The World however, has moved on while we still consider ourselves to be the leaders and experts in the sport this is no longer the case.

Skate Canada needs to find a new rhythm that develops youth, creates a true platform for competition instead of protecting existing skaters and draws from the skating knowledge of the populous of this great land.

This new rhythm can be accomplished through focus groups with skaters and coaches to talk about the challenges they face. It can be accomplished by celebrating our achievements in the development of a new judging system and educating the skaters, coaches and public so that the new system is not a black box. This new rhythm is about true competition where public support comes from knowing anyone can reach the podium. Nothing drains public support and advertising dollars like the perception that nothing changes. People move on out and away. They look for new excitement elsewhere.

Our Canadian skating fundamentals remain strong but I am concerned that if we do not engage in a continuing dialogue on continuous improvement that we like Russia are on our way to becoming a lesser player in the sport.

ITA w/just about everything up there. Saying that though, remember that Skate Canada has undergone a complete overhaul w/their executive this year and the people that have been hired...I truly believe this is the best step in the right direction Skate Canada has taken in years!!

So, let's see where we stand next year because this year was kind of a lost cause w/the organization as people were finding their place and getting things settled after such a huge shake up. I have hope though concerning the actual people running SC for the first time in a very, very long time.

Great post and I agree. The new appointees however, are still very strongly tied to the establishment . Let's hope they can move things forward by connecting with the skaters, coaches, volunteers and public supporters. The future success of Canadian Figure Skating is in their hands. Without skaters and public support the coaches and skating establishment will disappear.

Some of what you state is true. However I have to disagree here with this statement:

"Canada has never been able in spite of its large number of women to mount the podium. Joannie is our best chance and we will be cheering for her! "

Our past Ladies who have won titles as World champions and Olympic champions include:

Barbara Anne Scott
Karen Magnussen
Petra Burka (Ellen Burka's daughter. Ellen coached the great Toller Cranston)
Elizabeth Mannley - World Silver Medalist and Silver Olympic Medalist - 1988

It's true our Ladies discipline has been slow in developing over the years since even Karen Magnussen turned pro; however, I do see improvements. Joannie is probably "our best chance" as you stated for getting us back on the podium, but even Joannie seems to be struggling at the moment.

I am very proud of our men as they continue the wonderful tradition of great Canadian male skaters. We have nothing to be ashamed of there. Jeff deserves a medal for making the Worlds after his injury. He worked hard to get there. It's not easy to skate with a back injury. He looked a little tired after his long program. I don't think he was quite ready for this. Anyway, Jeff and Chris Maybe both did a great job. I think Emanuel should probably hang up his competition skates and join an ice show. The results for Emanuel are just fading away.

The pairs discipline is also a great Canadian tradition that is going through some regrowth. We have always been strong in this discipline. I see great promise in Dube and Davison and Langois and Hay also show some promise. So it was not a complete loss. Marcoux and Buntin seemed drained during their long program. They might be rethinking their future as a team.

Of course, our ice dancers are in great shape. I was disappointed for D&L, but the silver is still wonderful. I think after their accident at the Olympics we are lucky they hung in there another season. Virtue and Moir are wonderful and are our future in ice dance.

Over all our Canadian team is developing and I agree that skaters from other countries are taking advantage of our great wealth of figure skating wealth over here by enlisting our coaches and choreographers to aid them in their training process. I am very proud and happy for Brian Orser and his little Korean skater.

Also you said:

"Our Canadian skating fundamentals remain strong but I am concerned that if we do not engage in a continuing dialogue on continuous improvement that we like Russia are on our way to becoming a lesser player in the sport."

There is no danger of that happening here in Canada. As Kurt Browning observed when interviewed: "We (Canadians) love figure skating and figure skating is in our blood."

I think Team Canada is still developing and will just continue to grow. There is always next season!!!!

And don't forget w/our ladies, it wasn't all that terribly long ago that when you looked at a GP line up in Ladies, no Cdn women rep would be sent at all. Kind of hard to get experience in compeitition if they didn't get sent. We're still working through that generation of Ladies skaters, although we're finally at the tail end of it. It will come now that w/both the Jr GP circuti and GP circuit our Ladies are getting that compeition experience.

Great Legacy

I agree we have a great legacy.

However, Kurt Browning never won an Olympic medal and the results of our women with Elizabeth Manley were almost ten years ago.

We have talented great skaters what is missing is making them great competitors. Even Kurt said, nothing can prepare you for Olympics.

I say we need to look at the way the current World Champions are being prepared to compete and be sure we are offering the same support to our Canadians. The Canadian skating establishments owes the skaters and the fans that much.

Personally, I think w-a-a-y too much is made of the Olympics. It is important only because people say that it is. But as time goes by, more and more people seem to be asking where the emperor's clothes are.

Especially in North America, if you ask someone to name a major sporting event and then mention the Winter Olympics, all you get is a snicker. Youth oriented "extreme" sports have already pretty much pushed the traditional winter sports aside.

I think figure skating really does need a "new order."

While Kurt does say he wishes he had an Olympic medal, I don't think he could be any more popular in teh sport than he already is.

Just because the Olympics aren't your thing it doesn't mean your career - or your federation's standings - isn't something to behold... Canada's got some great skaters past, present, and I'm sure future... who gives a flying fart if not every single one of them have an olympic title... I wish more of the oly champs skated as well as Kurt does on a bad day!

Let's Look to the Future

Kurt has been a great ambassador and a great professional.

He has however given very little back to the grass roots level. I will grant he gives back to the elite level as a choreographer.

This blog is not about creating a shrine. It is about moving Canadian skating forward as a competitive sport.

Ticket sales to Stars on Ice speak for themselves. Browning and Orser are no longer the big draws they once were.

Skating in general doesn't draw the sales it once did
Stars On Ice hasn't either since the 'dream cast' began to retire.

US skaters don't do any more or less after they retire from competition than Kurt and the rest have for Canada and the US seems to be doing just fine... so I don't see why Kurt needs to 'give back' to the grass roots. in the late 90s he gave a sort of scholarship (through Skate Canada) to up and coming skaters (much like Mike Weiss does)... does he still do that?

Give Back

If you take from the sport you should give back to the sport.

Just because you don't hear about it and a big fuss isn't being made, doesn't mean Kurt and/or others aren't giving back to the sport. I hate it when I see it mentioned that so and so isn't giving back when in fact they do. They just don't trumpet it from the heavens on down.

About "giving back," I look at it as an even exchange. The big stars get a lot from figure skating, figure skating gets a lot from its big stars.

When Kurt Browing was a little boy he signed up for skating lessons. He got the lessons, his coach got the money. Even steven. Now Browning enjoys a certain amount of fame and fortune, while thousands of little boys (and girls) sign up for skating classes because they want to skate like Kurt.

As for SOI, cast choices are a business decision. It really has nothing to do with the Canadian Skating Federation. SOI thinks people will pay money to come out and see Kurt Browning skate. If they are wrong, they lose at the box office. That's capitalism, LOL.

bems said:

If you take from the sport you should give back to the sport.

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he has and he does... and he will...

Ladskater said:

"Canada has never been able in spite of its large number of women to mount the podium. Joannie is our best chance and we will be cheering for her! "
!!!!

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I'm no Canadian. But Joannie's PCS score bothers me. Compare to the ladies placed ahead of her in LP, hers was way too low. Mao was too high with that skate, 8's in IN, come on, although her jumps were there, but there was no connection to musics at all, all I see Mao was going through the motion, counted off the element.

OK I'm only 5 days behind on this topic and probably no one will read it. But as for what Kurt Browning's given back to the sport on a "grassroots level," he is the creator and sponsor of the Kurt Browning Junior Skating Awards, awarded annually to the Novice Men's Champion, Novice Ladies Champion, Junior Pair Champions, and Junior Dance Champions. The amount of this award, from looking at the link above, is one of the highest of any of the grants that Skate Canada lists. He's also a skating consultant at the Granite Club in Toronto. He also worked as a mentor with Team Visa for the 2006 Canadian Olympic team, mentoring Jeff Buttle in particular. He also regularly skates in or appears at charity events that benefit Canadian athletes and Olympians, and has been a guest speaker at the Skate Canada ACGM. I wouldn't be surprised if there were things he did that I wasn't at all aware of as well. So no, I wouldn't say Kurt's just taken from the sport without giving back at all, even discounting his contributions on the ice both technically and artistically.