The skating fan: biased vs. unbiased | Golden Skate

The skating fan: biased vs. unbiased

eliza88

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
When I watch a skating event I always want each skater to perform their best, and of course have the judges score accurately and fairly...That being said, I tend to be a "biased" skating fan, wanting my favorites to skate their heart out and win win win. I am a virtual wreck when my favorite is in a competition--pacing the floor, clenching my jaw, etc. It drives me crazy. Of course when the desired outcome occurs the feeling of joy is phenomenal! (I feel like I won the competition!)

On the flip side, there are competitions when my favorite is not involved and I can simply sit back and enjoy the beauty of figure skating. The passion and intensity isn't as "peaked" but then again neither is the neurosis!! It is nice to have the drama unfold without any preconceived desires...

Is it more enjoyable to have a few select favorites (and go bonkers) or better to be non-biased and simply enjoy the competition? What type of skating fan are you?

eliza88
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
I am just a fan of one skater. I do have several favorites, and my passion is picking out a talented teeny bopper or a junior in lower tier levels, and see how they progress.

Am I biased? Of course, but not to the extent that the best person shouldn't win if it not my favorite. Good skating comes first; Favorites come second.

Joe
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
More enjoyable? There's nothing enjoyable about a figure skating competition unless you enjoy tearing your hair out! If my favorite loses, I swear off the sport forever. Who needs the aggravation?

If my favorite wins, two minutes later I'm biting my nails in anticipation of the next challenge. This sport is a terrible addiction!

Mathman
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I find I'm biased in the other extreme... I'm happy so long as certain skaters DON'T get all of the attention and then end up winning. Personally I'm sick of ABC doing the same fluff peices on the same rivalries and skaters during EVERY BROADCAST... do I care what Michelle Kwan has done in the time it's taken her to get off of one plane and on to another... probably not... it's not like the skaters have very much NEW to say on any subject so it gets rather repetative

however there are other skaters, up and comers and the like, that are totally ignored and unknown... but from all acounts they've probably been just as spectacular in the past... and so when they "upset" the favorite it's somewhat of a shock when in actuality it was just "a matter of time."
 

PrincessLeppard

~ Evgeni's Sex Bomb ~
Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I prefer it when my favorites skate (I don't have a lot), but I do *like* many skaters. I'm excited about attending SA, where none of my favorites will be. I'll just watch and see if I like the CoP system.

But yeah, Plush v. Yagudin, I used to go NUTS waiting for the results on those...

Laura :)
 

giseledepkat

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Interesting question!

I like to *tell* myself that I'm a completely unbiased fan, that I just admire and appreciate all the high level competitors for the amazing things they are able to accomplish. Then I watch a competition and my emotions tell me loud and clear where my bias lies! Sometimes it really surprises me to find just how much I suddenly want this particular competitor to win! This has happened to me several times with Michelle.

Surprising, because if I do carry a general bias, it's towards the underdog(s). If I had to pick one American Ladies and one American Mens Competitor as my favorites to "root for" this season they would be Angela Nikodinov and Johnny Weir. (Even though both have made my heart break in the past!) I just love their lyrical qualities, and I guess I respond to the sense of vulnerability that both project.

Along those lines, I also find that I'm strongly affected by what I perceive (accurate or not) about individual skater's personalities. Case in point -- I attended the LA Nationals and thus witnessed live Sasha Cohen's warm-up shenanigans the night of the Ladies Final. I was so put off by her behavior that I actively rooted against her for the next couple of years (fall, Sasha, fall!) and only recently have come around to appreciating her again.
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Hey, it wasnt her fault.....The way I looked at it was that it was no ones fault...

I have favorites. I just happen to have a lot of them. Only one or two are currently elegible though so I seem to only have one or two....that is Sasha and Alexei
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
eliza88:

The worst case scenario is when one has a relative or friend in the competition! My brother used to be an ice dancer. Believe me, the tension is horrific and naturally one is biased. Talk about nail-biting! I used to be on the edge of my seat until the results were posted.

As for now, I just enjoy the whole competition. Of course, I am cheering for my favorite skater, but as long as the judging is fair and skating is good, I am happy for the outcome.
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I also want (above all) for there to be good skating and good judging. Everyone has their favourites, but I have a lot of favourites! lol. Most of the time I'm torn as to who I want to see win a competition. I want the best skater/programme/performance to win though, whatever happens, although naturally I hope that performance comes from one of my favourites :)

And I also find it hard to say "I want these three skaters to medal" because that means leaving off others, especially if that person has medalled before. Like I'm not really a fan of Tim Goebel's skating, but part of me still wants him to medal, mostly because he's been silver medallist for the last 2 years. I'm always torn! lol
 
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Joined
Jul 11, 2003
ITA Toni. ABC fluff is most annoying for me becasue it eliminates the time period I could be watching someone who is left out of the 'show'.

I don't believe ABC will stop with the fluff pieces and I agree with you they've done enough with MK but there are others, too, I really don't need any further fluff about them either. However, I wouldn't mind a fluff piece about someone new such as Beatrisa Liang or Johnny Weir.

Joe
 

Janet B

Spectator
Joined
Aug 15, 2003
I definitely have my favorites, but except for a few that I find boring and a very few I actively dislike, I like to watch everyone and don’t care who wins as long as it is the correct person. What gets me about people having favorites, is the negative ness they express about that favorites main rival. For example in some peoples eyes Sasha Cohen can’t seem to say anything right. Or other people viewing the awarding the second gold medal at SLC to be Jamie Sale fault (I can only find one statement she made to be at all controversial and quite frankly if I had gone through that there would be more than one statement). David made no inappropriate statements. Both Anton, Elena and their coach all made similar statements yet they aren’t made out to be the pariah of the stating world even by S and P fans

For sometime I have wondered why this goes on, it's Figure Skating we are discussing not life and death matters after all
 

shine

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
eliza88 said:
When I watch a skating event I always want each skater to perform their best, and of course have the judges score accurately and fairly...That being said, I tend to be a "biased" skating fan, wanting my favorites to skate their heart out and win win win. I am a virtual wreck when my favorite is in a competition--pacing the floor, clenching my jaw, etc. It drives me crazy. Of course when the desired outcome occurs the feeling of joy is phenomenal! (I feel like I won the competition!)
How is wanting your favorties to skate and place well a bias? :confused: If that's the case then people might as well be indifferent to this sport and not even a fan.
Biased is when a fan cannot make judgements objectively and fairly, overlooking his favorite's wekanesses and be overly critical to skaters who he dosen't like.
 
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show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I went through agony when Paul Wylie was skating and I vowed never to go through that again with another skater. There are those I like better than others, but generally enjoy almost everyone's performances.......I do however enjoy watching the pairs skating the most, so I guess I have a bias there.....42
 

nymkfan51

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Well, I am definitely biased ... but I can still admit when someone other than my favorite has skated better ... doesn't mean I like it ... just that I will admit to it! :laugh:

I agree with Joe about the fluff pieces ... but I'm sick of all of them ... not just Michelle's. I would much rather be seeing a few more skaters instead.
This is the sad end result of watching so many skating comps on tape, instead of live. They have all that time to make it into a show, instead of a sporting event! :(
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Screw the fluff, give me the ENTIRE warm up! It's so interesting to see what all of the skaters are focusing on and how successful they are in the warm ups. As for being biased, I believe I was extremely biased when I first began watching after the 1994 Olympics. I didn't even know all of the jumps at that point and I was outraged that Oksana beat Nancy. (She was my first favorite). But...it is odd how things change. I've now trained myself on all of the elements by watching thousands of hours of competition tapes! (Glad to hear there are so many others!). And, my tastes have changed significantly. I've been a huge Michelle Kwan fan since 1995, but I don't believe I've ever been a biased fan. I'd like her to win every competition...but she doesn't. I don't think it is at all wrong to have a specific favorite(s), just as long as you are (as a fan anyway) able to step back and see their flaws. Some of Michelle's rivals have become my co-favorites over the years....Tara Lipinski, Irina Slutskaya and Sarah Hughes. But, I still can be found in the fetal position everytime Michelle takes to the ice in a major event! I just get so nervous, but that is part of the reason I love this sport so.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
The skating fan: biased vs. unbiase

eliza88:

The best thing is to be there at the competion and take in the whole event - from the novice skaters to the seniors - warm ups and all. I like to see some of the other skaters who don't make the top flight and are not shown on tv. Sometimes they put in some pretty amazing skating and one is not surprised when they do make it to the top flight eventually.

We will always have our favorite skaters we are cheering for. That's what it is all about, but its nice to give the not so well known skaters our support as well. They work just as hard to get there!
 

April

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 4, 2003
Human

The natural thing is to root for our favorite skaters. I do. I also tape the events and look back on why this skater did this or that. Figure skating is fun. Each skater goes out to do his or her best, but no ones perfect. MK wins and loses, so does SC, AP, and so on. This sport only has three winners, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Placing outside of those ranks, however, does not mean the skaters did not do their best. I am biases at times; but when it counts, like at nationals and worlds, I try not to be.

Favorites (forgive my spelling) :

Stanislov Timchenko
Illia Kulmin
MK
JK
Johnny Weir
sometimes Sasha Cohen
sometimes Michael Weiss
Derrick Delmore
 

Fossi

Final Flight
Joined
Aug 23, 2003
I don't have probs. with individuals that are biased towards a skater. I do have a problem specific boards, or board mods. that are biased. I could name a few, but won't. I don't think it does anything for the skater. (especially when these individuals go from board to board to sell their skater) If anything, it turns people off to that skater, and those posters lose credibility.
I am happy that Sarah Hughes proved many wrong, as she faced much criticism for her defeats over many. Good for her.
 

giseledepkat

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 7, 2003
Re: The skating fan: biased vs. unbiase

Ladskater said:
The best thing is to be there at the competion and take in the whole event - from the novice skaters to the seniors - warm ups and all. I like to see some of the other skaters who don't make the top flight and are not shown on tv. Sometimes they put in some pretty amazing skating and one is not surprised when they do make it to the top flight eventually.
Wordy McWord to that!

I can't afford to go to many competitions yet -- something to look forward to when I retire! :p But some of my fondest memories from LA Nationals (the only Nationals I've been to -- yet) were along these lines. Like little Robert Dierking, the Novice Men's Champion, who reminded me of Johnny Weir --- Rohene Ward, a Senior Men's competitor who never makes it into the top flight due to jumping inconsistencies but who sports some of the most eye-popping moves in Men's skating --- the Junior Ladies competitor whose name I've forgotten who performed an absolutely original spin variation where she put her foot behind her head while in a sitting position and then stood up!.....
 
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gkelly

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Re: Re: The skating fan: biased vs. unbiase

giseledepkat said:
the Junior Ladies competitor whose name I've forgotten who performed an absolutely original spin variation where she put her foot behind her head while in a sitting position and then stood up!.....

Kristen Sheaffer?
 
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