Changing The Image Of Men's Figure Skating

[mskater93]

Are you advocating the Nude Technical program Joe???



Ant

If so, count me in for watching the men! LOL!

[Joesitz]

Are you advocating the Nude Technical program Joe???



Ant

No, just simple trousers and pullovers for the gentlemen and long sleaved simple one piece dresses for the Ladies.

I disagree with all the posters who claim it enhances the competitiveness. While fans, particularly ladies, enjoy commenting on costumes, no one ever said the costume made him/her lose or gain points. Costumes are not included in CoP.

I do believe that some costumes are a ploy to hide the inadequacies of a skater's technique. The skaters should work on technique and sell the program through skating. A little bit of understanding music would help moreso than the costumes.

[Joesitz]

If so, count me in for watching the men! LOL!

Ugh. Do you enjoy pain? Just think of the possible crush in the sitsspin.

[antmanb]

I disagree with all the posters who claim it enhances the competitiveness. While fans, particularly ladies, enjoy commenting on costumes, no one ever said the costume made him/her lose or gain points. Costumes are not included in CoP.

I'm not sure it enhances competitiveness so much as getting you into the right frame of mind. I think there's a world of difference doing any kind of performance in your practice clothes to in your costume. People rehearsing for a play can be fantastic in all manner of run-throughs but it's not like the full dress rehearsal (or the actual performance). Same with skating - practising your program in your "normal" clothes just isn't the same as practising or doing the real thing in your costume. It's the mental aspect that's enhanced. Similarly at law school, even though it wasn't necessary we all had to wear suits for our assessments for advocay and interviewing. We didn't get any extra marks for our suits but the lecturers believed that dressing for the occasion made us step up our game and "get in character".

I do believe that some costumes are a ploy to hide the inadequacies of a skater's technique. The skaters should work on technique and sell the program through skating. A little bit of understanding music would help moreso than the costumes.

I'm not sure how a costume could hide skaters inadequacies unless it was a disney on ice full on animal costume that hid your limbs or could be blamed for poor technique

I think an understanding of music is definitely something that would help skaters enormously. As far as I'm aware most skaters' off ice training will involve some form of dance or musical training which would focus on explanations of different musical styles and understanding movements that are appropriate.

Ugh. Do you enjoy pain? Just think of the possible crush in the sitsspin.

Speaking from experience (not of nude skating but of not wearing appropriate underwear once!) simple back crossovers are not safe without support! Let's leave it at that!

Ant

[Joesitz]

I'm not sure it enhances competitiveness so much as getting you into the right frame of mind. I think there's a world of difference doing any kind of performance in your practice clothes to in your costume.

It's the same as putting on a uniform to get one into the spirit of sport. Figure Skating does not need sequines. Specially tailored simple clothes, not practice clothes, will work as getting one into the spirit of FS.

[antmanb]

It's the same as putting on a uniform to get one into the spirit of sport. Figure Skating does not need sequines. Specially tailored simple clothes, not practice clothes, will work as getting one into the spirit of FS.

But that very much depends on what you mean by the "spirit of FS". I don't really know what direction you prefer in skating Joe, but you've made the same suggestion several times which all boils down to getting rid of the performance aspect of skating. Losing the music and making it like a barrel jumpnig contest with just jumps and spins.

Personally if that happened i'd stop watching (i'm already less enthusiastic about skating every year the season starts wince COP) altogether because it's the blend of sport and performance that I love about skating.

For me the "spirit of FS" is the combination of the physical technical aspect fusing with the performance art aspect of it. It is unique in this regard. That is what i love about it, and that is what , for me, is the spirit of FS. The costumes are part of the performance - a very small part of it, but a part nonetheless.

Ant

[seniorita]

Speaking from experience (not of nude skating but of not wearing appropriate underwear once!) simple back crossovers are not safe without support! Let's leave it at that!Ant

sorry if i will cross the line but i need to ask this,, are there special underwear for male skaters?
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[antmanb]

sorry if i will cross the line but i need to ask this,, are there special underwear for male skaters?
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I think jocks or dance belts are recommended. Tight underwear i think will suffice, but one day (when i was just learning to skate) i stupidly wore fairly loose boxers. I never made that mistake EVER again!

Ant

[Tonichelle]

It's all about TV ratings now.

"now" ??? It's ALWAYS been about ratings on television. Shows/events that don't get good ratings don't last long.

Figures went the way of the dodo because of ratings... Tonya Harding became as evil as Hitler(somehwat of an exageration, going for media sensationalism) for ratings... ice dance/pairs scandal backfired for the ratings war...

and that's just a few for skating...

[seniorita]

jocks or dance belts

while speaking about mens costumes...I googled it and came up with this this maybe due to safe mode at work..
but thank you anyway, i was many years in the dark

[Medusa]

while speaking about mens costumes...I googled it and came up with this this maybe due to safe mode at work..
but thank you anyway, i was many years in the dark

I don't think that most of them wear the same dance belts as ballet dancers, because that just looks different (a picture of a dancebelt you can find on every ballet shop website, I doubt that it's not G-rated). Some men do though, think Fadeev (who got points deducted because his jockstrap was visible ).

[ballerynna]

It's the same as putting on a uniform to get one into the spirit of sport. Figure Skating does not need sequines. Specially tailored simple clothes, not practice clothes, will work as getting one into the spirit of FS.

I disagree, I was required to wear a uniform for ballet (burgundy or black leotard, pink/flesh tights, hair in a Vaganova-style bun) and all I felt was that I was doing barre and centre work even if it was a rehearsal for Nutcracker . To really really get into it, wearing the costume helped.

And wasn't there a time where Alissa Czisny practiced in her costume and she said it helped her?

while speaking about mens costumes...I googled it and came up with this this maybe due to safe mode at work..
but thank you anyway, i was many years in the dark

I believe there is a picture of Johnny Weir where you can clearly see a dance belt through his costume

[Winnipeg]

I disagree, I was required to wear a uniform for ballet (burgundy or black leotard, pink/flesh tights, hair in a Vaganova-style bun) and all I felt was that I was doing barre and centre work even if it was a rehearsal for Nutcracker . To really really get into it, wearing the costume helped.

And wasn't there a time where Alissa Czisny practiced in her costume and she said it helped her?



I believe there is a picture of Johnny Weir where you can clearly see a dance belt through his costume

I heard Phaneuf practiced in her cotume and it helped her................

[Mathman]

Similarly at law school, even though it wasn't necessary we all had to wear suits for our assessments for advocay and interviewing.

Did you get to wear those cool periwigs, too?

[Medusa]

I think the public should be informed and told that not all male skaters are gay.

You mean, like with the Mexicans right now? "Not all Mexicans have swine flu. So if you meet a Mexican, it's possible that he hasn't the swine flu and is not contagious" - "Not all male skaters are gay. So if you meet a male skater, it's possible that he isn't gay and therefore won't spread this condition"