Well.....any competitions. By allowing more people to compete, you may increase interest in the sport. (Also gain enterence fees.) Don't see what would be lost by allowing eveyone to compete without regard to tests. Just letting them sign up and skate "their" level. I really don't think you'd have a run on the senior division. (No one wants to look like a fool.) Also don't think the other divisions would be overrun. I mean, most skaters who want to compete are testing already, so I doubt you'd have that many more. Of course, if you did not actually require the tests to compete, um....some of those skaters may just not bother...which I think is the big problem here, since that would come with a loss of revenue for the USFS and an accompaying loss of "skills" (supposedly). But, this begs the question: What exactly IS a skill? Tonichelle wrote earlier that: "...ice dance work is amazing when it comes to edges which is what skating is about" Maybe it is about that to Tonichelle, but certainly not to me. What makes Tonichelle's opinion right and mine wrong? It was all about single jumps and figure 8s once, too. (Doubt anyone wants to buy tickets to see that at any show.) So, I repeat, what IS a skill? And, more importantly, which ones should be required? I'd love to force the people admire edges/freedance so much to land double jumps/triples and deathdrops in order to compete in dance......Those are what I consider skills....
Tonichelle also wrote that it wasn't fair to allow someone to come in off the street and compete against a person who has put endless hours of practice time and money in tests/lessons. Why? If their skills in jumping/spinning surpass the other's "beautiful edgework" then shouldn't they win? Isn't that "fair"? Just how much weight do you think it is appropriate to give edgework in freestyle contests? Equal with jump/spins? More than jumps/spins?
Tonichelle also wrote that it wasn't fair to allow someone to come in off the street and compete against a person who has put endless hours of practice time and money in tests/lessons. Why? If their skills in jumping/spinning surpass the other's "beautiful edgework" then shouldn't they win? Isn't that "fair"? Just how much weight do you think it is appropriate to give edgework in freestyle contests? Equal with jump/spins? More than jumps/spins?