http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...-Chan-Fan-Fest&p=627045&viewfull=1#post627045
What kind of solutions might be worth trying?
Keep in mind that there are several populations that the ISU might want to educate:
*skaters, coaches, etc., who need the knowledge to participate in the sport effectively
*die-hard fans who will go out of their way to travel to competitions and pay for video feeds to watch all the low-level skaters as well as the stars; read all the documentation that's available to the skaters, coaches, judges, and tech panels; and may start taking skating lessons themselves or volunteering at local rinks if they hadn't already been doing so
*skating fans who will make some effort and spend some money to enjoy a sport they love to watch, who care that the results seem fair in general and may care passionately about the results of favorite skaters, but who want the process of enjoying skating to be fun and not feel like work
*the general public who tune in maybe once a year or once every four years and don't want to make any effort at all but may enjoy having strong opinions about what they see on TV colored by what they hear from the commentators
The first two groups are largely covered by all the written documentation now available online -- much easier to access than the less specific 6.0 documentation in the pre-Internet era. But there could be even more of an effort to share the same kind of training that the judges and tech panel have access to with interested stakeholders who are willing to invest effort and money to learn more.
The last group is pretty much at the mercy of the media in their country -- whether that be general sports journalists who resent having to cover something that they don't even consider to be a real sport, or experienced former competitors who may now be active coaches and/or certified technical specialists and/or have judging training. And of course they all have their biases and editors/producers who encourage them to play to the audience's expected biases. So to reach general audiences, the ISU would have to find ways to encourage the media to educate about the important qualities that may not come across well on TV anyway.
Here on Golden Skate, we probably have a lot of posters who fit into the third category -- who want easily accessible education on how to appreciate what judges are looking for (along with other ways of appreciating skating).
What could the ISU do better to fill that need? Or who else could fill it if the ISU doesn't consider it their responsibility?
National federations?
What about fans who live in countries with small or nonexistent skating programs?
If the most important determinant of skating results is the quality of the blade moving across the ice, and if that cannot be appreciated on video the same way it can be live and up close, how can skating fans without frequent access to live skating learn to appreciate it?
Browning, a four-time world champion, said it's difficult to describe what he admires most in Chan's skating — they're the subtle things more easily appreciated by his peers than the average fan.
This is the problem. ISU has an urgent task on educating people.
What kind of solutions might be worth trying?
Keep in mind that there are several populations that the ISU might want to educate:
*skaters, coaches, etc., who need the knowledge to participate in the sport effectively
*die-hard fans who will go out of their way to travel to competitions and pay for video feeds to watch all the low-level skaters as well as the stars; read all the documentation that's available to the skaters, coaches, judges, and tech panels; and may start taking skating lessons themselves or volunteering at local rinks if they hadn't already been doing so
*skating fans who will make some effort and spend some money to enjoy a sport they love to watch, who care that the results seem fair in general and may care passionately about the results of favorite skaters, but who want the process of enjoying skating to be fun and not feel like work
*the general public who tune in maybe once a year or once every four years and don't want to make any effort at all but may enjoy having strong opinions about what they see on TV colored by what they hear from the commentators
The first two groups are largely covered by all the written documentation now available online -- much easier to access than the less specific 6.0 documentation in the pre-Internet era. But there could be even more of an effort to share the same kind of training that the judges and tech panel have access to with interested stakeholders who are willing to invest effort and money to learn more.
The last group is pretty much at the mercy of the media in their country -- whether that be general sports journalists who resent having to cover something that they don't even consider to be a real sport, or experienced former competitors who may now be active coaches and/or certified technical specialists and/or have judging training. And of course they all have their biases and editors/producers who encourage them to play to the audience's expected biases. So to reach general audiences, the ISU would have to find ways to encourage the media to educate about the important qualities that may not come across well on TV anyway.
Here on Golden Skate, we probably have a lot of posters who fit into the third category -- who want easily accessible education on how to appreciate what judges are looking for (along with other ways of appreciating skating).
What could the ISU do better to fill that need? Or who else could fill it if the ISU doesn't consider it their responsibility?
National federations?
What about fans who live in countries with small or nonexistent skating programs?
If the most important determinant of skating results is the quality of the blade moving across the ice, and if that cannot be appreciated on video the same way it can be live and up close, how can skating fans without frequent access to live skating learn to appreciate it?