Russia has the opposite problem from Canada, with so many young talented and competitive Ladies and an almost depleted Men's field.
Russia has the opposite problem from Canada, with so many young talented and competitive Ladies and an almost depleted Men's field.
Canada and US can offer these talented ladies citizenshipOriginally Posted by SkateFiguring
The US gets Sotnikova, Canada gets Leonova and Makarova, and Russia can keep Tuktamisheva.
Canada and US can offer these talented ladies citizenship
Yes we are happy to help them ease the embarrassment of riches and to spread the wealth.
Man, this is as desperate as hoping for a retired skater to return.
Well, perhaps instead of asking Joannie to un-retire, Skate Canada can hire her and Liz Manley to help turn things around. They can find out strategies used by other, more successful programs. Otherwise, at this rate, even Nelli Kim, the 1995 champion should consider a comeback.
Yes we are happy to help them ease the embarrassment of riches and to spread the wealth.
Man, this is as desperate as hoping for a retired skater to return.
Ummmm i don't think the US is that bad off compared to Canada when it comes to the ladies.Canada and US can offer these talented ladies citizenship
I don't know if this has already been addressed, but part of the issue is that in this current economy, working to be an elite skater isn't the drawcard (or the money crop) it used to be.
Even champions with titles are finding it difficult to glean corporate sponsorship, in North America television coverage has dropped off the radar, and there are no longer tours like Champions on Ice that offset the high costs of training.
I didn't call for removing judges. I am perfectly aware of what it takes to become a judge. What I meant by "release" is that judging panels are made all too aware of the results SC wants. By releasing them,SC could let them reach the results based on what is actually skated rather than political or reputation judging. A few years ago a young,upcoming judge,who herself was a very good skater before retiring,and despite her success, was never a Section favourite was accused of being down on a very favoured novice. She justified herself by saying that yes she had a lot of talent,but every jump was cheated. This is what I mean by "relesing" the judges.
I think there are a number of reasons why pairs and dance are healthy in Canada, most important being we have a number of really strong coaching centers, and there is a general understanding that if one is going to be a serious athlete, one should pick one of these to train, even if it means moving. Because the numbers in pairs and dance are much smaller, there's a greater possibility of seeing success. The combination of fantastic coaches plus commitment and dedication from the athletes plus team dynamic to push each other for success plus greater opportunities for growth and development plus strong role models means a formula for success.
With ladies, there are not many really elite coaches in Canada. There are tons of girls in the sport. The odds of being one of those 4 ladies out of 50 in a section to make it to Challenge, never mind Nationals, are low. The season is then very short, with not many other opportunities until Summer. Therefore, few girls are willing to move to a major coaching centre. Few parents are willing to allow their daughters to leave home that young, or to shell out that kind of cash. And other things like school and other interests take higher priority.
I do think there are some societal elements. Krylova in a recent interview eluded to the fact some of the French and Canadian teams had to learn to accept her style of coaching. We live in a culture where our kids are coddled and protected. And it's an instant society that has no concept of long term planning, or hard work that takes years to produce results. Many teachers and professors will talk about kids with lack of manners and a sense of entitlement. Blunt, honest and direct feedback is not common. Every moment is an achievement even when it's not. While the Bela Karoly school of training may be one extreme, so many kids now live in the polar opposite extreme as little princesses. And it's an individualistic society where fewer parents are willing to make extreme sacrifices for the kids to participate in an expensive sport like skating, and fewer communities are willing to support these athletes in a meaningful way. It's unfortunate because skating teaches so many life skills that produce success in other areas throughout life, if the skaters have the right supports and are open to learning.
haven't read the thread, so i might be echoing the hopes of others that JoRo will return. I really want to see the mature Joannie have a chance to do the Olympics again. I think she is the best female skater canada has produced, and everything about her is world class. She has been an inspiration to Canada and the world. When I first saw her, I loved her sophistication. To think she was competing with the likes of Kim Yuna and Asada Mao, two amazing athlete/artists of all time in ladies' singles. Rochette belonged in that select trio. Come back Joannie. Canada needs you and your inspiring artistry.
If the Summer competitions are going to be used for assignments, then a couple things should happen: there should be a couple easily accessible across the regions (ie. Western Canada, Central Canada, and Eastern Canada); the judging needs to be standardized and of a high level. Regional keeps the expenses down. Local judging can be pretty head-scratching, and does not encourage cross-over. BC pumping of local dancers last year produced some international spots, but didn't really help on the International stage. Central Ontario likes to pump their athletes sometimes. Thornhill has been bad, and there aren't many dancers outside of section these days. Last year was very sparse. Western Ontario has a habit of being overly tough on their own athletes, which means those kids always have to produce much more to overcome the pumping of other sections. Minto is generally a good competition for dance because the majority of teams are not from Eastern Ontario Section so the playing field is much more level. It pulls the Ontario and Quebec teams, and the BC teams often fly in for both Lake Placid and Minto. I think Skate Canada needs to be involved throughout the year, visiting local clubs and monitoring development. This, combined with results from better judged competitions, should produce better decisions for international assignments and long term talent identification and development.
I think the idea of sectionals need to be tossed out. Let the Juvenile and lower levels train all year long and compete in a Provincial Championship later in the year. Pre-Novice and up can go to a regional competition to qualify for Challenge. From each Regionals (West, Central, and Eastern) top 10 qualify for Nationals. This would help getting the top 10 skaters from each region and not just top 4 from a section. I know the Pre-Novice and Novice groups could be large, but it would probably mean a "long-program" qualifier. Then skate short and long for top 40 (arbitrary number). Could actually cut it down numbers more for the long program. Quebec does this now so it shouldn't be a big issue. Similar to ISU qualifiying and competition. So from 3 regionals you have 30 skaters total. Drop Challenge and bring all to Nationals and as with only a few years ago have a qualifying event again to get to skate top 18 (Pre-Novice to Junior). Again, top 3 from seniors previous year are guaranteed top 18. So Seniors would have to be top 15 after qualifying. This way skaters are getting higher levels of competitions, more stressful competitions, and similarities to ISU events.
So right now, Western Canada can send 16 to Challenge, Ontario 16, and Eastern 24. The only reason I mention 10 for each is because Atlantic Canada usually don't have larger numbers. I know Challenge is being cut, but when you take in the level and type of competition at Regionals then there really is no need for a Challenge event. Provincial champions can be determined from this event (NS, PEI,and NB have combined Sectionals now). Most skaters have to travel for Sectionals, so travelling to a Regional event shouldn't be any different (especially with no Challenege evenet). Also, with qualifying at Nationals held, alot of these skaters that do not qualify for the short program will stay and watch the remainder of the event as a learning tool. And on a final note, bye's from events (approved by Skate Canada, not the Section) should not be permitted unless for medical reasons. I believe Junior Pairs at this years Challenge was not attended by some skaters because they didn't want to travel to Regina. Travel to competitions is part of the learning curve.
Last edited by hohoho; 05-03-2012 at 08:38 AM.
OK, that was unclear in your initial post. If that's the case, why not invite US judges to competitions? There are a few Canadian judges invited to US competitions in border states and it is interesting to see their different viewpoint from what is expected from US judges.
Interestingly, my club hosts the *last* competition before our Regionals and is typically very highly attended. Not only that, but because our chief referee has some National credential, she often invites judges who are quite well respected from areas beyond our Region. It's also typically a good indicator of what will happen at Regionals.
I think that is a great idea-a fresh perspective from what a skating parent describes as the judges from certain Sections knowing what each skater has for breakfast every day. For the person who complained that her Section judges are hard on their skaters I can only say that coaches and skaters cringe when their skaters have to compete in that area because they protect their own skaters extremely against all comers.
She should have come back for the 2011 or 2012 Worlds. Those were her big chances to win a major title, in fact she probably could have sleptwalk to the gold in 2011. It will be much harder now, she has been away a significant length of time, she is getting up there in age, and the field in 2013 and 2014 will likely be alot tougher.
I don't know the state of the club comps in Canada (or if they make enough of a profit for this to be feasible), I just am proposing things that have been shown to be successful for getting a well-rounded viewpoint in the US.
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