Canadian figure skating is on the "mend" says Kurt Browning | Golden Skate

Canadian figure skating is on the "mend" says Kurt Browning

Mao88

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Short new article featuring Kurt Browning. It reads:-

"I believe [Canadian skating] is on the mend and the sport is getting some traction again," said former fourtime world champion Kurt Browning......."A highlight has been Tessa [Virtue] and Scott [Moir] reclaiming the world ice-dance crown and we celebrate that in each town we visit."

Canadian skating is certainly on the rise with Virtue & Moir and Chan winning gold at the recent world championships, although they will each have a fight on their hands to win the gold medal at the Olympics against Davis & White and Takahashi respectively. Duhamel & Radford have potential. Nevertheless, Canadian ladies skating is in the doldrums. Time to persuade Joannie to return to competitive skating
 
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chuckm

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It isn't Joannie's fault that no lady has stepped up to the challenge to take her place, and it's a little unfair of Skate Canada to put pressure on her to return when she isn't entirely sure that's what she wants to do.

Joannie will be 28 in 2014. She is the PAST of Canadian skating, and her returning for Sochi (IF she does) will do nothing to improve the level of Ladies skating in Canada. Skate Canada needs to look ahead to 2018 and search hard for talent to be developed. And spend the $$ necessary to ensure that development.
 

Violet Bliss

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^^^^ From where have you found that Skate Canada is pressuring Joannie to return? I have only read such wishes from some fans while lamenting the dearth of competitive Canadian Ladies.
 

hohoho

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I agree with Chuckm. If Skate Canada wants Joannie involved it should be at seminars, team leader, etc and not as a competitor. She will be 28 for Sochi. Canada needs to look at the next 6 years as development and have someone ready for 2018.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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New tweet overnight from @JoannieRochette in response to fan's wish for her to compete again:

K. Wood ‏@Ordinary_Que
@JoannieRochette awesome show tonight! You look so fit - please come back & compete!

Joannie Rochette ‏@JoannieRochette
@Ordinary_Que Haha thanks, oh the door's not closed!
12:55 AM - 17 May 12 via Twitter for iPhone​
 

chuckm

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Joannie has been saying that since Vancouver, but she hasn't outright said she would compete in Sochi. That shows some ambivalence on her part, and it is no wonder, because she clearly enjoys doing shows and tours and all the other opportunities she's had while being away from competition.

I read recently that she met with Skate Canada officials to discuss Sochi, so I do think that some pressure is being applied to have her compete again.

She'd have to train intensively for many months to prepare for competition, and at her age there is an increased risk of injury, which could in turn disrupt her professional skating. It's no wonder she isn't 100% committed to the idea.
 

Violet Bliss

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Joannie has expressed interest in the Team Event immediately but has not made any decision or commitment. The problem is, as it is eventually decreed by the ISU, she can't just compete for the Team but has to be an individual competitor as well which seems to be not as appealing to her since she has enjoyed her show career so much.

As I wrote in another thread, a discipline is clearly in trouble when many place their hope in the comeback of an older skater, such as the case in Canadian Ladies and Russian Men. It's probably alright as a stop gap measure as long as the focus is on the development of future talents.
 
Joined
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^^^^ From where have you found that Skate Canada is pressuring Joannie to return? I have only read such wishes from some fans while lamenting the dearth of competitive Canadian Ladies.

I saw the news that SC arranged (or will arrange?) a conference during CSOI tours to discuss the possibility of her coming back and are supposed to take a look at leverage/strategy/variables for her comeback so that she's fully aware of her options. This I read from FSU.
 

gmyers

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It's not just that Rochette is a big skating star she is a big sports star and her general fame could help support the sport more than the skating based success of VM or Chan or a pairs team. Rochette has a bronze medal from the Olympics and general fame! But that should not produce pressure for her as she had to deal with enormous pressure and stress and drama already.
 

Violet Bliss

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Part of the temptation for Joannie is to have a normal Olympic experience. However, for her, if she does enter the next Olympics, the normal will not be exactly normal, if there is such a thing.
 

chuckm

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Yes, that's the rub: If Joannie could do JUST the team event, I think she might commit to that. But she would have to do TWO intense competitions, back to back, and that's a lot to ask of a 28-year-old skater who's been away from competitive skating for four years.
 

Skater Boy

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THere is no question in my mind that if Joannie wants it she can come back and compete especially against a weak Canadian field. How competitive she will be on the world scene is another issue but she needs to give it 100% if she wants to compete. My undersanding it would be a yes if it weren't for the fat she would have to skate both competitions. I hope she does it for herself and her own piece of mind. Remember Maria Butyrskaya was still fairly competitive in her late 20's; she even won a WGM. Financially wise show skating is not nearly so lucrative anyways.
 

blue dog

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Remember Maria Butyrskaya was still fairly competitive in her late 20's; she even won a WGM. Financially wise show skating is not nearly so lucrative anyways.

As proven by this year's world champion and world bronze medalist in ladies, age is just a number.
 

chuckm

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Age is just a number, but there are several differences among the ladies mentioned.

Butyrskaya was 26 when she won her 1999 World Championship, but she had been competing as a senior for 10 consecutive years leading up to that win. She slipped to 3rd in 2000 and to 4th in 2001, at 28, and withdrew from Worlds 2002, at 29, after having finished 6th at the 2002 Olympics.

Suzuki won her first World medal this season, at 27. She has been competing internationally at the Senior level for 7 years. She has won two GPF medals, in the 2009-2010 season, and this season.

The major difference between these two women and Joannie Rochette is that their wins capped many long seasons of full competition. Joannie has been away from competitive skating for four years; her performances at the Japan Open, more of a cheesefest than a top-level competition, don't equate to a full competitive season.

There is no doubt that Rochette could win the Canadian championship over the current crop of Canadian ladies. The question is whether she wants to commit to performing four competitive programs within a two-week period. It's a lot to ask of a 28-year-old woman who's enjoying her professional skating career.
 

drivingmissdaisy

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Joannie has a great chance of getting an Olympic gold (in team) if she were to make a comeback. I'm interested in hearing her decision because the team event really is a game changer, allowing someone to achieve the pinnacle of their sport without doing it alone. Sure it's not an individual gold, but look how happy tennis player Roger Federer was when he won his doubles gold. It would be a huge achievement for Joannie.
 

skateluvr

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It isn't Joannie's fault that no lady has stepped up to the challenge to take her place, and it's a little unfair of Skate Canada to put pressure on her to return when she isn't entirely sure that's what she wants to do.

Joannie will be 28 in 2014. She is the PAST of Canadian skating, and her returning for Sochi (IF she does) will do nothing to improve the level of Ladies skating in Canada. Skate Canada needs to look ahead to 2018 and search hard for talent to be developed. And spend the $$ necessary to ensure that development.

Don't you think they'd spend it if they had it? Canada does not subsidize skating, nor should they tax people for an elite Olympic sport. They aren't China. The world is on the brink of financial collapse. Where do you suggest they find the money? Health care rationing worsens. Canada has all the problems we do. It's great to be a fan but not live in a skating bubble.

They had to suspend their popular skater/hockey show, Blades of whatever for lack of money. It simply is not there. The money, and of course in bad times, extras get cut out. Hockey will survive as it generates money, but the WC Chan is losing money not making it.

I agree Joannie should not be pressured, but she seems to be in excellent shape, free of injuries. Plushenko is lauded, and he is older and has had surgeries. Joannie has the talent and the motivation. They just don't have any really good Olympic caliber skaters right now and I support her if she returns. She is beautiful to watch.
 

skateflower

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Nov 5, 2011
Why should Canada be competitive in every discipline? Who cares anyway?
It would be a tragety for FS if Canada were competitive in every event. It's better spread the fortune.
 

NorthernDancers

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Jan 15, 2010
Don't you think they'd spend it if they had it? Canada does not subsidize skating, nor should they tax people for an elite Olympic sport. They aren't China. The world is on the brink of financial collapse. Where do you suggest they find the money? Health care rationing worsens. Canada has all the problems we do. It's great to be a fan but not live in a skating bubble.

They had to suspend their popular skater/hockey show, Blades of whatever for lack of money. It simply is not there. The money, and of course in bad times, extras get cut out. Hockey will survive as it generates money, but the WC Chan is losing money not making it.

I agree Joannie should not be pressured, but she seems to be in excellent shape, free of injuries. Plushenko is lauded, and he is older and has had surgeries. Joannie has the talent and the motivation. They just don't have any really good Olympic caliber skaters right now and I support her if she returns. She is beautiful to watch.


There are a number of things that Canada and Provinces can do to fix the funding model. Right now, all the funds are showered on the top few skaters in each discipline. There is nothing to help out families as skaters develop through the ranks for many years. Unless a skater has a lot of family money, there is a tremendous amount of sacrifice made by the skater and the entire family. In order for that sacrifice to be worthwhile, a skater and family need to have a strong reason to continue in the sport: either a solid chance of eventually reaching the top ranks, and/or a belief in all the other benefits that are gained through the sport. (For example, Michael Phelps swims because it is an antidote for ADD and behaviour/achievement concerns.) If you are a parent of a young lady in the sport in Canada, and you do not have a ton of money, you are going to look at the prospects of your daughter against hundreds across the country. There are probably 40 or 50 ladies competing at Pre-Novice and Novice at the Sectional level. Your daughter would need to qualify in the top 4 in order to go to Challenge, and then, at Novice, finish top 18 in order to even get the right to compete at Nationals. It's going to take a lot of years and money and development to get to top 5 in Canada at Novice, Junior or Senior. With so many other sports that don't cost this much money at the development level, it is not surprising that we in Canada would lose a ton of great lady skaters. They just don't stick around long enough to develop to their potential. They don't see their way through, or the cost for very uncertain benefits are just too great. I also think there are less and less parents willing to make Houdini-like sacrifices personally for their kids to compete at a high level. There are also many other sporting opportunities for girls: basketball, soccer, volleyball, cycling, speed skating, etc. Hockey for women is huge in Canada. It's a team sport, and therefore often a whole lot more fun than skating can be. When skating is a too often seen as corrupt, full of favouritism, and basically a glorified beauty contest (the Salt Lake scandal only reinforced those notions), then the cost/benefit is a lot harder to make.

I think the new judging system is helping to bring credibility back. Good role models like Kurt Browning, Joannie, Scott and Tessa, Dylan and KMT, and Andrew and Kaitlyn are helping tremendously. But now we need to address funding, not just for the ladies, but all competitive athletes associated with national sporting associations, and competing at a Provincial or National level. Canada especially is in a much better financial position than many other countries. It's a fact. It will be impacted by global events, but the fundamentals mean that Canada is in a better position now and in the future. The reality is that there are people with lots of money in Canada. And they currently reduce their tax load by giving away their money to things that are important to them. This is money that already doesn't go to healthcare or the government coffers in general - or to the CBC which is government funded, and which produces Battle of the Blades. Corporations do this, as well as individuals. This is not about government funding. It's about spreading around and maybe increasing slightly money that already doesn't go to the government. It should be possible for these corporations and individuals to support local athletes at the development level as part of this yearly give away of money. That doesn't mean money will dry up completely for cancer research funding. That's silly. It means that some money can go to sports, especially where corporations and individuals see local talent deserving of support, as well as cancer research. And it's not a dollar for dollar benefit. It's a portion of a dollar, which is at least a small benefit to encourage more giving. We need to get into a mindset that supporting so called elite athletes benefits the broader society. (I will never understand the disdain for elite athletes in Canada. We are ok with supporting a local soccer team of little kids, but we somehow think it is wrong to support athletes who are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to hopefully one day represent their country?? We want them to succeed on the world stage, but are unwilling to acknowledge them outside of competition, almost like they have a disease because they are "elite". The stereotypes around "elite" athletes is just odd to me.) Good role models and athletes encourage the over all activity level of kids and young people, and the other skills learned in the sport mean that many athletes become the next generation of leaders. All of us need healthy minds and bodies. Skating, along with other sports, help achieve that balance, even if a young athlete never makes it to the big leagues. That's good for society and the tax burden on many levels. Many skaters I know are also great students, and achieve good things beyond the world of skating. Skating should not be just for the financially rich. It should be for the athletes who have the dedication, desire, mindset, passion, work ethic - a big dream with a plan to get there - as well as talent. Greater community involvement and support will produce better results as more athletes stay in the sport and the best rise to the top, which will also result in a wider viewing audience and increasing popularity in the sport, which will result in greater participation, etc..
 

Dragonlady

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They had to suspend their popular skater/hockey show, Blades of whatever for lack of money. It simply is not there. The money, and of course in bad times, extras get cut out. Hockey will survive as it generates money, but the WC Chan is losing money not making it.

Battle of the Blades was cancelled because funding for the CBC (the publically owned television network), has been slashed. This has NOTHING to do with funding for elite sports and everything to do with the Conservative government's disdain for publically owned television. Harper would sell off the CBC if he could get away with it, but he can't and so he settles for cutting its funding. This is something that every Conservative government has done for years because they think the CBC has a Liberal bias.

And just for the record, Canada DOES not have the same kinds of problems as the US. Health care is NOT rationed. We never had a housing bubble because Paul Martin refused to de-regulate our banking industry while Clinton and W were dismantling regulations in the US, and we never particapted in the war on Iraq.

We do have a deficit because of the US-caused recession, but our economy recovered well and it recovered quickly.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Several days ago in a different thread, I had posted a brief quote from Skate Canada's Facebook page about the following funding, but it also seems relevant here:

Per The Londoner, Wed May 23 (emphases added):
Skate Canada got a $1.5 million boost from the Ontario government today to help organize the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships at the John Labatt Centre in London.
“What an exiting event this is going to be,” said London West MPP, Chris Bentley at a press conference. “ I know how important it is to our community, I know how important it is to the province and I know how important it is to the skaters.”
The funding will help Skate Canada organize the almost $12-million championships.
While the exact use of the provincial funding remains undecided, Skate Canada head honcho William Thompson said it will be put towards organizing Worlds-related activities in the community as well as some legacy projects.
“(The funding) allows us to do more things outside the arena and in the community,” he said. “We want to …have a festival outside the arena with activities for families and kids so they can come down and enjoy the event.”
Thompson said most Skate Canada competitors come from the Windsor – Ottawa corridor. He hopes the event at the JLC next year will help inspire and attract more athletes to the sport. “Young people will watch this event and will be excited by it,” he said. “[It is the legacy] you can’t measure in Dollars.”
 
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