From the Alissa thread:
All season long, there's been debates whether X skater should win with Y number of triples. Some say....that should have a bigger factor while others say the quality of the jumps or non-jump elements made up for that gap.
So quality or quantity. Does one have more clout over the other? Or are they equal? Also another way to say this is as FSGMT said: quality vs difficulty?
Everyone has a different view on this, so let's talk about it.
Skaters with better technique do tend to last longer in this sport. But in addition to technique, I would add that not pushing yourself beyond your limit is another way to stay healthy. Alissa was trying to be competitive and I really admire that, but given her technique, the fact that she's never been a strong jumper, and her age, I think training those difficult combinations was unnecessary and ultimately the cause of all of her problems. If she'd just tried to maximize her points doing what she did well (maybe adding another triple or a sequence or something) she may have avoided some of these injuries.
That's why I don't get why people fuss about Carolina Kostner not doing certain jumps. She's "old" by skating standards and she already has knee issues. In order to keep competing, you have to do what you're able to do and do it well. Granted Carolina's much more of a natural jumper with better technique than Alissa, but the same principle applies. Do what you can do without pushing yourself too far.
I think what bothers people about Carolina is that she was winning medals and competitions outright with what something is "less challenging" content. I don't think anyone would make a fuss if she wasn't medaling or winning.
I agree: as a skater, I know how frustrating injuries are and not being able to be competitive just because your body it's not all right when you're trying to do your best is an awful feeling, so I agree that pushing yourself beyond your limits is a thing that no-one should do, especially if you are 20+ which (for the Ladies figure skating standards) is an "old" age. And, if you're doing what you can do well, why you shouldn't win against people who try more difficult elements but make a lot of mistakes? Figure skating is an artistic sport, so the presentation of your program (and this includes your technical elements) should be one of the most important things: quality agains difficulty, what counts more? My answer is: quality. (I know this is off-topic, so I don't want to start a discussione about this! )
All season long, there's been debates whether X skater should win with Y number of triples. Some say....that should have a bigger factor while others say the quality of the jumps or non-jump elements made up for that gap.
So quality or quantity. Does one have more clout over the other? Or are they equal? Also another way to say this is as FSGMT said: quality vs difficulty?
Everyone has a different view on this, so let's talk about it.