Part of that is Skate Canada’s own doing. Until the Canadians in Mississauga this year and these Worlds, the organization neither mined nor stimulated the southern Ontario market (still Canada’s richest and most populous) remotely enough. They’ve ignored Hamilton for a decade, despite its founding-father status as a game changer.
And part is bad luck: the 2002 scandal; the ability in the most computer-literate of all sports to experience top programs via YouTube rather than live. And when Chan won his first Worlds two years ago, what should have been a seminal moment for a new era of vast attention to the sport was lost because the event was shifted from its scheduled time and place because of the earthquake in Japan, and held in Moscow nearly two months later. No wonder Chang went unrecognized for so long.
I hope some Canadians will explain what the above is about? Clearly there are CanSkate programs in southern Ontario, and successful skaters from the area. And there was a Worlds in Ottawa in 1984, which I would think was in southern Ontario?
What hasn't Skate Canada done for the southern Ontario section that they should have done?
Perhaps this reporter is not a Figure Skating fan, and is not aware of the existence of SCI events?
As I already mentioned Scott Moir and Patrick Chan are not nice people, poor sportsmen, have no charisma, and are essentialy impossible for even Canadians to root en masse for or get emotionally invested in. If Duhamel & Radford, Osmond, and others can emerge as big stars in the coming years that will help raise Canadian skating popularity again. Unlike the arrogant, self absorded, rude, and completely unlikeable Moir and Chan, these are people that Canadians can warm up to and be excited by their success, medals, and victories, and can being popularity in Canadian skating back up again.
Trying to blame the decline of Figure Skating in Canada on Scott and Patrick, because you personally hate them.
I don't know what you currently do for a living, but you should seriously consider becoming a comedian instead.
... and are essentialy impossible for even Canadians to root en masse for or get emotionally invested in...
Spot on. Comes across as personal mission from the threads. S & P must have pissed in someone's gardenTrying to blame the decline of Figure Skating in Canada on Scott and Patrick, because you personally hate them.
I don't know what you currently do for a living, but you should seriously consider becoming a comedian instead.
Patrick Chan and V/M both get loud cheers from the audience whenever they skate on home ice.
Crowds who pay huge money to attend events (although Worlds in Canada wasnt even sold out for anything until later in the week I have heard) are almost entirely die hard skating fans, but die hard skating fans dont make up the majority of a fan base. Casual skating fans are the ones who make up the majority of a fan base.