Thank you for the kind words, tulosai! I am just one of you trying to understand the system and picking out hte numbers seem to help!
Anyway here's the video of Johnny's segment:http://www.today.com/news/johnny-weir-retires-joins-nbc-olympics-figure-skating-analyst-8C11446723
I agree with golden411, he was very tasteful and very graceful in his announcement, both regarding his retirement and regarding his decision to join the NBC Sports crew.
Johnny did do some commentary for Ice Network at 2012 U.S. Nationals. Here's a video of Jason Brown's SP that has Johnny's commentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2H-dV6aww4
Johnny adds some color...but also explains aspects of the system (i.e. the value of seamless entries into jumps and spins etc...the high value of a 3A and why Jason needs to have one, etc...)
My impression is that the core on-air event commentating team will be the same. I get the impression that the 3 announced will be more "field" reporters, doing pieces which can be played during non-competition segments. A logical and incrementally positive addition to the overall broadcast plans for an event with as wide a scope as the Olympics IMO.
Naturally, these 3 know the athletes on more of a personal level and that will help with the "chemistry" when doing interviews.
I think his commentary style is good. He's not over the top like Kurt, and he's informed. I think being a recent athlete skating under CoP, like Tanith, will also make him an asset. He also knows how to reign it in, and I don't picture him having the US favouritism that other commentators have had in the past (hah, especially when he hates the current crop of American men ).
This. I don't doubt he'll comport himself as appropriately as possible when the time comes.
I join Doris and others in thinking this will be a huge improvement over Scott. I used to somewhat enjoy Scott's commentary pre-COP but at this point, as we've all discussed on other threads ad nauseum, he is IMO actively hurting the sport's attempts to gain viewership. I think he is also reinforcing in a subtle way the idea some people have that it's not really a sport. Even without any 'deep' understanding of COP, you can say something like 'this is a lutz, for most people the hardest triple jump. It's got a base value of X more than the triple flip, which is the hardest jump her competitor, Y will be completing'. 'I'm not sure of the level of that spin, but it may have been a level 3. To get a level 3 spin,the criteria are X' instead of just saying during the slo mo replay 'great spin positions!'
Also, I don't think COP is as beyond the reach of many Americans as Scott seems to think it is. I'm no Mathman or Mrs. P but I was able to come to a rudimentary understanding of COP quite quickly and really believe most other people could too (whether they agreed with it or not). I'm hopeful Johnny can open that door for them.
You mean something like this:
All spins, jumps and step sequences are now given a specific base value, depending on their difficulty. When the skater performs the move in a program, judges evaluate how well the move is performed on a Grade of Execution scale from -3 to +3. The GOE score is either added to or subtracted from the Base Value. Then all of the scores for each element performed in a program are added together to determine a Technical Elements Score.
4 sentences off the top of my head. I know it is more complicated than that but really, that's all most people will want to know. Add the problem of under-rotations when looking at the first skater to do so. Add some pretty graphs and you're good to go.
And feel free to add any suggestions. Maybe we can send it off to NBC and they'll use it.
Well, I'd rather listen to Johnny than to Scott. But is NBC setting up the NBC Skating Reality show where Johnny is supposed to get arrested by Russians?
not surprised
soon to follow is Lysacek ....
Yeah I was thinking more of things to say during a performance or during the slow mo replays of moves. A basic explanation of COP is also sorely needed.
I do hope Johnny doesn't give up figure skating as I've always loved watching him skate.