In Honor of Joe: Interesting Topics for Threads on 'The Edge"

We've had a lot of new members join GS. As the guidelines say, it's best if you're new to lurk for a while and get the feel of GS. But I've seen a number of new posters who have really interesting things to say, but while we're waiting for Euros and Worlds, I bet we could come up with some especially interesting topics for The Edge.

Here are some of my ideas, but please, everybody and anybody contribute. For this thread, we're trying to stay away from the "Who Has the Best Salchow?" and "Who Has the Worst Flutz?" kind of threads.

--What Is Your Philosophy of Skating?

--What Ballet Besides "Swan Lake" Would Make a Good Competitive Skating Program?

--How Do You Define Musicality?

--If you Had to Choose, Would You Prefer a "Blades Down" or "Blades Up" Skater?

--What is Your Ideal Competitive Program and Why?

--What Percentage of Figure Skating Do You Think is Sport, How Much is Entertainment, and How Much is Art? Discuss Each Discipline.

--What Great Music by Which Great Composers Has Been Overlooked by Skaters and Why?

--Why Hasn't Figure Skating Done More to Improve Skate Boots to Reduce the Risk of Injury?

--Aside from Problems that Need to Be Tweaked, Do You Feel the Results of the Competitions Using the COP Have Been Fair?

--Overall, Aside from the Problems that Need to be Tweaked, How do You Think the COP Has Compared So Far to the 6.0 System?

--What Things About the COP Still Don't Make Sense?

--What are the Key Differences Between a Skater Who is an Artist and One Who is a Great Craftsmen?

--Which Skaters Do You Consider To Be Artists and Which are Great Craftsmen and Why?

--Are There Some Skaters You Feel Are Artists But Whose Skating Doesn't Move or Interest You and Vice Versa?

--If a Skater or Team Were a Novel, Which One Would They Be and Why?

--If a Skater or Team Were a Movie, Which One Would They Be and Why?

--If a Skater or Team Were an Opera, Which One Would They Be and Why?

--If a Skater or Team Were a Painting or Sculpture, Which One Would They Be and Why?

--If a Skater or Team Were a Great Visual Artist, ie, Painter or Sculptor, Which One Would They Be and Why?

--If a Skater or Team Were a Great Actor, Which One Would They Be and Why? [Same question for singer, musician, dancer, etc.]

--What is Your Favorite Thing About Figure Skating Forums in General? What is Your Least favorite Thing (No Forum Names, No Bashing)?

--What is Your Favorite Thing About GS? What is Your Least Favorite Thing (No Names, NO BASHING)?

--What's the Corniest Thing About Skating That Still Gets You Every Time?

I'm sure others can come up with better ones. After others have added their lists, I think we should start the ones people say they like as threads on The Edge. Just trying to spice things up during the waiting-for-Worlds doldrums
Rgirl

Hey, these are great topics...........get 'em started, 'girl........42

Thanks, Show. But I know you've got even better ones. Hope you'll add some of them
Rgirl

OMG, I feel like the Gregory Peck character in "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" when he goes for the job interview and is told to go in the other room for an hour, write his life story and end it with the phrase "The most interesting thing about me is...."

I'm gonna cop out for now and only answer the easy ones. That is afterall the way I was taught to aproach standardized tests.

--What Ballet Besides "Swan Lake" Would Make a Good Competitive Skating Program?

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My current favorite is "The Prodigal Son". Not a ballet per se, but Oklahoma would make a great pairs routine "out of my dreams and into your arms..." "Billy the Kid" would be cool too.

--What Great Music by Which Great Composers Has Been Overlooked by Skaters and Why?

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Aaron Copeland. I thought that BB's Lillehammer LP was great. Could also be answer for ballet question above. Eric Satee.

--Aside from Problems that Need to Be Tweaked, Do You Feel the Results of the Competitions Using the COP Have Been Fair?

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A tentative No. I only saw the mens LP at Lalique and was outraged that the sloppy mistake ridden Weiss program medaled and Jubert's program could bring down the house but not bring up the results.

--What is Your Favorite Thing About Figure Skating Forums in General? What is Your Least favorite Thing (No Forum Names, No Bashing)?

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Fav: an invaluable place to gather information. Non-fav: the fact that no one's opinions actually ever seem to be swayed by the debates. Countless threads later, and I'd bet that not a single poster has changed their vote on the Nancy vs. Okasana issue, for example.

Oops, guess I didn't make myself clear. These are not meant to be answered here. The purpose of the thread is for people to list their own thread ideas for THE EDGE, specifically ones that are different from the usual. Then we'll put the ones people seem most interested in up on THE EDGE.

BG, I KNOW you have thread topics that would knock our socks off. Anything you'd like to see discussed on THE EDGE, put it up here--or else just skip this step and go directly to THE EDGE and start an inimitable Berthes Ghost thread.
Rgirl

In the words of the late, great Emily LaTella: "Nevermind"

Speaking of "never mind," after checking out The Edge, I think there is a great variety of very interesting threads. Who needs my list? Not The Edge. If things ever do get into endless threads of "Who has the Best Salchow?" or "Who Has the Worst Flutz?" then I'll break out my list and campaign for others to contribute as well. But until then, The Edge has plenty of interesting threads for me.
Rgirl

If I tackled 5 of those topics, I would be up all night. Good going Rgirl.

Hopefully, there will be some left over for the summer doldrums. I prefer topics with a bite. Michelle's choice of dress colors just doesn't do it for me. But hey, I'm a guy and partially color blind.

Joe

Rgirl --

OK, I have to ask. What is a "blades down" skater and a "blades up" skater?? I am unfamilar with this terminology.....

JonnyCoop,
Good question, since I think it's one of those terms that just sort of evovled in the internet figure skating forums.

A "blades down" skater, by my definition (others may disagree), is a skater who has superb edging, deep edges, great footwork, well-centered spins, perfect edge placement on jump take-offs and landings, basically anything that has to do with the quality of a skaters bladework. However, a "blades down" skater may not have very good line, arms, musicality, dance ability, flexibility, basically anything that has to do with the quality of the skaters movement style. A "blades up" skater is the opposite.

Very few skaters are strictly one or the other and the best skaters are great at both bladework and movement ability.

Oksana Baiul, especially in her prime, would be an example of a "blades up" skater. Ludmilla Nelidina would be an example of a "blades down" skater.

Hope that helps
Rgirl

JonnyCoop said:

Rgirl --

OK, I have to ask. What is a "blades down" skater and a "blades up" skater?? I am unfamilar with this terminology.....

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Without putting any words in to Rgirl's mouth, I understand those terms this way . . .

"Blades Up Skater" - Everything the skater does flows from the blade. Their technic and artistry is dictated by their skills with edge quality, flow, etc. Janet Lynn is frequently cited as such an example.

"Blades Down Skater" - Everything starts at the top. The next time you are mesmerized by intricate arm movements and facial expressions, take the time to look down to see if the edge quality matches (i.e. is as good as) what is going on above the waist line. With some skaters it is and with some it is not.

I hope that helps.

OK, Now I am confused HELP

Well, I searched the archives to jog my memory. I don't know if Golden Skate can claim this as it's own (cf. "Beaver Cleaver"), but as used on Golden Skate the phrase of choice seems to be "above (or below) the ankles skater." This first came up in a thread about the quality of Sasha Cohen's edges, where the point was made that, "Above the ankles, Sasha is the finest skater in the world, but..." Sasha fans naturally had their say, and the result of the discussion was that our GS member "Registered" (a Sasha champion) said, well, the only good thing that has come out of this thread is the phrase "above the ankles skater."

If you search on Registered you will see that she liked this phrase so much that it is now part of her GS signature.

So at least as far as Golden Skate is concerned, an "above the ankles skater" is a skater who, like Sasha, has great positions and flexibility, while a "below the ankles skater" is one that has strong edges.

Mathman

OK, now I get it. Now that it's been explained, I do recall hearing the terms now.

Gee -- I wonder where on earth you'd place Surya Bonaly using this criteria..... ???

Mathman- Thanks for the explanation. I think I've got it.

JonnyCoop said:

OK, now I get it. Now that it's been explained, I do recall hearing the terms now.

Gee -- I wonder where on earth you'd place Surya Bonaly using this criteria..... ???

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How about from the ankles out?

Rgirl:

I would be interested in this topic:

If you Had to Choose, Would You Prefer a "Blades Down" or "Blades Up" Skater?

What exactly do you mean?