Are you excited for the Team event? | Golden Skate

Are you excited for the Team event?

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
The whole thing sounds unwieldy to me and I wonder how the organizers and networks are going to show it in a cohesive way. I suppose if done right it could catch the attention of an otherwise apathetic public and who knows, it could be "must-see TV" like how the Team gymnastics event of the summer games are. I have this feeling though that the time for this has come and gone and that broadcasters are not going to expend their precious air time too much on this event. At the same time there is a quality of exclusivity in this event that people in countries like Canada, America, Russia and Japan might appreciate, especially when it means not having to deal with pesky phenomenons from the under-represented countries, like say Korea. Good for those with more nationalistic tendencies as well. I'm suspicious though that this is just another reason to award more medals :sarcasm: but it could or might, for example, help Americans feel more invested in all the figure skating disciplines of the winter games. Apologies if the topic has been hashed about before.
 

caelum

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
I'm not particularly excited. I think because the team events occur so near to the main events themselves (especially for men's and pair's) I can't imagine the top contenders will put in much effort, they'll be saving themselves - which translates to lackluster performances. I think the ISU is doing this to promote the sport, hoping to play off patriotic fervor like gymnastics does. But if I'm right that the performances will be lackluster, it could backfire in a big way.
 

ManyCairns

Medalist
Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Country
United-States
Not at all. Just don't have the history of it being a team event. Feels very manufactured and artificial. May grow on me, though, but right now I couldn't care less.
 

Coriana

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 11, 2013
I'm looking forward to it, though I have no idea whether stamina will become an issue or not, and I feel certain there'll be some problems here and there with this first event. But there'll be more skating, and second chances from favourite skaters. I love the team effort in other individual sports - my fave being show jumping. Perhaps we'll have a huge Nations Cup skating event in the future, or at least increased popularity for the WTT.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Yes, yes, yes! :rock:

This is destined to be big. It will eventually eclipse the individual contests, for fans in countries that can field a competitive team. Don't worry about exclusivity -- the other countries can still win individual gold medals just like always. Nothing lost, something gained.

Don't worry about athletes getting tired. Poor babies. They are Olympic athletes. Suck it up, like athletes in all other sports do.

More medals, more medals, more medals. That's a good thing. This is win, win. Maybe in the end no one will care, but at least the ISU took its shot.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Not at all. Just don't have the history of it being a team event. Feels very manufactured and artificial. May grow on me, though, but right now I couldn't care less.

This is how I feel. I don't like the idea of an undeserving Olympic medalist, and in the finals it could happen that someone who finishes last in their segment of 5 competitors could walk away with a gold medal. Further, it doesn't seem fair for teams to field only one skater - or none - for a segment depending upon whether they have a competitor who qualified in that category otherwise. If the IOC is allowing this event to happen they should allow qualifying countries to each have an equal number of competitors participate.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I'm excited for it because it's a new Olympic event and presents figure skating in a different way. It's also a great way for Canada to get an assured medal right off the bat and build confidence (normally we have trouble for the first few days so this might help).

However, the lopsidedness makes it rather predictable as to who will be the medalists. It is also (as dmd said) unfair for qualifying countries that only have one skater or no skater for segments. It should be 2 different entries, one SP and one LP for the 10 qualifying countries across the board. It seems rather pointless to include countries that have a non-entry in one of the disciplines and puts them at a severe disadvantage.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
This is how I feel. I don't like the idea of an undeserving Olympic medalist, and in the finals it could happen that someone who finishes last in their segment of 5 competitors could walk away with a gold medal.

I am not worried about that. The underserving wretch has not taken a medal away from someone else. If the Japanese pairs team manages to score two points to push their team into bronze medal range, good for them. S&S can still skate for gold just as they could if their were no team competition.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I am not worried about that. The underserving wretch has not taken a medal away from someone else. If the Japanese pairs team manages to score two points to push their team into bronze medal range, good for them. S&S can still skate for gold just as they could if their were no team competition.

It's absolutely pointless for S/S to skate in the team event, other than literally showing their faces for the fans. Even if they happened to beat V/T, it would go as unnoticed and inconsequential (perhaps a small psychological boost over V/T but the GPF did that already for them).
 

bebevia

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
This is such an individual sport, not to mention subjectivity in scores; team relay doesn't even make sense, unless purely technical.

I would rather welcome actual team events - synchronized!
 

coppertop1

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
I think it will be fun. Let's at least give it a chance and not diss it before it even starts. It will need tweaking, as it's a new event.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Plus, it gives the fans a preview of some of the big match-ups that will come later. Following the team event we will have threads like, NOW has Patrick Chan closed the gap with Yuzur Nanyu? NOW has Hanyu closed the gap with Chan? Has Virtue and Moir clised the gap with Davis and White? Has Davis and White clised the gap with Virtuew and Moir? Should Mao Asada do two triple Axels or 8 triples next week? Should Gracie Gold go back to her old music?

As for Savchenko and Szolkowy, it is up to them whether they compete or not in the team event. There are many reasons why they might want to compete. They are competitive figure skaters, competing in figure skating contests is what they do. They like to skate in front of audiences, and this is the biggest audience in the world. They have a chance to get in Volosozhar and Trankov's head by beating them twice in a row before the individual showdown. Or they might do it just for fun, or for their fans.

Or they could say, "Rest, rest, we need more rest, you expect us to skate two short programs and a long in two weeks? Oh dear, when will we rest?" (Rest after the Olympics. :yes: )
 

centerpt1

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 27, 2008
No. I think it could be better thought out. I'd like to see more athletes skate ...for example one lady does SP another LP-and to be able to switch out athletes in all the disciplines. I'd like to see it after the individual events. Or, instead of programs, have set selections or elements for the skaters to skate. It would be nice to see something different and challenging, but fun.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Or they could say, "Rest, rest, we need more rest, you expect us to skate two short programs and a long in two weeks? Oh dear, when will we rest?" (Rest after the Olympics. :yes: )

Hmmmm, I wonder how the top ladies will feel about YuNa (and Carolina?) NOT having to risk her self in the event?:scratch:
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
They probably feel sorry for Yuna because she doesn't get a chance to compete in the team competition and possibly win another gold medal.
 

guenever

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 8, 2013
I think it would have made more sense to make synchro an Olympic event instead of making up a whole new thing with athletes that are already in the Games-- but that said, as a Canadian, i can't deny i'm excited about my team's chances.

re: S/S, they've been saying for a while now that they have no interest in competing in the team event.
 

rvi5

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
I think it would have made more sense to make synchro an Olympic event instead of making up a whole new thing with athletes that are already in the Games...

Like women's hockey, synchro is dominated by the same four countries. Considering the IOC has threatened to remove women's hockey from the Olympics if it doesn't become somewhat more equalized, it seems unlikely they would add another sport with the same issues.
 

flying camel

Medalist
Joined
Nov 16, 2005
Unless the USA wins the team I don't see NBC showing much of the event. It will probably just be a highlight show.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Unless the USA wins the team I don't see NBC showing much of the event. It will probably just be a highlight show.

On the contrary, NBC already has been promoting that its first night of Olympic coverage will air on Thursday -- in advance of the opening ceremony on Friday -- in order to show team skating, as well as whatever other sport(s) has/have competition on Thursday. [Off the top of my head, I don't remember the other Thursday sports.]

On Thursday, only ten pairs SPs and ten men's SPs will be skated, so I bet that NBC will show a high proportion of the totality.
I'm sure that the American man who skates the SP will get a lot of attention from NBC, as will the Japanese man + Chan, Plushenko, and Han Yan -- if they skate in the team SP.
Also (to a lesser extent, perhaps), the pairs from the U.S., China, and Canada + possibly Russia and Germany, depending on who they are.

And on that first Thursday night, I expect NBC to preview much of the Olympic figure skating to come -- including the big names in the competitions for individuals, such as Yuna Kim. It's the perfect opportunity to show some fluff that will get viewers interested in the skaters to be seen in the coming days.

... I'd like to see more athletes skate ...for example one lady does SP another LP-and to be able to switch out athletes in all the disciplines. ...

Sixty skaters will compete in the team SPs/SD. Up to twenty "new" skaters can compete in the team FSs/FD.
On top of those possible twenty, a maximum of only ten additional skaters would be involved if the rules allowed "new" entries in all four disciplines for the FSs/FD.

At least eighteen skaters will earn team medals. :)

... Apologies if the topic has been hashed about before.

LOL, no worries, Rabid. We have had quite a few previous threads on this topic -- but Mathman and others (incl. me) always are game for further discussion. :yes:
 

weir1

Spectator
Joined
Mar 19, 2012
I am not excited about the team event, and I have a very good reason:
Have you seen the judges' information? , they decided in advance, without a further draw, who will be the judges in the team event!
Why? Is this competiton less important than the regular one?
Is it because it starts first?
IMO, it is because the Olympics are in Russia, and Russia is Russia is Russia...
They have amazing skaters, but also "protection", just in case...
 
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