- Joined
- Feb 24, 2012
nd Well the phenomenum of the death of the American Ice princess is more than just females. It is in men's , pairs and dance as well. Not only is there a decline in skating popularity because of many reasons including the complex scoring system and the inability to comprehend it and the whining about the judging is a turn off as well (sorry fans or fanatics or ... we are in some ways our worst enemies for the sport and art we love). The more we and everyone whines doesn't help. THe new rules also made the skating more generic just different music. You can no longer do a beautiful open single axel or whatever because it doesn't get you the points. And everyone is trying to increase the levels and thus the spins and all aren't so pretty or are more based on what will maximize my point value. The programs look the same with different music and how different really is the music - can we say Carmen? Four Seasons? Scherazadae? Otonal? Swan Lake? And sadly the personalities are all rather bland or princessy. Even the beloved Davis and White while great skaters are not as charismatic say as Bestmianova and Bukin or Gritschuk and Plato, they do not have the excellent skill level of say Bourne and Kraatz and their programs and chemistry are not of the Usova and zhullin era before the marital rift or Pomanrenko and Klimova. Off the ice hey are like pablum - Miss America answers and comments to the media. Now if they showed Meryl as the witch who was say vexing Virtue and Moir well that would be more noticeable and of interest or Charlie as the bad boy well things might be different. Currently Gracie and Ashley both are blondish and beautiful but rather bland. Princess/miss america answers. Pretty and femininene and graceful look but they have not distinguished themsevles - musically, program wise, jumps, spins or charisma on ice. Fans of each may say they have a lot of personality but sorry that is not conveyed well on or off the ice. The Ice princess is no more right now. It would help if she medals first too at worlds and the olympics. I think Ashley might medal but it is far from a guarantee.