Boston Globe article on the demise of the "American Ice Queen"

thinspread · Jan 9, 2014

chapis said:
sport is entertainment too, people just watch sports for entertainment and fun.

That's true. It definitely competes with other entertainment for attention.

I think it's true that many people don't consider FS as a serious sport, thinking it's too feminine. If they can't change that and can't depend on ever-presence of a big star, how about trying with modifying the scoring system so that it encourages skaters to take a different, individualized direction for their programs? I think popularity of FS is hurt partly because it produces too many cookie-cutter programs to familiar music/themes (i.e. BORING).

Skaters are already tied up with the business of meeting all those level requirements, which are impossible to decipher and all look similar for the casual viewers. And the current COP doesn't reward enough for creativity, individuality or fresh interpretation. For a change, they don't need to depart from the COP, they could just modify and re-calibrate the scoring criteria. It's a pity that figure skating, with its speedy, agile gliding and fluidity of movements, has many strengths as a unique vehicle for performance and presentation of a theme, but its scoring system doesn't work toward encouraging the skaters to fully exploit that and promoting enough their expression and interpretation.

Slowdive · Jan 9, 2014

brightphoton said:
Every year there's an article bemoaning figure skating's lack of popularity and blaming it on CoP.

What our sport needs is another good knee whack.

As already said in this Ice Queenie thread, this is the post I agree with the most.
Sounds horrible I know but it would make going into Sochi much more interesting should Yu-Na Kim receive a knee whacking with Mao Asada as a main culprit! :popcorn:

miki88 · Jan 9, 2014

Slowdive said:
As already said in this Ice Queenie thread, this is the post I agree with the most.
Sounds horrible I know but it would make going into Sochi much more interesting should Yu-Na Kim receive a knee whacking with Mao Asada as a main culprit!

Skating was popular (much more than now) even before that big scandal. There was the "Battle of the Brians" that caught viewers attention. The allure and appeal of Katarina Witt, and her rivalry with Debi Thomas. Even a lesser-known skaters like Tiffany Chin got fluff pieces dedicated to her, including the memorable one with her mom. I do agree with those who have mentioned the decline of "TV culture" to be a factor in the decreased interest in the sport.

thinspread · Jan 9, 2014

Slowdive said:
As already said in this Ice Queenie thread, this is the post I agree with the most.
Sounds horrible I know but it would make going into Sochi much more interesting should Yu-Na Kim receive a knee whacking with Mao Asada as a main culprit!

After a cross-border action plot, a local hit man, the evidence and confession, then a diplomatic feud over extradition of the culprits and criminal court jurisdiction. Yeah, that would feed the media for years, not just months. But it won't help the sport.

RABID · Jan 9, 2014

Slowdive said:
As already said in this Ice Queenie thread, this is the post I agree with the most.
Sounds horrible I know but it would make going into Sochi much more interesting should Yu-Na Kim receive a knee whacking with Mao Asada as a main culprit!

But did that whack really help the sport gain in popularity? I think that event got a lot of interest but I am not so sure it spilled over into any significant interest in figure skating itself. Remember the early 90's was still part of a golden era. I would even say that that event might have been responsible for turning people off the sport, after the "drama" waned. I remember that was a time when it was "good fun" to mock and make fun of the sport like it was some sort of cartoon. Perhaps that warped image of figure skating turned off a potential group of new fans; dismissing the sport as a collection of back stabbing drama queens whilst trying to be little princesses but with no "REAL" athleticism.

Sai Bon · Jan 9, 2014

RABID said:
But did that whack really help the sport gain in popularity? I think that event got a lot of interest but I am not so sure it spilled over into any significant interest in figure skating itself. Remember the early 90's was still part of a golden era. I would even say that that event might have been responsible for turning people off the sport, after the "drama" waned. I remember that was a time when it was "good fun" to mock and make fun of the sport like it was some sort of cartoon. Perhaps that warped image of figure skating turned off a potential group of new fans; dismissing the sport as a collection of back stabbing drama queens whilst trying to be little princesses but with no "REAL" athleticism.

Just imagine how BORING it would be if we had Ice Queens and Ice Kings. It's been boring enough that Patrick Chan's been winning almost everything for years, ditto for YuNa Kim (no disrespect to them, they are obviously amazing skaters), and it's finally looking interesting with a number of others snapping at their heels. A one-horse race isn't going to attract a following. Although Dai and Mao had a lot to do with figure skating's popularity in Japan, there are many others (Akiko, Kanako, Takahiko, and more recently Yuzu and Tatsuki) who have contributed by making if competitive. On the other hand, figure skating is still an acquired taste compared to baseball, soccer, rugby, etc.

Blades of Passion · Jan 10, 2014

The programs suck these days. Just look at this American Nationals Ladies' SP competition that just concluded - none of the programs sing. The elements are simply there because they must be done. All kinds of spin positions and rotations thrown in without any sense of greater choreographic or interpretive purpose. Footwork that goes on and on for no reason. All kinds random transitional movements instead of truly grabbing the audience or moving with artistic purpose.

Compare to 2005 U.S. Nationals, the last 6.0 event. The top 4 SP's there, from Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Jenny Kirk, and Bebe Liang, surpass ALL of the top 4 programs from 2014 Nationals. Excellent skating with an impact that exceeds the Triple-Triple combinations and disjointed crap that Gracie Gold and Polina Edmunds are doing now.

lavender · Jan 10, 2014

Blades of Passion said:
The programs suck these days. Just look at this American Nationals Ladies' SP competition that just concluded - none of the programs sing. The elements are simply there because they must be done. All kinds of spin positions and rotations thrown in without any sense of greater choreographic or interpretive purpose. Footwork that goes on and on for no reason. All kinds random transitional movements instead of truly grabbing the audience or moving with artistic purpose.

Compare to 2005 U.S. Nationals, the last 6.0 event. The top 4 SP's there, from Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen, Jenny Kirk, and Bebe Liang, surpass ALL of the top 4 programs from 2014 Nationals. Excellent skating with an impact that exceeds the Triple-Triple combinations and disjointed crap that Gracie Gold and Polina Edmunds are doing now.

OMG I thought that it was just me. Gracie skated well (for Gracie) and they have packaged her up pretty good for but I felt absolutely nothing. I just didn't get it.

aftertherain · Jan 10, 2014

lavender said:
OMG I thought that it was just me. Gracie skated well (for Gracie) and they have packaged her up pretty good for but I felt absolutely nothing. I just didn't get it.

Because that's all we saw. Pretty gift wrap with a nice little bow on top, but once you unwrapped it, there was little flash and bang other than her brief jumps which weren't even on point today.

Her short program is not a masterpiece, far FAR from it, but it does get the judges to notice her if they ever missed her.

bebevia · Jan 10, 2014

Sai Bon said:
Just imagine how BORING it would be if we had Ice Queens and Ice Kings. It's been boring enough that Patrick Chan's been winning almost everything for years, ditto for YuNa Kim (no disrespect to them, they are obviously amazing skaters), and it's finally looking interesting with a number of others snapping at their heels. A one-horse race isn't going to attract a following. Although Dai and Mao had a lot to do with figure skating's popularity in Japan, there are many others (Akiko, Kanako, Takahiko, and more recently Yuzu and Tatsuki) who have contributed by making if competitive. On the other hand, figure skating is still an acquired taste compared to baseball, soccer, rugby, etc.

The thrill of competition is in competing neck-a-neck and "competing". I agree on singular dominance boredom, but instead of blaming the winners, it's time to actually pay attention and respect for SILVER WINNERS. Just consider the word "gold medal" as a separate superclass category from other medals.

lavender · Jan 10, 2014

I wish there was a 'ice king'. I enjoy the men much more than the women now. I have ever since COP was introduced. COP doesn't seem to stop the men from having interesting programs.

xzchief · Jan 10, 2014

chapis said:
but people watch dancing with the stars , and they want to know who will win, it is the same, many people say it is not a sport but they want to watch it, why???, why not FS???.

Dancing with the Stars features a lot of beautiful people in revealing costumes doing suggestive routines. The show's ratings are also declining compared to its peak. It's more like figure skating than you know.

xzchief · Jan 10, 2014

karne said:
The extremely sexist nature of this discussion says it all - Americans are obsessed with the concept of an Ice Princess. Why not an Ice Prince? The top men are all good-looking, charming, personable, and mighty athletes. There's a goldmine of marketing there that is just being perpetually ignored!

It's time to be bold! It's time to bust stereotypes! Bring Battle of the Blades to the US. Perhaps have a "greatest athlete" style contest and pitch a skater against football players and the like!

Good luck. How much cash are you willing to spend trying to achieve your vision? Money talks.

Ladskater · Jan 11, 2014

The "American Ice Queens" have been replaced with the "Japanese/Korean Ice Queens"

aftertherain · Jan 11, 2014

Ladskater said:
The "American Ice Queens" have been replaced with the "Japanese/Korean Ice Queens"

Asian Imperial Empresses.

Boston Globe article on the demise of the "American Ice Queen"

thinspread

Slowdive

miki88

thinspread

RABID

Sai Bon

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be

lavender

aftertherain

bebevia

lavender

xzchief

xzchief

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~

aftertherain

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