Should the pros have been reinstated in 1994?

[Ladskater]

I am from the old school of figure skating and feel once skaters have entered the pro ranks then that is where they should stay; no going back to their amateur status. It's not fair to the new crop of skaters and those who have "hung in there" waiting for their turn. So in answer to your question "no, the pros should not have been reinstated in 1994.

[berthes ghost]

I am from the old school of figure skating and feel once skaters have entered the pro ranks then that is where they should stay; no going back to their amateur status. It's not fair to the new crop of skaters and those who have "hung in there" waiting for their turn. So in answer to your question "no, the pros should not have been reinstated in 1994.

I don't understand.

In "the old school of figure skating" Sonja Henie reighned for 10 straight years and no one could beat her. Do you really feel that she should have stepped down after St. Moritz and given the titles to Burger and Colledge? Sonja certainly kept many a skater from getting "her turn" atop the podium.

How is M&D turning pro for one year any different than R&Z taking one year off to have a baby?

Patrenko and Browning were neck and neck rivals for years. Was it ok for Kurt to deny those "waiting their turn" in 93 just because Viktor won an Oy medal and Kurt didn't in Albertville?

Was it Ok for Todd to comeback in 2001, just becasue he didn't become what "the old school of figure skating" called a pro? He didn't skate in eligable comps and he made a lot of money from skating.

[Jaana]

I don't understand.

In "the old school of figure skating" Sonja Henie reighned for 10 straight years and no one could beat her. Do you really feel that she should have stepped down after St. Moritz and given the titles to Burger and Colledge? Sonja certainly kept many a skater from getting "her turn" atop the podium.

How is M&D turning pro for one year any different than R&Z taking one year off to have a baby?

Patrenko and Browning were neck and neck rivals for years. Was it ok for Kurt to deny those "waiting their turn" in 93 just because Viktor won an Oy medal and Kurt didn't in Albertville?

Was it Ok for Todd to comeback in 2001, just becasue he didn't become what "the old school of figure skating" called a pro? He didn't skate in eligable comps and he made a lot of money from skating.

Ladskater was speaking of pro skaters. As far as I remember, your examples - Henie, Browning Petrenko and Eldredge - are not pro skaters coming back to eligible skating, are they? Yes, matters have changed in the way that these days eligible skaters can earn money, a lot of money. Personally I think that it is unfortunate for the sport that there is practically no difference between them.

[berthes ghost]

Like I said, it makes no sense to me that someone like Irina Rodnia could win two Oly titles and 10 world championships, take a full year off,and then return to win an unprecidented 3rd gold medal, but in Lad's eyes she wasn't preventing anyone who was "waiting their turn" from winning.

M&D, OTOH, only had one Oly title and two world titles, but becasue they took a year off under the title "pro" they were denying others a chance at "their turn" even thought hey didn't skate for a fraction of how long Rodnina dominated the sport.

I hope that this viewpoint doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the pair who were "waiting their turn" in 92 and were denied an Oly title because of reinstated pros were Canadian.