The Casual Viewer | Golden Skate

The Casual Viewer

carriecmu0503

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
I have the World Championships on the TV right now. This post I guess has good news/ bad news. The good news is that when Ashley Wagner got on the ice, my roommate recognized her from the Olympics "hey, didn't she skate at the Olympics?" Further good news- it means Ashley's program was memorable. Bad news: didn't she skate this program at the Olympics? Why is she skating the same program? When I explained that it takes months to prepare a program, her response was "so they just skate the same program over and over all year? Interesting." She would have turned the channel were it not me watching. I have a feeling this is a pretty average response from today's viewer. Somehow we need to freshen the sport to bring in new viewers, rather than turning them away. I'm not saying have skaters change their programs for every competition, obviously, but something needs to be done.
 

aschiutza

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
You cannot win all. If someone is not prepared to see a program three times in a year, he is not prepared to be more than a casual viewer which looks a competition because has nothing better to do in the evening....
 

YLFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Apr 3, 2014
Disapointed they completely cut out Anna Pogorilya of the show for an extended Gold love fest.
 

HanDomi

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Is there going to be replay of that nbc worlds ? I wanted to watch and again I forgot... :mad:
 

carriecmu0503

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
It's not that she wasn't prepared to watch a program again, it is that she had no idea that is the way it works. Other than ardent fans, most people probably have no idea how much work it takes to put a program together, get it competition ready, and improve it/ grow with it throughout the year. I think something could be done to educate people about that process, so as to draw more people in, rather than just dismissing them as you seem to have done.
 

aschiutza

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
I am not dismissing, but i am also not a preacher and a walking-teacher ready to spread my knowledge on anyone of they want or not. :laugh:
 

pec0

Match Penalty
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
I hope they show data on display for each element, for example jump max hight, width, rotation by digree at least and slomo replay later. A lot of numbers on display will look just cool and help understand the effort of skaters. The sport will become interesting then as much as or more than football, baseball, basketball for casual viewers and everyone will go home early to watch TV broadcasting figure skate competitions and grow population of skaters.
 

nimi

Medalist
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
Other than ardent fans, most people probably have no idea how much work it takes to put a program together, get it competition ready, and improve it/ grow with it throughout the year. I think something could be done to educate people about that process, so as to draw more people in, rather than just dismissing them as you seem to have done.

A popular reality TV series could do the trick. No idea how to create one, though. Skaters don't show a lot of skin while practicing in frigid conditions, nor can they engage in binge drinking with the accompanying alcohol fueled arguments during competitive season. They already tried the DWTS route with Skating With The Stars, which wasn't a success. (Unlike in several non-US countries, where shows like Dancing On Ice have done well and probably made the audience a bit more aware of how challenging even simple footwork is.)
 

Amei

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
A popular reality TV series could do the trick. No idea how to create one, though. Skaters don't show a lot of skin while practicing in frigid conditions, nor can they engage in binge drinking with the accompanying alcohol fueled arguments during competitive season. They already tried the DWTS route with Skating With The Stars, which wasn't a success. (Unlike in several non-US countries, where shows like Dancing On Ice have done well and probably made the audience a bit more aware of how challenging even simple footwork is.)

Well there's a big difference between teaching someone over the course of a few months how to do the fox trot, rumba and samba vs. in a few months teaching someone with no past experience of figure skating to do pair's skating elements like throw jumps, lifts, etc. that is going to draw interest in the sport. And I don't think that DWTS has drawn a huge amount of interest into ballroom dancing. So even if they were able to do a reality TV series like that again and it manages to be successful, that doesn't necessarily translate to competitive figure skating becoming more popular.
 

skatedreamer

Medalist
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Country
United-States
The reality show idea made me think about a "Project Runway"-type program but IDK how it could be managed. Those shows take a lot of time -- hard to imagine a skater sacrificing that much training. The logistics would be crazy, too...and who would do the Tim Gunn thing? :biggrin:

When people ask me to explain why skating fascinates me, I start by saying that it happens on ice. When you consider how much effort it sometimes takes the average person just to stay upright on an icy sidewalk -- sheesh! Figure skaters launch themselves into the air, turn around multiple times, and then land on one leg, on a 1/8-1/16" blade, and have to look gorgeous and effortless while doing it. And all on ICE! :bow:

The costumes, music, and makeup really disguise how tough it is. I wish more people could appreciate that.
 

pista04

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
A popular reality TV series could do the trick. No idea how to create one, though.

I don't know about you guys, but I loved the Tessa and Scott show that was on this past winter!! I enjoyed getting to know them and genuinely think something like this can work in the US. I know that plenty of people were critical of the show, saying that the editing was problematic and it dramatized the situation that they were in, and while I agree, I do think that this is one very real way we can get a new generation involved. Give someone like Ashley a show on Bravo and it will be a hit! I know that there was the show on TLC a couple years ago that followed Bebe Liang, Alissa Czisny and Danielle Kahle....but quite frankly, that painted all figure skating girls as innocent little dolls who do no wrong while being surrounded by pink and light blue editting. America won't watch that. America will watch someone with spunk, sass and humor. Think Johnny Weir's show but on a mainstream channel, hence Bravo.
 
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Disapointed they completely cut out Anna Pogorilya of the show for an extended Gold love fest.

They showed Americans + the medalists for both the men and ladies. Since Pogo didn't make the podium, they didn't show her LP. NBC's coverage of figure skating tends to be very American-centric, but I was more annoyed by the incessant chattiness of Tara/Johnny than the Gold interview.
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
NHL does a a show that leads up to the winter classic that shows two teams competing mid season with tons of behind the scenes footage. Not a drama based reality show but one that shows the lives of the players from within and beyond the game. I would love to see intense training, skaters in the warm-up area's, rink side footage, and some personal life segments from the skating world. I know a few former Olympians and they live interesting lives worthy of a TV show. If you could catch a few in their prime it would be great. They could do a lead up to the GPF then follow the top skaters to worlds. I'd watch it. No idea who would pay for it. That would be the biggest problem.
 
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
I feel like a reality show could be successful if they featured two pairs or teams (with at least one that regularly hangs out off ice) that share the same snarky coach or train in the same rink with snarky coaches.
I just feel like for it to be successful with non-skating crowds, they'd have to have some competition and drama....and a witchy/snarky coach(es) would also help bring some entertainment...

Either that of an individual skater who is flamboyant and outspoken with a lot of interesting people that make up his/her team.

- But, idk if it would work just for the simple sake that when individuals/teams/pairs are training, having a distraction like camera crews and obligated outings off-ice might be a distraction...
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
A popular reality TV series could do the trick. No idea how to create one, though. Skaters don't show a lot of skin while practicing in frigid conditions, nor can they engage in binge drinking with the accompanying alcohol fueled arguments during competitive season. They already tried the DWTS route with Skating With The Stars, which wasn't a success. (Unlike in several non-US countries, where shows like Dancing On Ice have done well and probably made the audience a bit more aware of how challenging even simple footwork is.)


You could watch the reruns of the Tessa & Scott reality show

http://nathaliepechalats.tumblr.com...-you-send-another-link-to-another-tessa-scott
 

OS

Sedated by Modonium
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2010

I actually think Nathalie Pechalats should have her own reality show, she seems a fascinating woman! Utterly crazy, but fascinating... and I actually would love to get to know the creative process of their programs. I really like their little prince program. Pity she and the fab Fabian (Gorgeous Gallic man) are retiring. I wonder if they may skate at Pro-Am or some other future shows.
 

caitie

Medalist
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
I encounter that attitude a lot -- seen it once, what's the point of seeing it again! I think it just means while they enjoy watching the skaters skate their programs, they don't enjoy it enough to watch it again. And I sort of understand that because I'm the same way about a lot of sports where I'll only watch a team I'm specifically invested in (re: soccer, I only watch our national teams) or only a specific game (re: gymnastics, I only watch the Olympics) and it's just the level of interest I have in the sport.
 

noskates

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 11, 2012
Personally I think this was a one-off situation. I have friends who are not figure skating fanatics that just like watching it - no matter what the skater is skating to. And enjoy watching the same program again and again. Charlie and Meryl's programs come to mind.

Besides, how is that different from watching any sport. In football the plays are the same. In basketball they run up and down the court and the last 2 minutes are pretty much the only ones that count. Most people can't figure out hockey or soccer. It just is what it is.
 

kresslia

Medalist
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Same reaction from my parents. In the case of my mom it was "hey, he's wearing the same outfit he wore at the Olympics!".

But to be honest, if they change up their outfits, a lot of people probably wouldn't notice that they're performing the same program, unless the music is especially memorable to them. Or if it's a popular dance team with a signature lift ("The Goose" comes to mind - everyone in Canada still remembers that one lol).
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Somehow we need to freshen the sport to bring in new viewers, rather than turning them away. I'm not saying have skaters change their programs for every competition, obviously, but something needs to be done.

I'd say the blame lies mostly with TV channels. A casual viewer won't seek out figure skating videos specifically on the internet, they'll watch it on TV when they turn a sports channel on and there happens to be a FS contest. But at least where I live, the channels mostly offer the best-of cuts, so by the end of the season, you'll have seen the same skaters many times, whereas others not even once. Same for exhibitions. I wish they offered all programs. At the end of the season, I just left the couch to go do something else when e.g. Lipnitskaia's FD or Fernandez' exhibition started, because these made all the cuts throughout the season. :confused2:
 
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