The Casual Viewer | Page 3 | Golden Skate

The Casual Viewer

nimi

Medalist
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
And my aunt said this when she saw Yuzuru performed: "That's not a girl?" :eek:
:laugh:
So, in addition to trying to explain the various jumps and points and elements and levels and edge calls to the casual viewers, they also should explain how you can tell girls and slender skater boys apart based on the color of their skates and the fact that boys don't wear tights? (Which is a pity, considering how many shapely legs there are in any given men's event.)
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Really? :jaw::jaw:
And my mum said Yulia looked like an angel. :love: so true!
And my aunt said this when she saw Yuzuru performed: "That's not a girl?" :eek:

I know... thus "casual viewer" - even Stephen Colbert said something to Meryl and Charlie, "If this isn't real, then all love is fake" - paraphrasing.

Skating fans have analyzed and discussed a great deal on chemistry and have thought more about the subject than the average person.

Still, DW having romantic chemistry is one of the funniest things I've heard...
 

Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
I know... thus "casual viewer" - even Stephen Colbert said something to Meryl and Charlie, "If this isn't real, then all love is fake" - paraphrasing.

Skating fans have analyzed and discussed a great deal on chemistry and have thought more about the subject than the average person.

Still, DW having romantic chemistry is one of the funniest things I've heard...
Colbert should go home, he is drunk! :unsure:

Anyways, about the casual viewers, I would love if they make short films about skating with beautiful special effects maybe. Like a series of episodes, each has a theme, a story for the skater to tell. And they can invite skaters from all over the world to join the project.:popcorn:
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
Colbert should go home, he is drunk! :unsure:

Anyways, about the casual viewers, I would love if they make short films about skating with beautiful special effects maybe. Like a series of episode, each has a theme, a story for the skater to tell. And they can invite skaters from all over the world to join the project.:popcorn:

Red Bull makes movies like that for pretty much all extreme sports. It would be a good model to follow and would definitely grow the sport. Watch any Red Bull snowboard video and tell me there isn't an artistic side to it. Cultural differences sure but there is little denying how much those videos have grown and progressed the sport. :think:
 
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Still, DW having romantic chemistry is one of the funniest things I've heard...

Honestly, I think they portray a different type of romance than a stereotypical one in their programs. So unless an individual is understanding that love can be portrayed and come in different packages besides a traditional one, then I totally understand why they think the idea of them having chemistry is perplexing.
They don't portray a walk in the clouds-everything is splendid love usually. They tend to portray characters that love each other but don't work out for one reason or another....so of course their chemistry is going to look different.

On the other hand, V/M portray a very stereotypical romance typically. They're connection is easily shown and conveyed because it is the quintessential romance that we've been reading about, watching in films/tv, and hearing about since we were itty bitty. But, that doesn't mean that is the only type of chemistry that can exist. If that were true, then all of the sibling teams and pairs might as well call it a day...(which I don't think they should).

To me, both couples have chemistry. They just have different types of chemistry. Like everything else with these two teams - I don't get why people insist on comparing everything about them. (I only brought up both teams because that is who they're compared to in regards to everything it would seem.) Imo, it's comparing apples and oranges. They have different on and off ice relationships, personalities, strengths, weaknesses, perform very different types of programs, etc. They're both fantastic, imo, oftentimes for the same and different reasons all at once because I can appreciate how they convey things differently.

EDIT: I'm beginning to think that maybe D/W's chemistry is something that can only be fully appreciated with certain life experiences.

-- But, I'm still rooting for a Marina Zoueva and Johnny Johns reality show! :biggrin: so intrigued by her, haha
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
Red Bull makes movies like that for pretty much all extreme sports. It would be a good model to follow and would definitely grow the sport. Watch any Red Bull snowboard video and tell me there isn't an artistic side to it. Cultural differences sure but there is little denying how much those videos have grown and progressed the sport. :think:

Sorry to quote myself but here is an example of the type of editing they could do to reflect the season. http://youtu.be/sdg2wOB1TE0

You could also film a bunch of mis-match skating and create programs for them to their favorite music. Just like action sports do. I'd love to see a collage of all different skaters skating to the same song too. :love:
 

pamela

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 27, 2014
Sorry to quote myself but here is an example of the type of editing they could do to reflect the season. http://youtu.be/sdg2wOB1TE0

You could also film a bunch of mis-match skating and create programs for them to their favorite music. Just like action sports do. I'd love to see a collage of all different skaters skating to the same song too. :love:

I dont know if its popular among the fs fans to do montages (i havent done a youtube search really), but fanmade montages can be as good as professional one, if you have an idea and the ability to put it together it can turn out really good.
This 2 are some of my all time favourites of other sports I follow
http://youtu.be/Uozg6EZCmvg
http://youtu.be/-1NlZJn1jJc
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Honestly, I think they portray a different type of romance than a stereotypical one in their programs. So unless an individual is understanding that love can be portrayed and come in different packages besides a traditional one, then I totally understand why they think the idea of them having chemistry is perplexing.
They don't portray a walk in the clouds-everything is splendid love usually. They tend to portray characters that love each other but don't work out for one reason or another....so of course their chemistry is going to look different.

On the other hand, V/M portray a very stereotypical romance typically. They're connection is easily shown and conveyed because it is the quintessential romance that we've been reading about, watching in films/tv, and hearing about since we were itty bitty. But, that doesn't mean that is the only type of chemistry that can exist. If that were true, then all of the sibling teams and pairs might as well call it a day...(which I don't think they should).

To me, both couples have chemistry. They just have different types of chemistry. Like everything else with these two teams - I don't get why people insist on comparing everything about them. (I only brought up both teams because that is who they're compared to in regards to everything it would seem.) Imo, it's comparing apples and oranges. They have different on and off ice relationships, personalities, strengths, weaknesses, perform very different types of programs, etc. They're both fantastic, imo, oftentimes for the same and different reasons all at once because I can appreciate how they convey things differently.

EDIT: I'm beginning to think that maybe D/W's chemistry is something that can only be fully appreciated with certain life experiences.

-- But, I'm still rooting for a Marina Zoueva and Johnny Johns reality show! :biggrin: so intrigued by her, haha

I mentioned in many threads that I don't consider romantic chemistry a prerequisite in dance and pairs, but to say whatever chemistry Meryl and Charlie is romantic is kind of missing the point. They have the chemistry of Belbin and Agosto. Good friends vibe.
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
I dont know if its popular among the fs fans to do montages (i havent done a youtube search really), but fanmade montages can be as good as professional one, if you have an idea and the ability to put it together it can turn out really good.
This 2 are some of my all time favourites of other sports I follow
http://youtu.be/Uozg6EZCmvg
http://youtu.be/-1NlZJn1jJc

The Aliya Mustafina video was awesome!! I'd love to see stuff like this but add behind the scenes footage and interviews for an entire season for figure skaters. Maybe im just too nerdy or something.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I dont know if its popular among the fs fans to do montages (i havent done a youtube search really), but fanmade montages can be as good as professional one, if you have an idea and the ability to put it together it can turn out really good.

Umm, this is already being done...search YT for "sasha cohen" for example and they'll be all over the place.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Figure skating is a sport which is hard to figure out. Unlike in sports such as basketball and football where the winner is determined by the number of goals, or in tennis or volleyball wherein the most sets won is declared the winner, in fs judges are the rule. The best jumps, spins and step sequences are determined only by the judges and the system in a fashion not easily grasped even by fans, moreso casual viewers. Viewer education in any form such as documentaries maybe a good idea, or snippets explaining certain skating moves during a break in a fs broadcast. :)
True true the casual viewer can't tell the difference from a flip a lip or a lutz or salchow - which is harder and worth more. Then to learn the scoring system and the issue about edges yikes. Not a casual viewer. i was at church and one of my kids before junior church is working on her flip; well someone thought it was an axel well we know among many things there is an extra half turn. Not easy to know.
 

Silvia451

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Country
Romania
About casual viewers...during Sochi a lot of friends watched figure skating for the first time and their reactions surprised me...all of them thought I/K were the best, far better than V/M and D/W. :)rolleye::bang:)
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
About casual viewers...during Sochi a lot of friends watched figure skating for the first time and their reactions surprised me...all of them thought I/K were the best, far better than V/M and D/W. :)rolleye::bang:)

I got that impression too from friends who thought they were better. Then I pointed out how D/W and V/M had better positions, postures, holds, etc. Pretty much everything but the speed. They shrugged and said "yeah ... I guess".

I think for the casual viewer, the material matters strongly and "Swan Lake" is more immediately recognizable / accessible than "Scheherazade" or the Glazunov ballet.

On the plus side, other friends did tell me that the entire final flight in the free dance was excellent across the board. One person actually said "THAT is ice dancing? I thought it was supposed to be boring? That is SEXY! Let's watch more!" A convert. Heh.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
most casual viewers in the last Olympics, loved Yuzu, I/K, V/T, Gracie, D/W, Julia
with occasional asking about Yuna's participation when and how she competed
 

Silvia451

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Country
Romania
I got that impression too from friends who thought they were better. Then I pointed out how D/W and V/M had better positions, postures, holds, etc. Pretty much everything but the speed. They shrugged and said "yeah ... I guess".

I think for the casual viewer, the material matters strongly and "Swan Lake" is more immediately recognizable / accessible than "Scheherazade" or the Glazunov ballet.

On the plus side, other friends did tell me that the entire final flight in the free dance was excellent across the board. One person actually said "THAT is ice dancing? I thought it was supposed to be boring? That is SEXY! Let's watch more!" A convert. Heh.


Same here. I was like "But V/M were so elegant and graceful and D/W had incredible speed and those lifts..did you see those lifts??" :eek:hwell: And nothing.:laugh: I'm sure the music was important too.

I told them about the worlds and some of the casual viewers from Sochi watched this event as well. (most of them preferred men's event and ice dance). It's not my intention to get them into figure skating, but it was funny to hear their comments like "are they married?" (V/M) or "he deserves to win because he's cute" (Yuzu). And their reactions to Julia spins:laugh:
 

Globetrotter

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Figure skating is a sport which is hard to figure out. Unlike in sports such as basketball and football where the winner is determined by the number of goals, or in tennis or volleyball wherein the most sets won is declared the winner, in fs judges are the rule. The best jumps, spins and step sequences are determined only by the judges and the system in a fashion not easily grasped even by fans, moreso casual viewers. Viewer education in any form such as documentaries maybe a good idea, or snippets explaining certain skating moves during a break in a fs broadcast. :)

I think you got it exactly right. A friend and I watched the ladies SP for World's together. He is a total zero with FS. Simply could not tell why Asada with that 3A scored more than Kostner and he really wondered how that little girl (Lipnitskaia) was actually in third place when he felt that she was totally cold. His choice of top spot was Kostner and his second fav performance was Asada. I don't think the scoring and all make much sense for the uninitiated. to my friend, it was the overall impression, thus the artistry aspect probably came very apparent (though subjective). He was able to understand there is a technical and artistry score but i had great trouble explaining why Asada's 3A + 3F + 3R2R SP was technically higher than Kostners 3F3T, 3R and 2A as to his untrained eye, Kostner's 3-3 came across as tougher overall package wise.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Same here. I was like "But V/M were so elegant and graceful and D/W had incredible speed and those lifts..did you see those lifts??" :eek:hwell: And nothing.:laugh: I'm sure the music was important too.

I told them about the worlds and some of the casual viewers from Sochi watched this event as well. (most of them preferred men's event and ice dance). It's not my intention to get them into figure skating, but it was funny to hear their comments like "are they married?" (V/M) or "he deserves to win because he's cute" (Yuzu). And their reactions to Julia spins:laugh:

... which from what I heard was along the lines of "OHMIGOD OWWWWWWWW HOW IS SHE DOING THAT?!??!" They absolutely LOVE Yulia. A lot were fans of Yuna and Mao as well, seems people do remember the rivalry from 2010 (even if they didn't recognize the name right away).

And yes, people kept asking which of the ice dance teams were sleeping with each other. It was very entertaining to watch. I did the same thing with the same people for worlds and the nice thing is that they had remembered the teams, although they did refer to them by nationality: "the French where she's a giant flower". "The Russian Black Swan". "The Italians". "That other Canadian team". "That other American team who aren't Asian siblings". Oh well, I tried! :p
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
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.

I think many people feel this way Often, even I do. Same old music, same old costume, same old program. I really find it difficult to believe skaters can't have more than one program per season. There was a time in the GP series finals when a skater had to do two different long programs. And with the skater practicing the same two programs (short and long) day in, day out; week in, week out; month in, month out, it seems odd how often the programs are seriously flawed when competed.
 

aschiutza

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 23, 2004
I hate just when skaters takes the same program from a season to another... Somehow for me a new program is a new oportunity to go further so choosing to stay with the old program equals stagnancy.
 
Top