"Up Close and Personal" Pieces

[lil lion 816]

Fluff pieces are ok - like someone mentioned in an earlier post, they allow us to see that there is more to the skaters than lutzes and salchows. What gets on my wick is when they show the *same* fluff piece over and over all season (or in one case I can remember they showed it the next season as well!) without adding anything new or informative. Also, I feel that time that should be devoted to skating is often sacrificed to these "phluff pieces". And one more thing - I would like to see *more* skaters featured. It's the same two or three over and over. Many times one of the commentators would mention something *very* interesting concerning a skater, their life, and how it's affected their skating and I wondered, "now, why couldn't they do a piece on that instead of, say, watching a feature on an already well-publicized skater baking cookies????"

[Ladskater]

I agree - more skating - less talk. Skating coverage is getting less and less about the skating and more about the high profile skaters. I want to see all of the skaters, not just the popular ones.

[hockeyfan228]

What I find annoying about the "Up Close and Personal" stuff is that they almost always focus on the obvious skaters, with constant repeats, and little substance. The original UCAP's the ABC did during the Olympics were strong -- they introduced athletes and modes of life and training that were foreign to most of the North American audience. I think the original Plushenko UCAP was a good attempt, because it showed his sense of humor and gentle quality, and a nice relationship with a dog never hurt anyone's rep. But it could have been much stronger showing him training or working with a choreographer. A recent description on FS Universe described him working 10 minutes on a segment that would last 20 seconds of his program. Showing how hard a skater has to work to perfect a program and the degree of concentration and the minute details and nuances of the corrections would give more insight into skating and the making of a champion or contender than any amount of driving an SUV or those awful date sequences in the Joubert piece.

Based on his cheekbones alone, Joubert could have become the Anna Kournikova of skating, if he couldn't actually skate as well. But apart from the unusually beautiful, popularity creates its own cycle: the producers do an UCAP about a popular skater who becomes more popular, and gets another fluff piece or post-performance interview, etc.

What about the other skaters? Skating could become a whole lot more appealing if more people liked more skaters. How much imagination does it take to do a piece on a guy known as "The Murv"? (The perfect hook would be to show friends Plushenko, Murvanidze, and Klimkin together, so that people think it might be about Plushenko and don't leave for a snack break.) Klimkin coming back from his coach's death and injury (g-d willing) would make a great piece. Grushina/Goncharov making a home for themselves in Connecticut for a decade to try to fulfill the long-term goal of an Olympic medal. Jenna McCorkell training with the former Men's Jr. Worlds silver medallist, Yuri Bureiko, who created a training ground in England. The three Finnish women cheering each other on, regardless of who gets the single spot at Worlds. The possibilities are endless.

[lulu]

I love your ideas Hockeyfan!

As others have mentioned above, the worse thing about the UCAPS are that they are just the same generic profiles "cooking w/ Sasha" "basketball w/Michelle" etc. That profile just the same very well known and popular skaters.

I would love to see a profile of a relatively unknown skater with a more unusual skater.
And of course, see more skating too.

[Kathleen]

I guess I'm in the minority here.....I actually like the UC&P pieces! LOL It's nice to see the skaters in a different setting...without all the hair & make-up, out of the rink, etc....

I do agree that it's annoying when the stations repeat the stories....like ABC would run the same story on Michelle during the Grand Prix and then again at Nationals....YAWN.......give me some original stuff! :-)

[berthes ghost]

I guess I'm in the minority here.....I actually like the UC&P pieces! LOL I

Well, maybe at a skating fan board like this one, where we all watch way too much skating, but obviously not with the general viewing public. If most people hated UC&Ps, they'd be off the air quicker than you can say "demographic".

[Ptichka]

It depends. Things that relate to skating (i.e. coaching changes) are interesting. What I hate are the pieces that exploit the rags-to-riches theme. Back when Oksana skated in competitions, I would just grind my teeth every time they brought up her orphan background. The peak, IMHO, was this year's Worlds fluff about Shen & Zhao, when Xue's mom talked about how her dad could only afford one dumpling. I thought it really trivialized what could have otherwise been an interesting look at the Chinese skater-making machine.

[Linny]

The UCAP's are OK when they don't take too much time away from skating. It's the "At the Boards" interviews that make me insane. Who will ever forget the idiot who shoved a mike in Brian Orser's face, after he'd just had the skate of a lifetime - at the Olympics, too - and the idiot says something like "How does it feel to loose to Brian Boitano?" Brian Orser hadn't yet figured out his standing. Argh!!!

Now, it's not too bad when Peter gets together with the 3 top skaters after the standings have been posted and before the medal ceramony. The skaters have had time to catch their breath. It becomes a nice celebration. It's especially cool when they do it at Nationals - these are the skaters who are going to go to Worlds. The adversaries become a team.

Linny

[Kathleen]

That was David Santee....wasn't it?? I can't remember......

[thisthingcalledlove]

Now, it's not too bad when Peter gets together with the 3 top skaters after the standings have been posted and before the medal ceramony. The skaters have had time to catch their breath. It becomes a nice celebration. It's especially cool when they do it at Nationals - these are the skaters who are going to go to Worlds. The adversaries become a team.

Linny

Depends on who it is. Usually, if it's Sasha in 2nd or lower (much as I love her) she's usually sulking.

[Joesitz]

One thing to consider that I thought of while reading this thread: maybe the skaters like to be able to share some of their life with the fans, or explain certain aspects of their life, training, or coaching decisions. Just food for thought...speaking of, about raiding that refrigerator...where's the ice cream? :D

for all the posters: There is nothing wrong, imo, of these fluff pieces on TV but I would prefer them to be on a half hour before the competition kinda like a Barbara Walters Special. This would allow us to see Stephane Lambiel and Joannie Rochet on TV.

As for interviews after the skate, well the questions and answers are the same during the compoetitions. Maybe we can write a note to Peter and Susie with our own questions. Example. Are you working on the lutz so that it doesn't come offf as a Flutz? That would be an eye opener for the skater . What would be her answer? I used her and not him because he problem doesn't exist among the men.

As for the demonstrations, I think it would be important for new fans to see the lutz and flip demonstrated. Also a flutz and see if I'm not right in calling it a flip.

Oh dear, I am ranting on.....

Joe

[PrincessLeppard]

Are you working on the lutz so that it doesn't come offf as a Flutz? That would be an eye opener for the skater . What would be her answer? I used her and not him because he problem doesn't exist among the men.

Joe

Tim Goebel and Takeshi Honda flutz. :D

Laura

[berthes ghost]

The UCAP's are OK when they don't take too much time away from skating. It's the "At the Boards" interviews that make me insane. Who will ever forget the idiot who shoved a mike in Brian Orser's face, after he'd just had the skate of a lifetime - at the Olympics, too - and the idiot says something like "How does it feel to loose to Brian Boitano?" Brian Orser hadn't yet figured out his standing. Argh!!!

Ah, the David Santee interview that everyone seems to be so obsessed with. What really happened was that the camera clearly shows Brian mouthing to someone off camera "Second? I'm second?". The marks of course he knows, as they are anounced. Santee than begins his interview with "Brian, I have good news and bad news." The good news turns out to the 6.0 everyone clearly knew he had, and the bad news the second place finish, which many clearly knew about as well.

It was clearly just a cheesy way to start an interview, rather than the all so familiar "What happened?" or " How does it feell...?" . But, like an urban myth, it will live on forever as the time David Santee told Brian Orser that he had lost to Boitano.

[Joesitz]

Fluff pieces are ok - like someone mentioned in an earlier post, they allow us to see that there is more to the skaters than lutzes and salchows. What gets on my wick is when they show the *same* fluff piece over and over all season (or in one case I can remember they showed it the next season as well!) without adding anything new or informative.

Yes, yes, yes!!! Do we want to see another R&J? I am sure we will get repeats of Swan Lake and Tosca for the upcoming Cheesefest. Not waiting with baited breath. It would normally be their new (if there is a new) routine for the upcoming season, but I think with all that money to win, the skate must go without flaws and those older pieces can now be done by rote.

Joe

[SkateFan4Life]

I have to say "thank you" to ESPN for filming and broadcasting most of the competitors at US Nationals. I have so much enjoyed watching the second and third flight of skaters. Sure, none of them had a reasonable chance to make the US World team, but for Pete's sake, they were all good enough to qualify to compete at Nationals, and I wanted to see them skate!! For many of them, this appearance at Nationals would be the pinnacle of their competitive careers, and they made themselves proud with their performances.

I was truly thankful that ESPN concentrated on their performances, with insightful analysis by Terry Gannon, Peggy Fleming, Dick Button, etc. Since these were not the star skaters, there wasn't a single "up close and personal" bio piece. BRAVO!