wish 4C's would be in.......

pipsqueak said:

I'm just musing "aloud" at this point, so don't think I'm a philosopher or something. I never did understand that thing..."I think, therefore I am....."

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Ahem. Suppose you want to create a philosophical world view out of thin air, by formal reasoning from indisputable truths. Is any "truth" indisputable.

Well, suppose that I doubt everything. God does not exist, the world that I see around me does not really exist, everything is illusion. If I doubt the existence of everything, is there anything at all that I can say exists for sure?

Yes. Me!

If I doubt the existence of everything, then there must exist someone who is doing the doubting (me). From this beginning Descarte was able to deduce (so he imagined) the existence of other things, such as the external world, God, etc.

"I think I think, therefore I think I am. I think."

Mathman

PS. I don't suppose there are any political entities on Antarctica with sufficient autonomy that they could qualify for membership in the ISU?

Mathman said:

I don't suppose there are any political entities on Antarctica with sufficient autonomy that they could qualify for membership in the ISU?

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Well, there is the British Antarctic Territory that has its own flag and everything. It usually has population between 50 and 100 (mainly scientists of course).

The lion and the penguin (instead of the lion and the unicorn) -- I love it!

Or perhaps a dance couple composed of a scientist and an Emperor Penguin (those are the tall ones, aren't they?) However, they'd have to make sure that the Penguin was actually FROM the British Antarctic Territories and didn't just wander in from someplace else, or they might have some sort of Belbin/Agosto situation arise.....

JonnyCoop said:

Or perhaps a dance couple composed of a scientist and an Emperor Penguin (those are the tall ones, aren't they?) However, they'd have to make sure that the Penguin was actually FROM the British Antarctic Territories and didn't just wander in from someplace else, or they might have some sort of Belbin/Agosto situation arise.....

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Icelandic horses

Linny,

I would not be able to take a look out of curiosity and NOT come home without an Icelandic pony. So, to this day, I don't know what I missed. What do you know about them?

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I know a bit more about other breeds than about Icelandics... I think they are considered horses because they have the same ratio of body to limbs as horses, whereas ponies have a different ratio. They are the decendants of horses brought there by Vikings. They stand around 14HH, but can carry large adults easily. In addition to the standard gaits of walk, trot, canter and gallop, they have a 5th gait called a tolt... it is sort of a running walk. The talented Icelandics can perform a tolt at a pretty fast pace. In fact, in Iceland they hold tolt races... but it's not for the bit money that Throughbred racing commands in other parts of the world. It's more of a fun bit, like at a country fair.

There was a program on cable called In the Presence of Horses that featured Icelandics. Check your cable listings to see if they will repeat the program.

And now, back to the regularly scheduled skating/geography discussion.

Linny

Matt said:

BTW, was there really a skater from Tajikistan? I somehow missed that one. He/she isn't listed on the ISU's website. I would assume they train in Russia, as the political situation in Tajikistan isn't stable enough for a skater to efficiently train, nor in any of the "-stans" for that matter. I know the top skaters from Uzbekistan (Tatiana Malinina--who won the GP Final in 1999 and was as high as 4th in the world--and Roman Skorniakov, who was her husband) used to train in Dale City, Virginia, just outside of Washington DC

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Sorry, I meant Uzbekistan. Though I know the difference, I erred! I don't think they have any ice rinks, period in Dushanbe (capital of Tajikistan).

Yana

Just saw a very interesting feature on bbc news on a remote region in Tajikistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4284083.stm

a great read. make sure you click on the photo link. There is a picture of young boys playing hockey on the frozen pond, but without any skates - which the article states are too expensive for most folks there.

Yana

pipsqueak said:

People on the west coast of USA hold competitions in Alaska...but do they do so in Hawaii? Are people in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, to name a few, allowed to skate? I don't know that I've heard of anyone from there yet becoming a skater. Let's hear about some of these places

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2005 U.S. Collegiate championships will be in Honolulu.
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=22274

Great Falls, Montana produced two U.S. champions: John Misha Petkevich and Scott Davis

gkelly said:

2005 U.S. Collegiate championships will be in Honolulu.
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=22274

Great Falls, Montana produced two U.S. champions: John Misha Petkevich and Scott Davis

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There's figure skating at the collegiate level? Who takes part? Is it the universites that have figure skating as a varsity or intramural sport (I didn't think there were any, although I know U. of Miami (OH) and Western Michigan have synchronised skating teams...only for women, though :sheesh: ) or is it independent skaters who are of collegiate age (kinda like the Winter Universiade)?

See What I mean?

Mathman: See what I mean? See, after your first 3 philosophical words, my mind turned to mush and my eyes glazed over and I thought, "I am not worthy."

On the other hand, if I am deemed not worthy by myself or others, then the qualification necessarily implies a value of "worthiness" that exists in others, but not in me, and if worthiness can be deemed by words and utterances alone, then even the babbler has worth but the silent soul has none? Well then, I say, silence means worthlessness even as babbling means......oh forget it!

LInny, thanks so much. I've been several times to the Kentucky Horse Park Farm, to see the history of the thoroughbred, but most of all the much-enjoyed Parade of Breeds. I don't even ride, but I love just knowing about the horses, and originally from the east, I've spent some days at some fine horse-racing establishements just to watch the horses (I swear, nothing else....past $2, that is).

Also, thanks gkelly for remembering the collegiates and telling us that it's in Hawaii this year. It's about time we hear something from Hawaii!!!

Also thanks for remembering about Montana and the champions...I couldn't remember which ones came from where...only knew at least one might have come from Montana.

Matt said:

There's figure skating at the collegiate level? Who takes part? Is it the universites that have figure skating as a varsity or intramural sport (I didn't think there were any, although I know U. of Miami (OH) and Western Michigan have synchronised skating teams...only for women, though :sheesh: ) or is it independent skaters who are of collegiate age (kinda like the Winter Universiade)?

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The National Collegiate Championships have existed for about 20 years now. It's a regular competition that any skater who meets the test requirements for junior or senior competition and the college enrollment requirements can enter. There are usually qual rounds for the ladies. Dance and pair events are held there rarely, only if at least two teams sign up for the same event I guess.

Some of the competitors are nationally ranked skaters; most are not.

The results from the 2004 event are here:
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=22273
As you see, Alissa and Amber Czisny took gold and bronze in the senior ladies' event.

From the list of past winners in the rulebook, others who competed there before, during, or after national/international success include:

2003 Jennifer Don, Braden Overett
1999 Derrick Delmore
1998 Sydne Vogel
1988 Nancy Kerrigan
1986 Paul Wylie (both figures and freestyle, which were combined the first year of the event in 1985 but separated from 86 until 2000 which was last year they were included)

There are also a few other recognizable names.

The short program rules for collegiates allow double jumps instead of requiring triples, and do not allow quads for the senior men. (I understand that Overett did perform a quad in his short at that event in 2003, which would have been against the rules, but it was certainly a lower pressure event for him to try it out.)

Just in the last couple of years there have been collegiate team competitions, where skaters represent their colleges, competing at their appropriate test levels to earn placement points for the team.

Here are the results from last year's team championship:
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=20542

Also, of course, there is a collegiate division of synchronized skating as well.

pipsqueak said:

On the other hand, if I am deemed not worthy by myself or others, then the qualification necessarily implies a value of "worthiness" that exists in others, but not in me, and if worthiness can be deemed by words and utterances alone, then even the babbler has worth but the silent soul has none? Well then, I say, silence means worthlessness even as babbling means......oh forget it!

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You tricked me. You are a philosopher!

when i went to lake placid, new york last week... i thought that would be a perfect place for them to hold it. plently of accomidations and plenty of rinks for competitions and practices.

pipsqueak said:

Are people in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, to name a few, allowed to skate? I don't know that I've heard of anyone from there yet becoming a skater. Let's hear about some of these places

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I noticed that 2 of the skaters the US sent to junior worlds are from the south. Jordan Brauninger is from Kentucky and Wesley Campbell is from Nashville, Tennessee. It would be interesting to see them skate to music from their home state like bluegrass or southern gospel.