- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Many athletes are on World Cup circuits, with extensive travel, but that travel tends to be local, no more than 1/2 days drive or a short plane hop, mostly in Europe, and they are on well-organized circuits, on teams with management that are responsible for their equipment and setting up training facilities. This is the case for most winter sports, particularly skiing (Nordic and Alpine). Performance over the course of a season is reflected in the standings, not a relatively small 3-4 tries. Lower level skaters that compete in local competitions and regionals are not crossing continents three to four times a season. Professional teams have everything taken care of, including private and charter flights, and if a basketball player, for example, has a sluggish start, it's not the end of the game, while for a figure skater, who has 2.5 minutes to establish him/herself in the SP or OD, it is.Doggygirl said:Many athletes in many international sports handle grueling travel, training, etc. for a competitive season each year. I don't consider National Championships and World Championships (two events) to be a viable sporting event season. Not if the "sport" needs a fan base that results in financial opportunities both short and long term for the competitors.
I don't think it's the number of competitions that is at issue for GP, but the type of travel that's required to compete, particularly for seeded skaters.